I was thinking about all of the advice or topics I've read, or learned on this forum and blogs. These are in no particular order of importance, because different ones will be most, or more important to everyone.

1. Make a budget, and stick to it

2. Live at, or below your means

3. Track your spending, know where every penny goes

4. Distinguish between a want and a need

5. Save, save, save. Establish an emergency fund and don't touch it for anything other then a true emergency.

6. Pay off your debt, understand why you went into debt, and then don't fall back into it.

7. Learn to cook, meal plan, batch cook. Plan before you grocery shop. 

8. Have adequate insurance. especially health insurance, but also dental, vision, home, car etc.

9. Treat yourself every now and then. Save for the fun things in life too, whatever they are for you.

10. If you own a home, pay it off early, or at the very least , before you retire.

11. No one is perfect! If you fall off the wagon, go back into debt, whatever it might be, start over. And don't beat yourself up for it.

12. Learn to invest, and then do it.

I'm sure there are others! 

Also, things happen to derail the best laid plans. Think they can't happen to you? They can. Things like:

- stock market crashes, bubbles that burst (housing market, tech) banks fail, unexpected job loss, recession, inflation, serious physical and mental health issues, pandemics, war, bankruptcy, losing your home, divorce, death of a spouse or partner, etc. 

I am not fear mongering by mentioning these things, they have all happened in my lifetime. Not all TO me, but they have happened.  Some have seriously derailed my own financial plan for my life, sometimes things just happen that are out of your control. Well, I'm rambling, but these are my financial thoughts right now! Maybe it's because the world seems in such turmoil.