[tomxtr]

One misconception is that you have to make a lot to retire wealthy. If I've learned one thing, it is that no matter how much you make it isn't going to be enough because you'll always want to trade up as you make more. Better living arrangement, better car, better stereo, TV, etc. We're fortunate that we don't have to worry about money too much, but if we tried to keep up with our co-workers and neighbors, in terms of cars, clothes, and other bullshit, you can bet that we'd be paycheck to paycheck.

Get some kind of savings going where the money is regularly auto-deducted from your check. After a while, you won't even notice it. If 401K is an option, then by all means contribute the maximum amount at which your employer will match, at the minimum.

Pay off you credit card bills and if you don't have any, don't get sucked into that. It is not even worth saving, aside from emergency money, if you are carrying a balance on a credit card.

Don't put any money in the stock market unless you can afford to lose it. Unless you are investing for the long term in conservative stocks, there exists a real likelihood that you will lose money. If you are young, you shouldn't be investing a whole lot of money in conservative investments though. Look into some growth funds that have performed well over the last 3 to 5 years.