If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Don’t spend money on things you don’t want.

(I’d elaborate, but it would take more than ten words.)

The classic: “Pay yourself first.”

Start funding retirement early; don’t touch the money until retirement.

Help the less fortunate, it could be you someday.

Work hard when young, relax when old.

Use up, wear out, make do, or do without.

He who gains a victory over himself is all-powerful

When told “you must buy this now,” say no!

The love of money is the root of all evil.

Inflation-Adjusted Passive Income – Reasonable Expenses + Saving for Future = Financial Freedom

Those who understand interest earn it, the others pay it.

Keep track of all income and expenditures to the penny.

(ALL other financial wisdom stems from the knowledge gained form careful record keeping.)

Never say “no” to free money.

And yes credit cards can work to your advantage.

Rules for buying “new” technology:

1. Wait 6 months before you purchase.
2. Repeat rule 1.

That weakonomist guy sure is smart…

I’m glad to see more in the comments, I think Trent will have to do another with them!

“Use what you’ve got, do what you know.”

“If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will beyour downfall.”

Hmm, lots of good ones already. How about, “Try to have multiple streams of income.”

Drive it until the wheels fall off.

Take care of your teeth.

Live well, within your means. (The comma here is very important – it separates cheap judgements from the value judgements.)

Credit cards are not an emergency fund.

Don’t spend money you don’t have yet.

Great list. My addition:

Spend less then you earn, invest the difference.

Always remember that orgasms are free.

#1: Never finance a luxury.

#2: Use it up, wear it out, make do, do without.

Can anyone elaborate on this entry: “Grumpicus: Use credit cards, NOT debit cards.”

Is this just for the rewards? Surely earning credit card rewards isn’t one of the top 50 best pieces of money advice. Am I missing something?

Learn to control your spending and everything else will fall into place.

@#22 I was wondering about that one also. Maybe use debit cards, NOT credit cards???

Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have. –Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. This applies to more things in life than your money!

1) Take time to optimize your expenses, cut what you don’t need.

2) Don’t finance a deal, interest cost more than full price

Learn more, earn more and spend less.

A healthy life style is cheaper than hospitals.

@#22 From what I have read credit cards offer the card-holder certain protections, required by law, if the card is lost or stolen. Debit cards do not.

Pay yourself first last and always!

or

Live well below your means.

Care to explain how this one is good advice?

“Use credit cards, NOT debit cards.”

Using credit cards is using money you don’t have. Using debit cards is the same as cash essentially. Isn’t this one backwards? If not, it’s pretty awful advice.

wrong, tony. trent just wrote an article on this. as long as you pay a credit card off each month within the grace period, credit cards offer many more protections, especially with respect to fraud.

Forget the Stock Market – Invest in FAMILY!

“wrong, tony. trent just wrote an article on this. as long as you pay a credit card off each month within the grace period, credit cards offer many more protections, especially with respect to fraud.”

Until you miss a payment, then the debt spiral begins……..

it’s not retirement if you’re still paying off debt.

The debit card carries the exact same liability as a credit card when it’s used like a visa. When they ask credit or debit if you say “Credit” the transaction is run through visa network and they take thier percentage. If you say debit and type in your code it goes over a different processing network and typicaly is cheaper for the store as the percentage is lower. Both offer zero liability if your account is used fraudulently. If you are concerned about the added consumer protection such as disputing later just say “credit”.

Categorize your spending, into WANTS and NEEDS.

Get over your phobia of saying “I can’t afford it”, to other people and especially to yourself. It’s a MUCH less expensive way to live.

That’s more than 10 words, but sometimes less isn’t more.

Michelle(#5)–it takes a truly deep mind/heart to think of what you wrote. Not many people can do that.

@Doug – My first idea was going to be:

“The only way to win is not to play”

I thought it might be too ambiguous.

Great post. I think my faves looking over the list again now are those by MoneyHighway and Centsible Life (they’re kind of poetic, too:)):

Money comes and goes, the memories stay.
Spend less than you earn. Earn more.

Is this product really worth being in debt?

@Kevin(#35), Michelle(#5): I agree that we should all help the less fortunate. But we should do it because it’s the right thing to do. Not because we’re expecting anything in return, or to ensure that others will help us if we fall on hard times someday. The world’s poorest people endure hardships every day that we in the rich world will very likely never see for ourselves – if we help them, it’s vanishingly unlikely that they’ll ever have the chance to repay the favor. Still, we should help – because their lives are more important to them than our new iPods (or whatever) are to us. This isn’t money advice, though – it’s moral advice.

The best things in life aren’t things.

“Repeat after me, stockbrokers are salespeople!”

I would have to say:
“Never give up, only then are you poor”

Success leaves clues. Follow successful people. Open your mind, ask.

Understand the difference between ‘NEED’ and ‘WANT’.

“Don’t walk away from 401(k) match, regardless of debt situation.”

I just found out today that my company matches $200 in contributions… for the whole year.

Plan ahead and pay attention.

Thanks for the include! Glad you liked my tip!

No one has proposed the SNL advice? Let me do it: “Don’t buy things you can’t afford.”

Everything (and everyone) in your life requires attention. Pay attention.

Unfortunately, my grandfather’s advice was “You can’t make big money without borrowing money.” He was always taking out enormous loans to expand his business, always taking huge risks. Luckily for him, his business kept expanding and he died with quite a bit of money and property.

His son, my father, wasn’t quite so lucky. Following the same advice, he always borrowed to make the business bigger and better, and he died having just declared bankruptcy. His heart was broken because he had to sell off everything his father had built and left to his children.

My advice: “Don’t risk anything you can’t afford to lose.”

“Replace mediocre pleasures with better ones.”

Perhaps not strictly financial advice, but it has a host of financial implications.

Live on less than you earn.

“Stay single and your pockets will jingle!”

“Stop buying crap!”

Wait before buying.

“It’s not how much money you make – it’s how you spend it.”

Pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible.

Time in the market is better than timing the market.

Remember not even the Jonses keep up!

Read, learn, practice, experiment, improve. Never stop learning, loving, living.

Recycle, Donate, Trade Everything! even Food! Read and Laugh LOTS!

Lend money to god, and wait for unlimited interest

I don’t buy into the reasoning with credit cards over debit cards. It’s still encouraging people to spend money they don’t have, hence terrible advice. The advice doesn’t account for human behavior. Most people aren’t disciplined enough to pay off the balance every month, as evidenced by the average level of consumer debt in this country. What you are doing is making people who aren’t disciplined enough with their credit card behavior feel okay and justified with their credit card abuse.

B-U-D-G-E-T is not a four letter word.

Be honest, set goals, spend less, earn more, work well.

PLAN your spending. Much more freedom!

Never pay full price for anything.

Know the difference between needs and wants.

If you watch the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.

1. why buy retail?
2. choose things that hold their value.

If you don’t have a credit card, don’t get one!

Don’t buy junk, buy the very best quality you can afford (for appliances, kitchen equipment, tools, etc.)

Of course you will have to do your research and see who has the best warranties, customer services, replacement parts etc. But it always pays in the end. Far better to pay upfront for quality than to pay over and over again for junk!!

Spend less than you earn; remember, God owns it all.

I’m confused about one of the top fifty. Why advise somebody to use a credit as opposed to a debit card? I use my debit card all the time; it’s similar to writing a check, and no interest.
B.

Learn how to make a budget and STICK TO IT.

Oops — found it. Run a debit card like a “credit,” and get the protections.
B.

Budget and practice provident living.

Get a part time job too and save that money.

If your wallet is ever stolen credit cards offer more protection than debit cards (where your entire balance can be wiped out).

Protect your wealth by spending on your health.

The Jones’ are in debt–don’t keep up with them!

There’s no such thing as a one-time good deal.

(Meaning – don’t be rushed into a purchase for fear of missing a bargain.)

Pay as you go, and you’ll never owe!

Don’t buy cheap junk.

(Having recently quit a company that sells cheap, foreign-made computer parts, this one is very important to me!)

Plant a garden.

(gives you a hobby and food to spare.)

Remember, it’s not our stuff. Be a good steward.

Never loan what you can’t afford to give. Even better, don’t loan; give.

Don’t admire wealth or despise poverty. Admire courage, generosity, work ethic; despise stinginess, laziness, and the refusal to take a stand for things that are important.

Turn off your TV! (They make their money selling you things you wouldn’t buy otherwise)

Johanna (#38)–Agreed, we shouldn’t give expecting to get something in return. However, I think that when we give, we do get. Not from the people we give to, but from others and from circumstances. The important thing is that we help those in need, and when we’re in need, hopefully someone will be there for us.

A complicated way of saying “what goes around, comes around”, and I think it does “pay” in the difficult moments of life.

Anything that doesn’t make you money is a liability (including a house).

Before buying, ask, “Where are you going to put it?”

I have put so many things back on the shelf by using this phrase. Really thinking about where you are going to put a new choch-kie makes you realize you don’t need it just because it’s pretty/cool/nifty.

Kim (#69)–Great comment.

Its never what you make, its how much you save!!

Get rich quick…want less.

Appreciate the simple things. You DON’T need more stuff!

Invest in yourself, family and close friends — in… that… order.

Mind the present, focus on future, learn from the past.

Time is money.

Don’t waste any amount of money even if it is small because it all ads up.

Pay yourself first automatically, max out retirement accounts, avoid debt.

The less cluttered your life is, the happier you’ll be.

don’t hang your hat where your hand cant reach

cut your coat according to your cloth

learn to cut and contrive

all these sayings reminds one to live within your means

The best things in life are still free!

It’s hard to add to this list. My favorite money advice is “Save First, Save Often”.

Here are a few of mine:

A part of all you earn is yours to keep. (From grandpa/dad.)

If they get all your money, THEY WIN, YOU LOSE.

Consider every salesman on commission your ADVERSARY, not your friend.

READ to become financially literate and informed.

Stay skeptical of ALL marketing claims.

Consider price, durability, utility, storage, and time to be spent.

Ultimate test if a purchase is a need or want: Determine your hourly pay and quickly calculate how many hours you have to work to pay for the desired item.

“Be honest with yourself.”

Which is to say, “How often are you REALLY going to use it?”

Can’t quite get this down to just 10 words:

Yes, you deserve it, but if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.

longer version:
Yes, you’re a worthy person, and you work so hard, and you completely deserve X (fill in: Wii nicer clothes, fancy car, trip to Cancun). But worthiness and warm fuzzies are NOT the same as cash. If you don’t have the $$, don’t get it, no matter how worthy you are and how much you believe you deserve it. Mother Teresa might be the most worthy person in the world, and she never wasted money on a had a Wii!

Three words: Do. Not. Procreate. Dual Income + No Kids = Early Retirement. And yes, that happened for us.

Stop buying new stuff.

Save before you spend.

Sales don’t save money, people save money.

If you don’t buy it, you’ll save more than it’s on sale.

Find satisfaction in savings, not in stuff.

#115 Dinker

I really appreciated your contribution to this thread.

For a host of reasons (not just financial), my husband and I made a conscious choice not to have children. We adore kids, and have active roles in the lives of our nieces and nephews. Still, neither of us felt a need to procreate ourselves.

Okay…that was more than 10 words, but I just wanted to give a high-five to your post!

Dinker & Ashley: And some of don’t even particularly like kids, and of course don’t have any. The savings are just the icing on the cake. In reference to another thread on this site, I would opt to sell any children to the coin dealer, and spend my free time landscaping the doctor’s wife’s garden. But that’s just me – we all have differing talents, wants, needs, and tolerance levels.