Asking what I should do while I'm still young.

[Teadrinker11]

I'm 26 and conscious that while I'm getting older, I'm still somewhat young ish and from wasting so many previous years want to do what kind of things I should be doing either for fun or for insurance to avoid regret while I'm older. What do you think? What kind of things should I be doing while I'm still somewhat young?

Start a pension!

Become a tattoo artist if you're any good at art. I've just paid £700 for a day session

Pay as much as you can into your pension!

For fun, I regret not going more mini-breaks and activities in my twenties (before children) and instead spending most of my money in the pub or on completely unnecessary clothes.

Travel.

Buy a property and save your money

Pension
Study

Save money to get on the property ladder
It's so much easier to do when your young !
Also agree about your pension , at least 10% into the pot a month

Travel. Buy experiences rather than things. Then buy a house.

When I was in my twenties I drank too much, went out a lot, had some casual sex and had a lot of fun. Do that!
The sensible late 40s me would say get life insurance, health care and a good pension before you have any pre existing stuff to whack up the premiums.
The thing is, what suits one person, wouldn’t suit another. Some would say travel, some would say have a baby young, some to fully concentrate on your career. What do you think you might regret if you didn’t do it?

Young persons working holiday in Austrailia or New Zealand

Save for a house deposit. It’s much harder once you’re older and have children.

Travel. It is easier to travel when you have no dcs. You can go long haul and just pay for yourself.

If you are any way inclined it would be great to work or study abroad for a year or two.

Beware spending too much on basic 'nights out'. Save and do 'experiences' instead eg concerts, shows, mini breaks.

Save a certain amount but experiences are very important.

What do you want to do?

Travel.
Work abroad for a while if you can.
Morbid I know, but talk to the generations above you about their lives. There are so many questions you will wish you'd asked when they're gone.

If you don’t have kids then travel as much as you can. And be spontaneous. Randomly book weekend trips to places- they don’t have to be expensive. Just having that freedom to up and go somewhere is amazing, even if only for a weekend! Have lots of fun with friends. If you’re not tied to a job, work abroad for a bit. When you have kids life is still fun but it’s a lot more planned and you will prob have a loss less money! And you are a lot more restricted with what you can do and where you can go. You have to think where your kids would like to go before you think of what you would like to do so I think if you don’t have kids you should be selfish and do whatever you want to do (within reason haha!) while you can

At 25 I packed my bags and went to Australia backpacking alone for a year.

Experience of a lifetime.

My husband and I also went to NZ for a year in 2008.

It took us longer to save for a house but it was absolutely worth it. Would highly recommend!

@sophienelisse

What do you want to do?

This. I appreciate the useful ideas like saving but everything else, just do what you love. Now is the time.

Make the most of work abroad visas, they aren't available after 30

Work abroad, experience another culture. It’s insurance of a type - against a mid-life crisis.

Yes if you can a working holiday visa for Australia and backpacking around Asia on the way back is an amazing experience (I regret deciding not to visit Cambodia and doubt I will go back now with mortgage 2 kids etc etc).

Yes to pension - even if you start contributing and stop that money will grow

Plough as much as you can in to a pension

Take up a sport that you can continue into old age and that is sociable ( golf is a good one for networking). Get actively involved in a cause - charity/political/campaigning/Brownie leader/local wildlife. Get involved in an organised activity of artistic/spiritual/intellectual nature - e.g. a choir,church,am dram,bridge or chess club. Get any additional training or qualifications relevant to your career and join any committees/ groups relevant to it. If nothing else, these things will be good for your CV. Pension,pension,pension.

What do you want to do? The best advice is don’t do things because you feel like you should. But if you are able to, do plenty of what you like.

@BrioNotBiro

Start a pension!

100%

Work out what really makes you happy? What you really looking forward to. Which people make you smile. What is really important to you. Then get more of the above.