If you buy a personal finance book at Barnes and Noble or enroll in a Personal Finance and Investments course at the local college, one key concept that continually arises is “Pay yourself first!”. What this means is a predetermined portion of your disposable income should be going to yourself before anyone else gets paid. Once you establish an investment or savings vehicle (Roth IRA/CD/Stocks/Savings), make sure the first payment that gets made (after Income tax etc) is into your own accounts. This ensures that you are developing strong finance habits. Since you are more likely to default on payments to yourself, this ensures that both you as well as your bill collectors get paid.