Wish I had this logic when I was 16 and working my awful minimum wage jobs. Sure, that money ended up in an IRA eventually, but $1k gets made much faster as a s

Wish I had this logic when I was 16 and working my awful minimum wage jobs. Sure, that money ended up in an IRA eventually, but $1k gets made much faster as a software engineer than it does frying chicken wings for minimum wage, to the point where the trade off from having a bit of fun in high school or college would vastly outweigh the small gains I made. I remember thinking my friends and peers were wasteful for spending their earned money on a new graphics card or even buying a $2 drink when they stopped at the gas station instead of saving what was required for necessary expenses, setting aside a little bit for fun, and saving everything else. Turns out I was the fool. I am happy for that habit of saving, but I wish I had more perspective and reduced my savings rate to focus on having a buffer instead of saving for retirement at 16. I guess that's what growing up is for.