You absolutely trade away freedoms when you get married (or build a serious relationship), have a kid, buy a house, get a dog, etc.. Signing up for rental paym

You absolutely trade away freedoms when you get married (or build a serious relationship), have a kid, buy a house, get a dog, etc.. Signing up for rental payments or car payments of a certain amount involve reduce freedom. That's fine (and you can build a lot of really good things); just watch for trading away freedoms but getting nothing valuable in return -- it's a common mistake (and I made it myself!) to get out of school, get your first job, and immediately get a car, living situation, etc. that costs what you earn. Or, oops, a bit more than you earn. I paid for my wedding and honeymoon that were nice, but left me in debt for years; it was dumb. I got a car that wasn't fancy, but it was more than I should have spent. Etc.. There's an awful lot of stuff that you simply don't need, and will never need; don't trade away your freedoms for those. Whenever you have a significant jump in earning, never ever spend anything immediately. Wait 6 months at least; see how your life is going, and if you can just keep saving the extra, or if you'd like to make a few upgrades in your life.