Your first paycheck will feel huge and small at once. Remember the feeling. It’s the start of a long story.

The first money you earn yourself is strange because it is both more than you have ever had and far less than you assumed a job would produce. Both halves of that are accurate. It is also the opening entry in a very long record of trading hours for money, which is worth noticing while it is still new.

Before you spend it, write down what the number was and how it felt. Then decide on purpose where part of it goes instead of letting it drain.