Mint

If I had to list my top three worst habits, it would go as follows: slouching, swearing and keeping my finances in order.

Until I can find an app to address slouching and swearing, I am all about this Mint budgeting app.

Like many of my Navy shipmates, I found solace in the military after struggling through not even a year of higher learning — with zero support from my parents. I don’t know what they thought I would learn trying to balance a part-time job with the workload required for my scholarship, but sleep was non-existent and money was tight. I have a lot of stories about stretching my dollars in those days that I’m sure sound familiar to many people. That all ended the minute I got on a plane to basic training right after Christmas. I barely even said goodbye to my parents. It was more like, “Thanks for nothing, I’m out.”

The government started paying me more money than I had time to spend from the day I went to boot camp. While everyone was spending their hard-earned pay on phone calls home in tears, I was chatting it up with my friends from school, who were all still in disbelief at what I had done.

Once we graduated boot camp, the first thing we did was rent limos and go sightseeing in Chicago, eating steak dinners and celebrating our new freedom as adults with money. Abroad was even crazier, as the dollar was quite strong and the military actually pays you extra allowances, including housing, food and cost of living, in addition to your basic pay.

This was the prime of my life — time off was abundant, and so were trips all over Europe and the Mediterranean. Plus, I had just discovered Victoria’s Secret and Spiegel catalogs. I had memorized my credit card number before my Italian phone number.

At 19, I was living large in my own house with nobody to tell me that I should start thinking about saving for my future.

I should have been scared. Instead, I was the happiest person you ever met. By the time I got to Hawaii, I was high ranking and raking in tons of other allowances that pop up as your career develops. Getting out of the Navy in 2006 was a full stop as far as the unlimited cash flow — and taught me very quickly about budgeting my money. No more shopping trips to BCBG every Thursday to prepare for my weekends. No more bottle service, no more flying my friends to Hawaii to see me, no more elaborate dinners three times a week. Life had to get ugly to make up for all that pretty.

The thing is, when I had tons of money, all I wanted to do was spend it — on myself, on everyone in my life. I couldn’t help it. Whenever a paycheck comes, I’m in a great mood. Money is happiness.

As much as I love money, it also sucks. It’s the source of so much anger and resentment as well. I’m not sure how to find the balance.

I just know now what I wish I knew as a tween: budget! Mint is a free app that pools together all of your financial accounts, so you always know what you’re working with at a touch of the screen. You can customize a budget that’s right for you, but more importantly, you can work to follow it by tracking investments and spending.

I’m prepared for the discipline I know it’s going to take to work more than play for a while to catch up, but I have a feeling this app will help me save in my 40s.

@SUPERCW
Christa Wittmier is “SUPERCW” on all social media. Find her on Snapchat, Soundcloud, Twitter, Vine and Insta-gram. By night, she is known as DJ SuperCW. By day, she is known as senior marketing director for Young’s Market Company of Hawaii. Her nightlife blog SuperCity runs every Wednesday on HonoluluPulse.com.