Earning, Saving, Spending, and Investing money are all contributors (that you have some control over) to your financial situation. They are all related, and it is worth looking at each one.
Commonly when we talk about saving money, we talk about not spending. Not buying unnecessary things is a great way to keep your money for other things later in life. But it's not the only way.
Earnings: It's a time consuming process to increase your earnings. You can re-train for a different job, earn a raise, or do extra work on the side. It must be earned and involves work, so most people will not pursue this avenue after finishing school, but achieving this will put you in a better financial position that will likely stick for the rest of your career. Note that increasing your earnings does not mean an increase the cost of your necessities.
Investing: Is related to saving. What do you do with the money you save? Investing idle cash is a smart move. Learn how to do it properly!
Spending: Spending smartly makes sense. Realize that although advertising can be funny, entertaining, and/or carry a meaningful message, the real goal is to push your buttons and convince you to part with your cash. Learn how to make smart decisions on what products you buy. Consider the price, the relative quality (diminishing returns is probably in effect), and the cost versus how much you will actually use the product. Too many times, we convince ourselves to buy something based on how much it can potentially do instead of thinking about how we will actually end up using it.
