* Go without health insurance -- even catastrophic insurance. When you are in your 20s, the last thing you are thinking about is getting sick. After all, you were just a teenager a few short years ago and the feeling of invincibility hasn’t quite worn off yet. At a minimum, look into a high-deductible plan that will cover you in the event of a major illness.
          o Bing: Find cheaper health insurance
    * Turn down cheap life insurance because you don't have dependents. If you die without dependents, it will still cost money to settle your final expenses. Don’t transfer that burden to your parents, or a close friend, because you were too cheap to pay a small premium for affordable life insurance.
    * Refuse to have disability insurance. After all, you are only 26, right? Who becomes disabled at 26? A lot of people. Protect your new salary by getting disability insurance.
    * Don’t go to the doctor. Again, it's that invincibility thing. At a minimum, follow your physician’s guidelines on annual or semiannual checkups.

Going to the chapel

    * Marry the wrong person for the wrong reasons. They say opposites attract, but I'm not sure they stay together forever. Find someone who shares your dreams on subjects that matter most to you.
    * Spend six months' salary on an engagement ring. If you have to spend half a year's salary on an engagement ring to impress someone, you might want to think twice about your choice of partner. I've always thought one month's salary was a good rule of thumb, and, of course, pay cash.
    * Blow thousands you don't have on a wedding. Stick to a reasonable wedding and avoid putting your newlywed selves -- or your parents -- deep in debt.
    * Refuse to accept your partner's debt. When you marry, you become one, so your spouse's debts are now your debts. Remove "mine" and "yours" from your vocabulary when discussing debt and marriage.
    * Buy a house without an emergency fund. It does seem like the minute you stretch to buy a home without proper savings, something will break, causing you to immediately reach for the credit cards.
    * Share a mortgage with your boyfriend/girlfriend. I'm not being a prude here. If you decide to share living quarters with someone before marriage, please avoid sharing a mortgage (or lease) with them. If you split up, and chances are you probably will, the financial impact is a lot messier with joint ownership.