1. Don't go into large amounts non-dischargable debt for a degree that does not have a reasonable possibility of payback. College debt must be subject to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis. Taking on 200k in student loans for a history/communications/art/english degree is a bad move. If you ever have to declare bankrupcy student loans cannot be eliminated or reduced while most debt can. The degrees you want to pursue are those that people went to school for 50 years old ie engineering, science, architecture. Anything that funnels directly into a high paying profession.
2. Avoid a car, but if you can't buy a manual, 4 cylinder car with good gas mileage. Avoid coupes and sportier models due to increased cost of parts and insurance. Get a car that is later in the production cycle. The 7th generation civic, for example, was made from 2000-2005. By 04-05 all the bugs have been worked out, making them the most reliable of the generation. A manual 04-05 civic 4 cylinder base model will be cheap to maintain, cheap to insure, get good gas mileage and probably go to 200k+ miles. Get one with a timing chain if possible, the timing belt replacement usually runs over $800. Look for common problems with the engine and transmission, avoid models with major problems in these two components. Doing work on the suspension, brakes, etc is pretty easy and can be done with a basic tool set. In my experience, girls do not care what car you drive but they do notice if you car has a bunch of junk in it, keep it clean in the passenger compartment, throw the junk in the trunk. Also in my experience girls look down on guys with mustangs or other cars of this ilk because they think they are compensating for something.
3. Buy a flask and bring it to bars. You can save hundreds if not thousands per year by mixing drinks under the table or in the bathroom. You can sip on high quality scotch in a bar for quarter price.
4. Start meditating. You will realise that most people buy stuff to make them feel better about themselves. A consistent meditation practice, or a free 10 day retreat(
http://www.dhamma.org) will make you self-satisfied and eliminate the need to buy most of the worthless junk on which people spend their money.
5. Spend money on the bare minimum you need to survive and things that will hold their value. Off the top of my head the following things seem to hold/appreciate in value: guns, ammunition, gold, silver, used exercise equipment(kettlebells, plates), cast iron cookware. Cars, houses, boats, etc are depreciating assets. The preceding list seems to resist the effects of inflation.
6. Cook for yourself and incorporate lots of pastured butter(Kerrygold @ trader joes) and coconut oil into your diet. Fat will keep you full and prevent you from binging on junk food as often. Saturated fat also increases testosterone and will make you feel like a beast.
If you live like this you can subsist on very small amounts of money and the assets you acquire(guns, etc) can always be sold in a pinch.