7 essential tips to avoid the 'lifestyle creep' that keeps you from building wealth

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Like many people, I spent my college years being extremely frugal. I did all kinds of things in college to save money. I ate absurd amounts of ramen noodles, as it was an extremely cheap form of calories. I lived in a tiny apartment with as many as seven other people to get rent well below the $100 per month line. I went to all kinds of on-campus events mostly under the lure of free food. I avidly traded textbooks in order to save cash on my own books and try to ...