Even the most money-savvy of us make big financial mistakes sometimes. The key is learning from them and moving on. But if you don’t want to lose sight of your financial goals by making a mistake, you’d be better off learning from someone else’s mistakes than your own.

Let them make the errors and you can benefit from their wisdom. If you’re a young adult, you might not have made these common money blunders yet. So there’s still time for you to avoid them if you pay attention to this list.

Credit Card Debt

Nothing can set you on a path toward financial destruction quite like credit card debt. As soon as you turn 18, you’ll start receiving these card offers in the mail. While having a credit card is a great way to build up your credit score, it can also create a debt load and a cycle of overspending that you’re not able to control yet.

So if you want to build your credit score without racking up thousands of dollars in outstanding balances, there is something you can do about it. When you receive your credit card in the mail, call the number on your card and ask them to lower your limit if they’ve given you more than you think you can comfortably handle.

Even a limit of $1,000 will allow you to build up your credit rating without sinking too far into the quicksand of credit card debt. If you are a subprime cardmember, however, keep in mind that you should try to avoid carrying much of a balance at all. Lenders will look at how much of your limit you’re using and you can be penalized if you’re using too high of a percentage of your available balance.

Skimping on Retirement Savings

Retirement is going to be the biggest expense you ever face – more so than student loan debt or even your mortgage.

You need to take it seriously. But far too many people put off saving for retirement until they are in their 40s and by then you’ve left your best years behind you when it comes to accumulating interest.

The sooner you begin your retirement savings, the better off you’ll be.

Buying More Car Than You Can Afford

Yes, transportation is necessary, but that doesn’t mean you have to travel in style. You just need something that gets you from Point A to Point B. Anything else is a luxury that you might not be able to afford.

And even if you can swing that $500 car payment, should you? There are so many other places you could be sticking that money, especially when you might be able to get by just as well on a $250 car payment. That extra $250 a month could go a long way toward paying off credit card debt, your mortgage, or funding your retirement.

Not Having a Clear-Cut Plan

Having control of your finances doesn’t just happen accidentally. It takes work. You need to plan for it.

Sit down for an hour this week and picture what you want your finances and your life to look like in 5 years and in 10 years. You’re the only one who can make that vision happen.

So if you want to be out of debt in 5 years, make a plan for how it will happen. Commit to setting aside money each week to make extra payments, either by cutting back on your current spending or adding a side job.