I need to LIMIT my money spending habits...ive never been taught-I dont want to blow my investment money "?"

Hi! Im 24 years old and you would think by now I would be able to manage my money. THINK AGAIN...im horrible it burns a hole in my pocket. At 18-22 I got $10,000 each year and spent it..the only wise thing I bought that held its value was a 68 chevelle......When I was young my mom just wrote the checks off like nothing...there was no "balancing" my dad took care of everything. Well now Im an adult....with no kids, and currently engaged.

I want to know what is the best way to manage money?

I will be getting a large sum of money for selling 3 homes. What is the longest way to make this money last?

I have a checking/saving account. Is there any way I can put the money in my account and have the bank send me a check out of MY account for say $500.00 a month and I will just figure I CANNOT write checks/debit/C.C etc??? My fiance is a penny pincher which is good for me. I want to live a secure life. I want a nice retirement. Any good ideas???

Is there a class I should take??
Should I consult my attorney?? This would be very embarassing to me....but cmon...most women have this problem Im sure.

-in dire need of help

let see a penny pincher and a bubble head -- i will give the marriage about 30 seconds --- lol --- ok both of you need to set down with some one who has a lot of finanical knowledge and get you two off on a good start!!! fisrt you have to have a a set of goals in life == with the goals comes cost and with the cost comes a budget --- if you like email me an i will give you a few tips!!!

If you have Microsoft excel 2003 look for "personal budget templates" and save it to your desktop, you can play with it, delete thing or add others, and make it like a habit everyday before you go to bed record what you spent all day. by the end of the month you will figure out where most of your money was spent, and start cutting back from there. I tried this and believe me, after that every time I wanna spend some money I think of the template and how I wanna control my spending though it. Good luck,

I would definitely suggest you take a personal finance class. Especially since you are getting married, so your actions and decisions can't just be about you anymore, it's about both of you now. Financial frustrations are among the number one cause of divorce, and a big spender marrying a penny pincher can be trouble in the future for you. For the sake of your marriage, definitely do something. Put your money in a high yield savings account somewhere that has penalties for withdrawing. I'm not really a financial expert of any kind, but I would strongly suggest you look into financial planning courses at a local college, or even look into what other kinds of options there are in your community.
Good luck! and Congrats on your engagement! I didn't mean to make it sound like doomsday! I love married life!!