u/Unlucky_Bicycle2595

Hey everyone, just started working a few days ago and already managed to save around ₹10-15k from my first salary + side work. Feeling good about it but also completely lost on what to do next.

My dad's telling me to just put it straight into an FD, which is what he's always done and it's worked fine for him. I don't want to brush that off since it's clearly kept our family financially stable, but I also have this nagging feeling that there might be better options for someone starting out at my age, I just don't know enough to say for sure.

i have lots of doubt like, Is FD actually a bad idea for someone in their early 20s, or is it a safe starting point? What's the difference between just dumping money in an FD vs starting a SIP? Should I even be "investing" ₹10-15k or is that too small an amount to bother with? Where do people actually learn this from scratch? Every video/blog assumes I already know terms like NAV, expense ratio, asset allocation etc. Should I build an emergency fund first before thinking about any investments? Also where to set asied emergency fund amount?

Actually I don't have any idea about investment and don;t even know where to start.

I'm not trying to get rich quick or chase anything risky, just want to actually understand how money should work for someone in their first job, and build the right habits from day one instead of figuring it out the hard way later.

If you were in my shoes right now, what would be the first thing you'd do with this money?

Was at a wedding last week and watched someone literally panic when an aunty tried small talk with them. Like visibly froze, gave one word answers, escaped to "get water." Same person has 200+ matches on Hinge and texts strangers all day without breaking a sweat.

That's when it hit me, we've optimized for swiping, not talking. We can judge someone's whole personality from 6 photos and a prompt in under 2 seconds, but put us in an actual room with an actual stranger and most of us short circuit.

Think about it: our parents' generation had way less "choice" but somehow could hold a conversation with literally anyone , let that be neighbor, shopkeeper, random person at a function, doesn't matter. We have infinite choice and somehow can't talk to the cute person in our own friend group without overthinking every text for 45 minutes first.

does anyone else feel like they got worse at talking to people the more they used these apps? Or is it just me.

https://preview.redd.it/3vpvzlfo0fah1.jpg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7de2878fc91bd401256907c4d630090c3c6ad1d1

I genuinely don't get it.

Every time I politely say no to something, whether it's helping with something, attending something, or just not being available, it somehow becomes a much bigger issue than it needs to be.

Suddenly it's,
"Attitude aa gaya?"
"Itni busy kab se ho gaya, bro?"
"Ek baar bol dete toh kya ho jaata?"

Like... I literally did say it. Respectfully. 😭

I don't think saying no automatically means you don't care about someone. Sometimes you're just tired. Sometimes you already have other plans. Sometimes you simply don't feel like it. That should be enough.

The strange part is that people say they want honesty, but the moment your honest answer is "no," they expect you to come up with an excuse that sounds more acceptable. 😂

If you lie and say you're busy, everything is fine. If you honestly say, "Nah, I don't think I can," people start taking it personally.

Why??

I don't think every no needs a long explanation. It isn't meant to be rude. It's just a boundary.

Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?

I lived in Faridabad before. Renting a 2BHK there, in a decent society with a pool and gym, easily cost ₹14-16k a month. Good locality, good amenities, no compromises. That was just normal to me.

Then I moved to Bangalore for work and started looking for a 2BHK. Not having same expectations as i had herd about living costs in bangalore a bit so just some amenities, nothing fancy.

And then I saw the rent. ₹30k-45k a month for a basic 2BHK and it blew my mind off. I new rent would be more but this was not the expectation.

At first I thought I was being overpriced on purpose. Like maybe brokers assume "new to the city, doesn't know the rates" and quote high. But after looking around for a while, this is was the actual range here. Some areas had even higher rates like HSR and all .

Then came the actual death note , "the deposit" . In Faridabad it was used to 1-2 months' rent as deposit, maybe 3 if the landlord was being extra cautious. Here, almost every place I looked at wanted a flat ₹1 lakh deposit, regardless of the rent amount. Didn't matter if the rent was 16 k for 1 rk , no one even said anything below 1 lakh. I mean I didn't even set my home and already more than 1 lakh was out of my bank was really not what i had thought when my friends were telling that bangalore is costly, I mean I didn't even get to the furnishing part .

I mean a little heads up would had been better for me. So, If you're moving here from a tier-2 city like I did — budget far more than you think you need, and ask about the deposit amount upfront before you fall in love with a place, because that number alone can wreck your moving budget.

Would genuinely love to hear if others felt this same shock moving from smaller cities, or if I just got unlucky with the areas I was looking at.

I am not comparing Bangalore to Faridabadh here. Just sharing my experience . Not complaining its just that it was shocking.