r/MutualFundSpendInvest

I’ve been thinking about this milestone a lot—your first ₹1 lakh always seems harder than the rest.

For me, it’s taking longer than expected. Between random expenses, going out, and just lack of discipline, saving consistently has been tougher than I imagined.

Everyone talks about crores and FIRE, but I feel like the real game starts with that first ₹1 lakh.

So I’m curious:
How long did it take you to reach your first ₹1 lakh?
What worked for you—strict saving, investing, side income, or something else?
Did you actively invest that money or mostly save it first?
What would you do differently if you had to start again?

I would love to hear real journeys, especially the ones that weren’t smooth or straightforward.

I’ve always heard “time in the market beats timing the market,” so I’ve been mostly fully invested through SIPs and occasional lump sums.

But lately, with markets feeling a bit stretched and volatile, I’m starting to wonder—does holding some cash actually make more sense right now?

Not from a “timing the exact top” perspective, but just having dry powder in case better opportunities come up.

At the same time, keeping money idle also feels like I’m missing out if the market keeps moving up.

What do you guys think about this?
Are you increasing your cash allocation or staying fully invested?
If you’re holding cash, where are you parking it (savings, liquid funds, etc.)?

“Curious to know how others are balancing this without overthinking it.”

Hi, i really want to get as financial literate as i can before i officially start earning and so I’m looking to learn as much as i can about mutual funds, SIP’s, PPF’s, stocks, etc. So please drop me your financial advices as to where I can start, if there are any YouTube channels you suggest me to watch, any books i can read that help with financial planning, etc.

Please don’t give me general advices like, “start saving early”, “track your expenses”, “be disciplined”, etc. Throw terms my way, and I’ll look them up if needed to, but i want solid advices, so I can actually start investing money. Thankyou.