nothing in life is black and white

Do you put money into a 401k?  If so, what percentage of your salary do you put in?  The company where I have worked for the last 7 years offers 401k, but I’ve never signed up despite the fact that it’s all pre-tax and the company matches what you put in up to a certain percentage. 

My friends and coworkers never understood why I didn’t put in and always tried to convince me that “you gotta pay yourself first”.  I always convinced myself that I simply could not afford it at the time and would put in eventually…when I was more established financially and had less debt.  But I knew that I would probably always have debt and was using it as an excuse.  But why?  Was I afraid of it because I didn’t have much of an understanding of it?  I don’t know what the real reasons for not utilizing it were at first, but I recently realized something about 401k that makes perfect sense: it is my firstfruit.
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