Money Advice

Here's some money advice I recently read on Mint.com. They started with simple advice they'd expect someone to hear from their dad (it was a Father's Day thing), then they said whether they agreed or not.

1) "Money Management is easy, just spend less than you make." Then Mint said that was a start, but you should also make money work for you with compound interest, and have an emergency fund.

2) "Buy low, sell high." Then Mint said not to try to time the market because it won't work.

3) "Don't carry a balance on your credit cards." And Mint said they agree, and added to check your credit score regularly.

What do y'all think?

Here's what I say:
1) I agree with everything on this one, but I would add that it is not enough to "spend less than you make." What you really need to do is spend as much as you plan on spending. In other words, trade "living within your means" for "living within your budget". Actually saving as much as you plan, and having all expenditures not exceed what you planned to spend. No one can know all they may need $ for next paycheck, but you should allocate some money to "general" or "free" categories that can make up the difference. The only way I've found that works for us to do this is to take out our variable payments in cash and not spend anymore when the cash runs out.

2) I also think timing the market is too risky, but I'd say buying something when the price is low is still a good idea, especially if you want to own that item anyway.

3) I'm not a big fan of credit cards. The companies themselves want to make money, and they will make much more the moment you are late on a payment or make a partial payment. I'd say use C-cards sparingly, even if you get rewards, because when you have a rough time financially, they will not be charitable.

That's what I think. Do you agree?
Any more sound advice you'd like to share?