Talk about a Cinderella story!

Anthony ONeal had it MADE when he went to college. Thanks to scholarships and his father being a veteran, his tuition was paid — and he got into a fraternity to boot!

But barely into his freshman year, he got lured into opening up a credit card — blame the free pizza at the bank's table on campus — and within six months, he found himself in thousands of dollars in debt.

$25,000, to be precise.

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"I filled out the credit card application, and that was the worst decision I ever made in my life," he says.

Not only that, he was kicked out of school for a hazing incident — and his parents wouldn't let him back in the house.

But fast-forward 14 years, and he's about to build his first house! (Listen to his whole amazing story in the video above!)

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How did he get there? A number of ways, but he shared one of his best tips with us, something he WISHED he did: Start saving early.

Anthony showed Rachael two guys and their savings timelines. The one man started saving when he was 18, just as he was headed off to school — and stopped after a few years. The other started saving when he left college. And guess who had the most money at the end, based solely on how early he decided to put money away? That's right! Man No. 1.

Watch the video to see Anthony break it down!