sheikh khalid recommended marriage even earlier, at school age to prevent fitnah and help the young muslims keep things halal because we all know what is happening in the community around us when parents and society prevents the young from marrying.
you dont need a lot of money, i married for about £700 including mahr by using a masjid to hold the walima and cooking the food with a brother ourselves, i know brothers who had even more simple walima's than i did which cost much less than this even.
one bro, someone brought pizzas, someone else curry, someone else roti, someone else fizzy drinks and we split it all in half, half went into the sisters section of the masjid, half in the brothers and we ate and this was the cheapest most simple walima with the most blessings mashallah.
now do you need your own place? well that depends, but usually no, not unless you know your mother is going to be a tyrant against your poor prospective wife.
do you need a car? no off course not.
do you need a degree? what is wrong with the muslims today that we send the youngsters into the worst places of fitnah without being married first, even making going through such a place a prerequisite on getting married and protecting yourself from the fitnah there. crazy.
now do you need a job? probably but not always, but once again i know people who have managed whilst they were still looking for work or still at school as long as you have family and friends to support you.
so if you have no degree, no job, no car, no house (but still have a roof over your head), no money for fancy walima then yes you can still get married.
18 is not too young, in my opinion it is probably leaving things a little too late.
