Judge JUDY SHEINDLIN has been dispensing her special brand of justice in her TV courtroom since 1996 -- and she is still going strong. The former New York City Family Court judge, who began her television career in her 50s, has just renewed her contract through 2012, and she tells ET's MARY HART she does it all herself!

"I had to learn the business, because I negotiate my own contracts," she explains. "I don't think you can be respected in any business unless you know the business. So when I came into this business as a fully grown adult, I said, in order for me to feel comfortable functioning in the business, because I don't have an agent, manager or lawyer, I have to learn."

The money is not something that Judge Judy takes for granted. With five children to raise, she and her second husband JERRY, who was also a judge, watched their pennies.

"Jerry and I lived on two judges' salaries, which were fine, but we had five kids. They were all educated," she tells Mary. "Most of them went on to professional school, so that money didn't go very far. We knew how to live pretty modestly. And it wasn't so long ago. It was in 1990."

That has all changed with the success of her TV show. These days, when she wants to buy a pair of ROBERT CLERGERIE shoes, she doesn't have to wait for them to go on sale like she used to do.

"I knew I had made it when I bought the shoes in black and paid full price," she tells Mary. "Did I ever think that we would be able to enjoy this kind of luxury and comfort? Absolutely, not."

After her years of experience on the bench, Judy Judy says she only gives advice in areas that she knows she has something to say. And her best advice for women is to learn how to take care of themselves.

"What makes a woman happy is to be self-supporting and have something she enjoys doing, so she doesn't have to rely on a guy to put a roof over her head, because that makes you dependent and, eventually, miserable," TV's popular jurist opines. "If you have confidence in your ability, you'll be a better person for yourself, a better parent to your kids, and a better child to your parents. It takes work. Go to school. Take a couple of knocks at a job. That prevents women from hooking up with guys who are totally unsuitable and exposing their young kids to a new man just because they need the rent covered."