Remember when you were playing “school” and “house” and you just couldn’t wait to grow up? Remember when you thought Adulting was all about driving yourself to the store and buying whatever you wanted? Oh, those were the days!
The reality of it all is that Adulting is hard and even though you can drive yourself to the store when you’re an adult, it might not be as fun as you once thought it would be – especially when you actually have to pay. Since Adulting is anything but easy, we’ve given you 25 simple ways to Adult by 25. Check them out:
- Start contributing to your employer’s 401(k) and open an investment account
- Set up automatic payments for your student loans or other big monthly debts (maybe even consider an automatic transfer from checking to savings)
- Learn how to change your tire
- Or better yet, add roadside assistance to your car insurance plan
- Figure out a calendar system that works for you, because forgetting appointments and dates is no longer acceptable
- Begin growing an emergency savings
- Find a healthy hobby, whether that’s reading, working out or volunteering
- Buy a vacuum cleaner … just do it
- Master at least three recipes you can make at the drop of a hat if company is coming over
- Get a second and third set of sheets for your bed … and change them out regularly
- Save some money (see #6) by packing a lunch a few times a week, instead of eating out
- Add a few classic pieces to your wardrobe, just in case you need to dress up at any given time (for women, think a sleek dress and a crisp white button up … men, we’re talking about a dress shirt, a tie and shoes that have been shined)
- Pay off credit card debt and start learning to practice patience instead of instant gratification
- Buy some nice stationary and write a letter or two … your older relatives will be shocked you even know how to write a letter
- Create a monthly budget and stick to it
- Start paying attention (at least enough to carry on a conversation about it) to local, national and world news
- Buy some power tools and learn how to use them
- Find a doctor you like
- Learn how to jump a car battery
- Set some goals for yourself – for one year, five years and 10 years
- Add eating breakfast to your list of daily tasks
- Learn to say no … because saying yes and then backing out is not okay
- Find a good perfume/cologne that really suits your personality … use sparingly
- Find a type of exercise you enjoy and try to engage in it at least a few times a week for both your health and stress level
- Realize no one has it all figured out and just take it one day at a time remembering that sometimes, Adulting is overrated. With local, knowledgeable staff, Centra makes Adulting in the financial world easy.
Make an appointment to speak with a Centra representative about how you can Adult better, easily!