Hello! And welcome to my shoes. I’m a new 18 year old, who has started making her awkward descent into adulthood.
Now, when I was little, I had my own ideas about what adulting would be like. I would have a big fancy house, a steady paycheck, and a car that, in my mind, didn’t run out of gas nearly as fast. As I grew up, these ideas changed and developed. However, when I turned 18, I realized there was a whole new part of being an adult that no one had ever told me about.
So, in this post, I will be talking about 6 adulting things I wish someone would have told me, or explained to me BEFORE I was 18.
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1. Food Is Expensive
Now my parents didn’t expect me to buy my own food until I was stable in the job I have now. So when I went to get my daily dose of fast food for the first time by myself, I was shocked to see that the meal in front of me, was an hours worth of work. An entire hour. Now that just seems ridiculous.
I have now learned that grocery stores and even markets are a much cheaper option. And healthier for that matter. Now I only have a weekly dose of fast food.
2. Adulting Budgets Are Amazing, But Also Subject To Change
Budgets are a life saver. I relied on my $200 a month budget for 2 years with no problem. Then, I hit 18, and all of a sudden my wallet seemed to go on a diet. I had no idea where my gas money had gone, what happened to that dog sitting money, and when did going to the movies become so expensive? My life had gotten more advanced and more complicated, but My budget had not changed to meet this new life’s needs.
Now, I pay attention to how far my car can go on a full tank of gas so I can figure out if my gas budget needs a decrease or an increase. I also make sure that just because I got paid, I don’t go and blow half of my budget on a shopping spree. “That money’s gotta get me through the whole month.” I remind myself as I slowly put back a geode in mournful silence.
3. Hobbies Are For Your Adulting Health
No joke. Hobbies are a necessity for surviving adulthood with a little sanity left. I got into a bad habit of only thinking about what work I needed to get done, and that didn’t end well. I just started feeling drained. So much so, that the work that needed to get done, didn’t even get started.
I started getting back into my old hobbies like modeling with clay, rock hunting, and writing and I saw a major difference. I found a new balance in life, and I was able to be even more productive than when I was constantly thinking about work. It is important to have balance with these things because that’s when you can get things done.
4. You Are Not In Control Of Your Adulting Schedule
Well, at least not completely. I’ve made hundreds of schedules with the best of intentions. However, the world doesn’t seem to appreciate the effort you put into color coding your events and the hours you spent learning a new font to make your journal look cute. Some one might end up in the hospital. Or an old friend just came into town and can only see you on the day you set aside for cleaning. Not to mention when you’ve penciled someone into your schedule, and then they cancel. Now that schedule is just completely messed up.
The sooner you accept that a schedule is not set in stone, and really just plain can’t be, the easier things will get. You keep in mind what needs to get done and how much time it takes to do said tasks. Then, depending on what the day throws you, its kinda like an adulting puzzle. You fit what you need to do into the best spot you have for that day.
5. The Scariest Things are Insurance, Banks, and Internet Providers
Really, truly. These are terrifying. There are so many options, so many ways this could go wrong or right. I am still slowly learning the ways of insurance which, I’m so thankful for my dads help on. It was easy to open a bank account, but trying to manage it and get direct deposit figured out was, in short, complicated. And finally, I have heard my mom yelling into the phone at internet providers so many times to know, they are something to dread.
The best way to deal with fear though, is to ask for help, and jump in. Often times, once you experience the thing you were scared of, it turns out to be not so scary. And if it was terrifying, you asked for help so it made things a little bit better.
6. Everyone Has The Potential To Teach
No matter how young or old someone is, they always have the potential to teach you. For a while I tried to rely on my own knowledge and limited experience. That didn’t go very well. At the time I wasn’t even 18 yet, and I made a lot of mistakes trying to do things based on my knowledge.
Now, I never underestimate the people I’m with. I have been so surprised at the things I learn from each and every person I talk to. Who knows. Maybe the sweet old lady I run into at the store knows the top most deadly plants on the Earth. Maybe the guy at the skate park is one of the best piano teachers ever. Really, you never know a person until you talk to them. And you might be really surprised at what you learn.
That’s It!
This is the stuff I wish I knew before I was 18. But, this is just the start of new things I’m learning. I have so many plans, and dreams, that have all been put into a nice little organizer that will get done in a nice orderly fashion as planned…….Not. But I’m kind of glad about that. The world would be just a little boring if I could schedule everything perfectly.
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