11 Best Adulting Tips You’ll Wish You Learned Sooner

When you first start adulting, it can feel like a lot of things are new and unfamiliar. It can be tough to figure out these so-called adult responsibilities. But there are a few things that everyone eventually learns about adulting. I’m going to share some of that wisdom here in hopes that you can save time and energy learning about them. Here are a few of the best adulting tips you’ll wish you knew sooner:

1. Set Aside Time For You

As a young person, you may feel that you have to make the most of all your time, especially when it comes to work and responsibilities. However, it is important to remember to respect your time and not overschedule yourself. You have to set aside time for you. Life is demanding and the to-do list is constantly growing, but you have to give yourself grace. Be kind to yourself and take care of your body and mind.

Adulting is all about learning to set boundaries for yourself and time management – especially when it comes to other people asking for your time.

Don’t be afraid to say no, or to set reasonable expectations for yourself. After all, you are the one person who has to live with all the consequences of your own decisions!

2. Learn to Manage Any Amount of Money

When you learn how to manage any amount of money, you are doing one of the most important things to create a successful “rest of your life”. The first step to learning how to manage your money is learning about budgeting. It is one of the best adulting tips and one of the most important skills you’ll need as an adult. Plus, once you learn how to budget you can then move into other areas of financial literacy such as how to build an emergency fund, how to use a credit card, how to improve your credit score, and more. 

So start this journey by first learning how to budget. Make a budget for your monthly expenses, and then keep track of what you spend daily to make sure you stay on track.

Also, try to create a savings account that you can use for things like emergencies or large purchases in the future.

Read More: I am a HUGE advocate for using YNAB to help you budget. I talk about why here.

3. Learn to Cook and Meal Plan

Cooking can be a lot of work, but it’s also one of the necessities of life. We all have to eat and not just fast food. Learning how to cook can save you a lot of money. Couple that with learning to meal plan and you can save even more!

Plus, when you start going to the grocery store and buying your own ingredients, you have better control over the kinds of foods that you eat. So, if you want to avoid eating a ton of added sugars, you can select healthy foods that do not have that. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to cook at all. Start simple and work your way up. I originally started with a crockpot due to the ease of being able to dump a bunch of ingredients in a pot and then let it simmer for hours. From there I expanded to cooking other dishes through different methods. 

If you want to make the learning process more guided, you can sign up for a cooking class. This can be a great way to get guided help on your cooking skills and potentially meet some new people who are also looking to improve.

4. You Owe Your Employer Nothing

Remember that your employer is not your friend. They are not there to help you, they are there to make money off of you. They are not interested in your personal life or problems, they just want you to do your job and make them money.

Keep this in mind when you’re at work, and don’t let yourself get too wrapped up in office politics or other people’s problems. It might sound cold but it’s important to not let your work life take over too much in your own life. So if you need to take leave to take care of that elderly family member, don’t feel guilty. Do what is best for you and your family.

5. Learn to be assertive

Being assertive is an important skill in adulting, particularly when you’re dealing with people who may try to take advantage of you. If somebody tries to take advantage of you, don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and assert your own needs.

This was explained to me using the idea that you want to be a “good friend” to yourself. A “good friend” is someone who will look out for you and let you know when something isn’t right. You are your own first line of defense. You are your most important “good friend”.

Enacting this can be difficult at first, but it’s important to remember that you’re an adult now and you deserve to be treated with respect. Of course, you should also treat people with that same respect.

6. Eat healthy

Eating healthy can be difficult when you don’t know how to meal plan and avoid the kinds of foods that are bad for you. Plus, eating healthy usually requires more time since it often means more home-cooked meals. However, when considering your long term health, the extra time dedicated to creating healthy, nutritious meals will be the best decision you make for your future self.

So, make sure you eat lots of fruits and vegetables and choose lean meats whenever you can. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water every day to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration.

7. Be Careful On Social Media

This might sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised about how many people still overshare on social media. It is easy to do. However, this warning is not about “doom scrolling” or how social media ruins your social life. It is about the privacy risks that come with social media. 

Remember, anything you post online can be seen by your employer, potential employers, and pretty much anyone else. This means that if someone gathers enough information on you they could commit identity theft, break into your checking account and take your money, and more. The digital world is an amazing thing but it also requires a certain level of vigilance. You wouldn’t just hand over your debit card to a random stranger on the street, so don’t do the digital equivalent by oversharing on social media.

8. You Can And Should Use All Your PTO

This is one of the most unrecognized and best adulting tips. Many people only use up their vacation time, leaving some of their paid time off unused at the end of the year. But that’s a huge mistake!

Use your paid time off in whatever way you can to make your life a little easier, especially in those early months of “adulting.” For example, you could take a day off to do your taxes, sleep, or even create a cleaning schedule for yourself. It doesn’t matter what you do – just use your paid time off!

9. You Can Switch Health Insurance Plans

This may seem like a no-brainer, but a lot of people don’t switch health insurance plans until they absolutely have to.

That’s a mistake!

If your job offers more than one health insurance plan then you can take advantage of open season! Open season is the time when you can change health insurance plans, and add on vision or dental insurance to meet the needs of yourself and your family members. You can switch health insurance plans yearly during open season, and it can often save you a lot of money. For example, if you want to get your eyes checked every other year, you can sign up for vision insurance for one year and then when open season comes around remove the vision insurance for the following year. This way you are only paying for the insurance that you actually intend to use. 

Another thing to note is that if you have a “major life-changing event” like getting married or having a child, you can usually change your insurance outside of open season.

Ultimately, compare health insurance plans and find the one that offers the best coverage for you based on where you are in life and what you need in a health plan.

10. You Don’t Need Insurance or a Warranty For Everything

A lot of people think that they need insurance for everything. But that’s not true! Insurance is for those high-cost but low-probability events.

In other words, you should only buy insurance if a large unexpected cost is likely and you can’t afford to cover the expense yourself.

That’s why health insurance is so important and that 2-year microwave warranty is a waste of money.

Now some insurances that should be considered are life insurance, car insurance, and renters insurance. These are three insurances all young adults should consider based on their situation in life. If you are expecting a child, it might be time to think about life insurance. If you have a car you should have car insurance. If you are renting a place you should have renter’s insurance. Just be sure to choose an insurance company and policy that fits your needs.

Note: When it comes to life insurance, as young people, we are at an advantage. The earlier we purchase life insurance, the higher the likelihood of getting lower premiums.

11. Take Advantage of Opportunities To Boost Your Retirement Savings

If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, a Health Savings Account (HSA), or similar tools for retirement investing, you should take advantage of these opportunities to boost your retirement savings. Some employers will even match a portion of your contributions, which is essentially free money. 

You can also look into Traditional IRA or Roth IRA options. These are retirement accounts that you can set up outside of your employer. Plus, when it comes to a Roth IRA, you can withdraw your money tax free in retirement which is the best part of this type of account – tax free growth.

If you take advantage of these accounts and fund them consistently, you should have a solid nest egg for retirement which will hopefully make you less dependent on social security.

See More: Check out these youtube videos to about adulting and retirement.

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Best of luck adulting!

And Remember,

Adulting Starts Here

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