What Are Examples of Adulting?

As young adults, you are likely to hear about the term “adulting” more and more, especially on social media. People will use it in a sentence, often attached to the dread of paying bills, having too many credit cards but not enough money, or even the mundaneness of household chores. However, rarely does anyone explain adulting or explain what are examples of adulting. There are many different examples of adulting and everyone has their own definition. Most people agree that adulting means using certain life skills to live an adult life. I am talking about things like managing your own finances, working a 9 to 5, and paying rent. While those are definitely examples of adulting, there are a ton more examples to share.

Regardless, adulting is largely a unique experience with common hurdles. Let’s talk about some of those common hurdles to better explain what is adulting.

Making Your Own Life Decisions

For better or worse you are the captain of your ship. Will your decisions lead you safely to harbor or will they drown you at sea?

Only time will tell. But you decide how you want to go about charting your own path because you are in charge of your personal development and personal needs.

I used to think that a lot of what happened in my life was out of my control. I had to shift my mindset and look at the world in a different way because I do have power. I make my own choices and I choose to be a responsible adult. You have the power to make your own choices as well. This is not to say that one way of adulting is better than the other. Remember, earlier I said that adulting is largely a unique experience with common hurdles. My experience facing those hurdles will likely be different than your experience, however, we both have a choice in how we choose to face each hurdle. 

In general, I had to take responsibility for both my actions and inactions and hold myself accountable for their outcomes – we will talk more about this later.

So think about how you want to embark on this journey of life. Whether you are thinking about leaving school, pursuing a PhD, or what type of credit card to get –  your choices are your own. 

You get to decide.

It is an amazing example of adulting. It is also one of the most powerful examples of adulting. Take your decision-making seriously and work to nurture your decision-making skills. You don’t want to be abroad and end up getting kicked out of a country for spitting onto concrete (that’s a discussion for another time).

Read More: Organize Your Life to Make Better Decisions

Managing Your Own Money

There are a ton of topics to familiarize yourself with as you start to develop your financial literacy. It is more than just knowing how much money is in your savings account or knowing how to use a debit card. What matters is how you use your money to help you live now and prepare for the future. Now, a lot falls under the umbrella of managing your own money but for the sake of this post, I will focus on three main areas. Those three areas are budgeting, building credit, and paying taxes.

Other examples of adulting that include managing your finances are investing and retirement planning. They are important as well however without getting a proper grip on these three areas it is difficult to focus on these others. Hence why I will be focusing on these three today.

It is so important to become financially literate. Start learning how to properly manage your money for the present and future. This is arguably one of the hardest parts of adulting, especially in the beginning.

So, what’s the first step in managing your money?

It is learning how to budget. Knowing how to properly budget can be a make-it-or-break-it skill when it comes to adulting.

Budgeting Is A Grand Life Skill

As I like to say, the best budget is the one that you will actually stick to. Simple as that. Create a budget where you detail your needs and responsibilities and stick to them. Of course, this is much easier said than done. So how can you get started budgeting, especially if this is your first time?

Well first, recognize that your budget is a reflection of your current state in life, and as you progress throughout the months and years, your budget should change to meet your needs. However, this does not mean that you should be breaking that budget every month with the excuse of “things change.”

The most important thing to remember is that your budget is a spending plan that you create for yourself.

Actively try to stick to your budget. If not, it will hinder your financial development and potentially cause more problems.

Now, there are plenty of ways to budget. You can do it by hand with paper and pencil, use excel, or whatever else suits the way you operate. You just have to choose a budgeting method that you will actively use.

If you are like me and want to use software to budget, I use You Need A Budget (YNAB). It is an intuitive and thorough budgeting software that has helped me greatly improve my financial life.

If interested, I have a referral link for a 34-day free trial of YNAB. Yes, it is worth every penny.

Read More: Why YNAB Is My Favorite Adulting Tool

BUT if you are looking for a basic excel type budgeting method, I have a FREE excel budget that you can use. Just fill out the form below and you will get it sent straight to your email!

No matter, what you decide to use to budget, the most important step is building one. Of course, the second step is following it!

Building Credit

A good credit score is extremely important to your financial goals as an adult. Knowing how to build it is one of those elite life skills that can greatly improve your financial situation as you grow older. 

Why is this so?

It’s because credit is usually involved in most if not all major purchases in adulthood.

Your credit score can make or break your finances. It is central to your ability to get the things you want – at least in the United States. It helps to have a good credit score to secure financing for a car, home, furniture, and sometimes even a phone at a reasonable rate.

Otherwise, you will be charged high interest rates that can cause you to pay more money over the lifetime of whatever you are financing.

So when you hear people talking about the interest rate they are paying on their mortgage or car loan understand that their interest rate was largely based on their credit score at the time.

Admittedly, economic conditions also play a major part in the interest rates that you can receive, but the lowest rates almost always go to those with the best credit scores.

Plus, if you are someone looking to get credit cards, you should also take the time to learn about how they relate to credit scores. Yes, credit scores play a major role in approval rates for most credit cards. However, the impact that bad credit card usage can have on your credit score is unquestionable.

So, please do take the time to build one of the most elite life skills – properly using credit cards and understanding how your credit score works.

Read More: How To Use Your First Credit Card

To give a clear idea of just how important your credit score is check out this video below. It explains just how having a high credit score can save you thousands of dollars when it comes to purchasing your own cars or houses.

Paying Taxes

Benjamin Franklin once said there were only two things certain in life: death and taxes. Phew, and he is right. Taxes are here to stay and they need to be paid.

It is still one of the most confusing parts of adulting for me. It boggles my mind that basic tax classes aren’t taught in school, but I digress.

You need to have a basic understanding of how taxes work. Now I am NOT a financial advisor. So please seek one out.

Just know that taxes are a major part of adulting and they will be a constant throughout your adult life.

Read More: Taxes Are A Must, But You Can Still Save

Taking Responsibility and Being Accountable

It is extremely important to recognize that the buck starts and ends with you. You are responsible for your actions and should hold yourself accountable for their outcomes.

Remember, I told you I would talk about this later.

A major point of adulthood and being a real adult is rooted in practicing accountability and responsibility. You are no amateur adult. Nor are you destined to be an apprehensive adult.

You are a responsible adult who intends to make the most of what the modern world has to offer. So take the steps to do so the best way you see fit. Determine what you define as “successful adulting” and seek out the best way to follow that path.

Be Accountable. Hold yourself to a standard. If you fall below your standard, take responsibility for that change and take the necessary steps to improve.

Read More: Accountability Makes You A Better Human

Choosing Your Own Health Insurance

As a new adult, finding the right health insurance can be challenging, but understanding your needs and researching options are key. Start by evaluating your health, medical history, and anticipated healthcare needs, like regular prescriptions or specialist visits.

If you’re generally healthy, a high-deductible plan with a lower monthly premium may be cost-effective, especially if it includes a Health Savings Account. However, if you expect more frequent care, a higher-premium plan with lower out-of-pocket costs could provide better overall coverage.

Next, review each plan’s provider network to ensure your preferred doctors and hospitals are included. Compare copays, coinsurance, and deductibles to understand your potential costs. I

f you’re under 26, staying on a parent’s plan may offer more comprehensive benefits. I’d argue that this is the way to go until you get that phone call from your folks saying that the insurance will no longer let you be on there.

Finally, use tools to take the time to compare the plans side-by-side that your employer offers. This will help you find a plan that balances your coverage needs and budget.

Moving Into Your First Apartment

Moving into your first place after college can be an exciting but overwhelming experience – but is definitely a prime example of adulting. Whether you’ve landed in a new city or stayed close to home, managing rent, utilities, and furnishings is a new responsibility for many recent graduates.

To make this transition smoother, new graduates should create a detailed checklist to help them budget for essential expenses like rent, internet, furniture, and regular grocery store

 trips. Carefully planning out these practical aspects of adulting will provide a solid foundation as you start this next chapter of your life.

Creating Value

Value creation takes many forms. The most common form is working a regular 9 to 5 job. You exchange your time for value creation and a company pays you for that value creation.

It is a simple idea yet it can be extremely complex when put trying to put it into action.

As an adult, we are supposed to be contributing members of society. We should be working to make it better.

We can do that through value creation.

Today, that can mean authoring books, being a medical professional, life coach, financial assistant, and yes, a YouTuber.

There are so many options. It is just important to recognize the power and responsibility that you have to create more in this world.

I would argue it is one of the most underrated examples of adulting and the most impactful example.

So, the question to ask yourself is – What do I want to create?

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Best of luck adulting!

And Remember,

Adulting Starts Here

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