A lot of you guys actually have asked me to write about how to be an adult. I actually think my friend Anna has a better grasp in being an adult than any person I know lol. I also gotta be honest, I am in my late 20's and I barely know anything about it. I'm still out there, bumping into things, still not knowing what to do. They never really taught you how to be an adult back in school. I was never told that I have to deal with taxes, that I had to learn about downpayments on rent will not be refunded if you move out less than a year, and nobody ever told me that paying bills would suck so bad, and sometimes you actually have to sacrifice half a month's salary just to pay everything. I think I want to write this post just to give everyone an idea on what to expect if you move out of your house and have no one to expect but yourself. Well, I mean I will try my best to give some advice, most of which I wish I would have done. Here we go.
What Should I Expect in Life After College?
Expect to be depressed a few months after graduating. It's inevitable: you're gonna question what your next step is, or if you got the perfect first job, or just really anything. I think one advice I can give you is you really have to choose your first job well. If you want to continue your career in a certain line of work, you have to choose a job that is on the same path. I, however, do not think that this applies to everyone. I was fortunate enough to be able to have a choice to do this, but to people who doesn't, you also do not have to worry. Always remember that you are young enough to have a starting point in life. IT'S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES. No one told me this, and I had to learn this the hard way, but I want to emphasize this. The world won't end because you made a mistake, you will learn from it and will try not to do it again and you will be just fine.
Living On My Own
If you ask me what's the best thing I did in my adult life so far, it's moving out. It definitely has its pros and cons, but thinking back, I'd still do it. It's not that things are bad with my family, I think it was just time for me to take responsibility for myself. On the contrary, I think my relationship with my family got better because I lived away from them. I guess it made me miss them more, and they think the same way.
Like I said above however, this isn't an ideal set up for everybody, this was a personal choice for me. Some of my friends do rent an apartment with other people to save on rent, but it wasn't really an option for me as I'm not the type of person to live with another person for a long time. This set-up is not very ideal for everyone given the average salary in this country. I'm fortunate enough to be in a privileged family, and that is how I can afford living on my own.
Budgeting: Bills and Hobbies
Okay, I have to admit that I suck really bad at this. I'm not one to do an excel chart of where my finances have gone, or where my monthly salary went (lol huge OOPS). What I compromised with my lazy self is that I set up my electricity and internet bills in automatic debit on my bank account. That way, I won't forget to pay it on time, and I'll barely remember that money's being deducted on my account lol.
As for my fangirl hobbies, I've had the bad habit of spending on stuff I can barely afford, and that's the worst decision I've ever done in my life! Always remember to only spend money on what you can afford. It is always better to live your life without any debts, trust me on this. If you feel like you can afford travels however, you can always try looking for cheap flights through different websites, always compare prices first before you book, or wait for discount fares, there will always be one.
Cook, Don't Eat Out
If there's one thing I learned from living alone, it's that you get to save a hell lot if you cook for yourself. It's healthier too! If you live with your family, get food from home and take it to work. I used to think packed lunch is embarrassing, but honestly it's just the smart way to be healthy and to save money. I tried cooking everyday for 2 weeks, and I really found myself saving a lot. It's very ideal to do this, but if you don't have the time and patience to cook, it's gonna be really tricky. I still do cook, but not everyday anymore.
Try to Find a Compromise
It's never gonna be easy to switch your life with one flick, but I found it easier to do when you gradually make changes in your life. One example is when I decided to cut down on sugar since my family has a history of diabetes. I couldn't cut down on my favorite Starbucks drink (iced white chocolate mocha, non-fat, no whip), so I make it a point that if I order that drink, I'll only have that as my sugar intake for the day, and not eat chocolates or drink anything sweet for the whole day. Always just look for the line of compromise so you can make it work.
Overall, I still think that being an adult sucks. You never really get prepared to deal with so many responsibilities and bills, and most of the time you just want to rip your hair off in frustration and anxiety. But! Being adult has a lot of perks. You have the freedom if you want it, you earn your own money, and you get to plan what you want to do with your life. I wish we all had that adulting elective when we were in college, but well I guess the best teacher will always be experience. I do think that we can be better adults than our parents were, that I am pretty sure of lol.
What Should I Expect in Life After College?
Expect to be depressed a few months after graduating. It's inevitable: you're gonna question what your next step is, or if you got the perfect first job, or just really anything. I think one advice I can give you is you really have to choose your first job well. If you want to continue your career in a certain line of work, you have to choose a job that is on the same path. I, however, do not think that this applies to everyone. I was fortunate enough to be able to have a choice to do this, but to people who doesn't, you also do not have to worry. Always remember that you are young enough to have a starting point in life. IT'S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES. No one told me this, and I had to learn this the hard way, but I want to emphasize this. The world won't end because you made a mistake, you will learn from it and will try not to do it again and you will be just fine.
Living On My Own
If you ask me what's the best thing I did in my adult life so far, it's moving out. It definitely has its pros and cons, but thinking back, I'd still do it. It's not that things are bad with my family, I think it was just time for me to take responsibility for myself. On the contrary, I think my relationship with my family got better because I lived away from them. I guess it made me miss them more, and they think the same way.
Like I said above however, this isn't an ideal set up for everybody, this was a personal choice for me. Some of my friends do rent an apartment with other people to save on rent, but it wasn't really an option for me as I'm not the type of person to live with another person for a long time. This set-up is not very ideal for everyone given the average salary in this country. I'm fortunate enough to be in a privileged family, and that is how I can afford living on my own.
Budgeting: Bills and Hobbies
Okay, I have to admit that I suck really bad at this. I'm not one to do an excel chart of where my finances have gone, or where my monthly salary went (lol huge OOPS). What I compromised with my lazy self is that I set up my electricity and internet bills in automatic debit on my bank account. That way, I won't forget to pay it on time, and I'll barely remember that money's being deducted on my account lol.
As for my fangirl hobbies, I've had the bad habit of spending on stuff I can barely afford, and that's the worst decision I've ever done in my life! Always remember to only spend money on what you can afford. It is always better to live your life without any debts, trust me on this. If you feel like you can afford travels however, you can always try looking for cheap flights through different websites, always compare prices first before you book, or wait for discount fares, there will always be one.
Cook, Don't Eat Out
If there's one thing I learned from living alone, it's that you get to save a hell lot if you cook for yourself. It's healthier too! If you live with your family, get food from home and take it to work. I used to think packed lunch is embarrassing, but honestly it's just the smart way to be healthy and to save money. I tried cooking everyday for 2 weeks, and I really found myself saving a lot. It's very ideal to do this, but if you don't have the time and patience to cook, it's gonna be really tricky. I still do cook, but not everyday anymore.
Try to Find a Compromise
It's never gonna be easy to switch your life with one flick, but I found it easier to do when you gradually make changes in your life. One example is when I decided to cut down on sugar since my family has a history of diabetes. I couldn't cut down on my favorite Starbucks drink (iced white chocolate mocha, non-fat, no whip), so I make it a point that if I order that drink, I'll only have that as my sugar intake for the day, and not eat chocolates or drink anything sweet for the whole day. Always just look for the line of compromise so you can make it work.
Overall, I still think that being an adult sucks. You never really get prepared to deal with so many responsibilities and bills, and most of the time you just want to rip your hair off in frustration and anxiety. But! Being adult has a lot of perks. You have the freedom if you want it, you earn your own money, and you get to plan what you want to do with your life. I wish we all had that adulting elective when we were in college, but well I guess the best teacher will always be experience. I do think that we can be better adults than our parents were, that I am pretty sure of lol.
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