For those of us college students who live on campus or live on our own, we’ve had to undergo a process known as ‘adulting.’ This process may include anything from paying bills, learning how to cook, or waking up before it’s the afternoon. Adulting effects everyone differently and can be a long process for some; and it comes with many side effects including depression, not having enough time in the day, and not wanting to get out of bed. So as someone who commutes to college everyday and lives on my own off-campus, here are some tips I’ve learned that may be helpful for anyone else experiencing this process.
1. Do not put tie-dye shirts in the wash mixed with everything else.
Your whites will not come out white and there’s going to be some purple spots on your favorite jeans and some other green spots on that shirt you just bought. Here’s a tip, there’s an amazing product called a Color Grabber. If you put one in with your wash, it literally catches all the colors from bleeding together and making a mess of your wardrobe. That way, you can put all your laundry in the same load and forget about separating the whites from the darks from the tie-dyes.
2. The proper ratio of peanut butter to jelly on a PB&J is 2:1.
For those of you who find the kitchen a daunting place, you may have to resort to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cups of Ramen, or even Lunchables—don’t lie, the ones that come with Capri Suns are the best. Until you can figure out your way around the kitchen, there are plenty of alternatives even if they may not be the healthiest choices. Mac and cheese starts to become your staple food, but cooking pasta isn’t that much different. Cooking pasta is very simple and there are a bunch of recipes you can look up to spice up some plain noodles.
3. When you’re home sick, you may not need a hug from your mom to get better.
Yes, when you’re young the only cure for the flu is a hug from your mom. But, chamomile tea with honey can go a long way. My tip is to pair Dayquil and Nyquil with hot tea, soup, Netflix, and a day on the couch. It really does help. And if it doesn’t exactly fit your sick I-want-my-mommy feelings, then find your own sick day equation that works for you.
4. Sometimes, you just need a day off.
If your professors are giving you too much homework and you’ve been sitting in the library for six hours today, then tomorrow go out to dinner with your friends. Or go for a jog in the park. Or go to the movies. Do something to rest your brain from which presidential candidate use Aristotle’s ethos, pathos, and logos in his speeches and how. It’s important to keep a balance of school assignments and your job and fun things to do. And after you just worked three doubles in a row, you might need another mental day off.
5. Find a part-time job you actually enjoy.
While it’s important to make money for yourself and have responsibilities, your job should be something you genuinely enjoy going to day by day. If you don’t like the people you work with or hate the tasks you’re assigned, then a fun job turns into work. And while it is work, you don’t want it to just be that, work. Find the fun in your work environment, make friends there, and enjoy your job.
6. Bills suck.
And having to pay bills sucks more. While it’s important to enjoy your job, it’s also important to have an income to pay for your phone and your car. They’re kind of important. Then there’s your rent and your electric bill so your can live decently. Oh yeah, and food so you can live period. It is important to know how to balance the money you’re making and where it all goes. This may take a couple overdraft fees until you can save enough and spend enough in the right places.
7. You don’t have to live with your BFF’s to have great roommates.
As long as everyone has rent on time it doesn’t matter who you live with. Right? Wrong. A roommate should be someone who helps with house chores to keep not just their own room clean, but the common areas clean. This means everyone should pitch in by doing dishes, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, and other adulty house chores. My tip here is to simply own a vacuum of a Swiffer wet jet because they really do come in handy. Your home should be where you come to relax after a long day; it shouldn’t be filled with the smell of a sink full of dirty dishes or wreak of an overflowing laundry basket. If everyone works on making some place you rent until your lease is up feel like a home, then those are the kind of people you should be living with.
8. Heaven on Earth is this cool place known as Target.
They have everything there from cute clothes to milk and bread to new dorm sheets to kitchen supplies. And guess what, they’re affordable. My Target tip is to get a Target Red Card because if you do a lot of your shopping here then you save 5% every time. While some of us enjoy saving 5% on clothes and shoes and a new over-the-shoulder bag for the summer, it’s also really nice to save 5% on grocery items and everyday necessities because those really add up.
9. Credit Cards weren’t made so you can max them out.
They’re good for when you don’t have enough cash on you. They’re even better when you get cash back for spending a certain amount on gas or groceries. But there’s this adulty concept known as credit. You establish this when you use a credit card or—here’s the fun one we’ve all been waiting for—when you’re paying off student loans. If you max out a credit card or two, it will destroy your good credit and banks won’t want to give you a loan when you buy a car or house one day. So don’t max out your Target Red Card; pay it off monthly and only put on what you can pay back.
10. Having great friends is a god-sent.
Whether you’re in need of financial help, emotional help, or you just need a drinking buddy, the best of friends are always there for you. It really makes the unpleasant parts of adulting that much more pleasant. Usually, when you become an adult, the more loyal and devoted friends stay by you. Even if you lose touch for whatever reason, picking up where you left off is just a phone call away.
11. Your parents are still there for you even if they aren’t going to support you forever.
It’s important to try and make it on your own, but at the end of the day, if adulting is too much for your immune system or your mental health, you always have your parents. Whether it’s visiting for a nice home cooked meal—don’t worry, your mom probably cooked your favorite anyway—or getting a ride from your dad when your car’s in the shop, your parents are always there for you when you come home. Or if you just need a short break from adulthood.
