No one briefed me on what it’s really like to be fully independent at 20 years old. I didn’t get the “How To” guide on life. So, I had to learn the hard way – trial and error. Luckily I picked up the secrets of adulthood just a few short months after moving into my comfy, one-bedroom apartment in The Fan of Richmond.

Finances

I am blessed to have parents that want to see me succeed, so my desire to be financially independent came on my own. I have to work two part time jobs to support myself and to be comfortable on my own. After a few weeks of eating out every night my bank account steadily dropped. I had to seriously make some changes.

Coupon clipping

Now, by this I don’t mean picking up the sale sheet after walking into the grocery store. No… This takes work. I had to research exactly how to do this before I got good. The trick is to stack your coupons (use your printed coupons and combine with the items that are already on sale in the store.) The Sunday paper is loaded with these. Other stores have their own individual ones, such as CVS. Put both of these together and you come out of the store spending cents rather than hundreds.

Another hint – shop at places such as Aldi or Walmart for groceries. They have the cheapest food with the best variety.

Financial Planning

This trick takes a little bit of determination to stick with. I’ll get my work schedule for the next two weeks, add up my total hours, figure out what my paycheck will come out to be, subtract my rent, and then divide the amount in two. The remaining amount will be my allowed cash for each of the weeks until my next paycheck. I’ll use this amount for groceries, gas, etc. Whatever is leftover gets put into savings, or I’ll treat myself to a manicure or a new purse!

Home Cooking

Nothing beats a warm home-cooked meal. In the end, this can save you $50-$100 a week! I was the girl that couldn’t boil water when I lived with my parents. The first few weeks I ate a lot of boiled eggs and rice – they were cheap and easy to make. I stepped up my game and started looking up recipes online and writing down the easy ones that I can make on a budget. Then, I started using my crockpot. I can average $10-$20 a week on groceries and have a different yummy meal each night. Black bean burgers, chili, tacos. If I’m craving it from a restaurant, then I can cook it just as good at home and save myself $15.

Let’s be real here – being an adult sucks. But, the feeling I get knowing I can do this on my own is worth the struggle.