If you're about to enter the real world. It's important you know how to do certain things that you may have never dealt with before. These things become your inherent responsibility when you're an adult, yet we never seem to learn them from any classes we've taken. Here are 15 things adults should know how to do when they enter the real world.
Stick to a Budget
When you enter the real world, you're going to realize how much being an adult costs. You have to pay for a mortgage, student loans, utilities, car payments, insurance, groceries, phone bills, internet, and on and on. At the end of the month, you want to have some money left over to put into your savings account as well. If you don't create a budget and stick to it, you're going to find yourself in debt fast. Without realizing it, you'll spend too much money on non-essentials because you overestimate how much money you have to spare after paying bills. By creating a budget, you can have a definite amount of money set aside each month for non-essential items and activities, so you never go over your limit.
Change a Tire
We all should have learned to change a tire when we started driving a car. But most of us (even many older adults) still don't know how to change a tire. Odds are at some point, one of your tires will blow out and become flat, and you don't want to be stuck there helpless as can be. If you are stranded on the side of the road with no internet, no phone service, and no one with you, you better know how to change a tire. Otherwise, you'll be left hoping someone driving by is kind enough to stop and help you.
Do Your Taxes
No one likes talking about taxes unless it's about cutting them. When you enter the real world, you'll quickly learn how much of your money is going towards taxes each month. Then when it comes time to file your taxes, you should know how to do them. Make sure you know when your taxes are due and try to submit them as early as you can so you don't have to worry about it. You can also opt for someone to do your taxes for you. Although this will cost you money, it might be a good idea for people who don't trust their ability to do their taxes correctly.
Fix Basic Household Issues
If you've been living in an apartment, you would usually call the maintenance crew whenever there was an issue with something in your house. But when you enter the real world and own your home, you should learn how to do necessary fixes on household appliances. If you're A/C stops working, you shouldn't spend a fortune on getting a maintenance specialist to do a simple fix. Use the internet to teach yourself how to do basic troubleshooting. It will save you a ton of money and time, and you'll have a sense of accomplishment.
Navigate Without GPS
We rely on our smartphones for just about everything. So if we lose service or lose our phones, we are often left feeling a bit helpless at the time. If you're out driving and lose service, it's important to know how to navigate without GPS. Have a map in your car of whatever area you're traveling in and learn how to read it. If you don't have a map, know how to approach someone for directions. If you're a solo female traveler that needs help, try to find an older woman who can give you instructions, so you can feel safe in reaching out to a stranger.
Parallel Park
GiphyIf you're moving to a city for the first time in your life, you better know how to parallel park without holding up traffic for 10 minutes. Practice on your own, so when you're faced with it in the real world, you can handle it like a pro.
Understand How Insurance Works
Insurance is one of those adult words we don't like to talk about, but we need to. No one likes paying hefty insurance fees every month, but it's a necessity for everyone. This is why it's important to understand the different types of insurance that you should buy when you're an adult such as car insurance, health insurance, and life insurance. Understand insurance terminology and how different factors can affect your insurance payments and premiums. Understand what different insurance plans offer you, and determine which ones are best for you. For example, buying life insurance may seem premature at a young age, but by doing the research, you'll find how it will benefit you over time.
Jump-Start a Car
If your car dies and you're stuck somewhere, it's so important that you know how to jump-start a car properly. Otherwise, you'll be stuck waiting around for someone who knows how to do it. It's also an important skill to learn because you could end up being the one helping someone else out by jumping their car.
Mend Your Clothes
If you get a tear in a piece of clothing, or a button falls off, you should know how to mend it. Otherwise, you're going to end up throwing away or donating a bunch of perfectly good clothes that could have easily been fixed if you understood basic sewing. This is a skill that you can learn fairly quickly, so there's no reason not to know how to do it.
Cook Real Meals
Ramen noodles do not count as a real meal. Boxed mac and cheese does not count as a real meal. Real meals consist of a well-balanced plate full of freshly cooked food. You can prepare a real meal without that much effort too. You need to know the necessary cooking skills, look up recipes online, and follow them. It might seem complicated at first, but you'll get the hang of it and wonder how you ever lived off of ramen noodles every night.
Gracefully Accept Feedback
When you enter the real world, you're going to be faced with a lot of people who are smarter than you, know more about things than you, or have different perspectives than you. For example, in the workplace, you'll get feedback that isn't always positive. It's important never to take this feedback personally but to take it gracefully. Understand where the person was coming from, and reflect on the actions you took that warranted that feedback. This is such an essential skill that a lot of young professionals struggle with at first.
Admit When You're Wrong
Adults should know how to admit when they're wrong and own up to their mistakes. It's crucial in every aspect of being an adult, and if you can't master it, you're going to create a lot of unnecessary conflicts. Admitting that you're wrong is never easy, but it's an integral part of maturing and becoming an adult.
Manage Your Time Wisely
Time-management is so important because as we grow old, we seem to have less and less time for all of the things we need to do. We spend most of the day at work, and then still have to do necessary household chores, cook, and hopefully, have time in the evening to wind down and relax. By managing your time, you won't feel flustered, and you'll feel more in control about everything you need to do. You'll also end up with more time each day to spend on yourself or with friends and family.
Don't Be Afraid to Say No
When we're young, we often feel intimidated by older adults and always do what they say. When we enter adulthood and start working with these same adults, it's easy to think they are still in charge and so we continue to go along with what they say. It's important to quickly learn that when you enter the real world, you're an adult with valid opinions that should be expressed. If someone asks you to do something that you don't agree with, don't be afraid to say no.
Adjust to New Environments
When you enter adulthood, you're going to be thrown into a lot more uncomfortable situations and environments than you were in as a kid. As an adult, you need to know how to adjust and feel comfortable around new people and in new places. Whether you're starting a new job or moving to a new city, you're going to be tested on this skill all the time. The faster you can adjust, the easier the change will be on you.
