Do you think you’re an adult? Adulting can be a lot of fun, with no parents watching over you and the freedom to do whatever you like. Yet somehow you find yourself missing your childhood – maybe it’s because you didn’t have to do all of the washing up and laundry then.
Check out these 15 things you only realize when you’re adulating:
1. You Realize NOTHING Gets Done Unless You Do It
You knew your parents did a lot for you when you lived at home, but it was only when you moved out that you realized HOW much they actually did. Now you do the laundry, the washing up, and you take out the bins – and why is the lampshade so dusty? You’ve only lived here for four months. Do you have to clean that, too?! It never ends.
2. You Discover How Depressing Job Interviews Are
Convincing a stranger that you are a worldly genius while wearing uncomfortable clothes – and then getting rejected. Again, and again, and again….
3. You Realize How Important Your Job Is
Eventually you get a job – Hurray! Sadly the job is working in administration, and it has nothing to do with your degree. However, you’re pretty sure you can never quit – you need this precious, boring job to pay your rent and bills.
4. You Notice How Terrible You Are With Money
You’re finally earning a full time wage – and where does it all go?! You’re pretty certain you’ve spent all of your money, but there is another week until payday. You’ve come up with a smart solution to deal with this: you now totally avoid checking your bank balance. You’d rather it remain a mystery.
5. You Sometimes You Feel Good About Your Earnings, Until You Remember Student Loans
Considering your degree didn’t help you get your job, you feel particularly peeved that you have to pay back your student loans. You need that money for alcohol and potato chips, so you can temporarily pretend you’re not an adult.
6. … Or Taxes
You didn’t mind the idea of paying taxes, because you were looking forward to being an important, contributing member of society. Then you realized how expensive taxes are- they’re HOW much?!
7. You Realize You Need To Take Care Of Your Body
You love sitting on the sofa and eating chocolate, but recently you have started to feel mild guilt about this. It has to be the adulting you’re doing; so now you buy chocolate with fruit in it, and you bought a new pair of running sneakers. You have high hopes you will eventually put them on your feet.
8. You Don’t Like Going Out As Much
On the weekend? You’re not sure if you want to ruin your precious weekend with a hangover. Mid-week? You have to be joking – you’re up at 7am for work.
9. You Can’t Sleep Properly Anymore
You’re used to lying in bed worrying about bills, rent and general adulting-related concerns. Maybe you should have gone out after all, since you’re not sleeping either way.
10. You Realize You Have To Plan And Cook Your Own Meals
You tried a lasagna and you nearly set your whole house on fire. From now on, you’re sticking to your childhood favorites: ready meals, potato chips, and sandwiches.
11. You Realize How Many Things You Love Cost Money
It isn’t just rent, heating, and food – it is EVERYTHING. If you want to go out and exercise, you have to pay for a gym membership. If you just want to sit inside and try to forget about all of the adulting you’re doing, you need to pay for a Netflix account.
12. You Notice You Downgraded Your Life Goals
As a child, you wanted to live in a nice house. As an adult, you just want to pay rent on time. As a child you wanted to be an explorer. As an adult, you just want a job with a semi-decent boss. Sigh.
13. You Have To Make Your Own Appointments
You have always hated going to the doctor and the dentist, and now you have to make the appointments yourself –which is probably why you never go anymore.
14. You Feel Awkward When You Try To Make Adult Friends
You already have a solid group of friends from school and University, but it’s much harder to make friends in the office – mainly because you’re the only person there under 50.
15. You Often Feel Like An Adult-Child Hybrid
Eating potato chips, watching TV and spending time on the computer are still all your favorite things to do- and you still have to force yourself to eat some vegetables. You’re pretty sure that you are a child living inside a grown-up body.
What did you think of this list? Can you relate? Share this with your friends who are adulting and see what they think!
