Adulting 101
by Alexis Peters ‘20
When you’re first going off to college, people don’t tell you the whole story. They talk about how much fun it was, how many great friends they made, all of the crazy adventures they had. And when people do mention the not so great parts of college, they might talk about the workload, having to pull all nighters, and their weird freshman roommate. But nobody tells you about how hard it is to grow up and actually start being an adult. Who knew adulting was so hard?? And expensive??
I have had my fair share of ups and downs while trying to figure out this brave new adult world, so here I give you a crash course in ADULTING 101.
1. Money Management
Start keeping a budget. Lots of people use budgeting apps to help them keep track of their spending. You could use these apps or just track it manually. Taking into account your monthly income and mandatory/automatic expenses like rent and bills, you can divvy up the rest of your money for food and personal expenses. Budgeting is one of the most important parts of adulting because proper budgeting allows you to do everything else in your life.
2. Cooking for yourself
MEAL PREP! Meal prepping is not just for the health nuts. It’s also for the college student with no time! If you plan out your meals for the week on Sunday for example, on Tuesday, you won’t be forced to run out of your apartment with only an apple as your lunch. Cooking for yourself is a hassle when you’re busy with classes and clubs and work, but meal prepping means you don’t even have to think about what to eat, and your meals are ready to be reheated!
3. Check expiration dates
You don’t want to be that one roommate with chewy milk stinking up the fridge. Watch for dates on the package and when you’re shopping at the grocery store, pull items from the back of the pile, those are usually the freshest, and the dates aren’t as soon.
Pro Tip: Keep bread in the fridge so it lasts longer!
4. You should be changing your sheets every week or two.
Seriously, two weeks at the most. You wouldn’t wear the same clothes for more than two weeks straight would you? So don’t do that with your bed sheets. Some gnarly dirt can get embedded in the fabric, and it just gets gross. Besides, there’s no better feeling than sliding in between a fresh set of sheets.
Pro Tip: Do laundry early Saturday or Sunday morning. Most people are still hungover from the night before and can’t be bothered with cleaning, so the washing machines should be free!
5. Clean your bathroom
Maybe when you were at home you never realized how the bathroom was magically so clean all the time because your parents were the ones cleaning it. But bathrooms are disgusting and should be cleaned regularly. Like everyday. And make sure you’re sharing this responsibility with your roommates. Cleaning toilets isn’t fun for anybody.
6. Time management
Get ahead and stay ahead. Most people suggest getting a planner to improve time management, but with this tip, you won’t need one! Work a week ahead of your class schedule. So during the week, you’re doing the homework due the following week. This means your weekends are always free and you’ll never be scrambling at the last minute!
Being an adult is hard. But once you’re out of college and really on your own, then comes the real challenge. Right now we’ve still got training wheels on,but these tips should help you gain your balance.
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