8 Ways Your Life Totally Changes When You Buy A Home In Your 20s

Did you just buy your first home? Thinking about taking the plunge? Here are eight ways to know you've officially jumped headfirst into one of the biggest adventures of your life:

1. HGTV gives you so much false hope.

When we first decided to buy our first home, my husband and I had these high hopes of channeling our inner Chip and Joanna Gaines. As it turns out, we're really just pretending we know how to use a miter saw, and praying we don't lose a finger in the process.

2. Home Depot is the new Friday night hot spot.

I remember when our first priority on a Friday night was running to the bar with arms wide open. I'll be damned if we miss that happy hour. Now, you'll find us over in aisle seven deciding which light bulb wattage is appropriate for our bathroom. Or, hey honey, what do you think about this particular style of toilet?

3. How-to YouTube videos are the new Netflix.

I feel like this should be a Jimmy Fallon thank you note: “Thank you, YouTube, for showing us how to set a mousetrap.”

4. You question every minute you spent in college chasing those acronyms behind your name.

Have you thought about how glorious it would be to live the life of Tarek and Christina El Moussa? Why didn't we think of that whole house flipping idea before we buried ourselves in student debt for an entry-level job with Corporate America?

5. When it rains, it pours.

I know, I know. It sounds so clichéd, but there isn't another statement that holds more truth. The water heater went out, the roof is leaking and the exterminator already had to come pay us a pricy visit. Forget all of our hopes of having a cute, little “fixer upper.” This place is crumbling to the ground faster than we can get the walls painted.

6. You hated mowing the lawn as a teenager, but now it's your favorite pastime.

Forget about baseball. There's something therapeutic about landscaping to us now, but when that task showed up on our chore list as a kid, the hysterical meltdown commenced.

7. You surprise yourself.

Before owning our first home, my husband and I were lucky to know how to hang a poster on the wall or unclog a toilet. Now, here we are ripping up carpet, refinishing hardwood floors and installing appliances. Wait a second. Who are these people, and what have they done with those clueless young adults?

8. There's always a story to be told.

We've celebrated some exciting wins, and we've suffered some devastating losses since buying our first home. Whatever the case has been, we've created memories that our much older selves will still be talking about many years from now.

I can picture it now: We'll be wrinkled and gray-haired, sitting in our Cracker Barrel-esque rocking chairs on the front porch. In his raspy voice, my husband will look over and say, “Remember that time I decided to cut an electrical wire with your fancy kitchen scissors? Lord have mercy, I've never heard you scream so many ugly words in all of my life.”

As stressful as it can be at times, buying your first home is one of the most exciting things you'll ever do. It'll make you feel successful, accomplished and absolutely crazy all at the exact same time. It's like a nice, big, official welcome to adulthood. Just make sure your fridge is stocked with your (strongest) drink of choice. Oh, the air conditioner just went out on it? For some odd reason, I am not surprised.