Gen-Y And The Birth Of The Adult-Child: 9 Signs You're Not Yet A Grownup

Your 20s are an ambiguous decade. You're definitely not a child anymore, and you've probably moved out.

Now you pay the bills, come and go as you please and even have a 9-to-5 job.

In the past, meeting that description might have deemed you a “grownup.” But with educational debt mounting, and a general decrease in benefits offered by many companies, Generation-Y is finding itself stuck in the middle.

Think about it; has anyone even mentioned the word “401(k)” to you at your job? Ever?

The fact is, we're the unlucky generation paying for social welfare programs we'll likely never benefit from. To add insult to injury, most of us are strapped with six figures of debt before we even start working (the price of becoming marketable) and we still have a hard time finding a job.

We don't have it easy, Gen-Y. So if you feel like you're struggling to keep up, know that you're not alone.

Being an adult-child is not indicative of a failure to launch, but simply an unavoidable consequence of the circumstances in which so many 20-somethings find themselves.

If this sounds like you, here are nine signs you're not quite yet a grownup (and that's okay):

1. You're still on the family phone plan

This is especially embarrassing if you've moved at all since high school, since people often ask about your foreign area code, or shoot sideways glances at you when they realize your emergency contacts are only one digit off.

Well, I'm here to tell you to ignore the haters and milk this for as long as you can. When reality hits, you'll realize how much your unlimited data and fancy iPhone plan has actually been costing (yikes.)

2. The same goes for health insurance

Sure, Obamacare means well, but the best value as far as you're concerned is coverage under your parents' plan until you're 26 years old.

Enjoy your 25th birthday, friends.

Having the ability to rent a car for less than the price of buying one will be the last perk you receive with age. After that, the perks start getting taken away.

I miss you, Blue Cross Blue Shield.

3. TV dinners are a staple in your kitchen

Your fridge is likely packed with things you can make fast and cheaply, despite your resolve to eat healthier. Buying organic is ridiculously expensive, and ain't nobody got time for that.

4. You have mismatched home furniture

Whether it's from a thrift store, Ikea or simply something you inherited, you're a far cry from having a matching furniture set in any room in the house.

The same goes for matching dishes or linens. Dare to dream though, dare to dream.

5. You spend more money on one night of drinking than an entire month's cable bill

Because you know the true meaning of "work hard, play harder."

6. You know what it means to be “student loan rich”

It's the indescribable feeling of straight up balling out once those direct deposit funds come through.

The fact that you have to pay everything back with interest is a problem for 50-year-old you to worry about.

7. You still get an urge to go trick-or-treating, or on an Easter egg hunt

Because it seems like just yesterday, you were coming home with the biggest haul of the neighborhood.

Kids really just don't know how to do it these days.

8. "Turn down for what?" is your weekend motto

Adults use weekends to clean, run errands and get ready for the week. But you know weekends are made for fun, so you make it a point to get as crunk as possible on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Who needs clean clothes anyway?

9. You don't understand why the credit card people keep asking if you want limit notifications

I mean, you know exactly how much you have left on your card.

You think it was a coincidence you had $1.07 left, and bought something for $1.06? That takes mad skills, skills that could only be acquired in the struggle.

Life as a 20-something is not always all it's cracked up to be. Chances are, you're feeling a bit behind and like you don't really have it all together yet.

But don't worry; you're in good company. Everything will come together in time.

Until then, make the most of these years. After all, these are the days of our lives.