"I'm officially a grown-up" is that one phrase so many of us feel like we deserve to say when we turn 18. But, once you hit your 20s, you realize you're just getting started in everything that comes with adulting. During those exciting, WTF, and hold-on-for-dear-life years of your 20s, you won't be handed a guide book explaining how to know you're growing up. It just happens, and you learn how to roll with the curveballs and surprises life throws at you.
Your behaviors and routines start revolving around making your days run a whole lot smoother. In other words, you're no longer giving yourself 15 minutes to get ready in the morning. Oh, and you actually meal prepped your lunch the night before, so there's no hangry-ness in your agenda. You also know all too well that things like student loans, rent, and transportation expenses exist. Money in your 20s is such a complicated subject, because you're learning rather quickly that it doesn't grow on trees. You have to work for it, balance it, and sustain as much of it as you can.
How you manage your money in your 20s plays a crucial part in gauging how grown-up you are. When you're no longer buying these 10 things in your 20s, you can give yourself a gold star and a pat on the back, because you are slaying the adulting game.
You aren't against going out, but paying for overpriced drinks at the bar isn't your thing anymore. You're all about dope happy hour deals, and you are the queen of pregaming beforehand. The less you have on your tab, the better, and you find ways to make it possible.
The second you lay your eyes on a pair of shoes, you consider how much you'll actually wear them. Yeah, they'll look super cute with that one outfit you have in mind, but what else will they pair well with? You'd rather leave them in the store than place them in a plot in your closet (aka the shoe graveyard).
In your 20s, you might get into the habit of buying way more food than you'll actually cook, and it's such a waste. This excessive spending can only last for so long. Now, you start to buy what you know for sure is going to end up on your plate.
Who doesn't like the name brand stuff? When it comes to cleaning, though, you realize that many products without a brand name get the job done just as well. Name brands are so easy to purchase, because you've been familiar with the product forever now, and you know that unforgettable jingle in their commercials. You're probably humming one as your read this, huh?
These days, you have practically everything you need at your fingertips because of your phone. You don't need every app known to mankind to help get you through your daily routine, though. You have the basics, and are all for the free downloads — because let's be honest, those $5 apps start to add up.
Oh, sunnies. Having fab name brand sunglasses seems like the right kind of idea for the 'Gram, but you might not have the best track record with keeping them safe. You misplace them a lot, and have a tendency to break them in your purse. So, sticking with a few non-expensive shades saves you in more ways than one.
That gym membership and beauty subscription box sounded like a good deal at the time, but you hardly get around to using them. Cutting out the services you don't need has helped you out tremendously. Besides, when you're ready to commit to a service you'll fully utilize, you'll get your money's worth.
Stores know exactly how to give us major heart eyes. They place the cutest, expensive AF clothes in the window to get our attention, and we're hooked. Once you start opting for the sales rack more, though, you're growing up and saving your bank account from complete and utter agony.
Going to the movies is a fun little luxury you shouldn't quit cold turkey. When you know you're growing up, you aren't anti-matinee movies. Seeing a moving in the afternoon on a weekend is totally up your alley, and there's no shame in your game. Now pass the popcorn, please.
You've cut back on the manicures and pedicures, because you have everything you need to do them in the comforts of home. Now, an occasional day at the nail shop isn't completely out of the cards, but you aren't there every two weeks. Oh, and coffee shops aren't totally sucking your wallet dry, either. Putting the coffee pot on when you wake up has become a crucial part of your routine.
Growing up happens in more ways than one. Adulting is an endless lesson we're all trying to master.
