10 Ways to Finally Become an Adult

Anna Horowitz/Thrillist
Anna Horowitz/Thrillist

Anna Horowitz/Thrillist

Grocery shop like a real human

You could rely on services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh to bring you food, or you can get your own food like a grown up? “Plan your meals before heading to the store and research recipes that use overlapping ingredients to reduce food waste,” says consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch. “Don’t forget to factor in your social schedule so you don’t buy too much food. Anything that ends up in the trash is just a total waste of money.”
 

Pick up some big boy clothes

You need some suits. Not a ton, though: In fact, Dawnn Karen, founder of the Fashion Psychology Institute, says that you only need a few because too many options can be overwhelming. And don't just buy a suit and think you're done -- tailoring is not expensive and will make any off-the-rack job look sartorially superior (you should also know the word "sartorial" because it's fancy). 
 

Rebound from screwing up at work

Unless you're Connie Britton's hair, you can’t be perfect every day. Just fix your mistake as soon as possible. “Apologize for whatever it was that got you in trouble and then state how you will avoid repeating that mistake,” says Lee McEnany Caraher, author of Millennials & Management: The Essential Guide To Making it Work at Work. “If you don’t know why you’re in trouble, ask for a meeting to discuss the situation and start with, ‘I know that I screwed up and I apologize. I want to understand fully how my behavior/actions/response was inappropriate and your expectations going forward so I can avoid repeating the same mistake.'" 
 

Pay off those student loans already -- and start saving

Get a raise recently? Congrats. Don’t you dare think about spending it. “The financial boost may tempt to you to spend, but it’s important to maintain that broke college mentality to help boost your savings, pay off your student loan debt and get on the right financial foot so you can afford to build your life sooner,” says Woroch. That mentality should not, however, include the same college taste in Bob Marley posters.
 

Figure out that 401(k) stuff

You may not be retiring any time soon, but it may be never if you don't start now. “I would love for people to invest at least six percent,” says Kofke. If it’s not possible to take that much out of your paycheck, invest enough to get the company match (if there is one) or $100 a month -- whichever is the greater amount. Let the sorcery of compound interest deliver you to the promised land of Boca sometime in your 60s.

Anna Horowitz/Thrillist

Learn how to properly break up with someone

Ghosting is not cool -- be an adult about it. “The point of a breakup conversation is simply to communicate that you will no longer be together,” says science-based manners expert Amy Alkon, author of... unconventionally named etiquette books (Google her!). The best breakup excuses are broad, vague ones. “It is not your job to tell them they are a conversation hog or bad in bed,” Alkon explains. “It will make the split even more hurtful and may give them information they can use to try to wedge their way back in.”

Make a budget -- and stick to it

Budgets are boring, but important, like neighborhood zoning meetings. The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours pouring over a spreadsheet. You just need to follow a simple equation, says Woroch: “Half of your income should go toward living expenses including rent, utilities, transportation and groceries,” she says. Then 20 percent goes into savings or paying down debt. And 30 percent goes toward your lifestyle.

Build a network of people who can do things for you

You’re going to need a tailor (see above), a tax guy, a doctor, a mechanic…the list goes on. Get your stable of go-tos by simply asking friends, neighbors and coworkers for their list. If a dentist is good enough for your boss, he’s good enough for you.

Update your resume -- and email address

Experts disagree about how long your resume should be (one versus two pages) or if it’s okay to include (the super impressive) experience from high school on it (hell yeah, anime club!), but they all say that you should have a professional email address. “No beerlover89@gmail.com or sexytimes69@hotmail.com,” says Joni Holderman, a professional resume writer. “And don’t use your .edu email address from college, unless you went to a very prestigious school like Harvard or Yale.”

Stop making impulse purchases

That Swagway scooter you bought on a whim? Yeah, that was probably a waste of $500. Stop doing that! “I always suggest someone sleep on it for at least 24 hours before making a major purchase,” says Danny Kofke, a personal finance advisor with Arista Financial Group. “Many times we get caught up in the moment and purchase something we later regret buying. By giving yourself some time to really think about it, you will determine if you really want and/or need that item.” Sigh, guess that complete Huey Lewis and the News discography will have to wait.