As I quickly approach my late 20's I have come to the realization that I still feel the same I felt when I was an excited 22-year-old. However, the older you get and the more you add on to your plate, the more you realize no one ever prepared you to have certain life skills. Most deal with money—why can't I master the art of the credit card? Why don't I know more about my car? Why do I panic when I'm alone with a child? I suddenly realized I didn't know enough about simple life skills. Getting older is fun until you have to figure out the details of your insurance plan, 401k, and life insurance. Get ready.

1. Interpreting insurance papers and descriptions.

Have you ever read a notice from your insurance company and wondered if it was in English? I've dealt with all of my insurance business on my own since I could remember, but once I got a full-time job with benefits I began to realize I didn't understand anything. You know you are on your own when you have to call the insurance company to make sure the statement and coverage from your dentist are correct. Dental insurance is tricky and if you are ever tasked with finding a new dentist you will understand. You have to make sure your dentist is within the network of your insurance. That's important. They may take your insurance but if they aren't in your "network" they might only cover certain procedures and you won't find out until they quote you.

2. What to do after a car accident or fender bender.

The only thing you automatically know about fender benders is that you have to call your insurance company right away and take the other driver's information. But if you've ever been hit by another car, it's not as simple as it sounds. When I was involved in a car accident, I forgot everything I needed to do. I got hit by a girl who was texting and driving. She hit me going 25 mph, which doesn't sound like a lot, but because I didn't see it coming, I got whiplash. I was disoriented and started to cry because I had no idea what was going on.

Once I figured out who hit me, I pulled over to a side street and she followed suit. I got her information but did not call the police. That was my first mistake. You always need a witness because insurance companies will do everything to pay you the least amount of money. Your injuries could be so serious that you will have to hire an accident attorney, and that's another story on its own. Bottom line is, car accidents can come at any time and, no matter how severe they are, you will need to be prepared to make sure no insurance company schools you.

3. How to report a drunk driver or criminal activity.

This is something I've surprisingly had to do twice in my lifetime and both times I did it wrong. There's no correct way to do this, but there is a better way. The first thing you should know before reporting a drunk driver is making sure you can describe the car. I called once and had no idea what model, color the car was because it was dark. First, Identify the color, make, model and if you can see a license plate great, if not, don't try. You call 9-1-1 and although they'll ask for your name, you don't have to give it to them. For criminal activity, this is different. You call a non-emergency number and this varies depending on where you live. Criminal activity that is a non-emergency includes, robbery once the thief is gone, stolen credit cards, hit and run accidents with no injuries, loud parties or suspicious activity. For San Diego, you can find more information here.

4. Plan for retirement.

This is a rough one because you have to plan for 40 years in the future. No one wants to put even more money away every month. Nonetheless, the older you get and are financially stable, the sooner you will have to start planning for retirement. As soon as you can, start a 401(k). There are a lot of confusing decisions you have to make, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. You just have to make sure you do your research and understand what percentage you want to take out of your paycheck each month and how much your company is willing to match. If you have a double income household, you can also start a retirement savings account, but that depends on what your plan is. I know we all want to live in the moment, but the more you save the quicker you can quit working.

5. What to look for when looking at apartments.

It might seem easy to look for the essentials when looking for an apartment but you don't truly realize what you prefer in an apartment until after you move into one. It's also easy to forget the not so obvious things, like what types of people are around or how well taken care of are the apartments next door. At least for me, I didn't realize I needed hardwood floors until I moved into a place that had white carpet and it got destroyed. I also didn't realize I needed a second-floor apartment until I lived in on the first floor and had people walking by my bedroom while I was changing. I also never checked water pressure or how well the toilet flushed before moving in.

The problem is, you don't really know what matters to you at an apartment because everyone has different preferences and unless you've already lived in one, it can be hard to figure it out. I think there are a few things you should always try to have and/or check. Hardwood floors, which are important for cleanliness, water pressure in every sink and shower, the dishwasher (and ask to run it), a washer/dryer in unit and a parking spot. In terms of a contract, I never go with places with two-year leases, bad reviews online or places that don't include utilities. You'd be surprised at how many people don't think about how much extra they will have to pay. Always do your research and compare all places in the same area, depending on price and amenities.

There might be more simple things that you might never realize you don't know what to do, but it's part of getting older. There are more things to add to this list, however. In my life, these were the most shocking. I still question why we are taught economics but not how to file taxes or budget. Dealing with money, in general, is something you don't learn unless you have to, or you have parents who made it a priority while young. There other small things I never learned to do until I was older, like change a diaper or call a plumber, but never be embarrassed to call someone and make sure you are doing it the right way. There's also always Google.