The awkward 20s: the age of legally being an adult, but still trying to get out of the mindset that life is a breeze with no responsibilities. You now have to start "adulting." It's slightly awkward because you are required to do big-kid stuff like pay rent but you still have to call dad about how to do your taxes! Regardless of how much you have it together, there is a definite transformation and it can look something like:
1. Getting overly excited over home décor. "Does this shade of yellow make my apartment look big? Yes? Perfect".
2. Actually preferring to go home decor shopping over any other type of shopping - yes, even clothes shopping. *Gasp* Sorry, Forever 21, you are no longer getting all my money!
3. Realizing how expensive your tastes are and how you just can't afford them anymore on the notorious college budget. How did mom and dad afford me this whole time?!
4. Seeing that your entire paycheck goes to food and having to reevaluate your choices.
5. Coming to the sad realization that you took for granted all those years your parents bought two-ply toilet paper. Two-ply toilet paper is like heaven when you get it, but for now I guess I will deal with the economical one-ply.
6. Understanding why your parents always complained about money and how there was never enough. Honestly, I have looked at paper towels for ten dollars and thought to myself, "there must be gold encrusted flakes in that roll because there is no reason for that to be that expensive."
7. Getting oddly satisfied when you save money while shopping.
8. Which leads to the debate of: to coupon or not to coupon? (Like it's even a question.)
9. You begin to feel guilty about asking parents for money because now your eyes are open to the reality of how quickly money can go.
10. Constantly feeling like you need to save money, even if you don't really know what for. (At least for me anyways.)
11. Actually using your savings account rather than just putting money in savings only to transfer it back over to your checking account for that midnight Taco Bell.
12. Beginning to learn the difference between a WANT and a NEED. Trust me, the 5 for $27 at Victoria's Secret is not a need, no matter how much mental convincing you do.
13. Embracing "The Struggle." School and work can pile up which causes mass amounts of stress, but you have to mentally remind yourself that this will all pay off in the end. Learn to love the struggle because if you have expensive tastes like I do, then you have to be successful and work hard now!
14. Getting excited over a clean apartment. (Or if you are like me then you "stress clean." My dad still doesn't believe I do this.)
15. You see bedtimes are not just for kids, but hard working adults too.
16. Nap times are not just for kids either! Sometimes a quick cat nap is good! (If you have the time, of course.)
17. Waking up at 8 am is slightly less awful. Maybe it is from all the 8 am college classes or work but I call it progress! (Emphasis on slightly.)
18. You (sometimes) wake up before your alarm clock because you are adulting correctly.
19. Weekends become less relaxing and sleeping-in can become a thing of the past. Welcome to the weekend errands! Also known as: doing all the things you couldn't do during the work week!
20. You will probably be diagnosed with OCD, "Obsessive Coffee Disorder."
21. A favorite hobby of yours quickly becomes the fun game of,"Doing Nothing." It involves a big t-shirt, my bed, and Netflix.
22. You start whining about the neighbors being loud rather than trying to join the party. It's 1 in the morning; some of us appreciate our sleep!
23. But when you do go out you start to become "the mom" of the friend group.
24. Accept that some of the people you were inseparable with before may become more distant or not around at all. Unfortunately this is a hard fact of life!
25. Knowing that a close friend can become a stranger, just like a stranger can become a close friend! Put yourself out there!
26. Learn to love your body: take care of yourself, but know those extra five pounds you are trying to lose for the holidays is not detrimental. Life is too short to not eat chocolate, okay?
27. But also understanding that there are certain unhealthy habits you could get away with at a younger age but not anymore. *Reality Check* Your metabolism may not stay as fast as it was as a child, so working out and eating right may benefit you more ways than one!
28. Respecting yourself by ending bad relationships. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if your old high school flame is only coming around when he or she is freshly single and stringing you along then it is time to move on. Look for Mr. or Mrs. Right because "your person" is out there waiting to be found.
29. You start taking your relationships a little more seriously, considering this might be the person you marry rather than just someone you're going to prom with.
30. Realizing you are old enough to move in with your significant other and no one would look at you funny.
31. The people you grew up with start getting engaged or pregnant.
32. Acknowledging your mistakes and owning up to them.
33. Accept that along with mistakes come consequences.
34. Saying "I am sorry." Whether you mean it or not, saying sorry can make what was once a huge ordeal seem minuscule.
35. Begin to think about being in someone else's shoes. While younger, we are often close minded to other people's situations but the fact you are willing to try to understand someone else's perspective shows maturity.
36. Learning to "pick your battles wisely". Not everything is worth causing a fuss over....
37. BREAKING NEWS: You start paying attention to the news!!! It is no longer a dread to listen to!
38. Your childhood shows would not be recognizable to the younger children today! What do you mean "you don't know what Cat Dog or Rocket Power is?"
39. The kids today will never understand the struggles of the VCR player or even know what a VCR is! Nothing was worse than the VCR ruining your Lion King tape!
40. Your favorite childhood songs are about to be ten years old; if you are a 90's baby anyways. The dreamy boyband wasn't One Direction but rather N Sync.
41. You start saying, "the kids these days"......
42. Understand that some people grow up faster or slower than others. Or that some people never grow up, but just get bigger.
So tell me: What are some ways you knew you were growing up?
