30 signs that you are now ‘adulting’

With graduation less than a month away, adult responsibilities linger in the near future. Working a full-time job and paying bills will take the place of hanging out with friends until 2 a.m. and spending an entire paycheck at the mall. Here is a list of 30 signs that you are now “adulting.”

1. Student loan payments begin.

Since you have graduated, it’s time to pay back those thousands of dollars you borrowed to get that piece of paper. However, you are granted a six month grace period, so that is a plus.

2. Vacation is two weeks out of the year rather than three months.

Goodbye summer vacation, Christmas break and spring break (tear).

3. You have to pay your own cell phone bill.

A service plan that includes data, texting and calling is going to cost you about $100 a month. Sorry, Mom and Dad for all those times I went over my data limit.

4. Mom and Dad stop paying off the car and car insurance.

A bus pass sounds like a better option right about now.

5. Getting new house appliances and furniture is like Christmas.

New couch, new microwave and non-paper plates, the excitement is real. If this is like Christmas, then Ikea is Santa’s workshop.

6. Exercising hurts more than it use to.

The days of running 2 miles every day and lifting weights is gone. You will feel it the next day and question why you even tried in the first place.

7. Your ideal Friday night is sitting on the couch and watching TV.

Those nights out partying and gallivanting around the city are a thing of the past. Hanging out with your favorite TV show characters is much more relaxing.

8. Coffee becomes a daily necessity.

Coffee is the drink of life and makes the world go around.

9. You have to get a real full-time job.

Forty-hour workweeks are the norm but somehow, your bank account is still empty.

10. Credit cards are necessary.

Yes, credits cards sound scary. Despite the negative stigma, if you want to reserve a hotel room or rent a car, for example, credit cards are a must.

11. Grocery shopping becomes a strategic and coupon-filled adventure.

With student loans, rent, car insurance and a cell phone bill to pay, so long are the days of just throwing in whatever food sounds good into Mom’s shopping cart.

12. You have to schedule your own doctor’s appointment.

Those doctor’s appointments that seemed to spring out of no where actually were scheduled two months in advance. Better get on that.

13. You have to take care of yourself when you’re sick.

If you want that chicken noodle soup in bed, you’re going to have to make it yourself.

14. Watching the news becomes a daily habit.

What once was a boring show for old people is now your nightly reality. Now that you’re an adult, what happens in your community and in the world actually has an effect on you.

15. You have to wear regular people clothes.

Wearing pajamas or athletic clothing to work will most likely get you fired, even on casual Friday’s.

16. You can spend your money however you want.

If you want that puppy, you buy that puppy.

17. Budgeting becomes a thing.

If you buy that puppy though, you best make sure you can still buy groceries, pay for rent, make car payments and buy dog food.

18. When the music you grew up loving is now considered “oldies.”

It has been over 20 years since *NSYNC and Britney Spears first came out. Just let that sink in a bit.

19. Getting socks for Christmas makes you happy.

Now you can throw away all those holey socks that you have been too busy (or too lazy) to replace.

20. The effects of eating pizza and burgers all the time actually start to show.

Eating like a teenager with the metabolism of a tired adult has its obvious consequences.

21. You think high school students are hooligans.

They will grow up eventually. In the mean time, they are annoying.

22. Sitting in a fort with a bunch of pillows and a coloring book sounds amazing right about now.

Good news, there are coloring books specifically made for adults. Also, since we are grown up, we can make  awesome, structurally sound forts.

23. You can treat your parents out to a nice dinner.

Seeing that smile on your parent’s face when you tell them you’ll pay for dinner will make your heart happy.

24. You’re excited to go to bed early.

Treasure this moment while you can. It will probably happen only once a month.

25. The excuse “those hairs are blonde, not gray” is a lie.

As much as you still try to use it, no one is going to believe you.

26. When music becomes too loud.

Those darn hooligans! Turn down that music; you’re causing a ruckus. Thought to self, “oh no, I’m becoming my parents.”

27. You think partying and drinking all night requires too much effort.

A night spent on the couch sounds so much easier, and changing out of pajamas is too much work.

28. Having to sign up for a 401K at work is real.

However, actually getting that money back when you retire is a whole another story.

29. All your friends are getting married and having kids.

Although high school feels like yesterday, it actually was five or six years ago. Don’t worry your time will come.

30. You wonder why you ever said you wanted to grow up.

Maybe Bed Bath & Beyond will have something to turn back the hands of time.

Although these 30 signs all sound dreadful, it’s not going to kill you. “Adulting” may be tough in the beginning, but in the end, it’s going to be just fine. Good luck and as the great movie, The Hunger Games, said, “may the odds be ever in your favor” (insert whistle).