Whether you’re a recent graduate or a thirty-year-old who finally got their own place, striking out on your own can be difficult and filled with unpredictable challenges. If you’re finding adulting hard you can rest assured that you’re not alone – that’s why there are lists like this one out there to help you figure this adulting thing out.
1. Know When to Call a Professional
This is first on the list because a lot of people don’t even consider this point until it’s too late. Whether you’re renting or own a home, when your pipes getting clogged or your hot water runs out, it’s important to get an expert in to check it out right away.
Do you know when you need to call a plumber for issues related to the plumbing in your home? Here are some key signs:
- Water is draining slowly from your sinks, indicating a clog in your drains/pipes
- Foul odours or strange noises are another indication of clogged pipes
- Loss of hot water
- Overflowing or not working toilet
- And in a worse-case scenario, flooding
If you ever experience flooding (even if it’s in the middle of the night) be sure to call an emergency plumber right away. While waiting for them, try finding your main water shut off valve in your home in order to prevent further flooding and damage.
2. Learn How to Cook (Even if it’s Just the Basics)
You can only live off of takeout, cereal, and instant noodles for so long – eventually it simply becomes necessary to be able to cook yourself some meals from time to time. Start off by figuring out these basics:
- Boil a pot of water (no one’s judging here)
- Fry an egg or two and/or make scrambled eggs
- Learn how the oven works so that you can heat up a premade meal from the grocery store
- Figure out how to operate a rice cooker (these things are amazing)
- And how to safely handle a knife
Once you have these basics down, try cooking up simple meals like bacon and eggs, pasta with meat sauce, stir-fry on rice, and baked chicken. People typically have a few basic meals that they start off with and rotate between until they become more comfortable with cooking.
3. Learn How to Do Your Taxes
Taxes can be daunting even for a fully-fledged adult, but it’s an important thing to learn how to do. Even if you pay someone to do your taxes for you, it’s a good idea to know some basic ins and outs that way you are saving receipts and providing information that could help you save money.
For example, depending on where you live, if you’re a student you can get returns on textbooks and tuition expenses. There are also work-related deductions you can file on your taxes if you work from home, but you should do your research on this one because it can be a bit complicated.
Everyone Needs Help Adulting
The truth is that everyone needs a little help now and then when it comes to adulting, but the good news is that with the internet there’s no shortage of information on how it can be done. Just take a look out there and find out what works for you – next thing you know you’ll be a pro in no time.
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