When you finally leave your parent’s home, it can be a rude awakening into the world. Your parents have been responsible for housing and feeding you over the years and now you are responsible for yourself. This can be a frightening transition and hopefully someone has prepared you for the road to adulthood. Here are some tips to help you along your journey.
Self-Reliance
Relying on your parents is something you have grown to do. However, you should grow as you age and take care of yourself and pay your own bills. Asking for money to pay bills and cover debts is not the responsible thing to do and it could cause a strain on your relationship.
Spend Less than you Earn
This is a tough one, as we are a society that wants it all now. If you need something, save up your cash to get it. If there is a deal with 0% financing for a certain period of time, make sure you can pay it off without paying any interest.
Start Building Credit
Make sure to start building your credit young. Get a credit card with a small credit limit and use it for everyday purchases. Pay off this bill immediately when it arrives and don’t allow them to make any interest off of you.
Have Goals
Have many goals and a means to achieve those goals. If you put your mind to something you can truly achieve it, but it is going to take a lot of work. Set small goals that will keep you on track and slowly progress to the path you desire.
Resume
Slowly build your resume with experience that matters. Try and be a well-rounded individual with the proper classes required for your profession, the proper volunteer experiences, and all that you need to start your dream career.
Budgeting
This is a tough one for even the most seasoned of adults. We want what we want when we want it. However, that is not reality. Having a mortgage and car payment is a standard debt that people have, but when you get into credit card debt, that is another story. Try to only spend what you actually have. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. Learn to accept that you may have to wait for nicer things in your life.
Time Management
As a child, you only had to focus on doing well in school and maybe sports. As an adult you must do well in school and your job. You must learn to balance your work life with your personal life and realize that you also need to get laundry done and grocery shopping completed.
Relationships
Make sure you nurture your friendships and make healthy new ones. Select a lifelong partner that is on the same path as you and has the same goals and beliefs. Learning to compromise in a relationship is the key to success and happiness in the long run, just make sure you aren’t compromising yourself too much.
