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Adulting - "adult isn't a noun; it's a verb."

edited June 2013 in Not Engaged Yet
I recently saw an interview with Kelly Williams Brown about her new book, Adulting.  she also has a blog, at www.adultingblog.com.  I've been reading through some of her "468 easyish steps" to becoming an adult.  her blog is fun to read!

it got me to thinking, what are some steps or things that we do that are "adultish"?  some of her steps/guidelines include wiping up a spill instead of leaving it to get crusty or spend time tidying up while you're waiting on something in the microwave: common sense stuff...  another one that I'm reading right now is "There does not have to be a truth commission every time you have an argument".  earlier today I read one about hiring a professional cleaner to come out and show you tricks on how to get your house clean and keep it that way.  she had a good tip about using Dawn and warm water to clean practically everything that she learned from her housecleaner.

anyway, what are some tips to "adulting" that you've learned along the way?

some of mine:
   do the dirty pots and pans that night (don't leave them for tomorrow, especially if they have bacon grease).
   put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and set it on delay start in the morning; that way, you can keep adding to it while you're getting ready and it'll automatically run while you're gone! 
   keep an umbrella in your car and in your office.
   have a pair of flats/comfy shoes available, in case your H wants to go for a romantic stroll downtown.
   don't let old flowers sit in the vase until they turn into mush.  they will really stink.
   have Thank You cards stashed in your drawers at work, and a collection of cards (thanks, sympathy, wedding, baby, birthday, graduation, etc.) at home. 
   keep hostess or "SURPRISE" gifts ready at home (bottle of wine, nice candle, gift card).  there have been SO MANY TIMES I was surprised with an event that I needed a gift, but didn't have one available. 
   keep a little bit of cash tucked away somewhere in the house or in your purse.
   if you borrow money or an item, pay it back or return it ASAP.  if it will be more than a few days, let the person know what's up.
   keep a basket of toiletries handy in the guest bathroom.  you never know when your H's 3 brothers, mom, step-dad, and 57 cousins will be visiting and staying at your house and forgot to pack a toothbrush, razor, body wash, shampoo...  you name it.  also handy for when your H doesn't tell you he's out of deodorant at 5:45 AM.

please share your "adulting" wisdom, ladies!
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Re: Adulting - "adult isn't a noun; it's a verb."

  • Those are some really good ones! I'm going to have to stock up on the small toiletries because that's an awesome idea!

    Some of my "adult" tips (not many, I'm horrible at this stuff)

    Pay your taxes once you get all your paperwork, don't wait until the very last minute.

    Don't try to clean your house all in one day. By the time you're cleaning the last room of your house, you start half-assing it. I'll clean my kitchen/mudroom on Tuesdays and the bathroom and living room on Thursdays. Basically the house gets a deep cleaning once a week, but we pick up after ourselves, pick up spills, etc.

    Do your laundry in small loads during the week so you don't have a week's worth of laundry piled up to do on Saturday. I do my laundry M, W, F.

    There's a lot of websites out there that give you ideas on what to use for household cleaners (ie: white vinegar and water to spray down the shower).

    When you have people staying over, leave some comforts of home in their guest bedroom. Bottled water, favorite candy and/or chips, magazines. I also leave an extra blanket out as well as give them enough towels and washclothes for their time there so that they're not wandering around wondering where I keep my towels.

    If you have a two story house, keep cleaning supplies on both floors so you're not running up and down the stairs for mop, bucket, etc.

    Every other time we buy chicken breasts, we take half of the package and divide up the breast in different marinades and freeze them so that if we don't feel like doing anything fancy for dinner, we can pull that out of the freezer and bake or grill it.

    I can't think of any right now, I'm sure when I'm home tonight I'll ETA to add more.

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  • @buddysmom80 - my dad still waits until April 14th at 10 PM to do his taxes.  H and I take ours to get done as soon as we have all the stuff together!  I like your tip about keeping cleaning supplies on each floor of the house.  now that's smart!!
  • @cocobellaf I couldn't handle a last minute deadline for taxes, it would make me so nervous. In reality though, everything is done electronically now so it's not like they would get lost in the mail or anything.

    The cleaning supplies trick started when I somehow ended up with three vacuum cleaners and we were buying our cleaning supplies at BJ's. Everything is in packages of 2 or more, so I started dividing them up between the upstairs and downstairs. So far, it's worked out.

    I feel so adult now! Hahaha.

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  • I fail at being an adult, so I have nothing to add.



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  • I feel so much better about not really being a functional adult. I suppose we could learn from my (admittedly stressful) last six weeks and not save all the laundry until you have laundry mountains in three separate places in your living space. On the flip side, doing a little bit of cleaning every night has been nice.

    Oh wait, I might have one. New tip for severe weather preparedness (came from near my hometown, incidentally, and is being promoted by the NWS): before you go to your tornado shelter, grab your bike or motorcycle helmet to protect your head. Simple but effective.
  • my H used to just buy more underwear and socks instead of doing laundry, until I took over the laundry.  we have socks and underwear and undershirts galore!!
  • CASK85CASK85 member
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    BriSox81 said:
    I fail at being an adult, so I have nothing to add.
    Eye to eye.
  • I only do my laundry once a week or so.  in my defense, there's only two of us (although H produces enough laundry for two people!)

    I also come up with big plans to have a cleaning schedule, but never stick to it.  meh.  in fact, the vacuum cleaner has been sitting in the kitchen since Monday.  I thought if I moved it out in the open, I'd vacuum the house.  nope, I just cook around it.  I AM A COOL ADULT, OKAY?
  • You are an awesome adult, @CocoBellaF. Because I would do the same thing.
  • I shop for groceries and do laundry the same day each week. It works for us because fi always knows when I'm going to the store or doing laundry so he will remember to actually tell me if he wants anything weird haha.

    I try to do all my official business (wedding stuff, finding out info for grad programs, etc) via email. Then I can just go back into my email archives to reference what was said/agreed upon.

    I realized the other day that I need to see a therapist. I think that's an adult behavior - the ability to realize your anxiety (or other issue) needs medical help.

    I always have Benadryl on me. I'm allergic to cats and pollen and Mosquito bites are like horrible. Benadryl saves my life a lot. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to take it with my anxiety Meds (I haven't since starting them) and it makes me slightly anxious. Hence why I want to get off the Meds as soon as I can cope effectively :)
    I guess, to tell you the truth, I've never had much of a desire to grow facial hair. I think I've managed to play quarterback just fine without a mustache. - Peyton
  • Ha, I love this!

    I try to tidy up one room each night so I don't have to spend my whole weekend cleaning.

    If the dishwasher is clean but hasn't been unloaded, I take dishes from there rather than from the cabinets so there's less to unload later.

    When I do laundry, I fold it and organize it into piles based upon which drawers things belong in.  If I'm doing multiple loads, I'll wait to put it away until it's all been folded and sorted into piles.

    I always keep packages of meat/chicken/fish/etc. in the bag from the grocery store when I put them in the refrigerator.  The packaging on that stuff can get pretty gross, and this avoids making a mess in the fridge.

    When I cook things in the oven, I line the pan with tin foil so I don't have to scrub it afterwards.
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  • my H used to just buy more underwear and socks instead of doing laundry, until I took over the laundry.  we have socks and underwear and undershirts galore!!
    100% done this before. Judge away.



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  • I shop for groceries and do laundry the same day each week. It works for us because fi always knows when I'm going to the store or doing laundry so he will remember to actually tell me if he wants anything weird haha. I try to do all my official business (wedding stuff, finding out info for grad programs, etc) via email. Then I can just go back into my email archives to reference what was said/agreed upon. I realized the other day that I need to see a therapist. I think that's an adult behavior - the ability to realize your anxiety (or other issue) needs medical help. I always have Benadryl on me. I'm allergic to cats and pollen and Mosquito bites are like horrible. Benadryl saves my life a lot. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to take it with my anxiety Meds (I haven't since starting them) and it makes me slightly anxious. Hence why I want to get off the Meds as soon as I can cope effectively :)
    I definitely took Benadryl when I was on my anxiety meds - and it DID save my life a couple times (when I found out I was allergic to ibuprofin & my face exploded). I don't think they have any negative interactions! Obviously, you want to talk to your doc, but I would use it if you need it! :)



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  • BriSox81 said:



    I shop for groceries and do laundry the same day each week. It works for us because fi always knows when I'm going to the store or doing laundry so he will remember to actually tell me if he wants anything weird haha.

    I try to do all my official business (wedding stuff, finding out info for grad programs, etc) via email. Then I can just go back into my email archives to reference what was said/agreed upon.

    I realized the other day that I need to see a therapist. I think that's an adult behavior - the ability to realize your anxiety (or other issue) needs medical help.

    I always have Benadryl on me. I'm allergic to cats and pollen and Mosquito bites are like horrible. Benadryl saves my life a lot. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to take it with my anxiety Meds (I haven't since starting them) and it makes me slightly anxious. Hence why I want to get off the Meds as soon as I can cope effectively :)

    I definitely took Benadryl when I was on my anxiety meds - and it DID save my life a couple times (when I found out I was allergic to ibuprofin & my face exploded). I don't think they have any negative interactions! Obviously, you want to talk to your doc, but I would use it if you need it! :)

    Yea I figure if my face is swelling up I should use it haha. The anxiety Meds made me really tired initially (that has kinda worn off thankfully) so I could see the potential for a combo knocking me out lol. But yea Benadryl is amazing.
    I guess, to tell you the truth, I've never had much of a desire to grow facial hair. I think I've managed to play quarterback just fine without a mustache. - Peyton
  • There are a lot of good ideas I should be doing but don't I always follow like I should.  
    I usually pay all bills immediately when they come in if they are not on auto pay. I do my taxes right away.  I keep an umbrella in my car and at work.

    I need to be better at cleaning, and meal planning.

    Anniversary

  • I fail as an adult. I didn't clean tonight. We had Taco Bell for dinner. I lied earlier lol'

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  • I fail too.  I haven't cleaned either, I had english muffin pizzas and a block of mozzarella for dinner, and now I'm thinking about going out to buy wine or making myself an apple martini because the only booze in my house is citrus vodka and apple pucker.
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  • If there is a tv in a nearby room, I turn it on to keep me entertained while doing dishes or other household things. It makes it enjoyable to do them.
  • I fail as an adult. I didn't clean tonight. We had Taco Bell for dinner. I lied earlier lol'
    FAKE!! 

    the vacuum is still sitting in the kitchen.  we're on day 5 now.  I think H is going to do it today; he's tired of looking at it.  ;)
  • I fail as an adult. I didn't clean tonight. We had Taco Bell for dinner. I lied earlier lol'

    FAKE!! 

    the vacuum is still sitting in the kitchen.  we're on day 5 now.  I think H is going to do it today; he's tired of looking at it.  ;)

     

    Maybe if you look at the vacuum long enough it'll start vacuuming the floor itself!

    I'm kicking myself because I'm leaving work early today only to come home and do all my "adult duties"! BF is trying to convince me he'll mow the lawn, but I don't like the way he does it. Horizontal lines don't work for a small front yard!

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  • cschiano said:
    BriSox81 said:
    I fail at being an adult, so I have nothing to add.
    Eye to eye.
    Me three. 
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  • @buddysmom80 - How would you mow it? Depending on the property, horizontal lines might be easiest. Then again, I never had the patience for diagonal and I tend to mow contour.

    I gotta get a place where I can mow my own grass again, I LOVE to push-mow the lawn, you get so much time to just think ...
  • @keptinstiches I mow vertically. We have two trees in our yard so it's not a pain to mow either way. I have this way of thinking that vertical lawn stripes will make the yard look bigger. No one else sees it this way.

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  • @buddysmom80, I could see that, especially if you have a small yard. You would get the benefit of vanishing point and perspective working in your favor.
  • @keptinstiches I mow vertically. We have two trees in our yard so it's not a pain to mow either way. I have this way of thinking that vertical lawn stripes will make the yard look bigger. No one else sees it this way.

    Try diaganol... the longest stripe may give your yard even more depth :)
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    "You are made of win." -SopChick
    Still here and still fabulous!

  • We haven't got a lawnmower yet for the new house so we've just hired lanscapers to take care of it until we get a lawn mower. 

    Anniversary

  • Respecting others' boundaries and letting them know when they've crossed yours. Working out problems cooperatively. Talking about issues before they become big problems. Not beating yourself up over minor shortcomings. Knowing how your actions affect others. Learning how to savor a moment.
    "I wish yo azz all tha dopest up in yo' marriages"
  • Oh CocoBella and your fancy dishwasher. I dream of having one with time delay...or anything other than on/off.

    I fail at anything cleaning other than a way to clean cheap jewelry for cheap: line a small dish with aluminum foil. drop in the jewelry so it makes maximum contact with the foil, cover with baking soda, and add some boiling water to cover. Watch interesting bubbles. Walk away. Come back later and rinse off your clean jewelry.

    Take care of your car and it will take care of you (e.g. regular oil changes and tire rotations).

    Back up your computer. You never know when it might be stolen or your hard drive could crash.

    And one from my dad: take lots of pictures. Especially when it's so easy to these days. They'll be so instrumental to help you remember events in your life when you're older.
  • So I tried to reply to this when Coco posted this, but my work computer is from the '80s, so that didn't go over so well.

    Kelly Williams Brown's blog grew and she turned it into a book. I actually just finished it last week. Definitely a good, fast read. Most of it is common sense, but it's written well.

    For those of you who fail (as I do) as an adult, the following is a true story. My H saw this book review and instantly thought of me. He told me that he saw a book that I might like and was going to order it. "I hope you don't take it the wrong way." Instantly, I thought it was a cook book or an exercise book - both something I need. A few days later I saw "Adulting" on pinterest and liked what I saw. I then told him I thought I knew what book he was talking about. And it was!

    Anyway, the best part of this book is step No. 1: "Accept that you are not that special. This is the most difficult and important thing to accept if you wish to be a grown-up. You are not a Special Snowflake." And I instantly thought of you ladies!
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