It happens to all of us when the time comes that we start taking this whole adulthood thing seriously. As Millennials, we have developed a bad reputation for having a sort of Peter Pan Syndrome. We’re known for having big dreams and never wanting to really “grow up”. But who can blame us? Growing up is boring and so we try to avoid it at all costs.

Unfortunately, you can’t run from it forever and try as you might we all eventually find ourselves adulting at some time or another. After a while your life falls together and there’s no desire to do the things you considered to be a good time before. In the blink of an eye you grow up. You take responsibility by the reins and be adult AF.

“But wait, how will I know that I’m getting to this point?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Here’s 15 definite signs that you’re starting to take adulting seriously.

15 You Choose To Stay Home

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It’s Friday night and your friend's are texting you about going out. But the idea of getting dressed and going to an overcrowded club just doesn’t sound quite as appealing as it used to. On the other hand, binge watching Netflix on the couch in your pj’s sounds like a dream come true. When it comes down to it being in the comfort of your own home means there’s no one spilling their drinks on you as they trip on the way to the bathroom. You won’t have a drunk person vomiting on your favorite shoes. And there’s no risk of being hit on by some guy who won’t take a hint or an awkward run in with your ex. Sitting on the couch is much more relaxing and something you have come to look forward to after a long week of work. The only down side is that you are left trying to find an excuse as to why you’re not going out or you could pretend you never saw the text. Decisions.

14 You Stop Complaining About Chores

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Let’s face it, no one really enjoys scrubbing the toilets, loading the dishwasher or folding piles of laundry. It’s this very reason that you would find literally any excuse to put off cleaning. Hey, we get it. You couldn’t do the dishes because you have to paint your nails and they take time to dry. It’s best just to wait for a full 24 hrs before attempting to deal with the dishes to ensure the enamel has had ample time to set, right? And ugh, that mountain of laundry that’s been piling up will definitely have to wait because you don’t have time to swap it over and keep mildew from setting in. And cleaning the bathroom. Forget about it that can definitely wait.

But now, instead of waiting until you’re eating food on paper towels, you wash them after you use them. You’ve even come to appreciate being able to walk into the kitchen and see a shiny empty sink. You tend to keep up on chores and staying in to do laundry isn’t a total buzz kill.

13 You Start Thinking About The Future

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You used to not worry about the future and thought you would wing it forever. Then all of a sudden that number that you never cared about before, called your credit score, is something that you know and have even started to monitor. You have made it a priority to keep it in check and are working towards raising it. You start thinking of how you’re going to build up your savings even if it is in tiny intervals because you know that it’s better than nothing. Dabbling with the idea of eventually becoming a homeowner is something you have thought about at least once if not often and find yourself fantasizing about living in your dream home. And when it comes to all of that student loan debt you racked up, you are thinking methodically and trying to figure out the best way to pay it off and avoid interest.

12 Wine Above Liquor

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While you may have been able to throw back multiple shots at a time and party hard every weekend. Stumbling home at 3 am and waking up with a hangover is starting to take a toll now that you’re growing up. You have learned to prefer a nice quiet evening sipping a glass of wine hanging out with friends, reading a book, or catching up on shows. And even if you don’t fancy yourself a connoisseur you do have a favorite wine that you keep stocked at all times. Because you’ve been adulting all day and deserve a big glass of wine to melt away all of your stress so you can relax like the classy grown-up you are.

11 Brand Preferences

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Most likely when you went shopping you would grab the cheapest generic option for whatever you were looking to buy. But now that you’ve done this whole adult thing for a while now you’ve started to develop brand preferences. There are just some things that you can’t bend on. You know how much better certain name brands are and you can’t bring yourself to sacrifice quality in order to get it a few cents cheaper. If your friend or roommate offers to run by the store for you, you feel a tinge of panic at the thought of them not getting the right brand and will stress the specific name of the brand to them while giving them your list numerous times. You may even feel the need to text them while you know they’re at the store, to give them a quick reminder. Once they finally get back and you see your favorite brand in hand you feel a sense of relief that you don’t have to take it back to the store and exchange it.

10 Sleep Becomes A Priority

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Being an adult is definitely not easy. It comes with a lot of stress from having to juggle and maintain every aspect of your life on your own. You’re the adult now and your parents are no longer there to micromanage your life. This has made pulling all-nighters a thing of the past. You know that in order to keep up on all the details you need your rest. So going to bed at a decent time actually sounds like a good idea. In fact, it’s something you prioritize. You have no problem setting your DVR to record your favorite shows so that you can catch up on a few extra Zs. You welcome the comfort of your bed and look forward to the chance of climbing into it and closing your eyes. And from time to time you may even crawl into bed really early, and that is okay.

9 You Actually Want Your Parents Advice

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Even though you don’t have your parents as a part of your everyday life anymore and when you walk through the door after a long day they aren’t there to talk to. Nope, if there’s something you need to talk about you have to call them. Calling your parents instead of your best friend is no longer an outrageous idea. And you will find yourself doing it often. Think about it, when your parents used to offer advice it was like listening to the adults from Charlie Brown. All you heard was “Womp Womp Womp.” But the older you get the more you start to think that they may just know a thing or two and maybe you should pay attention. Turns out they offer great solutions to your problems and you will find yourself wondering how much easier life would have been if you had taken their advice before.

8 You Have A Routine

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The very act of adulting is monotonous at best. It’s basically sleep, eat, work, repeat with a little bit of fun thrown in on special occasions. You can’t help but eventually fall into a routine and surprisingly not hate it. You’ve come to appreciate knowing how your day is going to play out because it requires less thinking on your part and you're able to go on auto pilot when necessary. This helps make the bad days a little easier because you know that when you get off work you can go home, crash on the couch and then get back to your day to day. Your routine brings you a comfort that you never thought you’d want or need. Of course, you want to make sure that you still keep some spontaneity in your life, some comfort is a good thing but try to not get too comfortable.

7 You Get The Importance Of Meal Planning

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Going out to eat every meal gets expensive really quick. And since you're adulting now and have your budget under control, you have become accustomed to using sites like Pinterest in order to find cheap and easy meals you can make at home. You may have even started meal prepping on Sundays to make your life a little easier. Because no one wants to spend a lot of time slicing and dicing after work to make dinner. You want to come home and relax. But you also want a delicious healthy meal to chow down on when the day is done. You have found meal planning an important part of your week as it takes the guess work out of dinner and makes your day just a little bit easier.

6 You Care About Your Health

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You can’t help but think about what vitamins you need to start taking or if you should cave and try kale smoothies. Mindless snacking and binging on junk food is something that you consciously make an effort to avoid. And signing up for yoga or that new spin class is something that you actually want to do. You can’t help but notice that your metabolism isn’t quite what it used to be and that makes you nervous. It’s a reminder that you are aging. All of a sudden getting a Fit Bit and taking up jogging makes perfect sense and you begin paying attention to your health when you barely thought about it before. You want to become your healthiest and stay fit well into your golden years. You know that while you may not be an old lady just yet, if you want to maintain your beauty and figure you have to start now.

5 You Budget

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Instead of whining and complaining every time the bills come in you just pay them. No more blowing your money on those new shoes you’ve been dying to get your hands on. Or going out to dinner every night. You pay your bills on time and even gain a sense of satisfaction when they are up to date. When you get your check you look it over and figure out where the money needs to go. Bills take priority, then your food fund and household necessities. Instead of just setting aside some fun money that you can use towards whatever you want you have started stashing some cash in your savings account. Because you have a savings account, how very adult of you! Budgeting is something that you have become great at and you have learned to manage your financial aspects in a way your parents would be proud of.

4 You Start Referring To Your Job As A Career

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Somewhere along the way that job you used to dread waking up for became a career you take seriously. You think about how you’re going to advance in the workplace and stand out for your coworkers. And now when promotions are up for grabs you have no problem putting in the extra effort to impress the boss with your hard work and enthusiasm in order to become a front runner for the position. Because you want that promotion and you are willing to fight for it. You care about your career and want to do your best while moving up in the company. You don’t complain constantly, put off work until the last minute and goof off with your coworkers anymore just because the boss isn’t looking. Instead meeting deadlines, networking and genuinely putting your best foot forward plays a significant part in your life.

3 You Want A Real Relationship

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Tinder, meaningless hookups and dates that go nowhere have lost their appeal- that is if they ever had any in the first place. You’re a busy woman and you don’t have time for the frustrating dating games and men who don’t deserve you. Your relationship wants list has shifted and instead of looking for a gorgeous bad boy, you're wanting something a little more stable. But this doesn’t mean you are willing to sacrifice attraction. It just means that you have reached a point in your life where you know your worth and you won’t except less than you deserve. You’ve got your life pretty much together now and you expect any man worth your time to have his together as well. No matter how hot he may be you won’t settle for mediocre. And you shouldn’t. Because you’ve played the field and you know what you want so there’s no point in wasting time on something that isn’t going to go anywhere.

2 Your Group Of Friends Is Getting more Exclusive

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Quality instead of quantity is the way you view friends these days. You don’t need a huge group of friends because you’re not trying to win a popularity contest. This isn’t high school and you’re an adult now. You value the close-knit bonds that come with having a select group of friends that you know will be there when you need them. And while you may have had to leave a few people behind that you thought would always be there, you know that the friends you have kept are people you have grown to trust and you would do just about anything for them and vice versa. You no longer try to hold onto friendships that have become toxic and you have learned that sometimes people grow in separate directions due to life circumstances and you have to let them go even if you don’t want to.

1 You Avoid Drama

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Drama happens to the best of us but you prefer to get your dose of drama from reality shows and try to keep it out of your life as much as possible. As a grown woman, you know that you only have a certain amount of time in the day and choose not to waste it on ridiculous arguments anymore because so and so is mad because someone was checking out her boyfriend. You like to move on from unnecessary drama and avoid causing conflict at all costs. It’s just not worth the added stress that it brings. Because you are so adamant about avoiding drama, it’s one of the reasons you had to learn to choose your friends more wisely. You like to surround yourself with people who get you and are like minded. You are striving for your best life and like to keep things as calm as possible.

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