Ah, twenties. A tumultuous time of highs and lows, of experiencing adulthood outside of the rigid schedule school life offers. In your twenties, you’re officially an adult—which comes with a swarm of new responsibilities you’re kind of embarrassed you didn’t really know about before (hello, finding a primary care doctor and opening a savings account). You might have found yourself thinking at various points, how in the world do adults do this? Manage to remember to pay their taxes on time, while also figuring out a budget that doesn’t require eating noodles from a box every night? Luckily, we’ve collaborated with The Financial Gym—our go-to money coaching service—to bring you a few tips on how to adult in your 20s. 

1. Get a plant. Don’t roll your eyes at me—I see you. Okay, I don’t, but still. Hear me out. As a child, or even in college, you probably didn’t own something that would die if you forgot to take care of it. Even if you don’t end up having children, being an adult means taking care of others at times, whether that be your friend going through a hard time, or an elderly parent down the line. While we’re still young and free, getting a plant is a great way to learn how to be responsible for another living thing. I recently took a trip to the Union Square Farmer’s Market and got myself something called a Moon Cactus—which I may or may not have bought because it looked like it had hair and I thought that was hilarious. Since my plant of choice doesn’t require watering very often, that might be a good choice for you too, especially if you travel frequently (bonus: it’ll take weeks to die without being cared for—so, if yours does, please consider holding off on children for a while. I’m kidding. Kind of). 

2. Get your finances in order. You might think you have to be Mark Zuckerberg or Ariana Grande to have a financial team behind you. Thanks to services like The Financial Gym, however, anyone (even if you’ve never saved a dollar in your life) can have access to premier financial advice. Do yourself a favor and take them up on their offer of a free 20-minute consultation call to learn about how their training program can help you. If you like what you hear, and think they can help you meet your financial goals (spoiler: they can), you can then sign up for The Financial Gym’s service, which includes their experts crafting a personalized financial plan for you, and a financial “trainer” that can offer coaching on an array of subjects such as salary negotiation, improving credit scores, managing student loan debt, building emergency funds, etc. Bonus: as a member, you’ll get access to an array of free events, webinars, and programming. If you worry about money in unlikely places like mid-tree pose at yoga, while shaving your legs, in the middle of a meeting, or in the ice cream aisle at CVS, do yourself a favor and let the experts at The Financial Gym take the stress away.

3. Wake up an hour earlier than usual. If you just barked out yeah right and started to scroll away, I hear you. I’m lucky if I wake up after my third alarm, let alone my fifth. But training yourself to wake up a little earlier fifteen minutes a day until you reach an hour can allow you to do stuff you probably complain to your friends/couldn’t-care-less co-workers that you never have time for. Activities like workouts, reading, going for a walk when no one else is outside, making breakfast at home, and even meditation. Being an adult means making the time for things that are not only important, but also healthy. Because how are you supposed to remember to pay your credit card bill if you can’t leave the house on time? 

And, because I know you likely have to get back to work (your manager’s coming, quick!) here are a few short ones:
Dedicate an hour a week to doing important things like paying bills, checking your mail, making appointments. 
Go through your credit card statement at least once a month and cancel any recurring payments for services you no longer need (and also to catch potential fraud). 
Call someone you care about once a week–being an adult means prioritizing your time, and your family/friends should know how much they mean to you.