Being a competent adult is simple, right? Something that naturally happens once we progress past our teens and into the grown-up world of paying our own bills, cooking our own food and figuring out just where exactly the laundry detergent goes.
Right? Ha!
If only ‘adulting’ was that easy. There’s no manual to give us a clue if we’re on the right track, and if you can’t ever seem to find matching socks, don’t know if you need liquid or powdered detergent, or still drink cordial, adulting might feel more like an abstract concept than a way of life.
But hey, as long as you’re doing these seven things, we reckon you’re adulting like the best of them. (Even if you love Lime Coola.)
1. You have a decent vacuum cleaner
You know you’ve become an adult when you get excited about the suction strength of a vacuum cleaner. Your heart pitter-patters every time someone mentions a Dyson. You’ve swarmed to the Aldi Special Buys whenever they have a sale on the sucky sticks. And you’ve definitely contemplated getting a robot vacuum cleaner.
Come on! They do the job for you! If adulting isn’t about finding clever shortcuts in life, then we don’t know what is. And if you have wondered if you need a robot vacuum cleaner in your life (you do) then this article on Reviews.org will tell you everything you need to know about them.
2. You shop around for a good phone deal
Have a look at your phone. Are you really getting the best bang for your buck? Chances are you’re with one of the Big Three: Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. And fair enough! They are the big three for a reason, and most Australians have had experience with at least one in their lives.
But there are actually dozens more operators to choose from - smaller telcos that run off the same networks as the big three, but often without the big price tag. Sites like WhistleOut (oh hey, that's us) let you compare phone plans that include the big three, and these smaller telcos. So have a look and see if you could get some serious savings on your phone bill, without compromising on your network connection. Nothing says adulting like saving money!
3. You’ve consolidated your super
We know, we know, consolidating your super sounds SUPER boooooooring. But having multiple super accounts is costing you money. Not only are you not getting a good return on a single lump sum, you’re also throwing money down the toilet with various fees.
If you’ve consolidated your super and have just one account, that’s an adulting gold star for you!
If you haven’t though, put aside an hour or so and get your chosen superfund to consolidate your funds. FYI: Most will charge a fee and do all the hard work for you by finding existing funds and bringing it over. Be aware, there may be some extra fees charged from outgoing funds.
While you’re at it, have a look at SuperGuide to see if you’re on track to retire with enough funds in your account.
4. You get excited about a sunny day
You know what I’m talking about. It’s a glorious sunny Spring day. The sky is ocean-blue, there’s a gentle warm breeze gliding across your skin. The day is full of opportunity, but there’s only one thing that’s getting your heart pumping with excitement.
“Excellent. I’ll hang the washing out to dry,” you whisper to yourself with a wry smile.
Yep. The moment you get excited about a sunny day because you can do a load of washing and hang it outside to dry in the sunshine is the day you become a full-fledged adult. Congratulations.
5. You've already sorted your nbn
Mention NBN to an Australian and they’ll likely scrunch up their noses and put it in the too hard basket. I mean, who has time to sort out and find the best deal for their high-speed internet?
You do. Because you can save money by taking literally 5 minutes out of your day to compare NBN plans and pick the price and speed that’s right for you. It’s easier than you think, and when we’re adulting, we like things to be as easy as possible. You can pop over to our WhistleOut page to easily compare NBN prices and plans, as well as check out any special deals, and then impress your friends and colleagues with your speedy internet. Boo-yeah.
6. You put the toilet roll on the right way
It looks like this, by the way. Over, not under.
7. You separate your recycling correctly
The final tick off the adulting checklist. If you know your soft plastics from your PET, and bin night is circled on your calendar in extra thick red pen, then you, my friend, are adulting. You might even save up your cans and bottles to score a cheeky ten cents per item at the recycling depot.
But let’s get one thing clear. Recycling correctly is not always easy. What do you do with plastic bags, anyway? And can I put the pizza box in the yellow bin? Test your recycling knowledge with this recycling quiz by Waster.com.au.
Kate Reynolds
Digital Content Editor
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