Get Adulting! 10 Items You Need To Help You Fake This ‘Being A Grown-Up’ Thing

Being an adult is hard work.

You have to make your own dinner (most of the time), spend money on ridiculously boring things like phone bills and water charges, and get up early at least five days a week. Let’s be honest, it’s a complete nightmare, especially if you’re prone to impulse ASOS shopping sprees and sleeping in.

Even if you haven’t quite mastered the art of being an adult just yet, there are a few simple ways to make it appear like you definitely have.

Get your hands on some of these things and you’ll soon have your fellow Fake Adults coming to you for guidance and advice. Promise.

1. Something to wake you up without fail
If you’re generally 10-15 minutes late to work/college as a rule, now’s the time to nip that in the bud. Start showing up to things on time. Just do it. Buy yourself an obnoxiously loud alarm clock and – this part is key – place it on the other side of the room. That way you’ll be forced to get out of bed pronto.          

Jones Pale Green Mini Alarm Clock, €18.50, Debenhams

2. Stuff to put homemade lunch in
Yes, buying a €10 salad every day is easy, but making three days’ worth of lunch at home in 30 minutes is almost as simple. Buy yourself some Tupperware, and get a few of the same type so you’re never left hunting for the right lid. Then whip up dinner for four and keep the last three portions as lunches. Easy.

Happy Jackson Set Of 4 Boxes, €12.05, IWantOneOfThose.com

3. A plant… or anything nature-based
Dogs and babies might be a step too far, but if you can keep a plant going for more than a few days, you’ll be well on the way to seeming like a Proper Adult. If that’s too much work, buy a cheap bunch of flowers in Lidl or Tesco every week and stick them in a nice vase in your living room.

Short Green Circles Vase, €18, Industry & Co

 

4. A scented candle
Having a glam candle burning in your sitting room when guests come in is a surefire way to make them think you’ve got life relatively under control. Go on, treat yo’self. Just don’t forget to blow it out when you leave the house…

Candle Tin, €5, Dunnes Stores

5. At least one unopened bottle of wine
Keeping wine or spirits on standby for when people come over (be it at 7pm or 4am) is a very ‘I’m An Adult’ statement. So next time there’s a deal on in the supermarket, stock up on a few bottles, and put one away.

HUTTEN wine rack, €8, Ikea

6. A proper suitcase
No, not that gear bag you’ve been using since you started camogie when you were 14. An actual suitcase, with a handle and wheels.

Dickins & Jones Boat Print Cabin Suitcase, €58, House Of Fraser

7. A good lippy
There’s nothing like a bold red lipstick to make you feel on top of things even when you have literally no clue what’s going on. Find a shade that suits you and hold onto it. Don’t be afraid to splurge a bit – a good lipstick will last you for months.

MAC Lipstick in Chili, €20, Brown Thomas

8. Somewhere to keep your important sh*t
Your payslips, your P60s, proof of payment for bills – they’re all genuinely important things that you may need quick access to down the line. So rather than ‘storing’ them at the bottom of your handbag, buy a documents box or a folder and keep everything together.

Carolyn Donnelly Printed Storage Boxes, €10 – €15, Dunnes Stores

9. A spare set of sheets
Apparently we should all be washing our bedsheets at least once a week, but if you’ve been avoiding bed linen laundry because you’d have nothing to sleep on, maybe it’s time to buy a spare set. Behold, our current fave set:

Emoji Bedlinen, from €16, Penneys

10. A budget
Much as it pains us to admit it, a monthly budget is key to ensuring you’re not surviving on €7.50 for the last two weeks before payday (been there). Get planning, be honest about your monthly outgoings, and work out what you have left over for fun things like brunch, brunch and more brunch.

Kate Spade New York Mini Rose Gold Notebook, €16.50, Hippenings

Tags:

• adulting
• being an adult
• fake it til you make it