When I was younger and still going to school and living with my parents, the concept of being a grown-up meant only one thing to me: freedom. Also, I was convinced I would marry a rich man and travel the world with a stock lot of money. The reality is a lot different and a lot more down to earth. There is a lot of hidden cost of being a grown-up that young me never thought about.
When I was younger, I thought being a grown-up meant having disposable income and do what you want – when you want to. I also thought you had magic cards, and real money doesn’t even exist. Ok, it existed, but a rich man would hand over unlimited spending cards and always pick up the tab. That rich man would travel the world first-class with me where we are sipping champagne in a casino in Monaco, never doing real day work in our lives.
Grown-up me, I now laugh at that dream; what was I thinking? The reality, there was no sipping champagne in Monaco or travelling first class. But I did marry a Rich (-ard – see what I did there with my husband’s name) guy, so that was something.
What I’m saying is that being a grown-up is not how you imagine it would be. There are ae times when reality set in, and often you come crashing down to earth.
When I was younger, my dad would wiggle a finger at me and tell me it is not all rainbow and sunshine, and there comes the point when you need to stop spending on money clothes and start using the money for real things. That was how he put it, not this superficial thing I was interested in – but real life and real things were supposed to be my priority.
So, without further ado, let me talk to you about real life and the actual cost of being a grown-up.
Mortgage
I seriously thought I would never get a mortgage, and I would be a gipsy and live in a caravan. But really, that didn’t happen, and if I’m honest, getting a mortgage was thrust upon me. I could see the benefit of getting a mortgage – a place to call my own, but also the disadvantage as I would be tied into a contract for the rest of my life. The mortgage was one of those things where I thought I would never get as I thought I would win the lottery and live somewhere for free.
Pensions and funeral cost
I suppose this could go into the category of ‘unexpected saving cost’ as, well, thinking about pension means you are thinking about getting old, and I don’t like to think about that, who does? When I got my first job, I was told that I should put a little bit aside for the future. Once again, wiggling a finger at me, my dad told me to expect the unexpected, and there will be a time when you need to think who will look after you when you get old. I would answer my dad by saying that there would be brilliant scientists who would discover the cure for eternal youth by the time I’m older, so I wouldn’t need to worry about it.
Bills, bills, and more bills
As you might imagine right now that finance isn’t my thing. I had my imaginary rich guy who would take care of that. But there was no rich guy who could sweep me off my feet, so it was up to me to take off the bills. Bills were something you only think about when you get to your own place, and soon enough, you find their bills for everything, from credit cards to water and heater. I remember when I got my first paycheck thinking I had all this money in my bank account – only for it to disappear like magic on various bills. I kind of wish there was a magic wand which I could wave, and it all would disappear instantly, and I would never have to worry again. But for now, that is only a wish.
Those were only a handful of the real cost of being a grown-up. There is more, but it can be pretty depressing to think about it. Honestly, I might moan and groan about being a grown-up, but I wouldn’t swap it being a child again as I do have unlimited freedom. While my money isn’t always there, it is still my money, and as long as real-life is taken care of, I can still be the person I want to be; that is what count.
