Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps

This is like an irreverent, modern version of Peggy Post's book on Etiquette but covers so much more than that - from how to write thank-you notes, to dealing with difficult neighbors, to more practical things like how to get stains out of your clothes (!) and basic groceries you should have in your house. It reads like a funny but wise pep talk from the home-economics teacher that you never had (because of all the budget cuts during your millennial high school years) - inspiring and entertaining at the same time. Yes, a lot of the book is either common sense (how to behave in a car accident) or google-able things (how to get stains out of clothes, how to fill in nail holes in the wall) but honestly, we all have our "knowledge gaps" and I definitely learned a few new things from this book. If you grew up in a loving but perpetually frazzled household, some of the concepts about cleaning may be new to you (or me). Most of it was a gentle prod regarding things I know but need to work on (and I'm a young, married, employed professional) such as how to stay organized and how to approach investing. The drawings are so relatable and definitely hit the nail on the head. I would definitely recommend this book to other twenty-somethings.

I got this book for my cousin that just graduated high school... then I bought four more copies for the interns at my work place. I did a quick breeze through before sending it to my cousin and had a hard time putting it down. I remember thinking "where was this book when I was 18!?" Everyone I gave it to had read the book in under a week. My target audience was 19-23. I thought the book was very well written and informative. It quickly and clearly gets to the point for each piece of advice. The book is a plethora of advice collected from large group of people and summarized into an entertaining and effective guideline on how to be an adult. The book covers everything any person ought to know- from personal hygiene to relationships to business etiquette. For those above 30, it is a fun reminder on things that we should be doing as both adults and role models. For those younger folks- read through it, absorb as much as you can (I bet you will want to read it again), and act on the advice given.. it will only help you get what you want out of life faster.

I enjoyed this book and it had some really good chapters on basic home items you should have when you first get an apartment. There’s also some good tips on emergency items you should have as well. A lot of the information I already knew. This book would be great for anyone who is about to move out and get their first apartment or go off to college.

Ok, so I want to address some of the negative reviews I've seen of this book. Things like, "Do you really need someone to tell you what cleaning supplies to buy?" And the answer is no, but there are so many other helpful things. I would have never thought to have a spare toothbrush on hand for when people stay at my house, but that is a great, grown up thing to do. I also love the way Kelly prioritizes things, like how to stock a kitchen. Economically, this is not an easy time to be a 20 something. She gives a list showing which kitchen supplies are most necessary to least necessary, and it makes figuring out how to stock a kitchen less overwhelming. The thing is, if you've been an adult for 10 plus years, I can see how it makes us sound stupid to not know how to do the things you do everyday. But with culture changing, more and more young people are moving into the adult world as singles. We don't have the support, financially or emotionally, of a significant other (or parents for many of us), nor do we have the option of being home and figuring out 'home-stuff' while our significant other works. We have a lot to learn in a lot of different areas of life, and we have to figure it all out quickly and at the same time. We are more than capable of doing this, but having resources like 'Adulting' speeds up the process exponentially, and helps us to organize all of the things we need to learn. A theme of this book is kindness and graciousness toward others, and I would encourage those who have been adults for a long time to interact with those of us just becoming adults with kindness and grace.

Overall gives decent advice. I will say that the advice section about socialization was far too generic. It came off more like you're trying to escape a conversation than actually getting to know somebody. Maybe it was specifically made for communicating with your coworkers. Aside from that and the rather cringey Tupac quote, it's a light-hearted read.

I don't know how I ran across this book but I think it is a gem. As a psychologist I have recommended it to twenty-somethings and their parents. As a Mom,I have given it as a gift because it says so many of the things I would want to say that my child would rather hear from someone other than me. I'll list a few of the steps to provide a flavor: "Step 3) Don't get hurt when the world doesn't care about you; Step 16) When something bad happens to you, do not rush immediately to figure out why it wasn't your fault; Step 35) Do not leave to crust for tomorrow what may be wiped up today; Step 122) Just accept that some people won't like you and never will; Step 144) If you are called for an interview on the moon, figure out a way to get there; Step 152) Be prepared to do the worst, dullest assignments as an intern/new hire. Do them cheerfully; Step 262) Free animals are not free; Step 315) Learn to apologize." One of the things I love about this book is that you can pick it up, read a little bit, put it down, and then do the same thing at another time. An excellent book to leave in your twenty-something's bathroom. And it's not the least bit preachy--just helpful! .

Why couldn't this book have been around when I was establishing my young life, away for my parents for the first time.? So with that in mind, I bought this book for my twenty-year-old son for Christmas. The book had great Amazon reviews, but I wanted to see for myself what the hoopla was about so I dipped into the book and scanned a couple of pages. Next thing I knew, I'm reading the entire thing and my son hasn't seen it since Christmas! The author has a friendly, respectful tone and she goes into granular detail on everything: why tidy a home after a party? Why bother sweeping? How to deal with car insurance. When and how to clean out your washing machine (this was totally new to me). The author writes in a very familiar, hey-we're-all-in-this-together kind of way. Very readable, very worth it.

I enjoy the Adulting blog when I get a chance to read it, so I thought the book would be a fun, easy read. It was. I think it's written in a way most kids (and yes, I call twenty-somethings "kids," which is the first sign that I'm way older) will find accessible, yet it doesn't cross over into that "hey, you're trying too hard to sound like me" vibe. There's solid advice here, without being preachy. I found a few new things for this old dog, too, such as Step 8: Remember your circle of concern versus your circle of action. It's sort of like an updated version of the Serenity Prayer. Not every piece of advice is one that I would follow, though. It may be tempting to call a co-worker the c-word, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think you can handle conflict without calling people names. Some favorite moments: •We all sense our own dysfunction so clearly. And because we can't do that one thing - whether it be keeping a clean house, not feeling shy and awkward at work, or having a credit score of 750 - we assign it a higher priority on our own personal Things That You Must Be Good At If You Wish to Be a Functional Adult list. We don't remember the fourteen things we do reasonably well; we remember our one arena of miserable failure. •Intentions are nice, but ultimately intentions don't really matter because they only exist inside you. •A big part of being a well-adjusted person is accepting that you can't be good at everything. Some things will always be hard. Decide what you can do in those arenas. •You're a grown-up, and you get to decide what behaviors affect you for five minutes versus what behaviors change you as a person. •As my friend Kate put it, if you don't like someone and they don't like you, that's not a problem, that's mutual agreement. •You know why movies are so satisfying? Because they reflect back a reality that we all wish were true, that being good is its own reward and that being right means we will win. • The value of the relationship is not in the uninterrupted continuity of same-level friendship, but in the fact that you can be friends at twelve, twenty, twenty-five. So don't freak out if you're not close friends for six months when you're twenty-three. You won't ever make any new old friends. Don't get mad at them, or yourself, if it's not exactly the same as it used to be. A lot of times you'll find that after a few years, you'll feel closer again. •Being in a real, grown-up relationship means deciding every day to love another person, even though sometimes they will annoy the everlasting s*** out of you. Everything needs maintenance. Loving someone is not a onetime thing, something earned once then secured forever. It's more like a human six-year-old, something delightful but also in need of vigilance and attention, lest it fall out of a tree and break its wrist. •People can and do change. When they want to. •We all want "closure." But that doesn't make closure any more of a real thing than, say, a kind and gentle Pegasus who is eager to read your unpublished novel...In real life, closure comes from months or years of perspective, reflection, and insight. Or it doesn't - some things close, some don't. Definitely recommended for the younger set, but older set will likely enjoy as well.

Great book

Informative

useful tips and practical example. good.

Tanti pratici consigli su come sopravvivere dopo i 30 anni una volta usciti di casa. Divertente e consigliato! difficile interrompere la lettura, vi troverete a ridere come dei matti!

So perfectly described! I love the structure by which this book was writen. Every adult woman should have this as a guide! I absolutely loved it and laugh so much! This is truly adulting 101, it cannot get more specific than this. Perfect idea for a gift as well! 😂