ADULTING: Life After College

YAY! Dental Babe, you did it! You’re a college grad and you’re on your way to kick a$$ as a Dental Professional! CONGRATULATIONS!

When the excitement of getting your degree dies down, the reality of becoming an adult sinks in: no more picking your own schedule, no more sleeping in, no holiday breaks, no more Thirsty Thursdays (ok, maybe just more mild ones J) bills, bills and more bills. Yep, Dental Babes, we try to keep it real with you, so we won’t sugarcoat the fact that college life > adult life. Don’t fear though, we at DHN have been there – so we have some tips and tricks to help you make it through your first year of #adulting.

Like we said, we like to keep it real with ya, so this is going to be honest and to the point:

If possible, move back in with your parental guardian. We know, we know…after living on your own for 4 years, this is the last thing you want to do…suck it up and do it anyway. (brutal, right?) You will save a ton of money that you will later be able to put towards a house. Plus, who cooks better than yo’ mama?

Do nahhhht go crazy opening credit cards, seriously. Building credit is essential to your future, but it’s easy to abuse. Open 1-2 credit cards and use them only in case of emergency. Take your paychecks and put 20% of them into savings, 50% should be used for essentials and 30% of them should be your ‘fun money.’ Lastly, cut coupons and look for ways to save on all purchases...trust us, it adds up. Oh, and ditch the grocery store….for produce at least. Produce can be 50% cheaper at local farmers market than it is at your local grocery store. And why not support your local farmers!

OKAY, OKAY…we know we sound like your parents – & no means are we claiming to ‘have it all figured out,’ but we’ve been in your shoes before and we want to share with you what works for us!

What goes hand in hand with money? Responsibility. How to have a social life while working full time, staying healthy and sane…and becoming a grown up?

Agendas. Written agendas are what L I T E R A L L Y holds our lives together. We suggest keeping two agendas, one for social and work events, the other for healthy living, day to day living and reminders. We know organizing an agenda doesn’t exactly sound like fun, but it’s totally worth it and alleviates so much stress from your life. Plus, check out these super cute ones by one of our favorite companies, bando.

Plan ahead. Plan your meals, plan your outfits, plan your gym schedule, plan your happy hour schedule (What? We can’t be the only ones)…then stick to it. Sticking to a plan helps you to create healthy habits and create a routine. This also alleviates so much stress in your life. Let's break it down in an example *goes to work* *takes gym clothes and Happy Hour clothes to work in DHN's adorable ALL MY DENTAL STUFF Tote* *changes from working to werkin' to sippin'* Easy enough, right?

Our last bit of advice may seem cliché, but it is so important. TAKE. TIME. FOR. YOURSELF. Life as an adult isn’t easy. It’s much, much different than being a student. It’s easy to get caught up and feel overwhelmed, which is why it’s essential to take time for YOU. Go to yoga, read, have a glass (bottle) of wine, go hiking, take a bath…just breathe, if you made it through BOARDS, you can make it through this Dental Babe.