You're On Your Own...Now What?

By Shawna M. Russell M.Ed

Becoming an adult may happen at 18, but being an adult doesn't happen overnight. This book is for anyone who is on their own, unsure how to navigate adulthood. Life is confusing, so let this be your guide. Included is information on finances, budgeting, savings, insurance, cooking, laundry, and other tips.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350959772

Shawna M. Russell M.Ed

Shawna Russell, also known as Mama Russell, has taught Family and Consumer Sciences for 25+ years. She's passionate about what she teaches and believes what's taught in FACS provides as skill set to prepare kids to be successful young adults. She is the author of mamarussell.com blog and creator of Mama Russell YouTube channel. She resides in Washington State with her husband and two kids.

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©2024 Shawna Russell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author or publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

To request permission, contact Shawna Russell at [e-mail]

Cover by Shawna Russell

Edited by Lisa Tupling and Randy Russell

ISBN: 979-8-35095-976-5 print edition

ISBN: 979-8-35095-977-2 eBook edition

Printed in United States

Published by Shawna Russell

Mamarussell.com

This book is dedicated to Randy, Ryan, and Rylee, my biggest supporters. Without you, I would not be the person I am today.

Love you!

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Life Isn’t Fair

Chapter 3: Know the Value of a Dollar

Chapter 4: Live within a budget

Chapter 5: Pay Yourself First!Saving needs to be a priority!

Chapter 6: Checking Accounts

Chapter 7: Financial Basics and Goal Setting

Chapter 8: Reading Your Paycheck

Chapter 9: Three to Six Months of Expenses

Chapter 10: Bills vs Debt

Chapter 11: Credit Card Debt

Chapter 12: Your Credit Score

Chapter 13: File Your Tax Return

Chapter 14: Risk Management

Chapter 15: Laundry A guide for doing your laundry:

Chapter 16: Sewing on a Button

Chapter 17: Learn to Cook/Bake

Chapter 18: Recipes To Try

Chapter 19: How to Write a Thank You

Chapter 20: Last minute tips

You don’t realize how hard it is to live on your own. But there’s no mom to do your laundry, and make you dinner and to do things for you, and you don’t think about the little things like buying paper towels and salt.

~Emma Roberts

Introduction

Welcome to the world of being an adult!

Being an adult can be hard and there is no way around it.

If you feel overwhelmed with where to start, that is okay.

This book will give you a few suggestions to get you started on this journey called life.

Over the past twenty-eight years, I have watched many young adults graduate from high school or college who have no clue how to ADULT. The same goes for those out on their own, sometimes by default. Whether it is financial choices or basic kitchen skills, young adults are at a disadvantage from the start. I have former students tell me what I taught was more important than any other subject in middle and/or high school.

All of them thank me for giving them the tool set to be successful in life beyond living at home.  So many times, I have students come back with their friends in tow and their friends say, I really wish I would have taken your class! 

I learned a lot from my home experience. My mom and aunts taught me so many things. When I was in high school, if we didn’t learn it at home, we learned it at school. This doesn’t seem to be the case these days. These classes have fallen off the radar and sadly young adults are headed out on their own with very few life skills. These classes should be mandatory. Luckily, I got to take Family and Consumer Science classes in high school. They were my favorite classes…for the same reason students love my class today…I learned skills that would help me be successful when I ventured out on my own.

The struggle of being on your own is real. Your time is now, and it all starts and ends with you.

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.

~Forrest Gump

Chapter 1:  Life Isn’t Fair

Let’s get the hard one out of the way. Life isn’t fair, and it will never be. You can do your best to make it as fair as possible but in the long run you need to remember that Life Isn’t Fair.

Someone will have it easier than you.

Someone will have a nicer apartment/house than you.

Someone will have a more expensive car than you.

Someone will get through college before you.

Someone will get the job you wanted.

Someone will make more money than you.

Someone will have more possessions than you.

Someone will have traveled farther and to exotic places before you.

Someone will get married before you.

Someone will have kids before you.

I think you get the point. It is not about your material possessions or what you’ve accomplished. You can’t look at it like that. Someone will always have something better. Be proud of what you have accomplished. You need to know one thing: live life the best you know how. You do not have to keep up with the Joneses.

Here is an example of keeping up with the Joneses. You go to a friend’s house for the Super Bowl, and they have a 75-inch television. You leave, and in the next few days you go buy a 75-inch or bigger television, just to be like your friends. You then see that friend buy a new truck, so you go out and buy something because you want to be like him/her. What people don’t see is the debt their friends may be in. Buy things and do things YOU can afford. Do not compare yourself to anyone else. Live life under YOUR circumstances. Life isn’t fair…get over it now! The faster you realize this the better off you will be.

It is better to drive a $2000 paid off car and have $15,000 in the bank than to have a $25,000 car loan and have $1000 in the bank. Don’t judge people on what