Adulting 101: 3 Things Young Adults Need to Do When Starting Out On Their Own

While you’re busy taking care of your living arrangements, changing the oil in your ten-year-old car, and attending classes at night, there’s one more thing to add to your to-do list. When you’re starting out on your own, it’s easy to get caught up in your drive to get to the next level. But if you don’t sit down and carve out a healthy lifestyle plan, you could end up burning out fast.

Finding Healthcare Providers
You’re young and may feel that you are in overall good health. But a pivotal step to adulting means taking the necessary steps to protect and maintain that good health with routine doctor visits. If you plan to stick with the healthcare professionals, you saw under your parents’ roof, that’s a great start. But you’ll be taking over those appointments and follow-up duties. If you’re opting to find a new provider, maybe because you’re moving to a new area, you’ll want to dedicate the time to transfer health records, make those initial visit appointments, and establish a family medical history with those new providers.

Developing a Healthy Lifestyle
You might have older adults in your life who remember starting out and living on ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches. Starting out on your own means having a tight budget. But don’t cut your health short if you can help it. Planning your meals and a healthy eating lifestyle can actually be quite affordable. The alternative can be costly with quick, fast-food, and unhealthy eating habits.

Buying Your Own Health Insurance
Your new job might already offer a health insurance plan, in which case, you could be set. But if you don’t have a health insurance provider, now is the time to take that step. Exploring the Marketplace for affordable plans can be confusing, especially if you’re new to the terms and coverage options. But browsing with W3LL can help you understand participating providers, deductibles, and monthly premiums. We can help you calculate any available subsidies, too, that make those monthly payments super-affordable. And you’ll have peace of mind, knowing you’re covered should you get hurt, sick, or require medical attention. Not having insurance and experiencing one of these situations could be devastating to your adulting plans.

The world may be your oyster right now, but without proper planning, you could trip up right out of the gate. When you’re ready to start out on your own, get organized, and consider these key decisions. And when you’re ready to browse for health insurance options, do it now during Open Enrollment, and tap into the free guidance from W3LL.

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