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    Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
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    Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
    Unavailable
    Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
    Audiobook9 hours

    Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps

    Written by Kelly Williams Brown

    Narrated by Anjili Pal

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING GUIDE, WITH UPDATED MATERIAL AND A NEW FOREWORD

    If you graduated from college but still feel like a student . . . if you wear a business suit to job interviews but pajamas to the grocery store . . . if you have your own apartment but no idea how to cook or clean . . . it's OK. But it doesn't have to be this way.
    Just because you don't feel like an adult doesn't mean you can't act like one. And it all begins with this funny, wise, and useful book. Based on Kelly Williams Brown's popular blog, ADULTING, makes the scary, confusing "real world" approachable, manageable--and even conquerable. This guide will help you to navigate the stormy Sea of Adulthood so that you may find safe harbor in Not Running Out of Toilet Paper Bay, and along the way you will learn:
    • What to check for when renting a new apartment--not just the nearby bars, but the faucets and stove, among other things.
    • When a busy person can find time to learn more about the world (It involves the intersection of NPR and hair-straightening.)
    • How to avoid hooking up with anyone in your office--iImagine your coworkers having plastic, featureless doll crotches. It helps.
    • The secret to finding a mechanic you love--or, more realistically, one that will not rob you blind.

    From breaking up with frenemies to fixing your toilet, this way fun comprehensive handbook is the answer for aspiring grown-ups of all ages.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateMay 7, 2013
    ISBN9781478978237
    Unavailable
    Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
    Author

    Kelly Williams Brown

    Kelly Williams Brown is the founder of the popular Tumblr, AdultingBlog.com, and she is, in fact, sometimes, an adult. Previously, she was a features reporter and an award-winning humor columnist for the STATESMAN JOURNAL, a daily newspaper in Salem, Oregon.

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    Reviews for Adulting

    4/5

    198 ratings26 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I’ve technically been an adult for half my life now. Exactly half my life, actually. In fact, if I’d had a kid at the time when I technically became an adult, that kid would now be an adult.

      Crap.

      Anyway, despite the fact that I’ve been more or less succeeding at being an adult for all those years doesn’t mean I can’t benefit from really sound advice from Ms. Williams Brown. A journalist by trade, Ms. Williams Brown has written a clever and fun to read book that offers tips that are relevant both for those about to leave home for the first time and those who have been living out in the world for a decade or more.

      The sections on family and cooking were the most helpful for me; the section on jobs and getting a place to live would probably be really useful for new folks.

      The only real area I disagree with her on is in the job section, where she says that if you don’t have a job and are offered one, to take it, and that your needs in the interview process are not as important as the hiring organization’s needs. Look, I get that people have bills to pay, and I’m not talking about declining jobs outside of one’s field. But when looking for jobs in your field, and you aren’t about to be evicted, I actually think it is really important to both make sure that the job is a decent fit, and yes, your needs in an interview DO matter. And I don’t think enough young people are told that. They’re told they’re asking for too much, and should just take whatever job they can find. I’m not cool with that.

      Setting aside that really minor complaint (seriously, maybe two lines in the whole book gave be serious pause), I’m recommending this one. Strongly.
    • 5/5
      Ugh, so great. I needed to read this, and I think the timing of reading this, Target opening in my city, and that thing that happened when I forgot to wash my dishes, I'm ready to get some #Adulting back in my life. She explains stuff I didn't know I didn't know. So great. I may have to buy this (read a library copy).
    • 4/5
      POV: 1st Person
      Genre: Non-Fiction, Self Help
      Brown gave great advice for an adult of any age. The breakdown of the book (by chapters and steps) made it a cohesive read. Although many steps were what some would consider common sense, they all served as nice refreshers. There are at least a few steps for everyone to learn from, regardless of their age or status. Ones I found particularly useful were Step 39: Tackle glass, mirrors and windows; Step 42: Find a tub cleaner that works for you; Step 43: Every so often, bleach your sink, tub and toilet; and a "Bonus Roasted Garlic Recipe." (Apparently I need to work on my domesticity). A How To book risks coming across as mundane and boring, but Brown interjects humor throughout the text, allowing for an easy and entertaining read.
    • 4/5
      This was a quick, funny read. There is also actually some great information in it. With working parents and schools not being able to teach all of this basic information, sometimes we are thrown into adulthood with some gaps in our knowledge. It is nice having all of this put together in one book. Some of the stuff may seem like common sense, but some of it didn't, and I can only imagine what may seem like common sense to me may not seem like common sense to others and vice versa. It is nice having this how-to manual that is written in a funny, non-judgmental way. The book is separated into sections by category for easy reference. I would definitely recommend this for people who have just entered college or are just now finding themselves in the real world after school.
    • 5/5
      Hilarious and at the same time, thoughtful and intelligent! I highly recommend it!
    • 5/5
      Legitimate great advice! And quite comical along the way! Will recommend to my younger friends.
    • 5/5
      This book is awesome, it’s a real life life- hack
    • 4/5
      Great book for your college aged child or even in high school. Pretty entertaining.
    • 5/5
      I fucking loved this book! It hit so many vital topics that we could all use a refresher course on. I plan on rereading this a few more times just to make sure all those lessons are really stuck in my brain.

      I also recommend high schoolers read this book, hs doesn't prepare you for Jack shit on this side of your life.
    • 5/5
      So much helpful information. I'm a working wife and mother of 3 and she covers topics that I can apply to all aspects of my life. There's just some stuff your Mom can't teach you. I love it. Thank you :)
    • 5/5
      Just want to say that the audiobook version is so so worth it. The narrator is truly amazing and make the experience way more enjoyable than reading the book
    • 5/5
      I thought this was a really fun book that wasn't boring in the slightest. I recommend you give it a listen.
    • 5/5
      Everyone should read this. I will listen again for sure. Also thinking of getting it for all my friend as Christmas present. It’s brilliant!
    • 3/5
      I am certainly not the demographic for this book, which I feel like makes the assumption that 30-somethings have it all together (we don't). But it's handy to have a recommendation if someone's not sure how they are starting out in life. It does seem to be heavily geared toward a middle-class, college-educated audience, which some may find off-putting, so keep that in mind.
    • 3/5
      nonfiction - I skimmed through this--there is some good advice here, and probably something that can help almost anyone. What to look for when apartment hunting, how to buy a used car, basic info about cooking, ]writing better thank you notes...
    • 4/5
      Theoretically I am too old for this book, but I defy you to find a better, funnier, more useful and thoughtful resource when you're wondering if you've thought of all the things. Very well written combination of rueful don't-do-what-I-did advice and pragmatic, sympathetic tools for getting through the hard annoying bits of adulthood. Great graduation gift, but I also just found it helpful.
    • 4/5
      Very helpful. Great advice about dealing with growing up issues in an entertaining way.
    • 2/5
      I can't believe I finished this. It is a time waster
    • 2/5
      useful for twenty somethings, funny or boring for grown ups
    • 5/5
      I loved Adulting. I bought it because I saw it all over pinterest and thought it would be a good for a light laugh. While this book did make me laugh, it also was so much more! I'm 30, and find that so many of the things in this book are relevant to what I'm going through. This author helped remind me the best intentions are those that are acted upon, that most things that seem so serious now wont matter in 6 months, taught me about meeting face, and discussed the importance of a good thank you note and clean sheets. One would think that in my 30 years on this planet, I would have figured most of it out for myself, but I'm being honest when I say that a lot of these excerpts gave me an "a-ha!" moment. A-ha as in, wow, someone else has gone through this too and helped me take a hard look at myself and encouraged me to get my life together. This book was not written in a way that suggests that the author has it all figured out, rather as someone who's a friend who wants to share advice with another friend. I highlighted more out of this book than I have in awhile! Thanks for the great tips. I'd recommend this for anyone who, well, wants to get better at adulting.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This was fun. I wish I had a book like this when I was in my 20s.
    • 5/5
      I received this book from the Harry Potter Alliance's Apparating Library book swap during VidCon 2014 (the exact date was June 26, 2014 according to the check-out card inside).Okay, where the devil was this book when I was in my 20s and first getting out of college? Some of the advice in this book would have been so, so helpful. In fact, at the ripe, old age of 36, there are still some things I learned on how to adult. It's a work in progress, that's for sure.In Adulting, Kelly Williams Brown covers information on finding a job, earning and properly using money (those are both things I'm still working on as an adult), how to deal with love, get your home set-up properly, and even how to adjust your family situation to a more adult level (in other words, how to make sure your parents see and treat you as an adult instead of a very large child). Along with advice from experts in the fields she covers, Brown also presents the information in a humorous but honest way, making for a very witty read. She has taken the best parts of advice and self-help books and combined them into one handy, fun-to-read package.Since, even in my 30s, I'm still working on some of the things covered here, I will definitely be returning to Adulting as a handy reference guide as needed. It will certainly be kept close at hand.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      A lot of the information in here is really helpful. Most aspects of middle class (ish) life are covered, with an emphasis on the 20-35 year old experience of trying to housekeep, balance work, friends, family obligations and your bank account. It is a good starting point for any of these, and its thoroughness makes it a useful basic handbook (though any of these sections merits further research should one have a particular interest).

      I appreciated its candor, humor, and sharing of various unreasonable paranoias that I certainly find myself falling prey to fairly frequently (eg. OMG WHY IS MY CAT'S FUR FALLING OUT?!? IT MUST BE CANCER, THE INTERNETZ SAY IT IS CANCER!?!).

      Ahem.

      Such panic is acknowledged, but it is strongly suggested that it not be indulged and methods are included.

      Certainly this book has some pretty stark limits. It speaks primarily to the young adult with a middle to upper middle class background as they are tossed out to navigate a sea of confusing variables that differ significantly from that background. I suppose one might describe it as a handbook on maintaining a middle class culture without the middle class finances.

      That aside, there is truly universal information in here, some very basic recipes, advice on how to do basic kitchen stocking and cooking. How to do laundry, what to look for when renting an apartment, how to organize a small or cross country move. It offers some guidance on contemporary US social customs like thank you cards, and how to be helpful when a friend is in a crisis (rather than awkwardly shuffling one's feet and not knowing what to say).

      I found the suggestions for basic housekeeping and cleaning and ideas on when to clean what so it isn't overwhelming. It is a book on a lot of Things that I Probably Should Have Known But Didn't. Much appreciated.
    • 4/5
      A lot of the information in here is really helpful. Most aspects of middle class (ish) life are covered, with an emphasis on the 20-35 year old experience of trying to housekeep, balance work, friends, family obligations and your bank account. It is a good starting point for any of these, and its thoroughness makes it a useful basic handbook (though any of these sections merits further research should one have a particular interest).

      I appreciated its candor, humor, and sharing of various unreasonable paranoias that I certainly find myself falling prey to fairly frequently (eg. OMG WHY IS MY CAT'S FUR FALLING OUT?!? IT MUST BE CANCER, THE INTERNETZ SAY IT IS CANCER!?!).

      Ahem.

      Such panic is acknowledged, but it is strongly suggested that it not be indulged and methods are included.

      Certainly this book has some pretty stark limits. It speaks primarily to the young adult with a middle to upper middle class background as they are tossed out to navigate a sea of confusing variables that differ significantly from that background. I suppose one might describe it as a handbook on maintaining a middle class culture without the middle class finances.

      That aside, there is truly universal information in here, some very basic recipes, advice on how to do basic kitchen stocking and cooking. How to do laundry, what to look for when renting an apartment, how to organize a small or cross country move. It offers some guidance on contemporary US social customs like thank you cards, and how to be helpful when a friend is in a crisis (rather than awkwardly shuffling one's feet and not knowing what to say).

      I found the suggestions for basic housekeeping and cleaning and ideas on when to clean what so it isn't overwhelming. It is a book on a lot of Things that I Probably Should Have Known But Didn't. Much appreciated.
    • 4/5
      Are you stressed out by the facts of being an adult? Uncertain about what to look for in an apartment? Nagged by the feeling that you do not, in fact, know how to maintain your car? Brown's book is both amusing and informative, without making new adults feel bad about the things about adulthood that they have yet to master. I like the emphasis that being an adult is a verb, not a noun- it means that you can take definite steps towards taking control of your life, no matter how disorganized you may feel. Recommended for new adults and anyone who feels like they missed some important skills on the way to adulthood.
    • 1/5
      When the author doesn't do the things she is telling you that "real grownups" do, it makes for a pretty unbelievable book about "becoming an adult." I tried to cram read this and it just made me more anxious. It's tips couched with 20something humor and I didn't find it funny.Read it after I read a "10 steps to becoming an adult" teaser article online PW.