This Man Is Going Viral For Sharing His List Of The 8 Things You Need To Start Doing Once You’re An Adult, And As A 26-Year-Old Teen, I Needed This Reminder
Recently, a video by @johnfluenzer stopped me quite abruptly in my doomscrolling tracks to serve me a bit of a reality check. In the video, John details a list of the things young people need to start doing once they're adults.
@johnfluenzer / Via tiktok.com
He started, "Here's a list of stuff you need to start doing now that you're an adult. Welcome to being an adult. Maybe you weren't told this by your parents, but this is through my trial and error."
John wrote, "I know it's not fun, but I wish someone had told me this when I was younger."
So, let's get into everything on his list:
1."Number 1: Annual doctor visit."
"Go to the doctor once a year if you can," John reiterated. "I'm Canadian, so it's covered for us. Obviously if you have more medical concerns, go more often. In Canada, you should at least be going once a year for an annual checkup."
2."Number 2: Dentist... You should be going for, at the very least, one cleaning a year."
John said, "I know it's expensive, but just one cleaning a year. One checkup, okay? Once a year. You should be going more, but if all you can afford is once, then do it."
John added, "Keep in mind that a $300 cavity can turn into a $1,500 root canal, which can then turn into a $2,000 crown on top of the $1,500 you just paid, so it's better to just pay the $300 or whatever it is for a cavity, and just get it sorted." Others agreed, and shared their own experiences:
John also recommended that if you can't afford a dentist to try a dental school, because in his experience they can typically do dental services at a fraction of the cost.
3."Next, if you're sexually active, go for an STI/STD checkup."
John said, "If you're having sex, you need to go get this stuff checked out. If you're uncomfortable with your GP, or you don't have a GP, go to a sexual health clinic. They'll do it for you. In Toronto, they're free. Just go get tested — it's better to know."
4."Next, vaccines... Be up on your vaccines, not just your flu shot."
John said, "We're talking Hep A/Hep B, and also if you're under 25, get your Gardasil 9. It's three shots. It prevents the cancer-causing HPV... And it's covered by the Ontario government." In the US, most health insurance plans cover the cost of HPV vaccines and recommended adult vaccines, such as Hep A. If you don’t have insurance and are under 19, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program may be able to help.
5."Next up, PEP. If you had a risky sexual encounter and you're worried about HIV, go to the emergency room and get PEP. P, E, P. Post-exposure prophylaxis."
PEP must be taken within 72 hours of possible exposure to HIV, so the sooner you take it, the more effective you'll be at preventing HIV.
6."Next up... Rent first. OK, so we're in a housing crisis, your rent should be the first thing you take care of every month."
"It comes before everything. Now maybe if you have kids and they need to eat, of course, that's important," John said. "But a roof over their head is way more important and you do not want to give landlords any excuse to have you evicted. Pay your rent and pay it on time."
7."Next up... cell phones. I know we all want the new cell phones. Keep your phone as long as possible, OK?"
"I don't care if it's any iPhone 10, iPhone 8, keep it for as long as possible. Especially if you're under no contract—you have so much freedom," John said. "You can switch your cell provider every month and get deals from all the different providers that they'll offer for new customers that they won't offer you for staying. Don't fall for their bullshit, 'We'll give you the new phone for $20 a month.' Like no. Keep the phone you have. Go to a cheaper provider. Save $40–50 bucks a month. That shit adds up."
8.And lastly, "Subscriptions... controversial. You only need one subscription a month."
John clarified, "I'm not talking about music. You can keep the music every month, whatever. I'm talking about streaming services. You don't need Netflix, Disney, Hulu, whatever... you don't need them all the same month. January do Netflix, cancel. February do Hulu... All of these different apps, they let you save watchlists, right, like 'My List.' And if you cancel your subscription and you restart it two months later, your list is still there. So just save stuff, only pay for it once a month, and try to save some money."
Phew! That's the end of of the list, and if that all felt like a bit of a wake up call, well, you're not alone:
But even if you don't wanna hear it, others agreed, this is pretty sound advice:
John told BuzzFeed he had just one other thing to add to the list that wasn't already mentioned: "To have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses, if you can."
What would you add to the list? Is there something you wished you knew as a 20-year-old that you may or may not have learned the hard way? Let me know in the comments!
