Things you can still get away with under 30

When I was living on my own at the age of 18 I made a rather big mess of things, avoiding responsibilities thinking I’d have it all under control within 5 years. Now at 26 hardly anything’s changed so I tell myself ‘everything will be fine when I’m 30’. When you’re 30 you’re grownup, an adult, I have a habit of lying to myself and then there are things I should bring to a halt a.s.a.p. or all will be lost. So for everyone under 30, these are things you might still get away with now, but that is about to end in the near future.

No idea how health insurance works

Every month I receive health benefits and I know which insurance company handles my insurance, but that’s about all I know. I postpone visits to the doctor because I have no idea how a claim works (u pay upfront and then claim it back on your insurance policy). And letters on the subject of policies, premiums or claims remain unopened on a pile. Which brings me to the following point.

Blue tax envelopes and envelopes that have the logo of my bank I put aside ‘to read sometime’, but I actually never do and that somehow always gets me into trouble. I do as many payments as I can automatically otherwise I just forget to pay. Jet has the same problem, “ I usually pay when I get a reminder.”

Savings? What? Are you crazy? I need new shoes! When I still have some money left over at the end of the month I think, “ Great, chill, I can eat out three more times” instead of “Great, chill, I’ll transfer it to my savings account.” I am aware of the fact that I have no idea how much money goes out and how much I have to spend. It’s okay but it has to stop eventually. When I’m 30.

I work freelance and don’t have a pension fund, no paid vacation days, no vacation bonus and no insurance to safeguard my income if something happens to me. Basically if I don’t work because I’m sick I don’t earn any money and if I go on vacation for two weeks I only receive a half month’s pay. And if I break my arm and can’t write I’m basically done for. When I turn 67 (the pension age) I won’t have a nest egg to live off, yet it’s still not something I’m going to worry about for the coming 4 years.

I was in there just this week because I looked half dead and I felt much better after 20 minutes, looked much better too. That I might age faster, get wrinkles or get skin cancer is not something I worry about because I live ‘in the now’. I once had a sister-in-law who was a dermatologist who got angry every time she heard someone had been to the solarium, I never told her. The solarium is kind of like the sun bed of death, I know that, but I’ll worry about that later.

Yes very boring, but you just can’t get away to going to bed wasted three nights a week. Your body just can’t handle it anymore. The past weekend I stumbled home at 07.30 in the morning, twice, my hangover lasted until Tuesday, three years ago I could fit in another all-nighter without a problem and still turn up at work all fresh and shiny.

The first two years (I’m lying, I mean the first 5 years) that I lived by myself, I lived on salmon on toast, pita bread and cheese and takeaway. The pots and pans I bought are still as good as new; some even still have stickers on them. I’m no chef. Really not. Since working for Amayzine I’ve been bitten by the Jet-bug and find myself in the kitchen more frequently though it’s hardly top cuisine. But I agree that at some point you should be able to serve a healthy warm meal for a party of four people.

There were countless times that I panicked and threw all of my junk into a cupboard because I was expecting company. I live downtown so there are always friends who call if they can stop by for a chat when they’re in the neighborhood.  And I’ve lied about not being home millions of times because the place looked like a pig stall. The only thing that is always clean (almost always) is my bed. I make it every morning. “You’re so schizophrenic in you’re cleaning habits”, May tells me, she’s right. For now that is  because in 4 years time  I’ll have a new cleaning ritual; everything nice and tidy.