I'm further embracing "the adulthood." Well, it's not so much me embracing it as my bank accounts embracing it.

The cost of being an adult includes the purchasing of essential things . Most recently checked off on my list: furniture. Specifically, a couch, loveseat, chair and ottoman. They're very fun, as evidenced by the photo.

It hasn't been cheap to make my apartment feel like a home. Not only did I need a place to sit, I also needed:

• A place to eat 
• Things  to cook the food I eat
• Somewhere to sleep 
• Pretty things to hang on the wall  (to look at when I can't sleep)

And this list keeps going. But with a little budgeting and preparation, I feel a little less overwhelmed.

Take my new seating, for example. Before signing my name on the dotted line, I anticipated how much I would be able to pay for it each month. I factored that in with the offer of 18 months without interest and found that I needed to keep it under $2,000. Luckily my amazing bargain hunter skills, coupled with my amazing bartering skills, helped me snag the four pieces for around $1,400.

Budgeting applies to my other adult purchases as well. Two of my living room walls are bare because my entire "miscellaneous" budget was accounted for in January. But February is a different story. (And that's a good thing, since I've got my eye on some super chic shelves.)

So tell me: How's your place looking? Have you been able to add a monthly furniture payment to a monthly student loan and/or credit card payment?