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Tips For Making New Friends As An Adult

Looking for tips for making new friends as an adult? When you’re young, and especially when you’re in college, making new friends is seamless. You’re meeting new people all the…

Happy friends cheering for their team while watching sports game on TV in a bar.
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Looking for tips for making new friends as an adult?

When you’re young, and especially when you’re in college, making new friends is seamless. You’re meeting new people all the time, and boom, a friendship almost instantly blossoms. But once you’re out in the real world adulting, you realize that making new friends isn’t as easy.

Post-school, you’re not really forced into social situations where you are actively meeting new people. Sure, you have the office but sometimes you don’t want your work friends and your personal friends to be the same.

If you’re craving some new social connection and wanting to make new friends but are finding it challenging, it may be time to shake up your routine. It is possible to make new friends as an adult, and according to Paradehere are some tips on how you can do just that.

How to make friends as an adult.

  1. Join a new club or organization
  2. Smile
  3. Don’t set your expectations too high or expect too much from one person
  4. Do a favor for someone
  5. Compliment others
  6. Try social media or friendship apps
  7. Encourage them on social media
  8. Emphasize your shared values or common interests
  9. Ask questions
  10. Make the first move

For even more, click HERE!

Making New Friends As An Adult

Here’s How Much Money It Takes To Live Comfortably In The 5 Major North Carolina Cities

It's hard to not be stressed or depressed about money these days. Prices have skyrocketed and I often joke that the value of everything seems to have gone up- except me. But goods and services don't tell the entire pictures when it comes to cost of living. So how much money does it take to live comfortably in each of the major cities? A lot. The financial experts at Smart Asset recently conducted a study about the salary needed to live comfortably in cities across the country.

How Much Money It Takes To Live Comfortably

Smart Asset recommends a budget they describe as the 50/30/20 budge. This means that 50% of your salary should go to to needs. They include costs such as housing, transportation, and groceries in this category. The 30% is allocated to entertainment and hobbies. While the final 20% should be used to pay off debt, or if you're lucky enough to be debt free saving or investing.

So to conduct this study they took the "local cost of necessities and taxes" and factored it into the 50/30/20 budget to determine the "pre-tax salary needed to live comfortably" in the 99 largest U.S. cities. They found that $96,500 is the amount needed for an individual to live comfortably in a major U.S. city. 5 North Carolina cities were included in this study. The five largest in the state- Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, and Winston-Salem. When it comes to the amount of money it takes to live comfortably in North Carolina cities, only two were less than average. I thought the south was supposed to be cheaper!

These days it truly feels like most people are living paycheck to paycheck or at least not able to save significant money. Even though when it comes to salary people are making higher than they have before that money doesn't go near as far as it did even a few years ago. Keep reading to see how much money it takes to live comfortably in each of the 5 largest North Carolina cities. Don't say I didn't warn you though, it may sting a little!

Read the full study from Smart Asset here.

Winston- Salem

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Downtown Skyline.Kruck20/Getty Images Royalty Free

According to this data the most affordable North Carolina major city to live in is Winston-Salem. This Triad city is the fifth most populous in the state. It features a vibrant downtown, historic sites including Old Salem, and lot's of character and charm. It's the home of Wake Forest University, and provides easy access to other areas of the state as well.

Hourly Wage Needed For A Single Adult: $39.36

Salary Needed For A Single Adult: $81,869

Total Salary Needed For Two Working Adults And Two Children: $194,605

Greensboro

Drone Aerial of Downtown Greensboro North Carolina NC SkylineKruck20/Getty Images Royalty Free

Staying in the same area the next city on this list is Greensboro. It's slightly more expensive than Winston and located in Guilford County. Greensboro is the third most populous city in the state.

Hourly Wage Needed For A Single Adult: $41.88

Salary Needed For A Single Adult: $87,110

Total Salary Needed For Two Working Adults And Two Children: $203,674

Durham

Durham, North Carolina, USA downtown cityscape.Sean Pavone/Getty Images Royalty Free

We now move to the Triangle. The third most expensive city to live in is Durham. The city offers lots of great jobs in tech and is home to Duke University. Downtown Durham has lots to offer from breweries and restaurants, to sports, arts, and entertainment.

Hourly Wage Needed For A Single Adult: $47.62

Salary Needed For A Single Adult: $99,050

Total Salary Needed For Two Working Adults And Two Children: $233,043

Charlotte

Charlotte SkylineMark Borja

No Charlotte doesn't require the largest salary much to my surprise. The largest city in the state is the 2nd most expensive. And that hourly wage? I don't know many people making that.

Hourly Wage Needed For A Single Adult: $48.72

Salary Needed For A Single Adult: $101,338

Total Salary Needed For Two Working Adults And Two Children: $235,123

Raleigh

A colorful daytime cityscape of downtown Raleigh North CarolinaMark Howard/Getty Images Royalty Free

Which means the city where it takes the highest amount of money to live comfortably? The state capitol of Raleigh. Though it was a close race and fair to say the cost of living is fairly comparable between Charlotte and Raleigh. But hey if they want to win this one I'm ok with it since it impacts my bank account!

Hourly Wage Needed For A Single Adult: $49.40

Salary Needed For A Single Adult: $102,752

Total Salary Needed For Two Working Adults And Two Children: $235,872

LauRen Merola Strager is a former NFL & NBA cheerleader turned radio host. LauRen is a former Miss Pennsylvania USA and is a proud wife and mother of two. She is the owner and chief editor for her fashion and lifestyle Blog “All Of The F-Words” and is a champion for the Autism community. You can read all about LauRen’s thoughts on motherhood, pageant life, and everyday life through her online content.