Skip nav to main content.

Adulting is Expensive: Money Mistakes Happen 

Adulting is expensive

Taking control of your finances can feel empowering… until you start noticing where your money is actually going. 

Maybe it’s the overpriced coffee habit, the gym membership you forgot to cancel, or the “free trial” that quietly renewed for another month. It happens fast. 

Sometimes mistakes happen even when you are paying attention, like buying something defective, overspending during a stressful week, or underestimating how quickly small purchases add up. 

Between work, school, family obligations, and everyday life, it’s easy to fall into financial habits that don’t always serve us well. But here’s the important thing: everyone makes money mistakes, especially when they’re first learning how to manage their finances. 

Recognizing those habits is the first step toward building healthier financial habits and long-term confidence, not failure.  

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide for navigating money mishaps with confidence. 

Step One: Acknowledge it, but don’t dwell on it

Yes, your money was not going where you wanted it to. It was a mistake and being hard on yourself won’t fix it.  

Feeling stressed or frustrated is completely understandable, but dwelling on the mistake won’t help you move forward. Take this as a learning experience and remember that even people who are experienced with money get it wrong sometimes.

Step Two: Learn from it 

If it weren’t for mistakes, we would never learn. Take time to write down what happened, what you spent, and what you want to avoid in the future. 

Many spending habits are influenced by things like stress, impulse decisions, and even how prices are presented, which can make it easier to overspend without realizing it.

Learning from these experiences can help you spot similar spending habits moving forward.

Check out our Financial Wellness Center for tools, tips, and guidance designed to help you feel more confident with your money. 

Step Three: Reexamine your budget 

Money mishaps often happen when there’s no clear budget in place, which is more common than you might think.  

Creating a simple budget can help you understand where your money is going and make it easier to identify spending habits before they become bigger problems.  

And if you already do budget? Don’t panic. A mistake doesn’t mean you failed. It may just mean it’s time to adjust things temporarily, like cutting back in one area, moving money around, or revisiting your financial priorities for the month. 

You can set a budget and track spending right in the Central One mobile app. It’s a great free money management tool and makes it easy to see where your money is going, all in one place. 

Budgets are meant to be flexible. Life changes, unexpected expenses happen and learning how to adapt is part of building strong financial habits.  

Step Four: Move forward with confidence 

Confidence with money doesn’t come from never making mistakes. It comes from learning how to recover from them. 

In many cases, these experiences become the moments that teach us the most about budgeting, saving, and spending intentionally. Over time, those lessons help you make smarter decisions and feel more in control of your finances. 

Nobody starts out knowing everything about money. Financial confidence is built through experience, and sometimes failure is part of that process. What matters most is continuing to move forward and giving yourself the chance to grow. 

Adulting is expensive 

When you’re entering adulthood and everything suddenly comes with a price tag, managing finances can feel overwhelming fast. But every step, even the imperfect ones, helps build stronger financial habits over time. 

The good news is you don’t have to figure it all out alone. 

At Central One, we understand that financial wellness is a journey, not something anyone masters overnight. Whether you’re opening your first account, learning how to budget, building credit, or recovering from a money mistake, we’re here to help you every step of the way. 

Because honestly? Adulting is expensive enough already. 💛 

Test Modal

Modal Content

Ea rerum vel molestiae omnis molestias. Et ut officiis aliquam earum et cum deleniti. Rerum temporibus ex cumque doloribus voluptatem alias.

Open Account

Not a Member, Yet?

Open Your First Account

Already a Member?

Request Additional Account

 

Check your application status

Personal Loan Rates

Signature Personal Loan – 9.13%

Secured Loan – Share APR +3.00%

Personal Access Line of Credit (PAL) – Prime + 11.50% (floor rate is 9.99%)

Ice Cream Day Dates

Ice Cream Day Dates

Food Truck Dates

Check back for the 2026 dates and times

 

Adjustable Rate Mortgages

  • The 15/5 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 15 years then adjusts to a new rate every 5 years.

    Term: Available for terms up to 40 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30 year fixed rate.

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies, or we will not be able to process your application. Payments do not include taxes and insurance. 

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 15/5 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 15 years then adjusts to a new rate every 5 years.

    Term: Available for terms up to 40 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30 year fixed rate.

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies or we will not be able to process your application. Payments do not include taxes and insurance. 

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 10/5 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 10 years then adjusts to a new rate every 5 years.

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30 year fixed rate.

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies or we will not be able to process your application. Payments do not include taxes and insurance. 

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 10/5 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 10 years then adjusts to a new rate every 5 years.

     

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30-year fixed rate.

     

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies, or we will not be able to process your application.

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 5/1 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 5 years then adjusts to a new rate every 1 year.

     

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30-year fixed rate.

     

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies or we will not be able to process your application.

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 5/1 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 5 years then adjusts to a new rate every 1 year.

     

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30 year fixed rate.

     

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies, or we will not be able to process your application.

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 3/3 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 3 years then adjusts to a new rate every 3 years.

     

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30 year fixed rate.

     

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies or we will not be able to process your application.

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 3/3 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 3 years then adjusts to a new rate every 3 years.

     

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30 year fixed rate.

     

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies or we will not be able to process your application.

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 1/1 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 1 year then adjusts to a new rate every 1 year.

     

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30-year fixed rate.

     

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies or we will not be able to process your application.

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

  • The 1/1 Adjustable Rate Mortgage offers a fixed APR of for the first 1 year then adjusts to a new rate every 1 year.

     

    Term: Available for terms up to 30 years.

    Rate caps: 2% per adjustment and 5% over the initial rate for the life of the loan.

    Benefits: Central One’s ARMs often have lower down payment requirements, lower initial monthly payments and lower initial APRs than a 30 year fixed rate.

     

    Calculate your monthly payment using the ARM Mortgage Calculator

    Prior to applying, please make sure your credit is not frozen by the credit reporting agencies or we will not be able to process your application.

     

    Begin the Application Process Check Rates

Order Checks for your Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)

You can order checks through this link Order Checks or by calling 800-355-8123. You will need to input your account number and the Central One routing number (211387169). As a security precaution, you will not be able to change the address on the checks and all orders will be sent to the address of record on the account.

Get started

Get started

Get started

Leaving Our Website

You are leaving our website and linking to a third-party website not operated by us. We do not directly offer, service, or guarantee products or information provided by third- party vendors or third-party linked sites.

Log in to Online Banking