Every once in a while, something happens that makes me feel old.

Like the time I paid my first credit card bill or when I heard about the first of many friends from high school getting married and having kids. 

Or the day some kid turned in his job application to me and his birth date was some time in 1990.

These moments cause minor freak- outs, especially since I’m afraid to grow up.

But nothing so far beats what happened last week.

I was sitting in my living room between classes, flipping through channels and happened to find “The Price is Right.”

I haven’t really watched the show since I was a kid, and I definitely haven’t seen it since Drew Carey took over.

So, while I was about a year behind, I stuck around for a bit to see how Carey was handling the show and what kind of differences had occurred since I’d last watched it.

The increased corniness and decrease in the difficulty and entertainment value of the games weren’t the only difference I observed.

My attitude had changed as well.

When I was little, I remember watching the show and getting so excited whenever anyone would win a new car, an RV or a trip to some far off destination.

I wanted to go on the show for the sole reason of having the chance to win something as awesome as the things I saw.

I always felt the people who won bedroom sets and living room furniture somehow got cheated. So, imagine my surprise to learn that this had changed.

When some lady won a new car, I felt slightly bad for her. I realized she would have to pay so much for gas and thought about how I would only ever want to win a new car if it was something a little more fuel efficient.

When some college guy won a trip to Europe, I thought about how a free trip would be so relaxing, and it’s too bad that there would probably be some disclosed expenses for him.

But this wasn’t what made me understand how old I am.

It was when I got excited for the person who won a brand new dining room set, complete with a table, chairs, a china cabinet, china and a full set of utensils, that I really felt my age tap me on my shoulder.

I was jealous.

I should have seen something like this coming.

In the last few months, I’ve started thinking about furnishing my own apartment.

I spent the summer eager to go shop for small kitchen appliances and living room decorations for my apartment on campus.

I even went as far as pricing living room, bedroom and dining room furniture for a future possible home. I had my first minor heart attack when I found out how expensive it might get when I actually went to buy it all.

Then, when I saw this contestant on a classic game show win her brand new dining room set, I couldn’t help but think of how convenient it would be to go on a show like “The Price is Right” and win $3,000 worth of furniture.

It would be so much more practical to win a table I could use every day for the rest of my life than a trip I would get to enjoy for a week.

I try to avoid the thought that I’m finally at a stage in my life that I have to worry about bills and furniture and practicality. But try as I may, the real world continues to creep up on me.