Ahead of turning 30, I’ve created a bucket list of things to do before I hit the big 30. Read on for the last part of my 30 things to do before I’m 30 list!
Now that I’m back from traveling where I committed to ‘finding myself’ (if you count wild nights in Vegas as finding yourself, lolz), I have finally found time to complete the last of my ’30 things to do before I’m 30(ish) list! You can find the first ten things here, and the second ten here, if you’d like to read up on the rest.
I’m trying to pick not too many serious goals because even when I sit down and think about how I want my life to go once I hit the big 30, other than wanting to be a ‘bit-more-grown-up’, I really have no idea. How do you define being grown up? Having savings? Doable. Having your own place? Definitely not doable for me before I’m 30. Actually turning 30? That’s doable, but age is just a number.
So here’s my final part of maybe one or two ‘grown up’ goals, but also just fun goals.
Twenty-One | Finish Reading House of Leaves
At a whopping 709 pages (which doesn’t sound like much until you see the book and how thick it is), House of Leaves is definitely a challenging read. I’ve tried to finish it many times over the last few years to no avail – and I’m still not entirely sure what it’s about. What makes this book unique is the odd style it is written/printed in: just a quick Google search will show examples of pages inside the book – pages with just a few words or pages where the book must be rotated to be read.
It also contains a large number of footnotes, which also have their own footnotes, most of which reference to fictional books, films and articles. It’s very confusing – but all part of the immersive effect of the book. It’s definitely worth it – you just need to really concentrate and be in the right frame of mind to read it.
Twenty-Two | Get My Dream Job
So this one is cheating a little. Although I have actually already achieved this goal and moved on from this role, being able to become a magazine editor before I’m 30 has been a huge feat for me! Watching movies like 30 Going on 30 growing up and always being a writer is the reason why becoming a magazine editor was a dream role for me. And although it wasn’t exactly a women’s lifestyle magazine or didn’t entail me running a huge team in an amazing London office (more like a team of four in a tiny open-plan Milton Keynes office!) I still did it! Go me! One ticked off my list already.
Twenty-Three | Have an Emergency Fund
I have some savings, which are put away in bonds, but I hate dipping into these and always feel really guilty – these are more for future plans like moving home or whatever. So would like to be able to save enough money myself so that I’ve always got it there and accessible to dip into if I need to. I think this is one sign – to me – of being a grown up. Having around £1,000 stored aside simply for things like emergency bills or anything like that.
Twenty-Four | Start (And Finish?) a Scrapbook
Oh how many times have I said I’m going to begin a scrapbook? I’d like one specifically for my travels, but also one for my whole life/adventures in general. Maybe I will start with the one about my travels as I always come home with so many ticket subs or souvenirs anyway, and I am definitely running out of space to keep them all!
Twenty-Five | Run 5k
So I’m quite happy I have finally found two some-what regular fitness classes I enjoy and go back to time and time again (Poundfit and Burlesque). I’m really sad that I haven’t found the time to get back into pole fitness yet (I will!), but running is something else I don’t really miss but still feel like I need to give another go at. I’m lazy. I hate pushing myself and being out of breath and usually, I hate the outdoors too. But I loved using Zombies, Run! so much on the odd occasion when I did run and really, I want to be able to run at least a little bit so I don’t get out of breath at climbing too many stairs or sh*t like that.
I also need to be prepared/in shape for the inevitable future zombie apocalypse. Finally, running is free! It’s the easiest accessible work out I can do, so I don’t know why I haven’t got back into it yet. So I am challenging myself to get to the point where I am able to run 5K.
Twenty-Six | Cook My Own Roast Dinner
Haha. This is one I’ve dabbled with and almost achieved a few times over the years (I helped an ex make one once and Briony and I made a mini Christmas dinner at a blogging event one year), but I’ve never really tried one alone. I mean, the mere idea of trying kinda scares me. There are so many elements to a roast dinner and I am so bad at timing when it comes to cooking. How the hell am I going to be able to make sure everything is ready on time? Using an oven and the hob. And a kettle for gravy! I really don’t know but it’s going to be a rewarding challenge for sure.
Twenty-Seven | Travel Afar Solo (Again?)
This one is quite vague because technically I have sort of travelled solo (in Europe) and afar (but as part of a tour and then staying on alone). In all honesty, I don’t know if this is something I’ll be able to achieve before I turn 30 and I don’t know if I want to travel alone long term. But in my mind, I’m thinking somewhere like Bali or Thailand for up to a month entirely solo. That’s the type of thing I think about when I think about traveling. Yes, I’ve done all sorts of traveling and yes, they do definitely count! But I would also like to tick this type of traveling this off my list too.
Twenty-Eight | See a West-End Show
…followed by an after-show/party at Sarastro. Technically, for work purposes, I have seen West End shows before – and seen a few shows when I was little. But I’d like to see a show like Wicked or Rock of Ages – if it ever returns to London. I know it’s on tour at the moment, but is that the same? Even so, I’ve never been much into theatre – but have thoroughly enjoyed shows – and would love to really dress up one evening and drink champagne and go all out.
Twenty-Nine | Spend a Night at a Crazy Bear Hotel
Even though I also want a huge party at some point with my friends in a party hotel like Signature Living (again), I’d also like to say goodbye to my 20s with a night (with a guy, obviously) at a Crazy Bear Hotel. The rooms are devilishly romantic, with standalone baths at the foot of the bed, luxurious hotel bars and one hotel even has a swimming pool/hot tub. Luckily, these plans may come into reality sooner rather than later because there are always deals on Groupon for Crazy Bear, making it super cheap when split between two people.
Thirty | Go to Another Gig With My Sister
My sister and I used to go to gigs all the time when I was growing up – she was my first (and often only!) gig buddy! She has my lovely niece now, so going to mosh pits and partying late into the night isn’t exactly easy for her these days. However, on one of my past birthday’s, we visited The Vaults and a band put on a surprise performance – and she surprised me, dragging me right down to the front to mosh! So it would be great if we could go to another gig for old time’s sake.
I’d also love to go and see a movie with my brother, which is a lot easier to do than dragging my sister into London for a gig – but again, he used to take me to the cinema when I was younger – I remember him taking me to see Godzilla, and then we went into London to see the reboot. So maybe I can talk him into taking me to see the new one when it’s out!
So there we have it. 30 things before I’m 30(ish). It’s not an entirely doable list – at least not by the time I’m 30 – but even for the bigger goals like traveling somewhere far afield completely solo or saving money are still some things I can at least start working towards now. It’s all just a bit of fun anyway!
Do you/did you have any similar goals before turning 30? Let me know!
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