30 Before 30: another one off the list

Pensions are not the most exciting of things to talk about in a blog post, but I thought i'd give it a wee mention as it was one of my 30 Before 30 items!

As No.18 on my list of things to do before I turned 30, getting a pension wasn't particularly high on the list of my priorities. 

However when I was given the opportunity by my work to start/contribute in to one, I took the chance and now feel a lot more responsible and grown up (coming from someone who is nearly 25)!

What I really want to do next is look into getting a mortgage, but this might fall behind saving for a DSLR and going to New York...

Strike Two!

I don't know if you've noticed, but at the top of my blog page on the right hand side there is a '30 before 30' list - which, as the name suggests, is 30 things that I would like to achieve before my 30th birthday, dum, dum, dum! - that I started some time ago.

I haven't filled up the full list of 30 items (and i've also since removed a couple - mainly No.8 which was "have a baby, ideally at 27". That ain't happening any time soon!), but of those that are there, I have managed to tick a couple off so far.

Yesterday I achieved another one. I went to the cinema myself.

Admittedly this isn't exactly as amazing or awe-inspiring as doing a bungee jump or something, but it is quite a taboo thing to do, especially in the UK, and one that I have always wanted the courage to do, but was never quite brave enough!

I'm quite pleased I did it though (to see Taken 2), and I would certainly do it again now. Get me!

I had also ticked another off the list earlier on this year (but I forgot to update), which was to see a West End Musical (does the Victoria Apollo count as West End..?)

I was down visitig my friend who stays in London, and we went to see Wicked which was just (said in a Craig Revel-Horwood voice) Fab-U-Lous! I'm not usually into musicals and whatnot (they can verge on the too-cheesy for my liking), but this was just beyond words, and I can see why people go and see it time and time again (one of my friends has seen it 7 times!).

Defying Gravity was my favourite song - I actually want to buy the sound track for my car!

Now I need to figure out what I want to achieve next...

A Momentus Day for Melanie...



image from We Heart it

Well, I can officially strike off one of the items on my '30 Before 30' list -  i've got rid of my overdraft!

In the grand scheme of things, and compared to other graduates, my overdraft wasn't exactly huge or debilitating, but it's been a long hard slog to pay it off (something which I was desperate to do before it started accruing interest), and when I checked my bank balance this morning and realised I was 'in the black' for the first time in about 5 years I was really quite proud of myself!

The challenge now will be to be sensible with my money and try and manage it better: i've started drawing up a list of all my direct debits etc at the start of every month so I know what i've definitely got to pay out for, and i've also got a finance table insert for my Filofax which lets me know when, where and how much i'm spending - fingers crossed I stay on the right track!

Melanie x

My new project: 30 Before 30

I'm the kind of person who loves the idea of goal setting/new year's resolutions etc, etc, but just never really persist and get anywhere with them. Not to mention mine were usually lame and predictable (my favourite one used to be: i'll stop biting my nails. Guess i've achieved that one...!)

However whilst reading through some new blogs I came across Sophia's Journal, and the idea of 30 Before 30 - a list of 30 things you'd love to achieve/get done before you're 30.

Now I know i'm only 23, but I figure 7 years gives me plenty of room; not only to save up for said ambitions, but in terms of time to get them done without stressing - and therefore I might enjoy them and look forward to the process rather than regarding it as a task and something which I "have" to do.

You can find my list here.

I've only filled out 18 of the 30 items so far, as I'd like to fill the rest in as I go; picking up ideas along the way! No doubt many of these will change, and heck I might not achieve them all, but I reckon it is quite an achieveable list and i'm actually excited about the thought of being able to score each of them off as done.

I'm hoping that with each item I tick off the list i'll document as a blog post, which will make for a nice record for me to look back in 7 years time!

If you've been prompted by this post to start your own 30 Before 30 (or 25 Before 25, 20 Before 20....and so on - it's your life and your ambitions!), then please let me know as i'd love to include your link to my own 30 Before 30 page.

Melanie x