How did you celebrate your 40th?

[Scarlettwaffle]

Didn’t really celebrate my 39th as we were about to get married. Always said I would go to NYC for my 40th, but for various reasons this isn’t happening. But now I’m stuck for ideas, as everything seems like a waste of money as it’s nit NYC!
How did you celebrate yours/plan to celebrate? Inspire me please! (Or what would you do differently?!)

NYC stayed at Waldorf as I love hotels with some history attached.

I'll be doing London (we only ever go for an overnight tops and run round like headless chickens cause no time for anything). This trip we will do 3 nights and be proper tourists; Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, London Zoo, The Dungeons, Sky Garden and hopefully time to do Platform 9 3/4, on the itinerary. We've said to people who wanted to celebrate with me come do it all, or some, or none if it's not your thing that's fine too.

Oh, and if they release tickets, Hamilton! Last year they released them for a set number of months in advance. Now it only seems to be a month at a time which is a bugger.

Mine was last year. I went away to Glasgow for a weekend of age-inappropriate high jinx with two friends who were also turning 40. We got an Air BnB and spent the weekend eating, drinking, and being thrown out of a club. On my actual birthday I went to London with DH to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the V&A. I also got some new ear piercings and some beautiful black diamond earrings.

For DH's 40th the night before we had a private tasting dinner at a gorgeous hotel for DH, I and eight friends.

On the day flew (slightly hungover) to Munich for Christmas markets and seeing Father Christmas with the children. We snuck them out of school Monday/Tuesday so managed three nights away.

Mine next so need a plan...

Ran the NYC marathon on my 40th

Well, looks like I'm going to be ill for my 40th!
A work colleague has "kindly" shared!

I feel awful!

DH surprised me with a posh hotel, afternoon tea, and VIP tickets to an open air movie that included a fancy dinner.

I know I was given a present to unwrap too but I was blown away by all that and can’t remember the present! 😂😂😂

On the day itself (midweek) went out for the day with a friend and in the evening a curry with same friend and two others.

On the Saturday booked a room at a pub, laid on some nibble type food and a couple of large birthday cakes, invited about 30 good friends.

I had a party. It was fun!

I went to DS2 swimming lesson! Then DH arranged a surprise meal with friends in the evening. I also got a weekend in Madrid as one of my gifts so I was very spoilt.

But I celebrated the whole of my '40th year' by running a race each month ending with a half marathon 9 days after turning 40. I wanted to start my next chapter feeling good about my body & health (it looks worn, but it's working well!)

It was a really special, lovely year and I have lots of shiny medals as mementos.

We did a cruise in the summer which went to a couple of cities I always wanted to see. On the actual day, we had a dinner with some family and friends.

Hmmm, been thinking about this too. I had hoped for a sunny weekend somewhere but as DD would have just started school and we have no idea how she will cope (ASD) I don't want to throw in the added stress of a flight/staying away for an already anxious child. Really want to do something special though.

DH had his 'dream weekend' for his 40th, a long weekend trip to Munich during Oktoberfest with our best friends and I gave him a beautiful and rather pricey watch (he loves his watches). That was before DC though, when life was bit more carefree. How to plan something similarly special with lovely SN child in tow, have no idea! It's her 5th birthday the day before mine too so we'd like to do something special for her too. A child and SN/ASD friendly weekend somewhere in the UK perhaps...

Mine is this August. So far I have planned (lots of different groups of friends who don’t mix so all separate)...

Day drinking and lunch at Betty’s in York on the train with work

Night in Harrogate with two best friends and trip to the Roman baths there

Day at York races

Private dining at a gorgeous local private house which hires out the whole house and does canapés overlooking the lake etc with family and few couples

Mam is going to throw a house party for me around my actual birthday

Trip to Portugal with another group of girls

Trip to Florida and NYC with my H and kids

Bit ott but my H has a life threatening disease and we live it to the full.

Wow some of you certainly know how to celebrate! We have never been very well off so I wouldn’t even have contemplated trips to NYC etc. Unfortunately I had a dry socket after an extraction so was in too much pain to party 😢. And it was snowing so we couldn’t get up to my brother’s. I couldn’t even eat the Thai chicken curry DH cooked for me which is one of my favourite meals. Guess I need to plan a fab 60th to make up for the 40th & the end of my 50th!

Expectations for trips and holidays and treats seem to be so high. It sounds quite expensive and could be quite a burden trying to keep up. I earn well, travel a lot, eat out and have fun but I would t expect all of that.

I'm a bit surprised that nearly everything in life now seems to have such expensive assumptions - hen nights, weddings, honeymoons, baby showers, cake smashes, kids birthdays, Christmas presents, landmark birthdays!

No wonder we aren't all saving and are racking up debt as a nation. Simple pleasure and being Ruth people we love seems the best recipe.

Had a takeaway as we lived in a foreign country and had two small children.

I sort of agree with Bouledneige, some of these do sound a bit extravagant.

That said I wish I did something, I had a great 30th and 50th but my 40th was absolutely shit.

I was skint, stuck on the other side of the world with no family or close friends and a single parent of a 4yo. My parents were suppose to come over but various things happened and they could not make it.

My colleagues made me a cake, which was v lovely of them, then got an expensive takeaway and pudding to eat with DD for tea. Then at the weekend DD and I did a day trip to this nice town.

I lived 90 miles from NYC but I still spent my 40th eating fish and fries by an Amtrak rail line then visited a garden centre. Rock and roll! ✊

I’m going to go heli skiing. Decided that when I was 30 and out £1k a year away for my heli ski trip!

Went on a weekend break to San Francisco (we are in driving distance of SF so no longhaul flights involved!) and went to a book event with a group of friends and then had dinner together at a really amazing restaurant. That evening, I stayed in the city overnight by myself and went to a lot of art galleries the next day on my own. It sounds weird that I spent the day after on my own but we have young children and I never get time to myself to do these kinds of things so it was exactly what I wanted!

Later in the year, I also went away for a 5 day writing retreat at this artists colony which was also a lovely experience. These are all things that are very hard for me to do with kids so that’s what has value for me right now. You have to do something that is valuable for you, not go with expectations or pressure from others.

I worked, and my ex forgot it. Wonderful.

I also had plans to go to NYC with my best friend but it never happened, sadly. So I used the money I had saved to throw a ceilidh for 130 people and we danced all night and until the early hours.

It was one of the best nights of my life.

DH and I have our birthdays close together so for our 40ths and 10th wedding anniversary we went to NY, It will be our 55ths and 25th anniversary in a couple of years so we are saving to go to China or Australia.

Sounds like some lovely celebrations! I'm still not sure what to do though. I'm the oldest in our circle of friends so although my 30th was a small party at home and wedding was abroad followed by a reception in our home town (as was hen do) we have spent hundreds, if not thousands on other people celebrations over the last 10 yrs. I still can't bring myself to arrange something that will cost others money though. I have no expectations that anyone else will care that much about my birthday but me! My DH and most of his friends turn 40 next year so a big golfing holiday is already being planned for that (at least it's joint). I just feel like I want to do something memorable for me so for one day I feel special instead of rushing around stressed and worn out between work and being mum. I've had a tough few months (part of the reason nyc is no longer an option) and this could actually give me something to look forward too, if I can decide what to bloody do!

Running the Berlin marathon! And having the only weekend away from the children we have had in 6 1/2 years! Liking the idea of a trip to NYC for our joint 50th, our pair will be 16.5 and nearly 15, so might really enjoy telling us how boring it is!