I'm 32 years old. What advise do you wish you were given at this age?

[ThirtyTwo1988]

I am married, with one child. I have a decent job, but still renting. Diagnosed anxiety disorder, but generally happy and confident. Lots of acquaintances, but little close friends (if any).

Any life advice?

If you want another child, don’t put it off.

Buy a house if you can. Build up a pension (even if it’s small). Enjoy your DC while they are little because it’s true that the time goes so fast. Put effort into your relationship but never rely on him/her financially, it’s so important to keep your independence.

Love this! I'm 33 own home one ds so following 👍🏽

Watching

I'm 35 and have always lived by this....if your partner/husband/wife walks out on you tomorrow make sure you and the kids can survive without them.

Life Insurance.

Not much older than you OP although certainly feels like it BUT I note from your post you feel a little lost. I felt similar when I was in my late 20’s in comparison to now where everything has changed and I have more than I even dreamed of.

Just wanted to say that in, 2 and 10 and 20 years from now your life will be so very different from how it is now; you could be in a career you love, have traveled to places you never knew you wanted to go, have another baby, be married To the love of your life etc etc - life has a way of taking us by surprises, some good some not so.

So my advice is this: Please, just dont worry about the minutiae Things have a way of working themselves out and if you have a positive outlook then it will never be a disappointment 🌎 💌

Watching with interest. Op I am the same circumstances as you but I'm 30 years old.

Build a strong friendship with someone who you will be there for and them for you should life take a downturn. Enjoy good times with them too of course.

Contribute towards a pension.

Overpay your mortgage if you can.

Adjust your diet to include more fruit veg and wholesome food.

Reduce sugar intake. Wean yourself off.

Get in the habit of drinking lots of water.

Appreciate nature and spend time doing things you enjoy e.g singing reading.

Dress how you want and dont care about what others think.

Great thread! I'm 33, with two young kids. A SAHM currently. Don't want to do my previous career anymore, but don't feel like I have the brains to do anything else! Feel lost as well.

"If you keep on trying, things will get better. Everything will get better if you hold your nose and take your chances."

Do everything you can to get on the property ladder, don't smoke, exercise and don't leave it too much longer to try to have a baby (if you want to).

Great advice on here and following with interst.

Im early 30s and although you have asked for advice from people with more life experience there are some things that I would always say to my girlfriend

Your better than a relationship that your in just because or for the kids or out of habit... find someone who makes you the best version of yourself and creates an equal partnership

Get your finances in order now.

To pp who said stop drinking now not in 8 years... i have been saying for years ill give up the booze maybe this will be my year...

Save up as much as you can.

Try to always have a few thousand in an account for emergencies.

Sort your pension.

Overpay your mortgage.

Meditate and do yoga (or similar)

Buy cheap buy twice.

Watching

You're not old
You're not fat
GET PENSION ADVICE!!

What do you mean by 'Build up a portfolio of social activities - if you know what I mean'- clubs, hobbies, volunteering

Exactly. I just didn't have the words. Thank you for providing them.

My god - some of the advice on here sounds as though some of you have died before you've even started living.

"Move to where you want to retire to" - and spend 40 years of your life in some backwater? No thanks, life is too short. I'm 41. I've lived in six different countries and I'm not done yet.

OP, my advice is to stretch and save. Keep your mobility and have a bit of cash in reserve.

If you want more than one DC then get going.

Make sure you are paying as much as you can I go s pension. When you get old it is bad enough without being poor too. Enjoy time with your child they will be grown up before you know it.

Enjoy your children they will be adults before you know it. Find time for yourself if you can.money isn’t everything if you have a job you enjoy you are lucky regardless of how much you earn. Spend time with older family members they all tend to go at the same time.You will miss them and have questions you can no longer ask. Travel as much as possible anywhere England abroad what ever your budget.Don’t worry what you look like if you are fat thin whatever,you will look back in 20 years and think “I looked dam good.

I'm 51 - def wish I had be put more money away, had more fun!

Fit in travel now. When your knees are shit at 50 you won't be able to go in long treks in Thailand.

Invest in your career and push it as far as you can into your 40s but do not give your life to it. By 50 many women I know, even the most career minded, are fed up of the world of work.... so squeeze what you can from it while in it but be sure to have lots of friends, hobbies and interests so you have a life outside of work.

Do things with your children. You won't remember sitting in front of the tv with them but will remember time spent out of the house. (This is assuming we can leave our houses one day!!)

Good luck.

No advice from me. When I was 32 I had a husband, home, job and child. Nobody gave me any advice and I'm not sure I would have welcomed it.

If you are happy on the whole, enjoy what you have and don't be in too much of a hurry to change anything. If you feel unfulfilled in any way, work on ways that will make your life more meaningful.

Good luck.

Don't slip into the mental load.

I did, 32 2 kids, busy busy running a business, juggling kids, having fun, social life was great.

It took until I was 39 to sit back and notice I was now weirdly in charge of the food shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, the Christmas gifts, arranging social lives, booking holidays.

I was so capable and strong and focused I just lost myself. And by the time I realised my DH was having a great time all at my expense.

So I flirted with other men to get attention, had an affair to get attention my self esteem was on the floor by this point.

It took the above to flip around and for my DH to realise I'd spent my 30s serving the family while also being the breadwinner.

So my advice be mindful of how capable you appear to be, take sundays in bed, don't take everything on and drift into a role that I did.

Oh and also learn what peri menopause is, I only found out when I was 40 that it's a thing.

The pensions, keep healthy advice is all great.

If you like your parents, spend time with them now. I lost my mum when I was 35 and my dad at 42. DH lost his dad at 43. Cancer is a bastard.