What do you regret about not doing in your 20's and would change?

[Trainermat]

Title says it all. I'm 20 and looking for some pointers! Feeling very lost atm.

I wish that I had gone to university and traveled.

Nope. Bollocks. I regret nothing of my 20sx I had a great time - travelled, had the best time ever. I don't believe in all this regret bullshit.

Travelled, had fun, uni, learned who I was and what I wanted in life.

Been less careless with money and got on the housing ladder earlier.

Travelled more.

I did travel and worked abroad but should have travelled more.

My 60 year old self wishes my 20 year old self had massively increased calcium intake and exercise.
If you are thin it doesn't mean you don’t need to exercise.

Saved more or got a better paying job. It meant I got on the property ladder very late and will still have a mortgage at 70.

I don’t think I regret anything, per se.

I do think your 20s are a time to do things, explore, discover who you are, and make the most of being able to be a bit carefree and responsibility free.

Mortgages, long-term partners and children all put paid to this, and there are decades and decades when you can dedicate your life to these things.

Your 20s should be, IMO, for having fun and discovering life, with other people in the same boat.

That doesn’t necessarily mean not having a decent job or trying to progress.

But there is your whole for settled domesticity. Don’t throw your 20s away on it, especially with a man who doesn’t see you as part of a supportive team, and who you can’t see yourself tethered to for another 60-odd years.

Boring one - buying a house. I thought they were expensive and prices would come down. The opposite happened.

It definitely is @cheapskatemum not too late! 🚂

I've just bought the Rebel Badge Book (merit badges for adults). There's so many great things to do in there. Some have a cost, some can have a cost if you want them to, some are going out and doing things, some are more home based. Just a thought, it might give you loads of random things to try in your 20s when you might not have kids/partner to worry too much about and possibly a disposable income.

I wish I'd tried more random things in my 20s when I wasn't constrained by my own family and with finances eaten up by child costs. I don't regret it as such, as I can do them now, it just takes more organising, more time to save up or doing it with kids in tow.

As with @MarsQueen and @MrsMitford3 I should have experimented more. I dearly love DH (28 years later) but possibly a bit more shagging would have been fun!
And yes to travel, I did and continue to do so, it is something that I love and never tire of. Travel as much as possible as you can within your ethics (eg I used to travel for business every week to Europe pre Covid but now refuse unless necessary - it rarely is)

Pension for me

I spent my twenties partying hard, it was fantastic fun at the time and I have great memories, but if I was being sensible I should have started a pension and had my kids a lot earlier than I did.
Though given a choice I’d probably do it all again, so I’m not the best person to listen to tbh!

Not wearing sunscreen. All the stories about the sun ageing you are true . Whatever you do do it with sunscreen on .

Not having savings behind me. Although I spent all my money on travelling, so I'm happy I did that and would highly recommend it.

Do not put up with any kind of shit from men. One strike and they're out. Life is too short for dealing with men and their crap.

Shag everyone!!! Date a million men! Don’t settle down.

Start saving and thinking about how to make money!

Build wonderful relationships with girls.

Don’t spend any money on lingerie.

*my post is assuming you are straight!

I feel pretty much the same.

I probably wasted a bit too much time thinking about boys … but I don’t have any real regrets.

My main tip is don’t worry too much. You truly are only young once. Have as much fun as you can.

Living at home until my late 20’s was the worst decision; living with a narcissistic DM destroyed my self-confidence and only moving to another country changed my life for the better.

Not saving enough and spending frivolously. Still managed to travel extensively but I wish I had got on the housing ladder earlier than what I did.

Listening to other people’s criticism of my weight and allowing it to affect me.

Gap year- I never had the funds and wouldn't have been brave enough to go solo even if I did

I had my first baby at 28 and wish I started sooner, I'd like four by realistically that will never happen

I would have saved more money and got my finances in better order and spent less time on a few men who just weren’t worth the effort. I would have liked more confidence and self belief.

Technically I would have to have been born a year or so earlier but if I had not gone to university, took any job & bought anything in my London hometown I'd be a millionaire as a minimum

I wish I’d maximised on my fertility window and had kids. I mistakenly thought I could wait till my thirties 😢

Drugs