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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What was your life like in 2005?

202 replies

AbsentmindedWoman · 06/08/2021 23:27

I was 20 and life was so, so easy compared to now. Just had such a sense of having plenty of time, and that the future was going to be great. I was at uni and loved my course, the people I met etc. It seems like yesterday in one way, can't believe it's so long ago.

What was your life like in 2005?

OP posts:
thegcatsmother · 07/08/2021 07:44

I was 39, teaching full time. Ds turned 10 in the October. Dh was working abroad.

All that changed. Dh got another posting abroad, so in 2006 I resigned, took ds out of school, let the house, and moved to Belgium for what was supposed to be 4 years, but ended up being 13.

HelenHywater · 07/08/2021 07:46

I had 4 children under 6. It was quite hectic.

junipoor · 07/08/2021 07:48

@DelphiniumTea

Was right in the middle of struggling to care for my disabled daughter with no help She's now in supported living so life is easier for me. In a way.
I'm very sorry. My DS is disabled and I feel your pain Thanks
namesnamesnamesnames · 07/08/2021 07:48

I was in my mid-20s. It was a brilliant time. I had a job I enjoyed, a good mix of home/friends/work. There didn't seem to be so many global worries.

dazzlerdo · 07/08/2021 07:49

I was 25 my ds was 1. I met my partner who I'm with now and we have 2 dds

notanothertakeaway · 07/08/2021 07:50

What's your AIBU question?

AmazingBouncingFerret · 07/08/2021 07:51

I was 21 years old, my life was gigs, festivals, rock clubs, and a very lazy summer spent in skate parks with my then boyfriend and friends.

GroggyLegs · 07/08/2021 07:54

I was single & living alone, working 2 jobs and going out a lot.
I can remember feeling really happy and content at times.
I would go on to meet my husband to be in December 2005.

MayorGundersonsDogRufus · 07/08/2021 07:55

Late 20s, had a mediocre job, lots of friends, just coming out of a crappy relationship. Went out a lot in London. It was a time of possibility.

legosunqueen · 07/08/2021 07:59

A busy period...made some big life changes between 2003 when I lost my DM, in 2004 I moved house & got married, then in 2005 I moved jobs after 16 years with the same employer since uni. I also had a miscarriage at the end of 2004 - but was pregnant with DS in the summer of 2005.

bongbigboobingbongbing · 07/08/2021 08:19

I was 21 and living in Paris. I had my own little studio flat with a balcony. I worked in an office and had a great social life, I sang in a choir and went out for dinner all the time and spent a lot of time in art galleries and department stores and Sephora. I'm not sure anything can top that year really.

WasThisSexist · 07/08/2021 08:22

I was 24 and also felt like I had all the time in the world to do everything I wanted. I didn’t feel carefree though. I was anxious, had an eating disorder and was in a relationship with a man who was really kind and supportive but in hindsight completely wrong for me. We had just started living together and I would stay with him for far too long. I was also completely lost in terms of career and struggling to afford living in london.

I’m now 40 and whilst I haven’t ticked some of the big milestones around marriage and children, I’m independent, have an amazing career that energises me, have my own home that I love, and am completely different on the inside - I feel grounded and confident in who I am, am fatter but much, much healthier. I no longer feel like I have all the time in the world but still feel very young, all told.

Adventuresat40 · 07/08/2021 08:26

2005 was probably the best year of my life (so far).
I had just got back from travelling for a few months after a relationship breakdown - I had lost all confidence but travelling on my own gave me a "I can do ANYTHING" feeling.

Met my now DH and got an amazing job (that DH helped me to get - I never would have gone for it without his encouragement). Those lovely days of a new relationship where everything is just right.

Moved into a flat in London (I lived with previous ex and the break up was very messy, I couldn't face going back to a house share but amazing job meant I could afford a little studio flat). I had a great year socialising, travelling for holidays and weekends away - so carefree! All of my friends seemed happy then - getting married, getting engaged, having babies. It was all there to live for.

I also remember London getting the Olympics one day and the next the terrorist bombings in London.

I would say 2004 was an absolute low for me but from 2005 my life really picked up and has been on an upward trajectory since then but 2005 was definitely the turning point.

toconclude · 07/08/2021 08:41

Awful. No going back, ever.

hulahooper2 · 07/08/2021 09:01

Living the dream back then , married , lovely husband , fab house , beautiful kids. Now divorced , husband is a stranger , in a smaller lovely house. 2 great kids , but I am very lonely

Nonmaquillee · 07/08/2021 09:03

Running around after a toddler, endless breastfeeding of a baby and very soon to be pregnant again 😳 no idea how I didn’t just collapse

CoodleMoodle · 07/08/2021 09:16

I was 16, just left Y11 and was about to start 6th form where I was to meet future DH and BFF. Was still with exbf at the time, very much in love, but we were broken up by the end of the year. At the time it was awful but if we hadn't split I wouldn't have gone out with DH and we wouldn't have our DC, etc. So that was the good stuff.

However, my father had fucked off yet again "for work" but little did we know that he'd never come back and had run up thousands of pounds worth of debt, which is something that still affects DM to this day. That all happened in 2006, so 2005 was the last year before things fell apart for awhile.

Chickoletta · 07/08/2021 09:21

I was 25. DH and I were newly married and living in a lovely house which came as part of my job. We didn’t have very much money but were very happy - great friends, loved our work. I just wish we had ‘done’ more at this time (holidays, going out etc) before our kids came along. We really didn’t appreciate how much time and freedom we had. On balance, we’re probably happier now though.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 07/08/2021 09:27

The good bits... enjoying university life. Meeting some of my best friends, and my now husband. Some travelling. Basically feeling invincible... until October.

October was the month a man tried to drag me down an alley. They never caught him, and I still have the effects of PTSD to deal with. It took me a long time to accept I did nothing wrong.

So really...the year I grew up.

Mulletsaremisunderstood · 07/08/2021 09:43

I was 21 and travelling around NZ on my own on a working visa, so much fun. I remember I had to use an international calling cards to phone home. I'd call a number, put in the pin and it would tell me how many minutes I had left. I usually got cut off mid conversation Grin. I definitely had a mobile phone, but I think it was too expensive to call on that.

The internet was around but hadn't taken over yet, I think msn messenger and bebo were quite popular. I remember things seemed very optimistic, the celtic tiger was raging in Ireland, so there were stories from back home of people buying investment apartments and hot tubs galore!

As much fun as it was, I wouldn't go back. I was too unsure of myself and too much of a people pleaser. Had some awful boyfriends around those years.

I’m now 40 and whilst I haven’t ticked some of the big milestones around marriage and children, I’m independent, have an amazing career that energises me, have my own home that I love, and am completely different on the inside - I feel grounded and confident in who I am, am fatter but much, much healthier. I no longer feel like I have all the time in the world but still feel very young, all told.

I feel the same, even though I don't have my own home, or a husband or children, I'm so much more confident and happy with myself.

Since then I've travelled more, had a few different jobs and relationships, lived all over the place, studied quite a few things. Just lots of experiences, some good some bad. Not as settled as some people, but plenty of good memories. That's life I guess.

I'm aware that there is still lots of time to live and explore and enjoy life my way. I have much more of an appreciation for the good things in my life. I much prefer the person I am now.

RealBecca · 07/08/2021 09:52

Stuck in a bad relationship and making bad choices and alienating friends because living with him felt like my only choice.

Now im in a good job, married, own home, children, amazing amazing friends. Happy. Happy as fuck.

Its part of why im always shouting LTB because when we finally split my life turned around in just 12 weeks. Twelve weeks.

HPLikecraft · 07/08/2021 10:14

It was nice, I think. I was 36 and was in a new area that I loved, I got a job I loved, bought a house, and (bad idea considering job!) got pregnant, too.

onlymyselftoanswerto1 · 07/08/2021 10:41

I was 26, had a 5yo and a 3yo and was finding life incredibly tough. My (now ex) husband was living the life of a single man and we were very far down his list of priorities. Tbh I don't know how I got through those dark days and it took me another 4 years to LTB.

While I miss my boys as they were at that lovely stage, I would not want to be back there and as downtrodden and sad now - things have definitely changed Smile

liquidice · 07/08/2021 10:42

It was my last year in high school - life was good. Carefree and enjoyable!

GarethBalesManBun · 07/08/2021 10:43

I was 27 and had my first baby at the start of the year. It was a complete shock to my basically still quite immature system Grin