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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what you did to mark your 40th year?

54 replies

alwaysraining123 · 29/12/2022 21:09

Shamelessly posting for traffic. I’d like to mark my 40th year in some
way. A little like a 40th year bucket list. I have fairly modest things in mind.
So far I have a couple of ideas- read 10 classic books, enter 40 competitions, donate blood, and attend a sporting event. What did you do? What would you add to yours? Thanks so much for your ideas and experiences!

OP posts:
Motherofalittledragon · 29/12/2022 21:39

I did bugger all, we were in lockdown

AlisonDonut · 29/12/2022 21:39

Went to New York for 10 days and stayed in the now closed Chelsea Hotel. Had a birthday brunch in my favourite now closed cafe. Happy Days.

oddwellingtonboots · 29/12/2022 21:42

Mine is in 2024 - I'm planning a trek to Everest base camp and then to attempt to climb Island Peak, and some chill time in Kathmandu after.

Gotta spend a lot of time training and saving up between now and then...

TeetotalKoala · 29/12/2022 21:45

We've had an insane year of holidays as DH turned 40 too.

We went to Riga for his in April.

France with the DC in May.

France again for my birthday in August. I had a tiara and a sash and j wore both all day (including my tiara in the pool).

He went to Budapest in October with our male friends.

I went to Munich with my best friend in November as it was her 40th this year too.

And now I'm sat here on the last night of our family ski holiday.

It's been awesome.

MaryShelley1818 · 29/12/2022 21:46

I had a lovely 40th year....
I celebrated on the actual day with a trip to a Butterfly Park 🦋 and lunch with DH (then my DP) and baby DS (5mths at the time).
4 days in sunny Spain relaxing with 5 lovely girl friends.
A night out cocktail making with other friends.
And a night away with DH in a lovely spa hotel with a meal out.
We then got engaged and finished the year by getting married.

ElizabethBest · 29/12/2022 21:47

Nothing. DC is disabled and we have neither the money nor respite care to go away. And thanks to years of caring responsibilities, I don’t really have friends anymore.

whatkatydid2013 · 29/12/2022 21:47

Mine was 2020 and our planned trip away to celebrate was cancelled for covid. Prior to that I spent my actual birthday evening at an airport massively delayed and missed my lunch out to celebrate the day after. Definitely don’t do that 😂

SkylightSkylight · 29/12/2022 21:48

I went to Helsinki (on my own).

it was great, but fucking freezing! Bought a ticket for the ferry trip to an island and it turned out to be a bus on the ice.

actually the whole trip was pretty much an insight into my 40's!

Cakecakecheese · 29/12/2022 21:49

Mine was at the beginning of one of the lockdowns. I was supposed to be in Las Vegas .

Lottieskeeper · 29/12/2022 21:50

Got my nose pierced and bought myself another classic car.

8 months after I'm still really pleased with both.

AfterEightMintyCedric · 29/12/2022 21:52

Bloody hell! I have an ovary removed and a party...does that count?

I did get divorced for my 41st year though!

SparklyAntlers · 29/12/2022 21:53

I'm in the same boat and really looking forward to having a year of fun. So far I have registered to run my first half marathon in September. I've only ever run one 10k which was 8 years ago and I haven't run for anything more than a train since, so need to get moving on that one!
I'm also going abroad with school friends and have a lovely family holiday planned.
I'm calling next year my ruby jubilee 😊

MyMachineAndMe · 29/12/2022 21:55

Went to the chemist for some antibiotics!

It was 2020 anyway so even if I was well, I wouldn't have done anything.

I would have loved to go back to York with dh and have a nice meal, some drinks and a wander around the town, as we did for my 30th.

dutysuite · 29/12/2022 21:56

Husband surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas and Philadelphia, my birthday is New Year’s Eve so it was a brilliant trip.

AutumnVibes · 29/12/2022 21:57

@ElizabethBest - sorry you’re in that situation, sounds tough. I’m not in exactly your shoes but I do empathise and have some of the same problems. I hope you get some relief soon.

Chelsea26 · 29/12/2022 21:58

I went on a wild camping safari in Kenya alone! First time for all of those things! It was BRILLIANT!

Came back and had a big party with all my friends and family the night before and had brunch with my mum and sister and went to football with brothers and my dad on the day.

Such great memories - I thoroughly recommend stepping well outside of your comfort zone - my 40’s have (so far - 3 years in) been 100% better than my 30’s were!

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 29/12/2022 21:58

It was 2020. Absolutely bugger all.

smurfmonkey · 29/12/2022 22:00

I did something nice every month of that year, didn't have to be a big thing each month but was something I enjoyed... tickets to the cinema, watching a gig, going to a sporting event... I kept the tickets etc and framed them so I can look back at the memories 🙂

LazyDoll · 29/12/2022 22:03

I had a big party for all my friends.
I ran a half marathon with my husband.
I went on a wild swimming and yoga retreat in a part of the U.K. I’ve never visited before with a close friend.
I got my ears (re)pierced (not worn earrings since a teenager ….warning this is addictive I now have 8 ear piercings!)

purpledalmation · 29/12/2022 22:12

Got a 'lockdown fucked up my birthday' mug.

HarlanPepper · 29/12/2022 22:22

A good lunch in an expensive restaurant, thanks to the generosity of a relative. It was a total treat. Five courses and two bottles of wine, at the sort of place where, if you go to the loo, when you come back to your table your napkin is neatly folded again as if by magic.

Whattheladybird · 29/12/2022 22:27

very little for me. Yay, lockdowns.
downloaded an NT at home play to watch. Which I did on my own as DH had a migraine.

Womencanlift · 29/12/2022 22:36

Another lockdown 40th here!

I had 4 holidays planned (never had that many planned for the one year). Managed to get one done in the January, rest all cancelled

Didn't rebook for 2021 as things still were not great, bought a house this year so couldn’t afford to rebook, looking to rebook for 2023 but who knows how things will be next year

FrangipaniBlue · 29/12/2022 23:24

I turned both 39 and 40 during lockdowns!!!

So pretty much spent most of what was strictly my "40th year on the planet" in lockdowns and most of the year I actually turned 40 living under various restrictions.

Had Covid NOT happened, the following all would've taken place:

  1. trip to NY with DH & DS
  2. girls cycling holiday to Mallorca
  3. girls weekend away in a UK city
  4. meal at l'enclume with DH
ZeilanBlueSky · 29/12/2022 23:35

I'm just going to say to make sure you do actually do at least some of the things you want to do (depending on your finances).

I was still with my abusive ex that year, and not only did I not get to do anything, he never even bought a card for my birthday, let alone a gift. He was "too busy" to sort anything out, not even calling people to meet at the pub for a drink. It marked the point when I realised I needed to leave.

I'm now planning stuff for me, things I've never done, making up for lost time. I'm going to apply to university, do a solo trip away, learn a language (my new hearing aids are great), get some make up lessons (my ex hated me wearing any), and quite a few other things over the next few years.

So, I hope you manage a fabulous birthday and year, and that you get to do some great things to celebrate.