34 Things I’ve Learnt In 34 Years

As it’s my 34th birthday next week, and I had to drop the post I was going to put up this week due to a miscommunication, I thought I’d let you know 34 of the things that I’ve learnt in the (nearly) 34 years of being alive!

1. You’re never too old for anything Whether it’s Disney, Harry Potter or dressing up, never let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t be enjoying it anymore!

2. Staying up late gets a lot harder Now I’m in my thirties, if I’m up past 11pm, I’m definitely irritable the next day and need an extra coffee or two to keep me going!

3. Make time to chat to your family – I appreciate not everyone gets on with their families or has a family, but for me, I honestly love catching up with parents for a long chat and catching up with my siblings over text 🙂

4. Put the seat up – If, like me, you have a unisex toilet at work and you need to *ahem* drop the kids off at the pool *wink wink*, put the seat up afterwards and it’ll look like the last person to use the toilet was a man doing a wee. Anyone then going into the toilet after you will think the smell has been lingering there for ages and won’t think it’s you 😀

5. It’s okay to cut people out of your life – Remember that person you added on Facebook because they’re a mate of a mate of a mate? It’s okay to delete them if you don’t actually talk to them or you don’t like what they post. It’s also okay to cut out close friends if they don’t bring anything good into your life anymore!

6. Don’t pick a “funny” email address – One day, you’ll be putting it on your CV (probably). My friend once had i_shag_sheep_joke as her email address!!

7. Chicken will not cook in 5 minutes, no matter what the packet says – Yep, I once followed some fajita instructions to the letter and ended up with half-cooked chicken. The moral of the story is that sometimes you have to improvise and not follow the guidelines.

8. Buy a decent bra – You don’t have to go out and spend loads of money but, having a professional fitting for a bra and making sure you get the right size bra makes all the difference, plus it makes your outer clothes look better too 😀

9. Take advantage of free shipping and returns – If you want to order from a company that offers free shipping on orders over £50 (and free returns) and you only want £20 of stuff, just add random bits to the basket until it hits £50. Then, once your order has arrived, just return all the unwanted bits for free!! This only works if you actually have the money spare in your account though as they’ll take the money out and only refund you once the items have been returned!

10. Learning to cook is important – This is something I wish I’d taken advantage of when I was younger. My mum was always offering to show me how to cook things and I could never be bothered. Once I’d left home, although I knew all the basics, it was a lot harder to throw meals together out of not much!

11. Check your bank account regularly – I never used to do this and never kept track of my spending habits. Not only was I unaware about how much I was spending on random crap, I didn’t notice that my boyfriend (at the time) had nicked my debit card and taken a chunk of cash out from a cash machine as he’d seen me put my pin in one time!! I only noticed about a week later 🙁

12. Cheaper products work just as well as “brand” products – More often than not, they’re even produced in the same bloody factory. The 25p (for a 1l bottle) Asda all-purpose cleaner is just as good as a £3 bottle!!

13. Always remember sunscreen – I can’t stress this one enough, even if it’s a little cloudy you can still burn. Why take the risk??

14. It’s okay to have a good cry – Sometimes you just need to put on a sad film, read a sad book or listen to sad music and have a damned good cry!

15. Being a cat mum is stressful – Is that a distressed meow? Does he have enough food in his bowl? I don’t remember the last time he came home, omg is he still out … Oh wait, he’s wedged himself under the sofa!

16. Buy everything on your credit card – If you can afford to repay most or all the balance every month, use your credit card! Credit card companies have insurance on purchases over £100 (up to £30,000) so if you pay for a TV and it’s broken but the retailer won’t help for whatever reason, you can ask your credit card company for a refund!! 

17. Spellcheck is your friend – Writing your CV, a blog post or an exciting email to a brand for a collaboration? Spell check it first. KING REGARDS does not look professional!

18. People who want to buy your things are mostly time wasters – A lot of people are just after the best bargain they can get, but they will piss you off doing it! Selling a sofa for £300? Someone will bound to want to give you £50 for it. Oh and they’ll want you to deliver it as well.

For context this lady had previously offered me £200 on a 8x6ft shed that we were selling for £485. She messaged me again about three weeks later regarding a 6x6ft shed that we’re selling for £385 😂😂😂

20. Take time out for yourself – This is so important, do whatever you need to chill out. Read a book, watch a film, jump in a bath of jelly; whatever, just make sure it’s just for you 🙂

21. Some things will always make you inexplicably angry – “Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?” he asked calmly. If you know, you know.

22. University isn’t for everyone – I didn’t go and I’ve never regretted it. I didn’t know what I wanted to study and I didn’t want to waste silly amounts of money going just for the sake of it.

23. Some mistakes can be fixed – I got a really shitty tattoo, but one cover-up later and it’s gone 😀 This doesn’t work for everything, but it’s nice when you can fix a mistake!

24. It’s okay to say no – Whether it’s not wanting to go to a party, going back to some guy’s house or giving your friend money for their latest scheme, it’s okay to say no.

25. Your period will continue to take you by surprise – I mean, it’s been happening since I was 14 but every month I’ll still wonder why I’m crying at adverts of cats and needing more chocolate and cuddles!

26. Ironing is a pointless chore – I used to iron everything; jeans, tops, jumpers and even bedding. Now I don’t bother at all unless it’s for a special occasion and my life is so much happier for it 😀

27. People will judge you if you say you’re a Slytherin – I mean sure, most of the dark witches and wizards were in Slytherin, but I bet it’s not like that nowadays. I’m mostly Slytherin (because I love the green and silver) with Gryffindor tendencies.

28. Scores on the Doors is a must-use website – Love getting takeaway or going out to eat? You should use Scores on the Doors. It’s a website designed to tell you the hygiene rating and cleanliness of all your favourite restaurants and takeaway places! You’ll be shocked at how many of your faves have 1 or 2 star ratings! (This isn’t sponsored, I just love the website!)

29. If all your friends think your boyfriend is shit, they might have a point – None of my friends have liked any of my boyfriends (except J) and they all turned out to be shit (again, except J).

30. You don’t have to have tons of friends – When I was younger, I thought that I’d only be happy if I had a massive friendship group. Now I only have a handful of friends but they’re absolutely amazing and they’re the kind of friends I can rely on ❤️

31. Ice cream and cake is a perfectly acceptable breakfast – Best thing about being an adult is being able to eat what you want, when you want!

32. It’s okay to spoil yourself sometimes – Want a new lipstick, book or car? Treat yo’self. It’s not like you can take the money with you when you’re dead!

33. Always read the reviews – I recently found my dream coat, in my size, on sale. I very nearly forked out £70 for it, until I read the reviews and found out the coat doesn’t have pockets!! What sort of bloody coat doesn’t have pockets??

34. Online friends are great friends to have – They always have your back and give you the biggest shout outs when you’ve done something amazing!

What are some of the best things you’ve learnt?  What have you learnt from my post?  Let me know in the comments below 🙂 x

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17 Comments

  1. Your photos, post.. everything is GORGEOUS!! I enjoyed this because you inspired me to do a post like this someday soon. I agree that it’s okay to cry.

    ladynotebook.wordpress.com

  2. Excuse my language here but eh…. F**K off! No way I though you were 34! I though you were the same age as me (imagine the monkey hiding his eyes emjoi) haha wow!

    I totally agree with people being time wasters wanting to buy stuff… the amount of people I’ve had actually send money via PayPal to only cancel it within a few days trying to catch me out if I send it first! It’s beyond a joke. I’m Slytherin all the way… best house obvs! Lol I have ironing, like I just can’t do it… every time I do, I burn myself haha I mean, I literally actually burn myself, I’m covered in burn scars from ironing. Just as well Stephen loves to iron (no idea why) and I don’t mind doing everything else, works well lol

    Jordanne || Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk

    1. Ahaha, nope, I’m definitely 34! Selling is so frustrating, isn’t it?
      Wahey nice to meet a fellow Slytherin, even one that can’t iron 😂😂😂 x

  3. I’m with you on the last point about online friends, they can be just as good as friends you met or school or work and sometimes they’re even more supportive! Love reading these posts! Happy birthday for this week! x

  4. 4 made me LOL. I’ve also never heard it described like that 😂 hear, hear to 21. CALMLY. CALMLY.

    TOTALLY agree with 34 💗

    I feel like I should have learnt more things… It’s okay to switch off and ignore your phone and social medias. And that chocolate with exploding candy is unnecessary but SO GOOD.

    Hels xx
    http://www.thehelsproject.com

  5. I loved this! Sometimes we just need reminding of the little things like it being ok to cut someone out of your life that brings nothing to it. But also, thanks for the leaving the toilet seat up trick – I’ll be remembering that one!

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