3 Months Until the Start of My 30th Solar Revolution

Photo by Jerry Kiesewetter on Unsplash

I'll be 29 in three months. Fifteen months until I'm 30. There's something about these milestones which make me want to get my life together. It's not a complete mess, but to society, I'm probably not where I'm suppose to be. Other people my age seem much older. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe a mix of both.

Other people around my age seem to:

• Be married. Or at least in committed relationships. I'm single; I have been for approximately 8 years. I never plan to marry, but I should at least be looking for someone, right?
• Have a kid. Or more than one. I'm child-free and that will not change. But that doesn't stop people from asking me when I'm having kids. Um, never.
• Live on their own. Or with a partner (and/or kids). I live with my parents and plan to for at least another year. But don't I want my own space? Of course. Can I afford it? Um, no; not without a roommate. And then it won't be "my own space" either.
• Have bills. And debt. I have student loans, and I buy a monthly bus pass?
• Have cars. And car problems. I don't even have a driver's license.

Do I even want to be like other people my age considering the above list? Not really. I have no desire for marriage or kids or more debt or more bills. Yes, my own place would be nice, but I can wait until I can afford it.

A car would be convenient, but at this point in my life, I don't really need one. Of course, circumstances change, so I am getting my driving permit this month (assuming I pass the written test). Then I can just borrow one of my parents' cars if I really do need to drive somewhere rather than taking the bus.

However, there are a couple of areas I feel like I'm ahead in:

• Savings. I actually save money. Obviously, I have more money to save since I don't have as many expenses. But I've always known the importance of having some kind of savings set aside.
• Education. I was luckily enough to be able to pursue a higher degree even if I'm not using it. Schooling has actually left me a lasting drive to learn, so I'm constantly researching and studying topics on my own.
• Contentment. I really have nothing to complain about. I'm pretty happy with the way my life is going right now. There's ups and downs, but I don't let the downs keep me down. There's always room for improvement, which is essentially what this blog is about.

Where do I go from here? Before my 29th birthday, I'd love to have an established plan to tackle my finances. First is paying down/off those student loans. After that I want to continue keeping a close eye on where all of my money is going and finding ways to make it work for me. I'll keep learning more about economics, personal finance, and lifestyle changes to put me on the right track. Most importantly, I'll remind myself why I'm doing all of this: the freedom to live life the way I want to.