What’s the biggest difference between your thirties and your twenties?

49 comments

  1. I’m not thirty yet, but I’ve been told that your thirties are what you expected your twenties to be like. You made all the mistakes in your twenties so that you could shine in your thirties.

  3. Sometime in my mid 30’s parties changed from all night ragers that started at 11pm to kids birthday parties that started at 4pm, and then after the wives went home with the kids us dads would keep going until midnight to 2AM.

  5. in your 20s most of your problems are between you and other people.

    in your 30s most of your problems are between you and money.

  6. Financial stability. I spent my 20’s struggling and stretching every dollar. I made the jump in income around 27 and haven’t had a dire situation since. I can finally sleep at night and not worry about having a roof and enough food.

    I have time and money for my hobbies now, and it’s easier to hang out with my friends and have fun because I’m not worried about basic stuff.

  7. 39 almost forty here.

    Biggest change I could remember is that I cared significantly less about what other people thought and just did my thing.

  8. Personally, there’s not much difference between my twenties and thirties except that the bad habits I developed back then have taken their toll now; I’m still the same flavor of loser I was, but now I’m sick and tired way more often. Most of my peers are in a better place in their 30s having the time of their lives, though.

  9. In your 20’s, I feel like society has patience with you even if you’re floundering. You can always tell yourself, ‘well, I’m only 20 something, I’ll figure it out’.

    At 30? If feels like someone has drawn a hard line in the sand. Beyond that point, you’re starting to get really judged if you don’t have life figured out. People are less forgiving of those who ‘don’t know what they want to be when they grow up’.

  10. In my twenties I was full of love and very naive, I was drinking alcohol and I was struggling with an unsatisfying job.

    In my thirties I have more satisfying job, more financially stable, a little less love to give because I can’t save people, but still totally naive.
    I quit alcohol and I became vegan almost 4 years ago, workout regularly, I started a band 3 years ago knowing nothing about singing, the only thing I really struggle with is love, I’m not able to have a healthy stable fulfilling relationship, I’m working on improving myself so one day I’ll be happy with my love life too.

  11. I’ve just hit 30 and hardly anyone I know plans to have kids. So I think we’re going to be doing whatever we want when we want.

    The 1 major downside I’ve noticed already is that friends start to pair off and start a life with a partner and forget their friends, so be prepared for that.

  12. Heartburn.

    Random body parts hurting all the time.

    Easier to get injured.

    Hangovers that last for days.

    Existential dread – but a different flavor of the existential dread you have in your 20s – more like “what is the point of all of this?”

    Disenchantment and cynicism because you realize all of your coworkers are lazy, stupid, or both.

    Being really really tired of figuring out what to eat every. damn. night. Also those dishes won’t wash themselves.

    You make more money but have less financial stability. I can’t explain it, just seems that way.

  16. 20’s; desperate for engagement.

    30’s; I’m willing to admit when I’m not having fun and go home.

  17. Money! I also have kids now, so I can’t just leave the house anytime I want to and have to coordinate everything with the wife.

  18. For me, approaching 60, I have to say that 30’s are the best years. You have some good adult life experience, you’re still energetic, youthful and sexy and sex is really really good. Grab 30’s by the scruff and live the fuck out of it

  20. I thought I was depressed in my 20s..turns out I’m even more depressed In my 30s 🤷‍♀️🤣🤣

  21. 20s fun. Care free, broke. Spent a lot of time drinking with others. Made a thousand friends. Laughed a lot. Had some crazy times.

    30s Took on a lot of debt. Got married. Had kids. Lost touch with most family and friends. Got promoted a couple of times at work. Work got stressful. Gained weight. Made a shit ton more money. Bought a beautiful home by the park. Upgraded the car. Went on vacations that didn’t center around getting drunk.

    40s trying to decide if the work stress is worth the paycheck. Trying to reconnect with people i haven’t talked to in awhile. Trying to prioritize me at least once a week instead of wife and kids 7 days a week. Paying down debt. More disposable income is nice. Really concentrating on my 401k.

  23. I’d say being more financially and mentally stable, being more content in yourself, having more of a sense of who you are and what you are about.

  24. You give way less of a fuck about what’s ‘cool’, and being on the scene in your thirties.

  25. My 20s were wild. No money and law school for the first chunk and then some money and work for the second part. Lots of random sex, lots of partying and bar hopping, lots of smoking pot and occasional drug use.

    I got married at 27, it continued for a bit.

    Now I’m 36 and things are still very fun but I have more responsibilities so I can do them less. While I go wild less frequently now, when I do go wild I can afford to do it right.

    A lot of sex, except now it’s with one woman, and it’s way fucking better.

    A lot more responsibility at home (3 kids) and at work but it’s more rewarding and I enjoy a quiet Saturday night at home with my family. Especially when we put the kids to bed and then get stoned and fool around until 3am trying to make each other cum as many times as possible. Then roll out of bed and do the soccer games, swimming, lunch, chores, bbq sleep routine.

    The 30s are better. I’m hoping our 40s will be even more awesome.

  26. Sobriety. And I don’t mean it in the sense of abstaining from drugs, I mean it in the sense of having far, far more rational control over your impulses, having more agency- deciding **to** get angry instead of reacting, deciding **who** I want to be with instead of being lead around life by my dick, etc.

  27. * 20’s – Broke, destitute, living hand to mouth in a 24′ travel trailer and pulling pussy like there was no tomorrow.
    * 30’s – Good job, nice apartment, saving money and couldn’t get laid if my life depended on it.

  28. I’m 36 now and I find that I have little energy to try anything new. I also tire quickly. It wasn’t like this in my 20s.

  29. 37 here.

    Depending on how you lived in your 20’s, if you don’t have kids, your 30’s are like your 20’s but with money.

    There’s a caveat though—if you didn’t address your problems in your 20’s, they’ll be much worse in your 30’s. Take care of your teeth, stop those habits or addictions that are starting to ruin your life in your 20’s, and do your best to nurture healthy relationships. You’ll lose a lot of things in your 30’s if you don’t start early.

    And if nothing else, trust me on this: compound interest.

  32. I have a good example recently.

    On a family holiday a guy aggressively tells me his son is next to play pool as I was racking up for my son and me. His son clearly wasn’t next and the guy was hot for an argument.

    The biggest difference is in my 20s I tell this guy to go fuck himself, we throw down, he goes to sleep.

    In my 30s I let it slide and play pool once the guy & his son have finished up so I can set a good example for my son.

    I genuinely can’t think of a better example for me of the difference between the two decades.

  33. Everyone judges more harshly for not having kids and not being married. Or playing videos games or having other “childish” hobbies.

  34. By your 30’s you have either more or less become what your parents hoped for, or made it sufficiently clear that you will not. As a result, they stop trying as hard to tell you how to live your life.

  35. – Made a lot more money in my 30s and became financially comfortable.

    – Everything hurts. Lifelong injuries become a thing.

    – Hangovers are brutal. I can’t drink more than 3 light beers if I want to function the next day.

    – I stopped caring about what other people think. I’m almost 40 and married. I don’t even give a passing thought to other people’s opinions.

    – Have no free time. So the whole being financially comfortable thing means you have a decent pay check but can’t go surfing and partying all day like your 20s.

  36. Depends if you have moved out of home or not. Most men I know aged to heavily in their late 20’s to early 30’s that they looked like they were 10 years older than they actually were – family guys with horrid wives will do this to you. Kids are usually mouth breathers and overweight.

    The higher income men looked fine and continued to improve financially, physically and mentally. Their kids are usually smarter and trim.

    Tip: don’t be lazy and avoid being in a relationship with a toxic person that makes you unhappy and fat. A bigger tip is please don’t have kids if you are in such a relationship. Your kids will turn out pretty bad.

  37. In my 20s if I was home on a Friday or Saturday after 8pm I was depressed and lonely. In my 30s if I’m not home by 8pm I’m irreversibly angry.

  38. If you’re not married, and you have a good career, your stock with the ladies is at an all time high. And your confidence is at an all time high. Choose wisely.

    If you were like me, you had 20 ‘close friends’ in your 20’s that you swore you’d be friends with for life. Then they got busy building careers, raising families, and now you’re down to 10.

    In your 40’s, you’ll be down to about 7. In your 50’s, it dwindles down to about 3. Speaking for myself, I just don’t have time for people. And to be even more honest, those 20 ‘close friends’? I’ve seen pictures from that time and thought ‘Who the hell is that guy?’

  40. I’ve become immune to peer pressure. You’re staying out until 2am? Good for you, I’m heading home. I do what I want, when I want. I listen to my friends opinions but refuse to go along to get along. It feels nice. I have better boundaries.

  42. 45m here. People in their 20s are idiots, been there done that. I know you think you’re the shit iin your 20s but let me tell ya, you’re fucking stupid. 🤣🤣🤣

    Don’t make any harsh decisions in your twenties and be patient, big changes take time. The world doesn’t revolve around you, you’re just a single grain of sand on a beach. Lower your ego and be humble about the things you don’t agree with or don’t understand.

    Finally and again remember that in your twenties you’re a complete fucking diot. 🤷‍♂️

  43. 20s: More energy and free time, less money.

    30s: More money, less energy and free time

  46. For me, financial mobility. It’s led to an improvement in almost every single aspect of my life, largely because I’m no longer actively or passively stressed over what’s in my bank account.

    I’m friendlier with strangers and more engaged with my existing friends since I’m not anxious to make plans that cost money. I’m more generous with my time around my family and my partner since I’m not working late to make overtime pay. I’m happier at work as well because I’m more content to do good work, not just as much work as possible (which often wasn’t great).

    Not only that but I can afford to do things that I’ve always wanted to do, which just helps me feel more fulfilled with my life. Not only am I happier and more fulfilled but I’m more enjoyable to be around.

  48. Twenty year old me would just go after the prettiest girl that I found attractive. I didn’t care if she had red flags or was doing things that I didn’t trust my intuition enough.

    Thirty year old me is much more picky, quicker to end things when red flags present itself, I also need a deep emotional connection aswell as have physical attraction.

    And if I don’t find it, I’m totally cool just being by myself and doing my own thing.

  49. The cool thing about 30s is you are more aware of who you are and what your key flaws are. You have a clearer path on who you used to be. The sucky part is you can see exactly where you went wrong in your 20s and know exactly how much better off in your 30s you would be If you didn’t make all those mistakes. In many cases you feel like you’d be 10 times better off if you didn’t fuck up at all in your 20s. Partying and dating is so overrated when your 30. You look back at the fucking decade you could have invested anywhere else and live life on east street. Now you just have loads of cool memories, empty pockets, but a stronger sense of purpose and self.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like