Hello everyone! Welcome back to BirthMay 2022! Today’s post is an update to last year’s goal list for my 30’s!

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In case you’re new, every May I blog every day and call it BirthMay! Why? Because it’s my birth month and I’m super extra.

I did my 30 for my 30’s post last year, and figured it’d be great to update it for this year! I’ll put the original notes in regular text and then the new update will be in italics! I realize some of them are “ongoing” like read 50 books every year so if I did do that this year, I’ll still mark it as DONE even though it’s ongoing.

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30 for my 30’s

1. Publish a book – I’ve written a few, and I’d love to edit them and get them published. I’m not any closer to publishing really. I did edit one of my first drafts but I’m not sure about publishing it. I’m now focused on trying out new genres and formats during my writing sessions.
2. Write a new book – just because I’ve written first drafts to two books doesn’t mean I’m done writing! I have ideas for another two and for sequels to one of the ones I’ve already written. I haven’t finished a new book yet but I do have plenty more ideas!
3. Move to Texas – hopefully I can do this one this year! Well, this one is on hold for a tad longer, but the goal to move is still there!
4. Buy a new car – I sold my car to my sister during the pandemic because she needed one and I didn’t. But I do need to get a new one eventually. Fun story… I bought my old car back from my sister! She decided she didn’t need it anymore and I needed one again, so that was that! I plan to keep it now until it no longer runs and, since it’s a trusty Toyota Corolla, I hope I can get a few more years of use out of it!
5. Start a business – I haven’t quite decided what I want to do, but once I do, hopefully I can get one started. I’m getting closer! I have an idea that I’m considering – a sort of boutique/book store combo!
6. Start a side hustle – while I decide what business I want to start, I think I should at least have a side hustle going. Maybe it could turn into a full on business too! I’m thinking my Bookstagram and that boutique/book store might end up filling this space! DONE!
7. Adopt a dog – I want to be a dog mom so bad! Plus I think my puppy niece needs a cousin. Wait, omg I did this one! I adopted my boy Fox in September 2021. DONE!
8. Buy a house or land to build a house – I’m leaning more towards buying land, but it’ll just depend what’s available when I’m ready to buy. I have decided to hold off on this one until I decide where to live.
9. Pay off student loans – well, I’m thinking I’m cheating on this one because… this isn’t optional? I have to pay them off one way or another after all! But I’m pretty close so I can’t wait to finally get this done. Getting close! I’m holding off on paying it off fully because I am hoping that some of the student debt gets forgiven. I am still paying more than my regular payments would be each month since the interest free period is too good to pass up!
10. Travel to Nashville – for some reason, Nashville has been on my mind a lot lately as a place I’d like to visit. Not yet, but I would love to visit Nashville still! Honestly, these specific places on this list is kind of funny to me because it does remind me of when I wrote it – in the midst of the quarantine!
11. Travel to the PNW – I have never been in the Pacific Northwest and I’d love to do so. My grandfather worked in Oregon for some time so I’d love to see that state specifically. Not yet but I’d love this!
12. Travel to NYC – I’ve been before but I’d love to go again and see more Broadway shows. Not yet, but I am so tempted now that Broadway shows are back.
13. Travel to Washington, D.C. – I’ve shared before that I’ve been once but I barely saw anything in the city as I was only there for one day. I’d love to see some museums and maybe the White House! Not yet, but still a plan!
14. Travel to Oaxaca – this has been on my travel list for awhile so I hope to be able to go in the next few years. Not yet, but still on my list!
15. Travel to Cancun – this has been a goal of my family’s for years now, but we haven’t been able to make it to Cancun yet. Hopefully someday! Not yet, but omg yes please.
16. Travel in Mexico during Day of the Dead – I’d love to be in Mexico specifically during that holiday. Not yet, but maybe this year if I decide to use my time off LOL.
17. Travel to Portugal – this has also been on my list for years now, and I really want to make it there in my 30s. Not yet, but I should.
18. Travel to London – I would love to finally explore London. I’d thought about going when I studied abroad but just wasn’t able to make it work back then. Not yet, but I still want to.
19. Travel to Rome – I almost went to Rome instead of Paris when I studied abroad. I kind of wish I had! But I’d love to go to Rome in the future. Not yet, but I do want to live out my Lizzie McGuire dreams.
20. Learn to play guitar – I’ve been meaning to do this for literally decades now, so time to finally get this one done. Not yet, but literally so annoyed I haven’t done this yet, since I own a guitar!
21. Read at least 50 books each year – reading is something important to me and I’ve read so much in the past year with the stay at home orders. I’d love to continue to read often in the coming years. So far so good! I already read 50 this year so clearly this goal is going well. DONE!
22. Continue to take dance classes – I’m low-key worried that I won’t find a studio in Texas, so fingers crossed I can! Loving my ballet class! DONE!
23. Save for retirement – so I do have a specific goal in mind, but I don’t want to share the number so in general I’d love to save for retirement. Basically, I feel like I have to make up for lost time when I was unemployed during the pandemic. Well, I still don’t have a 401k since my new job doesn’t let me sign up for it until one year in and I’m still a few months away. I did briefly have one during that university job and managed to get like $50 in there before I quit LOL. I have been contributing the full amount allowed for my Roth IRA though! DONE!
24. Give back – I’d love to give back to communities I’m involved with by volunteering somehow. Maybe by volunteering locally or mentoring or something would be good! Well this hasn’t quite worked out for me yet but I did do a paid speaking engagement at my local library as part of their local creatives program so I think that actually does fit this? DONE!
25. Support the arts – I love going to musicals so I’d love to continue to support the arts in that aspect. I’d love to also go to concerts and museums of course too in the future. I did go to a musical again, Hadestown, when it was in Chicago so I am still meeting this goal! DONE!
26. Continue to learn about budgeting and finances – I recently learned that I started a budget and I’d love to continue to keep a strict budget in my 30s. Especially with all that travel I hope to do! Learning, growing, AND sharing! I’ve been doing “Finance Fridays” on my blog, so I’d say this was completed! DONE!
27. Continue to move towards minimalism – I don’t think I’ll ever really be a minimalist but I do want to try to get close. I have books that I plan to read and then donate/sell once I’m done with them for example. I also hope to just consume and buy less, which I’ve heard is the key to move towards minimalism. I have decluttered sooooo much but still need to do my spring cleaning haha. DONE!
28. Continue to blog – I love blogging and even if my blog’s focus ends up changing I would love to continue to blog on here. Here I am with another BirthMay so… DONE!
29. Work towards peace – peace is something that’s really been on my mind lately. Probably because it’s my yearly goal! Aw, my lovely Year 30 goal! DONE!
30. Have fun! – I’ve heard fabulous things about the 30’s so I really want to focus on having fun and making the most of this decade. I am very much enjoying my 30’s and looking forward for all the adventures to come. DONE!

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So that’s my 30 for my 30’s list! So far, so good!

Thanks for reading!

Pamela

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