There are many things that 20 year olds can get away with but it’s weird what doesn’t (or really shouldn’t) hold up into your 30s. A great example is drinking in your 30s creates an exponentially different hangover time than when you were in your 20s and could bounce back after a night of imbibing. Usually you have food sensitivities that pop up that you didn’t know you had and that leads to bodily functions you aren’t ready for too. Do you actually use Urban Dictionary to look up words that you don’t know? I do. Now.
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8 Things to have by Age 30
There are so many things that I haven’t figured out, like I haven’t figured out how to dress for my thirties yet, but there are certainly some things in my house that screams “I’m so 30 af.” Below is a list that I put together of the things my 30 year old self has come to enjoy and appreciate.Â
1. Espresso Machine
Okay so my coffee habit started well before now, back when I lived in the dorms in college. I had a meal plan and it worked with the coffee shop in the market. It was easy to stop by in the mornings on the way to class or work since I lived and worked on campus. Nowadays, the lattes add up. It’s just not feasible to grab a coffee everyday and it takes time out of my day and it took time away from my commute. Now with my own espresso machine, I can make my own in minutes which saves me time and money daily. Also it looks way better on my counter than those plastic drip coffee coffee makers I used to have.Â
2. Duvet Cover
Have you ever tried to wash a big fluffy comforter in a regular washing machine or even worse, an apartment sized stackable washer/dryer? It’s impossible. I have a dog and a cat and we all sweat at night so a weekly washing is flat out necessary. I have a down alternative comforter that has its own duvet cover that separates easily and fits perfectly in my small apartment stackable washer and dryer. Bonus is that you can change your decor with a new duvet every now and then!Â
3. Phone Charger Nightstand
I spent way too long living with charging cords splayed all over my nightstand taking up space and spilling to the floor. I didn’t like the look of it, but it never truly mattered until my cat. She is a joy, but also a chewer. I did not want a barbecued kitten so I needed to make a change. Enter the Amazon search for “night stand charger” and everything is aesthetically good and now kitten safe.Â
4. Live Plants
At one point after my last move, I looked around my house and wondered what was missing. I worked really hard curating a  cohesive theme with furniture, art, and a nice color scheme, but I could tell something was missing and didn’t know what. I walked through a local decor boutique and boom – there it was: Green. Leaves. Cute pots, pots on legs, pots that hang. I started with easy to care for stuff so the green didn’t turn into a brown too fast. It turns out plants really pull a room together.Â
5. Fridge Planner
Whether you have a family to manage or just yourself, having a planner on display on the fridge or any other central spot will help you with meals, bills, birthdays, goals and so much more. I used to buy groceries and in the same week I would buy meals on the go or whenever I had a craving. So my groceries would go bad and I would go over my food budget every week. I started meal planning on Sundays and order a cart from Whole Foods to be delivered either that day or Monday mornings. This helped me to plan the week for food around the activities I knew were coming up.Â
6. Jewelry Organizer
I had a pair of earrings that I wore for a year because I never saw the rest of the earrings I owned. I wanted to change that so I upgraded to keeping my jewelry in a hanging pocket sleeve that I would hang in various places like the closet, the bathroom, or the back of the bedroom door. This system didn’t work either because I couldn’t really see my pieces of jewelry. Now with these wall mounted special displays, I get to see all my things and my collection even looks good on my wall!
7. Bookshelves
I don’t know how we all acquired milk crates, but we’ve all had them – haven’t we? If you didn’t, what did your parents do for work? How were they so successful?Â
I love my books. I love where they have came from different people, different bookstores, garage sales, thrift stores etc. They are my accomplishments, trophies, and adventures. I like to have a special place where I can incorporate them into my decor.Â
8. Actual Furniture
Here is the kicker: you must have real furniture. You will feel good about yourself, your home, and lots more will come together for you if you have a real bed frame (bonus if there’s a headboard too!). There are so many places to order furniture from online (Amazon and Wayfair), local furniture storerooms, and various thrift stores. Ditch the department store plastic drawers and get something made out of wood or metal or whatever you want, but when you care about the pieces in your home, you care more about your home.
After 2020 being indoors most of the time I know I appreciated every piece I put time and thought into that much more.Â
These are some of the things that make my house function a little bit better, what are some other things that can help us really feel grown-up?
