28 Reasons Your 30s Are Better Than Your 20s

In your teens, 30-year-olds seemed ancient. In your 20s, turning 30 seemed inevitable but nothing you wanted. Well, now that you’re here, I have good news — this decade is amazing. In fact, your 30s are far better than your 20s ever were. Here’s why:

  1. You’re Finally (Sorta) Settled: Your 20s can be a nightmare of figuring out what it means to be an adult. By the time you make it to your 30s, you generally have a better handle on life as a whole. You’ve got a career (or are working towards building one), you pay your own bills and you generally have your ac together… at least most of the time.
  2. You’ve got a little more money to spend. In your 30s, you actually have money to spend — at least slightly more than you did in your 20s. You’ve learned how to budget, so you can usually figure out a way to afford a new pair of shoes, a decent car and a bottle of wine.
  3. You’ve finally got some self-confidence. Let’s be honest — your 20s are just an extension of your teenage years and insecurities. In your 30s, you totally learn what you’re worth and you assert that on a daily basis, as you should.
  4. Dating is less daunting. If you’re still in the dating game, men and women are both far more interesting and attractive. Both sexes reach their peak in their 30s, so you get the best of the best. You’ve pretty much done and seen it all at this point, so not much phases you when things go badly.
  5. Going out means something entirely different. Going out on a Friday night in your 20s meant drinking cheap alcohol and staying out till dawn. In your 30s, going out means eating a fantastic meal at a great restaurant with your best friends and then coming home for some TV in your pajamas.
  6. Staying in doesn’t make you a loser. In your 20s, staying in means you have no friends and you’re boring (or so the world would have you think). In your 30s, it means you get to enjoy a night all to yourself with a bottle of wine and some Netflix. What’s better than that?
  7. You’ve stopped drinking to get wasted. You drink less in your 30s and you can hold your liquor better in general, so you’ll be having fewer mornings with hangovers, drunk texts and random people in your bed. Also, it will be more about the taste of the alcohol than getting drunk.
  8. You can see and appreciate more of the world. You can finally afford to travel and see a bit more of the world and you may even be able to do it in style (looking at you, business class upgrades and hotel rooms with a view). No more backpacker hotels or hitchhiking — this is grown-up stuff.
  9. You can finally live ALONE (or with a partner). In your 30s, you can say goodbye to roommates and enjoy the comfort of your own home without neighbors partying at all hours of the night in the apartment above you. It’s nice to have a space that’s all your own, and it’s about damn time too.
  10. You take pride in your home and don’t mind doing chores. In your 20s, you fight over who’s stuck doing the laundry or the dishes and you let the recycling pile up because you’re too lazy to take it out. In your 30s, you want to do the chores (or hire someone else to do them) because you want a clean home.
  11. Your career is killer. In your 30s, you’re no longer the newbie in your career or the youngest person in your office. You probably have a few direct reports and your responsibilities are much bigger than making copies. If you’re not quite where you want to be, you’re actively working on getting there.
  12. You stress less over the small stuff. In your 30s, you’ll come to realize that life is too short to worry about all those petty things that used to bother you and you’ll get better at moving on. Instead, you can enjoy the small things and take advantage of everything life has to offer and let the little things roll off your back.
  13. You start to value your health. You finally start caring about your health, and you do things like working out, eating healthy and improving your skincare routine because you’ll know it will make a difference. You know you have nothing if you don’t have your health and you’re determined to look after it.
  14. You’re probably not as allergic to exercise. Oh, and you know how hard it is to workout in your 20s? Well, it gets easier in your 30s, primarily because you make it a priority. You know 30 minutes out of your day is nothing, especially when you can watch TV while you’re on the treadmill, so you force yourself to get out to the gym and burn some calories.
  15. You get way more attractive. Because you’re taking better care of your health, you’ll probably discover that you’re more attractive in your 30s. You’re still young, and now you’re doing whatever it takes to enhance your natural gifts. Plus, with all the confidence you’ve got now, that natural beauty shines even brighter.
  16. Sex is way better. Both you and your partners have probably gained plenty of experience in the bedroom in your 20s, and now is the time to put what you’ve learned to good use. You’re about to hit your sexual prime and it feels so, so good (in more ways than one).
  17. You have a classier wardrobe. Along with more money and the better career will come a better wardrobe. You can say goodbye to Target jeans and Payless shoes, though you’re not averse to those on the weekend. When you need to make a good impression, however, you’ve already got a closet full of classy blouses, pants, etc. to pull it off.
  18. You’re Less Vain. It’s also now okay to go to the store in your pajama pants and to wear your comfiest jeans because you know that your style is your attitude, not just your clothes. You don’t do it often, but if it happens, you don’t sweat it because who really cares?
  19. You finally realize the value of sleep, glorious sleep. You’re going to get more sleep and better quality. Why? Because you’re taking care of your health and feeling more fulfilled in your job and relationships. You also realize how necessary it is to be well-rested — no more of those two hour nights after staying out too late. You need your eight hours.
  20. You stop giving a damn. You’ll stop giving so many f*cks about so many things. You know that you only live once, and it’s not worth wasting your time worrying about other people’s crap. You’re here to be the best version of yourself and live life to the fullest. Anyone who doesn’t like it isn’t even on your radar.
  21. You’ve got a solid (but small) group of true friends. In your 30s, you’ll know who your true friends are, and these are the friends that will stick by you into your 40s, 50s, and beyond. You’ve weeded out the flaky friends and are down to the real ones, which is amazing.
  22. You actually have things to be nostalgic for. You’ll finally be old enough to look back and say, “OMG can you believe we used to make mixed cassette tapes?” It’s hilarious and a lot of fun to look back on the things you liked in your teens (and feel old about how far things have come since then).
  23. You have loads of wisdom to share with younger people. In your 30s, you’re finally in a position to help younger women/men find their place in the world by offering advice and guidance. You know what it was like to struggle with uncertainty and you’re happy to do anything you can to relieve that.
  24. You let go of the drama. Life will always have drama, but in your 30s, the petty drama finally starts to disappear along with the backstabbing, whining and cat-fighting. Anyone who does bring that to your life is promptly cut out. You have no time for that crap.
  25. You Have Your Own Code. By your 30s, you know that some rules are meant to be broken and some things should just never be done. You’ll live by your own code and follow it proudly. No one can tell you what to do because you haven’t been impressionable in years.
  26. You’re Brave enough to go after what you want. You’ll finally stop talking about the “one day”s and the “if only”s and start being brave enough to chase after your dreams. You’re ready to go for it and nothing is going to stand in your way.
  27. You’re smart enough to know better. You’ll know when to say “no” to that extra drink, when to put on sunscreen, and when to ditch a date. You made plenty of mistakes in your 20s and learned from them and you’re way better off because of it.
  28. You’re Strong. In your 30s, you don’t have to look to anyone else to figure out what to do. You’re strong enough to make your own decisions and to live with the consequences. You’ve got this.
Kelly Vo is a freelance writer based in Denver, Colorado. She specializes in both creative and technical writing and can be found publishing articles about wellness, business, cannabis (find her in Dope Magazine), freelancing, and life as a 30-year-old. She's a voracious reader, adrenaline junkie, world traveler, and proud husky momma whoe graduated summa cum laude from ASU with a degree in English: Creative Writing.
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