A Single Girl's Bucket List

I am single for the first time in years and I am so happy I am! I wasn’t in a bad relationship but it wasn’t a good relationship either. At the end we just wanted different things and the split was for the best. It’s given me time to think about my life again as an individual and do things that make sense for me. I wanted to share a little bit of my collaboration for things to take advantage of and experience while single (lets all be honest it’s just another list.)

1. Try Speed Dating

   Lets all be honest here, online dating is awful. You have to sift through a lot of questionable characters to find someone worth talking to. Speed dating is a nice way to ween out some of the people you don’t want to talk to. It’ll usually cost a small fee but that will deter certain people from going and keep people from bailing. It worked for me- I went on a cold Tuesday night in January- all I wanted to do was go home and curl up in my jammies, but since I’d paid the $25 ticket price I was determined to get what I paid for.

   The event I went to was sold out! How exciting to experience. It was 5 minutes per person and I met 14 different men in the span of a couple of hours. Some were very easy to talk to, some not so much.. But that’s why you make your notes as people come and go.

   It was a nice change to interact with people in the flesh. You can’t hide behind a screen and think about what you wanted to say- you were thinking on the fly and people see you for who you are. (Well except for the fact that I almost never still have makeup and a dress on at 9pm on a Tuesday…) I’m glad I did it. I may never do it again. But I’m glad I did it. Google speed dating events in your area to find one that works for you! If there’s an age range- pick the range you want to date. not necessarily the age you are. I prefer to date older, for 28 I’m an old soul so the age 35-45 event made more sense to me than the 25-35 event.

2. Live alone

   This one can be hard in this day and age. It’s rare to be able to pay rent/ mortgage on your own. If given the opportunity, however, do it. You learn so much about yourself when you have your own fortress. You learn how messy you truly are (or not messy.)

3. Learn to Dance

   This one has a personal note to it. I’ve always wanted to take a simple dance class but 2 things have always stopped me. 1. Can never find someone to go with me. 2. The free time. I’ve made this more of a priority for my single adventures because 1. I should have more free time now. And 2. I shouldn’t be afraid to do it solo. If you don’t want to learn to dance, then learn another skill- an art, a sport, a cause. Guaranteed you’ll learn about yourself.

4. Spa day with some friends

   Or family, or whoever you feel would be good company (go on your own if that sounds the most relaxing.) Watch for a sale or a groupon and take a pause day. Soak and massage your worries away for a few hours- you deserve it.

5. Choose a hairstyle without asking others opinions

   I an NOTORIOUS for this. I’ll find styles I like, ask for opinions and if no one else likes it I’ll decide against doing it. Do what feels and looks right for you. Hair grows back- even if it was a bad decision you won’t be living with it for long.

6. Buy a new mattress

   If the budget doesn’t allow for a new mattress, or your mattress is in good shape- take over the middle of the bed! It’s all yours after all, take advantage of it.

   If you’ve gone a number of years choosing one side of the bed this may be tricky. I found the best way to enjoy it was to position the pillows in a triangle shape to cuddle my head in the middle of the bed. So much room. So glorious.

   I will be doing both in the near future. My mattress has to be 15-20 years old. It has no sparkle in its eye anymore and needs to be retired.

7. Take a Solo trip

   Ever wanted to go somewhere but your partner didn’t care to join? Why not try a solo vacation. A lot of travel agencies will actually have a list of options for you to choose from. If the budget doesn’t allow for a grand vacation- just look around to see what activities are going on in your area. Take a small road trip and make as many stops as you want on the way.

Those are some of my Bucket List items as I recover from being a Serial Relationshipper (don’t think that’s an actual word but oh well.) Feel free to comment if you have suggestions to add to my list!

Zero Waste Renovating: Reusing

The previous homeowners clearly had a knack for their own DIY techniques. There are quite a few built in wooden shelving units in this place. Most of them are very much not my style unfortunately so I’m currently in the process of removing them.

I am quite fortunate, a lot of the wood is in fairly good shape and I don’t intend to throw it out! In the interm while doing things in the home- I’m lucky to have a garage/ shed (it was a garage but the previous owners removed the garage door to make it into a man cave… Yeah) I can store these materials in until I have time to transform them into something I’ll love.

I know that most people aren’t as lucky as me and have an abundance of space to collect materials to keep them from a landfill. For those whose space is more limited- remembering to recycle, sell/give away, or enjoy a bonfire with the scraps is crucial to keeping your waste management low.

After living in the home for a month, I had 3 bags of garbage, mostly wallpaper that had been removed, but it was killing me. Before putting in on the curb I did a final garbage scan to see if there was anything useful in these big bags. I realized that the paint cans were an adorable little bucket once the paint had dried in them- I had 2 empties in the garbage, so I grabbed them and now using them as little waste bins for kleenex!