Being 30 in the UK: Overworked, underpaid but saving and dreaming of travel

If staying at home, saving a bit of money, listening to Britpop and watching rom-coms is for you then congratulations, you are the epitome of an average thirty-something in the UK today. According to a recent survey by Nationwide, the 30-year-olds of Britain are not partying like they did in their twenties, if at all, and the majority choose the pub over the dance floor when they are not worrying about buying houses or going on holiday.

Gone are the days of deeming that 30 is the new 20 and that those leaving their younger years behind are still taking their reckless ways with them. As someone who has recently joined Club 30 it is refreshing to find that whilst I may be staying in on a Saturday night everyone else hasn't secretly taken off to a warehouse party, and that they are also spending their time looking at candles from The White Company and spiralizing everything in sight.

Shifts in careers, rising house prices and the cost of living have all had a an effect on the life of the thirty-something and whilst most of the 2,000 people aged 30-35 year surveyed were happy with their careers, 70% said that all their cash went on bills and rent and, for those with children, childcare, which hardly leaves any for wild splurges.

Apparently we (the 30-year-olds) are pretty good at saving though, with an average of £4,200 put away primarily for travel plans (27%) or house deposits (30%), which, considering we only make an average of £24,000 a year, is encouraging.

Clubs have been replaced by pubs, casual relationships, dating with long-term partners and pet dogs and, while we will have around two arguments a month with our partners, we will always have love for restaurants, with more money being devoted to going out for dinner than groceries.

All in all it seems that we are a group who seem a bit unconvinced by our own decisions, with 21% worrying they 'hadn't made good financial decisions' before hitting their thirties, and one in four said they felt they 'hadn't lived enough'. So we partied too hard but not quite hard enough to justify our lack of a three-bedroom semi-detached house today.

Everyone surveyed was positive for the future though and so they should be. With secure relationships, solid income and good savings the thirty-somethings have become model citizens.