30 Before 30

In honor of my upcoming 30th birthday, I’ve researched countless “things to do before 30” lists. And while there are plenty to choose from, I kept coming back to “Thirty Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30.”

The List was originally published in Glamour by columnist Pamela Redmond Satran in 1997. Over the next 30 weeks, I’ll be tackling each item on The List and reflecting about it here… publicly (gulp). I hope you enjoy and we can grow together. After all, turning older is a privilege denied to many.

By 30, you should have…
12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.

Allow me to begin by saying: I’m not the type who thinks I “deserve” expensive things. I’m a commitment-phobe, a bargain hunter, relatively low maintenance, and I’d rather treat myself to a car service over the course of the month than spend the same amount on a purse or pair of shoes.

That’s not to say I’m frugal — I’ve splurged on travel and gifts for others, often finding more value in experiences than material things. I consider gym classes the best long-term investments money can buy. I’m a big fan of “throwing money at the problem” when it solves everyday inconveniences (hello, Blue Apron and Instacart).

But ask me to spend, say, $300 on a rug I love? Well, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Until today.

Part of why I bought it was this week’s challenge — yet another timely sign from above that I should just do it.

And the other part of why I bought it was because I do “deserve” it after the morning I had.

I was dogsitting over the long weekend for a good friend, but her flight was delayed last night and she wouldn’t arrive to retrieve her keys until 245am. Knowing I’d signed up for a 715am gym class, we agreed she would call me when she got close to my place and we’d make the key swap.

Easy peasy. So far, so good. All of the clichés.

I got up on time again at 615am, despite struggling to fall back asleep; and I was so proud of myself for getting my clothes, lunch, laptop and all other things in order. I was heading out on schedule, just in time to make the bus!

As I closed the door behind me, I realized a beat too late that I failed to grab my keys along with my two overstuffed bags. I’d locked myself out, for the first time (I think?) in my 12 years of living away from home.

Luckily, my landlord is local and able to meet me tonight to let me back in (before I head back out to my dinner plans, but at least I’ll be free to come and go again).

So, I made it to my first-ever barre class the same morning I had my first-ever lockout. Enter, the west elm Sivas Wool Kilim Rug in Macaroon Pink:

I’ve had my eye on this rug for more than a year… seriously. It’s become a joke with certain friends, who plead with me to either buy the damn thing or stop lusting after it.

I even set an alarm to make sure I grabbed it while it was on sale for Black Friday, only to forget all six years of corporate retail knowledge and miss out on the actual sale — on Cyber Monday. It was sold out, and my dreams died again.

So here we are, three months later, and I finally pulled the trigger to purchase this rug. Because it was on sale. And I had a coupon. And I had a shit morning. But also, because I deserve it.