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The Fashion Faux Pas of Gabrielle An unconventional fashion blogger trying to find her place on the internet

Life

Another year older – twenty six things I’ve learnt in twenty six years

06/04/2018

On the 5th of April 2018 (or yesterday if you’re reading this on the day it was published) I turned twenty-six years old and I can’t quite believe that’s the age I am – I mean look at me, I could pass for 18 still 😉.

In celebration of my last birthday as an unmarried woman (or spinster as they used to say in the old days LOL) I’m going to share some all round life lessons that I’ve learnt in my time on this planet;
1. No matter what age you are, you’re always learning; if you think once you finish school/college/university that you’ve learnt all you need to function in the big wide world, you’re sadly mistaken

2. Debt isn’t fun and getting yourself out of it is one of the most rewarding things you can ever accomplish. When I first moved out at twenty-one, I was skint – like majorly skint. Not because I was on the lash and spanking all of my money on clothes, it was because I didn’t earn enough money on my own to run a home properly. I turned to credit cards to help keep me going and luckily didn’t end up in as much debt as I know some people have, but enough for it to hang over my head for a couple of years. Once Aaron moved in and I had some breathing room to get myself into a better financial position it was a lot easier. Try to avoid credit cards and loans wherever possible and DO NOT get a loan from QuickQuid, it’s a slippery slope (as my Dad says about EVERYTHING)

3. I don’t think there is such thing as personal style – it’s always evolving as you get older and grow as a person
4. Don’t ever sign up to Wowcher emails as there isn’t any possible way to unsubscribe (unless someone can tell me how, I’ve learnt the hard way) from the mass of emails that drop in your mailbox on a daily basis with shit being sold at “discount”
5. Wedding nightmares are a real thing and the closer you get to your wedding day, the more frequent the dreams are; the last one I recall was me not having anyone to do my makeup and my Dad making me late, sounds quite trivial when you read it, but the thought makes me cringe 😂

6. You can’t make everyone friends and you can’t make everyone happy
7. The more often you write, the better refined your voice becomes. On Wednesday I’ll have posted on here 300 times which is insane! And if I think back to the content I produced back then to now, it’s mad how much I can make my writing sound exactly the same as if I was talking to someone face to face
8. Having a cry every now and then is a good thing, letting your emotions out is okay and you can feel 10 times better after

9. Everyone has their own idea of success; you can compare your progress on anything in life with someone else who in your opinion is doing “better” than you, but they might not feel that they’re where they want to be. It’s a never ending circle of envy, so set your own goals and try not to compare your journey to somebody else’s
10. Twenty-five was probably the worst age of all the ages I have been – glad that’s out of the way!
11. SAVE AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU CAN! If you want to buy a house at a fairly young age (well, for this day and age) then stay at home as long as you possibly can to get those pennies behind you. Trying to save in your mid-twenties is tough

12. Don’t let your non-hairdresser sister cut your hair, it will end in disaster
13. Life’s too short to hold grudges over stupid things, if it’s someone really important just let it go
14. Talking to lots of different people at work exposes you to a whole new range of people you wouldn’t normally interact with; broaden your network and you might end up meeting some gems
15. Reading often is a great way of taking your mind away from life, but can sometimes be very thought provoking. Read as much as you can!

16. Don’t over-bleach your hair; you’ll regret it when it breaks off and you wonder why it doesn’t grow
17. The Harry Potter books and films are one of the most magical series of all time and you’ll always love them ❤️

18. I’m now accepting the fact that I am closer to the age of 30 than 20, but will continue to claim I’m in my mid-twenties 😉
19. Being a bit of a hermit that would rather sit at home with some good food, good telly and pyjamas is fine – you don’t need to be a party girl if that’s not in your nature

20. The first time you get drunk, don’t do it on straight vodka from the bottle – it’ll end in a hatred for the poison for life, being sick in a bowl and pouring it back on yourself, the sofa and the carpet, you’ll also get grounded for a month because you were underage (*cough* thirteen years old *cough*) – true story.

21. When you get your first proper job, remember things like paying bills, tax, national insurance, student finance, your pension – because although you think you’re balling when you first start working, you’re definitely not once everyone’s had their share 😉
22. All of those cans and bottles of Diet Coke you’ve bought and guzzled over the years soon add up and you could have saved a lot more money for a house if you didn’t insist on drinking two small bottles and three cans EVERY DAY!

23. It’s okay to live on a council estate, people that come from humble beginnings will always be more grateful for what they’ve achieved in life
24. Try not to buy fake designer wear; it doesn’t last as long as the real thing 😉
25. Print off as many pictures as you can, it’s all well and good having them on your phone or computer, but I treasure the photo albums of memories a lot more
26. Make time for your friends and family; I can’t imagine where I’d be without mine and am ever so lucky to have met the love of my life at the tender age of fifteen ❤️


And there are just twenty-six important (maybe not all IMPORTANT) life lessons I’ve learnt in my twenty-six years on this planet. Let me know some of your most valuable life lessons in the comments below!

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Comments

  1. Meg (@CoffeewithMegxo) says

    06/04/2018 at 7:57 pm

    These are so bang on! Number 4 and 11 especially spoke to me!
    Happy belated birthday lovely one! xxxx

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      06/04/2018 at 8:08 pm

      Haha thank you lovely!! ❤️❤️

      Reply
  2. Lily 💕 (@wellbeingedit_) says

    06/04/2018 at 8:21 pm

    Really enjoyed this post, and have taken some of these as pre-warnings. Being only 20, I’ve still got a lot to hit me. And the job point, about not spending it all, you’ve ruined my plans. I wanted my first big pay slip to not disappear from my hands, but I guess it will do 🙁 xx
    Hope you had a lovely birthday xx
    Lily | The Wellbeing Edit

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      06/04/2018 at 10:07 pm

      Ahhh to be 20 again 😂😂 and sorry to have ruined your plans – it’s alright to splurge and this is only my advice 😉❤️

      Reply
  3. blacktulipbeauty says

    06/04/2018 at 8:37 pm

    What a lovely post, I’m not gonna lie I did tear up a bit… And I can’t believe you met Aaron at 15, adorable! I really needed number 9 and 19, It’s hard to be and stay comfortable with who you are when there are so many people around you doing so well and looking like they’re having a lot more fun! I hope you had a lush last birthday as a Banner and I am SO excited to see some wedding pictures very soon hehe!
    Alice Xx
    http://www.blacktulipbeauty.co.uk

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      06/04/2018 at 10:08 pm

      Ahhh you’re so bloody lovely Alice!! And I sometimes can’t believe that’s how old I was, only feels like a couple of years but it’s been almost 11! Thank you ❤️❤️

      Reply
  4. Ashton says

    07/04/2018 at 8:13 am

    I loved reading this so much. Being 21 I still have so much to learn and I love hearing from people who have experienced life what they think. I am so bad at buying like a coffee and then at the end of the month i sit there and think “damn that added up.” Awesome post, I have saved it so I can read it again and again

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      07/04/2018 at 8:29 am

      Ahh thank you lovely – a lot of it is silly stuff, but a lot of things I would never have considered or thought of before! ❤️

      Reply
  5. FebruaryCircus says

    07/04/2018 at 6:00 pm

    Happy belated birthday!!!! 😀 I really enjoyed reading this post. I turned 25 in February and can relate to some of the things you mentioned.

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      07/04/2018 at 10:47 pm

      Ahh thank you lovely!! And glad you could relate 😂❤️

      Reply
  6. According to Alice says

    08/04/2018 at 10:33 am

    This is such a lovely post! I love the bit you said about finding your voice in your writing, as your writing is literally goals for me – I love how full of personality your blog is. I’ve become so big on savings lately like you’ve mentioned, mainly for my Japan holiday at the moment but even after that, I’m starting to be more adult about my money which is shocking for me! Really loved this post x
    Alice | http://www.accordingtoalicex.com

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      08/04/2018 at 11:49 am

      Ahh thank you Alice – you write amazingly well too!! And deffo get onto the savings, I regret spanking my money for years on literal crap 😂😂❤️

      Reply
  7. jazziepickles says

    08/04/2018 at 2:54 pm

    Great list lovely, I think i’m going to pinch this idea when it’s my birthday.
    and yess to the council estate babes <3

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      08/04/2018 at 2:58 pm

      Thank you lovely and go ahead! Power to the council estate bloggers! 💪🏻🙌🏻❤️

      Reply
  8. charlotteannelane103 says

    10/04/2018 at 4:00 pm

    I hope you had the best birthday Gaby! I looved reading this post and pretty much agree with every point mentioned. I love seeing how far my writing’s come on since I first started blogging, which is one of the main reasons I started my blog in the first place – I wanted to become better at writing and have somewhere to continue proving on my photography 🙂 xo
    Char | http://www.charslittleblog.co.uk

    Reply
    • Gabrielle Banner says

      10/04/2018 at 4:21 pm

      Thank you lovely!! I love to read back on my old stuff sometimes – keeps me grounded and reminds me why I started in the first place, which is something I think a lot of people forget about! Xx

      Reply

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