40 Before Forty – My Ultimate Bucket List Before the Big 4-0!
Turning Goals Into Adventures 🎯
Inspired by Stevie over at A Cornish Mum, I created my own 40 Before Forty list a few years ago. With seven years to go until I hit the big 4-0, I wanted to channel that nervous energy into something positive, exciting, and full of intention.
My 40 Before Forty Bucket List ✅
From travel dreams to lifestyle upgrades, here’s what I hoped to achieve before I turned forty:
- Lose 30 lbs
- Have a capsule wardrobe
- Move to my forever home
- Get new lounge furniture
- Go to Iceland and stay in a glass-roof capsule under the Northern Lights
- Go on a husky ride
- Get a drone
- Give blood
- Pay off debts
- Get better at film editing
- Visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour
- Watch Matilda on stage
- Visit the Anne Frank Annexe
- Publish an ebook
- Visit the Galápagos Islands and see turtles
- Upgrade my photography skills
- Improve my handwriting
- Complete a full BritMums challenge
- Be better at planning events
- Return to Disneyland Paris (the last trip didn’t go to plan!)
- Blog consistently
- Get better at my writing
- Establish a routine and actually stick to it
- Go snorkelling
- Have a budget and follow it
- Learn French
- Holiday in Cornwall
- Make friends with another blogger
- Start and stick to a pilates plan
- Watch Kinky Boots on stage
- Drive to Preston to visit family
- Drive to Plymouth
- Grow vegetables
- Be nominated for a blog award
- Visit Morocco
- Have a themed Christmas
- Take an evening class
- Bullet journal better
- Be more organised (ha!)
- Meet with an old penfriend from Austria or Russia
- Take a cookery class
Why a 40 Before Forty List?
Having a list like this helped me turn “one day” into a plan. It reminded me to prioritise adventure, learning, health, and connection — all before a big milestone.
It also gave me blog content, goal-setting focus, and little joyful things to look forward to!
Revisit Coming Soon – What’s Changed at 42?
Spoiler alert: I didn’t finish them all. But that’s the beauty of this kind of list — it evolves with you. I’ve done some amazing things I never imagined adding at the time, and I’ve outgrown others.
➡️ Keep an eye out for my full follow-up post: “Revisiting My 40 Before Forty List at 42“ – I’ll be sharing updates, stories, and reflections.
Over to You!
Have you ever made a milestone list? Would you do a 40 before Forty… or maybe a 50 before 50?
Let me know in the comments or tag me on social media — I’d love to read yours!
