My 29th Birthday Bucket List Review – What I Accomplished this Past Year

I cannot believe it is time to review my 29th Birthday Bucket List already! You may or may not know that creating a Birthday Bucket List is a tradition I started with my birthdays three years ago to help me live more intentionally.

It is also a way I hope to inspire you. Setting yearly intentions helps you live with more purpose and encourages you to do more things in shorter amounts of time.

It can be a tool to help you break down large goals or a fun way to just explore your life more.

I’ll be honest, saying goodbye to my twenties is bittersweet because of all the growth, experiences, and soul searching. However, I am excited to dive into a new decade and explore all that my thirties have to offer!

Normally, I share my review and new list all in one post, but this year, I decided to break it into two posts: My 29th Birthday Bucket List Review and My 30th Birthday Bucket List!

While I enjoy the quick “here is my list” posts, I just felt it was time to really dive into the details of what I accomplished and why I didn’t accomplish some things.

Plus, my 30th Birthday Bucket List is full of great ideas that I just want to talk about, and from past experience, you don’t mind that.

Okay, this introduction is long enough! Let’s dive into what I accomplished in my 29th Birthday Bucket List!

Reviewing My 29th Birthday Bucket List

I’ve changed how I am reviewing my 29th Birthday Bucket List compared to previous reviews by actually sharing with you what occurred within each item because this year seemed to need a lot of explaining.

A lot changed in my life, and it required shifts in priorities.

Also, I realized that just blogging about my 29th Birthday Bucket List wasn’t enough, so changes will be made moving forward.

You’ll find those specific changes within my 30th Birthday Bucket List.

1 // Travel to one new place each month

Whether it was a new restaurant local to me or a new town or scenic place, I made sure to cross this one off the list!

I especially loved my time traveling to Fayetteville, AR, because I got to visit Natural Dam, AR, and Devil’s Den State Park. Both were gorgeous, even in the hot August days.

2 // Grow a butterfly and bee garden

It wasn’t as big as I wanted, but it counts nonetheless! We had poppies and bachelor’s button. They are both beautiful!

3 // Learn how to make chicken feed instead of purchasing it already made.

For some reason, I forgot this was on my list… How I did that I am not sure, but I have a plan to ensure I don’t forget next year’s list!

I did read about fermenting their feed to extend how long the feed lasts and how much better it is for them. I’ll possibly give that a try, although I may not include that on my bucket list for this next year. 😉

4 // Make all cleaning products instead of purchasing them

Believe it or not, I’m still working through my cleaning supplies. That’s what happens when you purchase concentrates, I guess. But when I run out, I will start making my own.

5 // Make all skincare products instead of purchasing them.

I haven’t run out of my backup supply yet, so another thing I need to keep working to finish. I have cleaned up my skincare routine quite a bit and use single oils, like jojoba oil, for a facial cleanser.

6 // Learn how to make kombucha

I can say that I have done this, but I haven’t continued with it. I will say that I did enjoy learning how to make it, and may pick it up again in the future.

7 // Start my new business endeavor

This is one goal I set for myself but was very vague about what it entailed. My heartfelt called to grow my blog into a business last year, but I wasn’t ready to say anything out loud.

It was something I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30, and I DID IT!

I actually went full-time with my online business on June 1st, which was a full month and 20 days before my original goal!

8 // Grow my passive income to match my active income.

Still working on this one! Since going full-time with my online business, I am putting this goal into high gear. My plan is to accomplish this by the end of the year, if not sooner.

9 // Find a homestead mentor

I think there was too much pressure on this item. I admire so many wonderful homesteaders and realized that I have the ability to be mentored by all of them.

Even though this isn’t a direct one-on-one mentorship, each of them has so much value to offer.

If you have yet to see my 20 Questions Homesteading Style Series, you should! If you’re looking for a mentor, this is the perfect series to see if you connect with someone!

10 // Build a pig pen and grow some piglets

We decided to put this off with all the changes that came this year with both of our careers.

There needed to be some stability to our lives, and adding another animal to our homestead right now just didn’t feel right.

My husband and I take pride in doing all we can for our animals, and we knew adding to our plate may create a lack in that space that we didn’t want. Who knows what the future holds, though?

11 // Draw up our house plans and get estimates

One thing I love about my husband is his love for changing things. haha! We ended up changing plans to another house, which we both agree feels more like home.

I did have my heart set on the first set of plans we chose, but after seeing both styles in person, we knew changing the plans was the best option.

So we do have the plans drawn up enough to get started, and have started the foundation of our home!!

We still need to work through getting estimates, but that part of the work is still a ways away.

12 // Become consistent with a self-care routine

I’m so happy to say that I do some kind of self-care every day now.

Whether it be walking around our property, doing an extensive facial, going to bed earlier than normal, or what have you, I am officially in a consistent routine!

Related Post: Mental Cleanse Challenge <— Full of self-care goodness!

13 // Grow the size of my wardrobe

I did this, and then I decluttered… So I still need to work on being comfortable with a larger wardrobe.

With working from home, it is easy to get caught in a t-shirt and jeggings routine.

I’m trying to find a comfortable middle of looking nicer than comfy, but not business attire. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

14 // Save $50 per week

I actually did far better than this, but it was because I wanted a solid emergency fund for changing careers.

I’m also a natural saver, so this was a fun goal to work towards each week.

15 // Learn how to make soap

Didn’t get around to this, simply because I didn’t make it a priority. I really want to learn how to make my own soaps, so hopefully, I will get to this very soon!

16 // Plan and book our next vacation

While I have my next vacation booked, I haven’t firmly decided on our next marriage retreat-style vacation. We were thinking about visiting Oregon, but where would you suggest?

17 // Learn to love exercising

I used this one as a learning lesson. There are just some things you aren’t going to love, and for me, exercising is something I’m just not going to love.

I do my best to move every day, and that is enough for now.

18 // Start an herb garden

I have rosemary bushes growing! I love them so much and cannot wait to add more to it.

I’ll also say that we did have lavender planted, but my fur baby decided she didn’t want me to grow anywhere I planted it. Darn, fur baby! haha!

19 // Plant fruit trees

I opted for blueberry bushes, but they didn’t make it… Hoping to try again in the spring because I love me some berries!

20 // Quit drinking sodas

I’ve significantly reduced how many sodas I drink a week, and I’m down to 1 or 2!

I only drink them if they are in a can or at a restaurant. I’ve stopped running into a gas station for them, which has helped so much!

21 // Read 3 books

I remember reading and listening to books, but I didn’t keep count. I read:

• The Heirloom Life Gardener: The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally
• High-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way
• The Minimalist Home

22 // Forgive the past

This is a work in progress, but I have worked hard to forgive all I can.

Thanks to learning about how our body holds onto memories, moments of harm, and moments of joy, I’ve learned how to access these moments and release them as necessary.

I know this sounds crazy, but it has honestly changed my life! My body and mind are much more relaxed compared to how I felt a year ago.

23 // Become consistent with practicing yoga

I practice yoga, but not consistently. But I am a lot more mindful of stretching my body, which counts as a win to me!

24 // Visit a corn maze

Why have I not done this yet?? I’m 30, for crying out loud!

25 // Give a helping hand to my husband when he works on his equipment

I definitely marked this one off the list this year! We used to work together on projects all the time, but somehow we strayed away from this.

With setting this as an intention, we reconnected with working together on his projects like we used to before we were married. It honestly feels so good to be back in this space again!

26 // Go a month without watching Netflix

Does ignoring the TV while my husband watches something count?

Living in a studio-style apartment, it is difficult to set this as an intention when your spouse uses it as an unwinding tool.

27 // Blog consistently

To be honest, I didn’t do this as well as I wanted with this. I am working to fix that now.

28 // Finish Elite Blog Academy

Still working through things, but I’ve made great progress! I am confident that I’ll finish this before the end of 2019.

29 // Loose my “Winter Weight” and never find it again!

I’ve learned to love myself and my body more this year. While I have lost some weight, I haven’t lost all that I intended, and that is okay.

Final thoughts about my 29th Birthday Bucket List

What I love most about my 29th Birthday Bucket List is that it isn’t about how many things you do or do not complete. The point of it is to try and see where it takes you.

Several of these things weren’t completed because of life changes or other things. However, I know that not by not creating this list I wouldn’t have accomplished as much as I did.

Moving forward with my Birthday Bucket Lists, I’m going to set intentions that get me outside of my comfort zone. For the past 3 years, my lists have consisted of things I knew/wanted to accomplish. While some things encouraged growth, many things didn’t.

Also, I’m creating a tracker that I follow up with each month to evaluate my progress. I hate that I forgot about a few items on this list because I would have accomplished them had I not forgotten.

Now onto the Giveaway!

THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED AND CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!

For the past year, I’ve worked really hard to live more sustainably. My conversations with this community tell me you want to do the same, so I thought a Birthday Giveaway was the PERFECT excuse to share some of my favorite things with you!

There will be 2 prizes given for this giveaway:

1. Low Waste Bundle [curated by yours truly!]
2. A Numi tea sampler pack that I’ve put together for you!

The Low Waste Bundle includes:

• 1 set of Juniperseed Mercantile Reusable Cotton Rounds
• 1 set of Juniperseed Mercantile Reusable Cloth Napkins
• BeesWrap
• 1 mesh reusable bag
• 1 tote bag
• Crapchute Hand Bag
• 3 ChicoBag Reusable Snack Bags
• 1 ChicoBag Produce Bag Set

The Numi Tea sampler pack includes:

• 6 SURPRISE samples
• 1 Box of Numi Impact – Keeping it Real Sampler (6 bags)
• 1 Box of Numi Organic Matcha Toasted Rice Tea (18 bags)

Rules for the giveaway include:

• You MUST be 21 years of age.
• You MUST live within the continental United States.

I’m so sorry if you’re not within the United States, but due to the laws and shipping prices, I have to keep it within those parameters. Hopefully, this will change in the future.

Also, this giveaway is not sponsored by anyone. I put this together on my own accord as a way to say THANK YOU for being a part of this community!

What were your takeaways from this list? Did you gain the inspiration to try a bucket list for your next birthday? If so, I’d love for you to share below in the comments!

Also, if you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow me on Pinterest!

Related Posts:

• 27th Birthday Bucket List
• 28th Birthday Bucket List
• 30th Birthday Bucket List