"Settling down"

I think we drifted into it really but noticed ti after we bought and moved into our own house, we found ourselves wanting to be there more rather than go out. Now we onyl seem to go out on people's birthdays or a special anniversary, unless it's a quick trip to the pictures or something.

I guess it happened around 25 for me and we've got more and more setlled over the years ever since!

God knows. I would say I've "settled down" because I'm married but I certainly haven't calmed down my social life. I just behave when I'm out. ?

I guess it's your definition but I wasn't up (pre-smoking ban) for sitting in crowded smokey pubs every night once I was pregnant and then my son stole my social life ?

I have "settled down" a bit in my social life but im not "settled down" as in having a live in partner or married. but im at that stage in life now where i want to get married and "settle down" im 27 in july.

I don't think I have yet ?

I have certainly 'calmed down' since I have been with my boyfriend. But I still like to party as much as I can, I just don't take random strangers home anymore ?

When I say party, I don't mean clubbing, in fact, I can't remember the last time I went to a club, I prefer going to bars and then going back to someones house, or back to mine to party.

I don't really think of having less of a social life as "settling down" really - I guess in my head settling down is more when you've moved into a place you'll be living in for the forseeable future. Either way though, we haven't settled down yet and we're 29 and 32. We go out about three times a week, normally together but sometimes separately, sometimes just the two of us and sometimes with friends. I think that's a reasonable social life, less than I used to go out as an undergraduate I guess!

We also haven't settled down as in finding our permanent home yet - we haven't even decided which continent we'd like to live on yet! ?

Not going to happen is it? ?

17, when I left and home and moved in with fiance

L
xx

We've just bought a house *picks woodchip out of hair*, so are starting that a bit, but still go out lots, together and seperately. In saying that, that is what we like doing: I know 20 year olds who don't go out much, and other people who are much older who are out all the times, so horses for courses and all that.

I had a mini-crisis on saturday night when my plans fell through, mr p was away and no other friends wanted to go out. I may have branded them all boring farts in my strop, but I got over it eventually.

I'm 25 btw.

It's interesting to see how everyone else views it/does it and ? at ONE, maybe one day

We've had quite long period of what I think of as settling down, moreso me I guess but think I've reached a phase of wanting to go out more but am conscious it's maybe more of me having a "crap I'm starting to feel old crisis" which I'm not sure is healthy ?

Really? ? ?

I sort have settled down - I'm married, own a house, enjoy nights in, don't really want to go clubbing all night popping pills...but I still enjoy a bloody good night out and I'm going on holiday to Greece without Mr W and taking a girl friend instead in 3 weeks.

I guess after I met H when I was 26 - I mean, settled as in secure in our relationship but we still live busy lives and have interests outside of each other. We're not party animals but then, we never were.

Hmmm....I don't feel as though we're really "settled down" yet in the sense of preferring not to go out - we probably have more nights in than I did when I was single but I think that's pretty normal. We often go out drinking/clubbing with friends as we're both really into dance music - in fact if anything I think we've been going out more this year than we did in the last couple of years as we're planning to start TTC next year so are cramming in as many nights of drinking and dancing as we can, while we can!

? In the biblical sense! Photos on Facebook suggest not in any other way I suppose.

Jaz, aren't you a little young to be having a mid-life crisis my lovely??

Jaz - I think I went through something similar a few years ago, I think its known as quarter life crisis (no joke). I bought my first house with H at age 22 (we weren't married then), and after that we were quite strapped for cash so tended to stay in more. I wanted to go out and have fun with friends etc, and thought oh gawd, im so old already, im wasting my youth etc and thought it was the biggest mistake ever. H was really happy "settled down" particularly because he moved a lot as a child with his dad's job.So I freaked out and to cut a long story short we had a "trial separation". I moved in with my parents for about 2 months, and did go out with friends, had my "independence" back for a while, but I realised that what I had before was what I was ready for, even at 22 (always had an old head on my shoulders). I dont know if any of this is what you are thinking, and ive probably rambled on, but thought i'd share in case it helps ? x

I count settling down as when I stopped sleeping around ? Obviously I stopped sleeping with other blokes when I met the husband, so I guess this is when I settled down. As for the boring staying in/ babies/ etc stuff, it aint ever gonna happen I'm afraid.

Anna what you said sounds quite familiar actually, thank you for sharing ?

I meant to reply to this sooner but have been hitching mainly from my phone which is too annoying to reply with ? but I wanted to say thanks for the replies, it's really interesing to see different perspectives on it all

I guess I settled down about 2 years ago when I moved in with my now fiance so I would have been 22.

We're more settled down than we were - its come as a bit of a surprise but with one baby and another on the way and a house we're doing up and grown up jobs I guess that's where we are (I'm 33, Mr Rabbit is 35 this year)

That said, when we can offload the smalls we still enjoy nights out like we used to, we did the apres ski thing on holiday like we've always done and we don't spend evenings watching TV together each evening ... so I guess we are but we aren't

To me settling down came when my priorities changed, when we got married, having our first house together and having grown up responsibilities.

Quarter life crisis is totally true, I got married at 24 (as did a few of my friends) and within a year I was the only one of the "marrieds" not pregnant, I didn't fit in that group anymore and felt like an old fart because I didn't have the disposable income of my friends who were house sharing or still living with their parents to go out all the time. Career pressure, baby having pressure, pensions etc all felt a bit much and I did have a bit of a wobble, still do occasionally, glad to know it's not just me.

WHS

Since we got the house and mortgage we find that we rarely go out anymore, and if we do it's generally just to friends houses for food/drinks. I was about 22 when this happened, poor H was only a baby at 19!!

I guess i settled down at around 32. Late I know, but I went back to Uni at age 26 and lived like a teenager till I graduated at 29. Then I moved to London and did some serious partying. i met H adn we moved in together pretty quickly, but our lifestyle was still pretty wild. Lots of parties, festivals etc.

I don't think i really settled down till we started TTC.

I'm now 35 (just!) and feel sooooooooooooooooooo boring.

Maybe settling down is when you start going over to friends' for dinner parties rather than house parties?

In all honesty our social life is very similar to how it always was - we've never been clubbing types. I guess at Uni we both went out slightly more, but it still tended to be Student Quizs or the pub rather than clubs.

We have a lovely, lovely flat that I love spending time in, and we've always had jobs which mean that we tend to be one in/one out, so the rare evenings we're both around we like to hang out together. Also as Hs work is mostly in bars/music venues, being at home makes a nice change ? We love having people over though, and it tends to get quite drunken and end up with SingStar and silliness.

I probably go out with work friends or meet up with an old friend (sans H) once a week, or once a fortnight if I'm very busy.

Ocassionally I think that my life 'should' be more exciting or dramatic, but tbh I quite like it as it is ?