What Dating In Your Thirties Is Really Like, According To Reddit

'Everyone by that age has a history.'

Dating at any age can be a minefield, but when you hit your thirties it can be a whole new ball game.

From balancing dating with parenthood to trying to find someone who’s not in “panic mode”, people in their thirties have been revealing what dating is really like.

Thankfully, there are also a lot of plus points - especially now your budget extends beyond Nando’s.

So if you’re heading for 30, here are just a few of the highs and lows you can expect... 

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Vesna Andjic via Getty Images

1. “Dating in your 30s is trying to find someone with the least amount of baggage (emotional, children, etc.), or at least less baggage than you.”

2. “Single mums. Lots and lots of single mums.”

3. “Like watching a movie you’ve already seen a million times and memorised all the lines wishing you could just fast forward to the good part.”

4. “People are unapologetically slutty.”

 

5. “It sucks. You would think that people get better at treating each other well and mature emotionally as they age, but nope.”

6. “I met my partner when I was 30 and he was 37. Honestly the biggest thing is just everyone by that age has a history - he hadn’t been married but had lived with someone several years in his 20s. I didn’t care because it’d be weird to not reach our ages and not have a history I think.”

7. “It’s awesome. Less games, more honesty, better dinners. I have my own place that’s nice, so that’s cool.”

8. “When you get older every new date more and more reminds me of a job interview.”

9. “I am more secure in my career and more experienced in life. If you have invested in something like your career, or life experiences, education, etc, and not just squandered your time merely existing you’ll attract others more or less the same.”

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10. “You run across the 19/20 year olds that like dating ‘older men’, but you soon realise that besides the physical, nothing else really fits.”

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11. “It seems like everyone is in panic mode looking for their next significant other.”

12. “Same as in your twenties, but less drunk.”

Awful Celebrity First Dates
Kim Cattrall (01 of12)
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WHO: Actress Kim Cattrall
DATE: "I went out with an actor who said he'd come to see me in the play I was in and then we'd go out afterward for a drink or dinner. Then he called to downgrade it to nothing after, just him coming to my performance. He showed up at intermission."
Kim Cattrall attends the Broadway opening night of 'Seminar' at The Golden Theatre.
(credit:Getty)
Michael Kors (02 of12)
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WHO: Fashion designer Michael Kors
DATE: "In my twenties, I went to meet my date at a really chic, fashionable restaurant. I wasn't dressed up necessarily, but I had one a nice shirt and jeans. My date showed up in cutoffs and a tank top. I knew half the people in the restaurant, who were all looking at me like 'Who is this guy with Michael Kors?' It was so embarrassing. My tip: Always have your first date at a casual place."
Designer Michael Kors attends the 2012 Human Rights Campaign Gala.
(credit:Getty)
Iman's Tip On How To Avoid Bad Dates (03 of12)
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WHO: Model Iman
DATE:"I moved to the U.S at 18 to model and I thought going out with a stranger alone was a strange concept, so I would always bring along a friend on my first dates. No man ever complained about it, though, because the friend I'd bring along would always be another model."
Model Iman speaks at the 2011 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
(credit:Getty)
Lauren Conrad(04 of12)
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WHO: Fashion designer and blogger Lauren Conrad
DATE: "I've been on a lot more bad first dates than good ones -- there's been so many. For one, my mother set me up, which should have been a red flag. He and I didn't talk for the majority of the date -- we just sat there in awkward silence. I ate as quickly as I could to speed up getting out of there."
TV personality Lauren Conrad arrives at 13th Annual Warner Bros. And InStyle Golden Globe Awards After Party
(credit:Getty)
Kelly Rowland (05 of12)
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WHO: Singer Kelly Rowland
DATE:"I fell asleep on his shoulder, and I slobbered and snored. That was pretty bad. But he shouldn't have take men to see "There's Something About Mary" for my third time. Whoopsie."
Singer Kelly Rowland arrives at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center.
(credit:Getty)
Andie MacDowell (06 of12)
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WHO: Actress Andie MacDowell
DATE: "It's very odd to start dating after being married for a long time and this was one of my first dates since the divorce with my husband. My date might have only been six or seven years older than me, but my kids see me as very youthful. He came to the door to take me out. My daughter was teeny tiny at the time, and she announced, 'Mom, he is too old for you' right in front of him."
Actress Andie MacDowell attends the 'Captive' Premiere during day four of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.
(credit:Getty)
Tommy Hilfiger (07 of12)
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WHO: Designer Tommy Hilfiger
DATE: "I was having dinner with a girl in a restaurant, and I was so incredibly bored -- I had to get out. So I told her I had a business meeting I'd forgotten about and had to leave right then. I certainly don't think she bought it -- luckly I never talked to her again."
Tommy Hilfiger prepares backstage at the Tommy Hilfiger Men's Fall 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
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Jessie J (08 of12)
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WHO: Singer Jessie J
DATE: "I went bowling on a double date...I got excited and I accidentally threw the ball the wrong way -- backward. It was so embarrassing. They were like,'Yeah, she's so uncool.'"
Jessie J arrives at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center.
(credit:Getty)
Eliza Doolittle(09 of12)
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WHO: Singer Eliza Doolittle
DATE: "I went on a blind date, and after that I never, ever did it again. The guy repeated everything he said twice. He'd say, 'So, how are you? How are you?' and I'd say I was fine, and he'd say, 'Good, good.' Or 'I'll have the mac and cheese please, please. Yeah, the mac and cheese' I don't know if there was something actually wrong with him or if it was just a bad habit, but no more blind dates after that."
Eliza Doolittle attends The Peace One Day Celebration 2011.
(credit:Getty)
Salma Hayek (10 of12)
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WHO: Actress Salma Hayek
DATE: "My first date with my husband started badly. I didn't know it was a date. I thought I was going to an event, and then there was just one person at it. I was set up by friends to think I was going to an event, because they knew I wouldn't go on a date. I was angry. And he didn't know, because he thought I knew he was coming just to meet him. It started out really badly. But as you can see, it ended happy."
Salma Hayek arrives at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
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Bear Grylls(11 of12)
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WHO: Adventurer Bear Grylls
DATE: "I made a picnic up on a mountain for a girl, with tables and chairs and three courses. It took me a full day to carry it all up there. But then she never showed, and the wind and rain blew it. The whole night was a washout."
Bear Grylls attends the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards.
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Wendy Williams On Breaking Dates (12 of12)
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WHO: Media personality Wendy Williams
DATE: "I was a smart dating girl. I always had enough money for a cab from wherever I was. I didn't have problems breaking a date. Like I'd say, 'You know what, this date is really not working out. Don't worry -- if you don't pick up the tab, I will, and I'll take a cab back to my house.' If you say it like you mean it, the dates can't be bad -- they just end."
Wendy Williams attends the 20th Anniversary Celebration Of Christian Louboutin.
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