There is a common joke, among child-free people: Without children, your 30s are just like your 20s, but with money. In most respects, that’s accurate, especially for someone like myself, who was never particularly into partying or clubbing. Though I have many creative projects and travel plans that I’m looking forward to, my 30s are not exceptionally different from my 20s — but they would be if I had chosen to pursue motherhood. So far I’ve been focused on continuation — building on the career and relationships I established in my 20s — than on starting anything from scratch. And while there is more “fun money” to go around than when my husband and I were in our 20s, it’s also frustrating when people infer that money must be the reason that I chose to seek sterilization.