At the end of June I'll be 21. I'll be 21 and still living at home with my parents and my girlfriend.
I've been dreaming of moving out for a long time now and the more I look at the figures the more I want to keel over and die. I really feel worthless becasue I just don't have enough money to even think about living some sort of decent life which I could remotely enjoy.
I earn 12.5k a year at the moment and I really don't see that changing much in the very near future. I am qualified upto A level stage and I went to uni for a while but it really wasn't for me. I finished uni and went into a full time job which was 12.5k a year. The problem was is that this job was 40 miles each way, and it was the only thing going for that money. To get there I had to buy a reliable car, so thats cost me 5.5k over 3 years, I have gone through 1 year of that already.
I stuck it out for 4 months untill I was practically forced to leave after they realised I wasn't really "one of them". They practised bad business and I hated it, I made sure I left on good terms before being sacked, just to keep my CV clean.
After doing some odds and ends of contract work I'm now working locally on the same wage at a nice relaxed job. It's a small business and I really enjoy it. We all get along and the business is growing in income quite fast, so I stand in good stead to go up the ladder faster.
I have a girlfriend of over a year and we are both pretty much going to get married one day, without a doubt, I love her and thats that. At the moment shes working too but becasue of the scase jobs in my area shes had to settle for a modern apprenteship at Thompsons (travel agents), which pays a measly £80 week from Tony Blairs back pocket. This goes up in July to £120 becasue he'll be over 19 and in her 2nd year. After 2 years she might or might not be taken on by the company, and it might or might not be the shop shes in now. Shes doing this after doing 2 years at college studying the same thing. What a waste of time and a way to get cheap labour, makes me sick.
Now, where I live, the average house price is £110k for a terraced property in the town I work. How does a young couple totalling an income of just under £20k afford a mortgage for 110k, the leccy, counsil tax, gas, water, food, tv licsense, broadband, phone, and any scope of keeping a bit on the side for this that and the other. Never mind furnishing the place and other little bits like life and home insurance. I'm also paying for my car and car insurance.
I've thought of renting, but the situation remains the same, but you're just throwing money away and you lose the scope of being able to save on top of that if you want to buy somewhere in the future, unless you score big on the lottery or your folks die and leave you a fortune.
I think its mostly down to the area I live in I think. The precious Ribble Valley name comes with a price tag. I couldn't imagine living somewhere else. I've been brought up in the middle of nowhere and I love it. Even moving out a little from the area and it's still just as much and the area is more built up and dodgy.
What I'm asking here really is can anyone help me with some genuine advice? Most here I notice are a little older than myself and must have gone through the same or maybe be in the business. There is only so long I can stand living at home in my room.
I've been dreaming of moving out for a long time now and the more I look at the figures the more I want to keel over and die. I really feel worthless becasue I just don't have enough money to even think about living some sort of decent life which I could remotely enjoy.
I earn 12.5k a year at the moment and I really don't see that changing much in the very near future. I am qualified upto A level stage and I went to uni for a while but it really wasn't for me. I finished uni and went into a full time job which was 12.5k a year. The problem was is that this job was 40 miles each way, and it was the only thing going for that money. To get there I had to buy a reliable car, so thats cost me 5.5k over 3 years, I have gone through 1 year of that already.
I stuck it out for 4 months untill I was practically forced to leave after they realised I wasn't really "one of them". They practised bad business and I hated it, I made sure I left on good terms before being sacked, just to keep my CV clean.
After doing some odds and ends of contract work I'm now working locally on the same wage at a nice relaxed job. It's a small business and I really enjoy it. We all get along and the business is growing in income quite fast, so I stand in good stead to go up the ladder faster.
I have a girlfriend of over a year and we are both pretty much going to get married one day, without a doubt, I love her and thats that. At the moment shes working too but becasue of the scase jobs in my area shes had to settle for a modern apprenteship at Thompsons (travel agents), which pays a measly £80 week from Tony Blairs back pocket. This goes up in July to £120 becasue he'll be over 19 and in her 2nd year. After 2 years she might or might not be taken on by the company, and it might or might not be the shop shes in now. Shes doing this after doing 2 years at college studying the same thing. What a waste of time and a way to get cheap labour, makes me sick.
Now, where I live, the average house price is £110k for a terraced property in the town I work. How does a young couple totalling an income of just under £20k afford a mortgage for 110k, the leccy, counsil tax, gas, water, food, tv licsense, broadband, phone, and any scope of keeping a bit on the side for this that and the other. Never mind furnishing the place and other little bits like life and home insurance. I'm also paying for my car and car insurance.
I've thought of renting, but the situation remains the same, but you're just throwing money away and you lose the scope of being able to save on top of that if you want to buy somewhere in the future, unless you score big on the lottery or your folks die and leave you a fortune.
I think its mostly down to the area I live in I think. The precious Ribble Valley name comes with a price tag. I couldn't imagine living somewhere else. I've been brought up in the middle of nowhere and I love it. Even moving out a little from the area and it's still just as much and the area is more built up and dodgy.
What I'm asking here really is can anyone help me with some genuine advice? Most here I notice are a little older than myself and must have gone through the same or maybe be in the business. There is only so long I can stand living at home in my room.
My girlfriends mum said we'd be mell off when her grandparents croak it as they have a bit of cash behiend them. Cruel I know, and not my money either!