Ahh I feel like the worst blogger in the world of late! Do you ever get so tired that all you want to do is veg out?! I completely lost all my creative juices over the last month! But rest assured, it was all for a very good reason... we only went & brought a house!!! Massive tick off the New Years resolutions list. Still working on the 'be more like Kimmy Schmidt' one... must be more positive!
But yes, my boyfriend & I took the leap & invested in a property up North near his family. I don't normally chat about a load of personal bits, as I'm not sure it makes the most interesting of content, but this is just too exciting to hold in. And it's not just the photos of the house I wanted to share with you, but how proud I am of us for dealing with so many unknowns & learning a lot along the way. For example dealing with the solicitors, estate agents & a lot of DIY. We spent the last week painting, sawing, drilling, cleaning, gardening... and it was so much fun! Learning new skills. The house is looking sharp!
But as an effect of all of this, I must admit my commitment to the gym & blogging has been dragging. I did however maintain a relatively healthy diet, so luckily maintaining my progress so far. There's only 24hrs in a day & it's so important to look after yourself too. So I'm not going to kick myself - onwards & upwards!
The plan now? Alas we won't be moving into the house... which breaks my heart after spending a weak lovingly doing it up! But we'll be renting for a while to help pay off the mortgage.
Why am I sharing this? Because I know how hard & somewhat impossible it seams for my generation to even get onto the property ladder! So I wanted to share what really helped me, in the hope that it can help some of you too!
1. Save Your Ass Off - I'm not going to lie, saving for a house is hard & takes a lot of time, so it's important you stay strong! Really look at your spending - stop buying lunch & coffee every day, bring it from home; reconsider whether you need all those direct debits or could you opt for something cheaper & stop impulse buying - I wait at least a few days before buying, as normally I find I know longer want the item! And always ask yourself if you can do it cheaper - such as holidays... do you need to go to that expensive location or is there elsewhere, a different time of year or even consider an air bnb! Trust me, it's amazing how much you can save if you really analyse your spending.
2. Set a Goal - Again, really analyse your monthly spending. Such as direct debits, food, petrol, weekly spending allowance... and work out a realistic, yet substantial goal to save each month.
3. Consider Location - If you're like me & live in a close proximity to London, you might want to look elsewhere! It would take me a lot longer & be a lot harder mortgage to afford a 3 bed in Surrey in comparison to Yorkshire. But equally you ideally want to chose a location that you have a connection with & you or someone else knows well. So consider where family or friends live, where you went to uni or perhaps previously lived. Can make a huge difference to whether it is affordable!
4. But to Let - finally I would advise anyone to go along this route! Even if it's just for the first 10yrs of your mortgage, it will help you with paying it off, whilst you replenish your savings a little! Most definitely a worth while investment!
Anyway, hope that helps anyone considering buying! Dream big & stay strong - it's all worth it. And I promise I'll be back in the swing of it shortly with more fitness & food fun for you all!!! Speak soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment