Please help - I'm literally paying to work!

kittiej

Hi Suz

If you've got a degree could you not do some home tutoring in your area?

Or what about the OU?

Just an idea

annamc75

I would speak to the council to see if there is any help for any of these jobs given the property is over 100 years old.
Do you know how much the work will cost? I notice that you have considerable savings - I know that your wont want to spend it all but can some of that not go to the wind and waterproofing the house. The longer this work goes undone the more it is costing you not to do it.

MyLastFiver

Suz, I've just written a long post which I'll modify now I've read your reply above, and also your PM.

1. Your line of work - you haven't said one positive thing about it. What attracts you to it?

2. The work on the house - for "£30-£40k or more"? Well is it £30k? Or £40k? Or More? If so, how much more? How many quotes have you had? Can you do some of it yourself, or get mates in? You need to arm yourself with certainties rather than have this cloud of general gloom hanging over your head. Why don't you just get shut, rather than worry about raising the money to do this work? (see below)

3. You say you would only have 12 months of savings to live on if you paid off your mortgage. My dear, I have zero savings. Nowt. And I have a mortgage. And a wife and baby. Most people on the DFW board, indeed most people in this land, are in the same boat. How much sleep do I lose over it? Not a jot. So you worry about ONLY having 12 months' income in savings? I wish I had your worries :-)

Here's an illustration of the sort of options you have: You have a house worth £110000, plus £19000 in the bank. Is the house worth that even with the structural fault? If so, you could sell up and, after fees and mortgage settlement, have £110000 in the bank. I live in a beautiful tourist town in the Pennines in Yorkshire - it's real Last of the Summer Wine/Heartbeat/Emmerdale type territory. Your £110000 would buy a house like mine - Conservation Area, 3 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, large kitchen and dining room over 4 floors - for CASH. And it's a friendly little town and a cheap, pain-free commute to Manchester, Bradford or Leeds, all big cities with lots of different employment opportunities.

There are other places in the country, just as beautiful, where it's even cheaper. Go and buy a croft on the Isle of Skye :-)

Or forget buying a house and take your money off round the world for a year. Or two. Or three. :-)

Even if you had to discount your house because of the structural faults, you'd still be £60 to 70k or so up - you could move anywhere and only need a small mortgage.

I'm not suggesting that moving to Yorkshire will be the answer to your prayers - just showing you that you have exciting options, more so than most. In your line of work, London is NOT the only place where there are jobs.

OK so the housing market is flat at the moment but I think it would be worth discounting your house for a quick sale in order to get shut of it. If I owned outright a house which needed £40k plus spending on it, I would get shut, take the money, set up somewhere I'd be happy, and have a good long holiday and a few nights out into the bargain :-) Even if, in the current climate, it takes a year to sell, it will sell.

You wouldn't have to buy straight away - you could rent somewhere to begin with until you settled down. You've got the money - use it to improve your life.

So what is the source of your inertia? What is tying you to this money-pit of a house, and this dreadful job?

It's within your power to change the things which are making you unhappy.

whitewing

MyLastFiver wrote: »

It's within your power to change the things which are making you unhappy.

I do agree with that! It does seem that you could be on the verge of a remarkable adventure, Suz. That's why I kept pushing staying in London. I'd love to live there for a few months.

MyLastFiver

whitewing wrote: »

I do agree with that! It does seem that you could be on the verge of a remarkable adventure, Suz. That's why I kept pushing staying in London. I'd love to live there for a few months.

I lived in London for six years - it was great. And expensive. Now I've moved back up north, have a much nicer house, that was cheaper than my flat in Battersea, don't have to get on the tube every morning, don't have to worry about nutters and crackheads, don't have to pay £3 for a beer, etc etc.

London is great if you have money. If you're skint it can be miserable :-)

Kantankrus_Mare

Have just sat and read through this whole thread and am really curious to know what field the OP is in and why the big secrecy

I know I certainly wouldn't put myself through all the commuting and the cost that goes with this to work for something which may never happen.

Come on OP..........what is it you do?

flea72

why is the OP being so vague about what their 'career' is? if we knew what field it was, maybe people could offer alternative ways on making money

I know of very few post grad careers that only require someone to work 20 odd hours a week, and pays £8.50/hr. No-brainer secretarial jobs (i should know im one of them) pay more than that.

however the hours you work, mean you could easily take on a 2nd job. if buying a season ticket, then you might as well get another job near your current one, as the pay should in reality be higher than near your home, and the travel is already paid for

However, i cannot see that it is worthwhile you doing all this travelling. Ok you have had bad experiences in your past few jobs, but that doesnt mean the whole of the south coast is a bad place to work. even getting a minimum wage job near your home, would mean you take home more than you currently do. I would give up on the 'career'. it obviously isnt for you, so find something that is. Life is too short, to spend half of it commuting, and being miserable.

I would apply for anything and everything workwise. you dont know if its you until you have done it. as said above

ive got friends who spent 10+ years following their preferred career, and spent the whole time moaning about it. things finally came to a head, and they now work in the local supermarket for a few days a week. guess what, ive never heard them moan about their job since

So, whilst your sitting on that train, during your long, expensive commute, have a good long think about where you are happiest. Is it in london, working for no gain, or could it be somewhere else, that you have yet to discover

Flea

firesidemaid

many of the last few posts make lots of sense.

i am trying my hardest to pay off the mortgage so i don't HAVE to do my current job which is great and well paid but stressful at the same time.

then i can do whatever i want! i would like to work part-time, don't mind if it is minimum wage, do some volunteering, pet sitting and have an ebay business - i dream of this every day! all as near as possible to where i live.

it is true that without any mortgage, then the world is your oyster.

why not use some of your savings to 'create' that 2nd bedroom (?or a self contained studio where the utility room is now) to rent out and give you an income?

if you like where you live why not move back eventually, but make sure you give yourself a social/life and create your own worklife/business.

ooh, i'm excited for you x

MyLastFiver

The OPer works in a fairly narrow field and, given that she has already said where she lives, she fears that if she also gives her occupation then people who know her might work out who she is. Fair enough I think.

I agree with firesidemaid - I'm excited for her too!

annamc75

Ok Fiver - but is there a future in her career field? Is there transferable skills? Surely she can give us something to work with - after all we are trying to help her and without the full picture it is very hard to see why anyone with £19000 in the bank would put themselves through hell and back for a house that is falling into disrepair and a career that is paying worse than state benefits would.