I hate you Northerners.

LillyJ

meester wrote: »

Actually I'm not working at all at the moment. Doesn't stop me going away on holiday next month. :beer:

We go away a fair bit, not because we hate where we live or our jobs, but because we enjoy it.
We have been travelling a lot but for normal holidays this year we have been to Spain for a week, Greece for a week and are going skiiing in Jan.
it cost us less than £100 each to go to Spain and that was including car hire (we went camping in a beautiful, quiet part of northern Spain). The amount we saved on household bills during the week covered some of it!
I know people who spend that on a night out (once taxis, drinks, entrance fees and a late night trip to the chip shop are accounted for!).
Why people think holidays abroad are a real luxury is beyond me. It's just what I prefer to spend my money on. Our holiday to Spain cost us less than £10 a month each if spread over the year, and it was well worth it - had a fab time.

Greece was more expensive but it was more luxurious and was a treat as we have had a rubbish year (in terms of family health problems). We didn't whack it on the credit card though, we used money we had saved, and it still wasn't through the roof in terms of price.

A friend of mine complains she can never go abroad because she can't afford it. But her and her OH have "treat night" once a week where they get a takeaway (always proper Dominos not cheapo pizza place), a bottle of wine, a DVD and lots of chocolate. Yes I love evenings like that too, but if they cut them down to one a fortnight she would be able to go on holiday.

Pizza £15
DVD £4
Wine £5
Chocolate £3

£27 per night like this, at 4 a month that's over £100 a month. If they cut it down to 2 a month, they would save £50 a month - £600. Enough for a nice holiday for 2, with some left over!

brixham

Think of us in Torbay.

Loads on min wage due to large tourist industry, fishing in decline due to fuel costs, over inflated house prices due to second homes,useless transport links, highest water rates in the country as we have to keep all our beaches clean.........

Ah that has made me stop and think..........5 mins walk to the beach, swimming and sailing in summer, warm summers and ice/snow VERY rare in winter, countryside, moorland and sea all on our doorstep.

Anyone feel sorry for us now ?

HankMcSpank

I'm a native Geordie...moved to London in 1991 - tripled my salary & had real purchasing power then.

Now, after being here 17 years, the housing situation has just got totally stupid (particularly between Q4 2005 -> Q3 2007 ...60% increases!) - I'm now running to stand still....the place just wears me out (even just leaving the house to buy The Whippet Fancier's Gazette!). It's overrun with Immigrants all claiming a piece of the pie (to which in my mind, they have no claim). My mum lives in North Yorks - bliss when I visit her & see how the North still is.

In short, London is now a suck fest of a place & I can't wait to get the hell out of it (hopefully in 2009)

geoffky

i am just about to have my sixth holiday this year and then buy a 4bed detatched for 200k and a pint is £1.60 in the legion. .its grim up north ...

McKneff

baby_boomer wrote: »

I hope the northerners are nice because I'm probably going to retire oop there.

My inflated London pension should help take advantage of lower northern living costs - if these actually do exist.

nobody, but nobody says oop up here !!!!!

bryanb

anniehanlon wrote: »

nobody, but nobody says oop up here !!!!!

A yorkshire friend of mine, in France, says eyup all the time. Is he winding me up?

StevieJ

Example of a good ole Northern hotel.
http://www.millhotel.com/facilities.htm

Top bar, quality real ales served 1.75 a pint, its grim up North

SGE1

London is fantastic, I love it here.

I know I'll probably cripple myself financially when I get a mortgage, but I honestly don't mind. I enjoy the lifestyle, and I'm willing to pay for it. (I'm not going to comment on the dubious post made earlier about immigrants...)

Clearly London isn't for everyone - I doubt that I'll still be here past 50, but until then, I look forward to enjoying it to the full.

neverdespairgirl

surfcat wrote: »

But people have been moving north to south for years for employment: they have to leave their families. You can't have it both ways!

I don't. I bet a lot of people didn't move south for exactly the same family-based reasons!

poet123

I love to go to London but also could not think of living there. The people do not make eye contact,and if you are in trouble on the street,forget it. My DH saw a well dressed young woman,double up as if in pain at the entrance to a tube station. He could not believe that people passed her by without asking if they could help,he stopped to help,and it turned out she was having a miscarriage. He left after the paramedics arrived. Up north she would have been inundated with help.

The buzz of London cannot compensate for the dog eat dog attitude that is prevalent there. The big cities up north Manchester, Leeds,Liverpool,Newcastle all have a similarcsomoplitian feel without the coldness. Job opportunities in the northern cities also abound,and coupled with decent housing,cost of living(compared to London)and proximity to green space.....it cant be beaten.