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Please don't feel down about renting. I sold my property when I moved to France and paid off every single debt - I owe nothing to anybody now and will never again.
I learnt when I lived in France that most people rent - fewer buy. After all - what is the gain? Something to leave to our children? They should make their own ways in life and not depend on an inheritance.
I had to return to the UK for health reasons (but am planning to go back when possible). I found that house prices had risen here alarmingly and I was well out of the market. But, taking my French experience into consideration, I don't feel that renting a property is second best. After all - you do not have to pay for repairs and that is a huge consideration.
I really think that people in the UK have been brainwashed into believing that the only way is to be a property owner - why?
Surely the best way is to be free of debt - including mortgage debt - but too many people somehow don't see mortgage as a debt - that baffles me.
Feel happy with your situation and relieved that the huge amount owed on a mortgage is no longer yours.
Thank you for you kind words - I agree that there is so much emphasis in this country on owning the house you live in but confess I don't really understand why!
I am actually starting to feel quite excited about finally being debt-free and not tied to one particular place!:D It's been interesting reading the arguments for both sides of owning/renting though (I have just finished catching up on this thread!)0 -
Oh good! That makes five of us thenGrumpycupple wrote: »:T Come the revolution I'll carry the banner.:D
[my 'baby' is so ashamed to be seen with me when I 'go off on one' ] & I'm trying to find the words of the TRex version of Children of the Revolution; my addled grey matter can only recall one line of the chorus :rotfl: Then again, we're huge Who fans..& Queen..so make sure you bring your wind-up solar powered cassette player too 
I've found that stuff I was whittering on about, with the school uniforms *wipes brow after finding proof I'm not as doo-lally as you lot thunk me wuzz*. There's a good bit of other info too & some relating to the question posed in this week's e-mail. Have a look HERE.Full time Carer for Mum; harassed mother of three;loving & loved by two 4-legged babies.
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BMF, I think we were separated at birth ! I am exactly the same when it comes to jumped-up little prats who think they are something. And snooty schools who think they are some kind of god.0
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BMF, I think we were separated at birth ! I am exactly the same when it comes to jumped-up little prats who think they are something. And snooty schools who think they are some kind of god.
That could be the Scottish influence perhaps.
A mans a man fa all that.
Eton didn't do Cameron much good in history. Wee lad got it all wrong :rotfl:Then God looked over all he had made, and said, "I can see idiots from my house".
Noam Chromsky "There's nothing wrong with picking the lesser of two evils"...you end up with less evil.0 -
You can make one before you get married and it will remain valid, you just need to have a clause added that the will is being made "in contemplation of marriage".
Don't wait. If you can afford it now, get it sorted now.
We made ours within 2months of us moving in together. OH wanted to make sure I would be well looked after as well as his children. He didnt want his ex wife to receive anything, if you have ex's and specifically dont want them to have anything, make sure you write it in the will.
Got to make another one in october though when we marry.Loved our trip to the West Coast USA. Death Valley is the place to go!0 -
Luckily the primary school uniform prices my boys attend aren't too bad. They demand the school jumper and book bag which is about £10.50 but apart from the above that's it. Every year a letter is sent out by the head teacher saying "DO NOT buy new p.e kits just reuse OLD clothes":T, which is brilliant. The headteacher also gives out lists of where to get the cheapest swim trunks, polo shirts, black trousers, plain black shoes etc. The school does have its own water bottles, coats etc but they not compulsory. But i have had many arguments over school policy and the head teacher knows fine well i will kick off. The whole school knows me now from the time i marched in there with the truancy officer saying DS1 in in *** and DS2 is in ***. Now where's my £50 for wasting MY time during MY study period. So yes count me in the revolution, even the my eldest walks away now when i start.0
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Luckily the primary school uniform prices my boys attend aren't too bad. They demand the school jumper and book bag which is about £10.50 but apart from the above that's it. Every year a letter is sent out by the head teacher saying "DO NOT buy new p.e kits just reuse OLD clothes":T, which is brilliant. The headteacher also gives out lists of where to get the cheapest swim trunks, polo shirts, black trousers, plain black shoes etc. The school does have its own water bottles, coats etc but they not compulsory. But i have had many arguments over school policy and the head teacher knows fine well i will kick off. The whole school knows me now from the time i marched in there with the truancy officer saying DS1 in in *** and DS2 is in ***. Now where's my £50 for wasting MY time during MY study period. So yes count me in the revolution, even the my eldest walks away now when i start.
Think primary school much cheaper than secondary but my mate paid double for acudies for her daughters school I just brought 2 10.50 each, book bag, pe bag and sunhat .
why did truant officer call.
lea say kid allowed 10days out for hols.
But va school eldest starts at in sept says no to holiday during term
in hols everything inflated so might have to do long weekend instead.
Also in addition to uniform school wants voluntary giving/donations.
some parents set up dd for 25quid a month.
Also loads of undraising and endless collections.pad by xmas2010 £14,636.65/£20,000::beer:
Pay off as much as I can 2011 £15008.02/£15,000:j
new grocery challenge £200/£250 feb
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON:D,Onwards and upward2013:)0 -
We bought our house when mortgages were still easy to get. We could have borrowed more but thankfully didn't as DH was made redundant, a year unemployed & now on a lot less pay. I run a very tight ship financially. We are over paying the mortgage but I see this as a necessity not a luxury, we were on a fixed rate, we are still paying the same amount even though now we are on the base rate & the official payments are less. Interests rates will go up so I'm just trying to give us some leeway by over paying & I didn't want us to get used to living on more money only to then lose it as interest rates increased as we were already used to living on less when DH was unemployed. Hopefully it will be a long time before rates go up to what our fixed rate used to be & by then hopefully DH will be bringing in more money, I'll have finished my degree so also be earning & we will be able to keep the house.
I know we could rent privately but having worked in the past at the CAB dealing with housing issues that's something I'd work extremely hard to avoid. Unless you are a council or HA tenant renting can be extremely problematic. So we live as if the mortgage was still at the same rate as before & I never pay a penny less on it even though it can make buying other things challenging.0 -
Sorry for long post but it is so good to be able to read others views & to share mine with others as I feel that if I try to tell friends & children how I feel it looks as if I am going nutty but I have lived through the hard times like many others on this thread & I remember how hard it was bringing up 2 children & keeping the home going when interest rates were sky high & people will not know what has hit them if this happens again.
I remember those high interest rates:eek:. I had even more of a struggle than I had anticipated because of them....
Those who have mortgages really do need to bear in mind that interest rates at present are VERY low indeed and are bound to go up at some point I would have thought. Anyone who possibly can really should pay off mortgage as fast as they possibly can. I cannot urge that strongly enough. Two reasons:
a. Because those interest rates are likely to go up again at some point - and the less they owe the easier they will find it to cope with the higher interest rates.
b. Because it has to be borne in mind that it is only £6,000 of savings one is allowed to have before the State starts means-testing you out of any benefit money you are due if you become unemployed. So - work out what savings you have now (and - yes - everyone should have SOME if they possibly can against a rainy day....) and add to that the amount of redundancy money you will get if you get made redundant and see if that takes you over £6,000. If it would - then use that money now and repay as much mortgage capital as you possibly can - and then you can't lose any of it if unemployment hits:D0 -
£6k a year is a lots money but what can you do?!
The houses on my street are £550 (no garden, if the house has a garage then no yard, not enough room),minimum so know how she feels.
I also refuse point blank to pay for a tv licence, had them round last month to do the yearly check, and yep even thats out now. I need the money for other things. My family think i'm mad as i have shelves of books in every room, board games piled up, dvds stacked ready for us to watch. But thats the way i am and hopefully me being like this will influence my boys in the future. While they have full package deals and complain about having no money. Em get rid sky/virgin then that will save you a fortune. For a lot of people though (esp where i grew up) having a sky dish is essential and is seen as being poor if you don't have it. Yes i strange sounds incredibly idiotic but true.
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I suspect for every person who would say "you're poor - not to have Sky" - that I could find you one in reverse who would say "Another Sky dish - how chavvy...". Horses for courses.....
Personally - I don't see the point in having a t.v. at all - as I can perfectly well watch the odd t.v. programme I'm interested in on IPlayer or the like after the event. It's not as if there's much I fancy watching anyway - as the level of t.v. programmes on offer isn't much good......repeats...repeats...yet another cheapie cooking programme....repeats....:cool:.
So - thats £150 or whatever the t.v. licence costs that I have available for other things:D and when tvs went digital I simply didnt bother with paying out for a new t.v. The old one went out the door and that was that - end of having a t.v....0
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