Rainman Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 I'm biased because we moved to Herefordshire but I would fully endorse such a move, low population density so little traffic, great value for money housing, friendly people and great countryside. You're the man I need to talk to. I'll PM you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 I've just returned from a 3 week trip home visiting family. I was also there for 3 weeks last year and spent 3 months working in London in 2013. I'm not walking into this eyes closed, I know the risks and that's why it scares me but I still want to go home. If I was going on my own it wouldn't be a problem but because my family would be making the move as well that's where the dilemma of whether it's the right thing to do or not is giving me so much stress. I'm fortunate that all my family live in Dorset. My Dad and Sister live in Swanage, my brother in Wareham. One morning after staying at my Dad's, I decided to walk from Swanage to Wareham, 12 miles all across fields and footpaths and country lanes barely wide enough for a car with the steam trains going to and from Swanage in the distance. Absolutely loved it. Another day my brother and I walked a few miles along a cliff path to a pub in Worth Matravers called the Square and Compass for a couple of beers and a Pasty. Another time we were on the top deck of the bus from Swanage to Wareham after going to the Swanage Folk festival. There were a bunch of people sitting on the back seat, singing as we got on. No doubt a bit tiddly after a few too many ciders, but in good voice they continued singing wonderful english folk songs in perfect pitch for the entire journey back to Wareham. Please tell me where in Australia you can experience that sort of thing. I know money is always a huge issue but there are experiences in life that money can't buy. You should return as soon as possible if that's how strongly you feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 I've just returned from a 3 week trip home visiting family. I was also there for 3 weeks last year and spent 3 months working in London in 2013. I'm not walking into this eyes closed, I know the risks and that's why it scares me but I still want to go home. If I was going on my own it wouldn't be a problem but because my family would be making the move as well that's where the dilemma of whether it's the right thing to do or not is giving me so much stress. I'm fortunate that all my family live in Dorset. My Dad and Sister live in Swanage, my brother in Wareham. One morning after staying at my Dad's, I decided to walk from Swanage to Wareham, 12 miles all across fields and footpaths and country lanes barely wide enough for a car with the steam trains going to and from Swanage in the distance. Absolutely loved it. Another day my brother and I walked a few miles along a cliff path to a pub in Worth Matravers called the Square and Compass for a couple of beers and a Pasty. Another time we were on the top deck of the bus from Swanage to Wareham after going to the Swanage Folk festival. There were a bunch of people sitting on the back seat, singing as we got on. No doubt a bit tiddly after a few too many ciders, but in good voice they continued singing wonderful english folk songs in perfect pitch for the entire journey back to Wareham. Please tell me where in Australia you can experience that sort of thing. I know money is always a huge issue but there are experiences in life that money can't buy. For us it is a huge number of small things that make us realise we made the right choice. Being able to pop into a beautiful country pub for a drink on the way home from virtually anywhere. Walking in the countryside with little fear of being bitten and stung by all and sundry. Just lots of little things. I was talking to my son yesterday, he was 11 when we arrived, we were talking about what he might want to do when leaving school and I said you can always go back to Australia for work. He looked a bit puzzled and said he has no desire to go back. In one way it's a little sad as it is his homeland but also very satisfying to know he (and his brother) is so settled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Some of the places you have suggested would be closer to 10k annually on the train I would think. Then there's parking the car at the station too and the hassle of the commute and getting to and from whichever London station you end up in. I did it for a while from the Midlands, you won't be enjoying the working week it's a total grind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 40k is not a great salary for London. The distance you are talking about living away from London would incur a horrific commute and a season ticket price in the £5k per year bracket as Newjez has said. Rail travel into London on peak is very expensive. Are you sure you are not just homesick and need a trip home to re-balance and see family? Tough to to say but unless your wife will be the main salary earner, I don't see how your numbers will stack up. Many people live very happily in London on far less than 40k, I would say you can live very well on 40k if you do not live in the wealthiest parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Many people live very happily in London on far less than 40k, I would say you can live very well on 40k if you do not live in the wealthiest parts. I do tend to agree with this, I think it is perfectly doable on that money plus the 2nd income. I've seen similar things said about not being able to live in Sydney on 80k but you can you just can't live like a king. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 I do tend to agree with this, I think it is perfectly doable on that money plus the 2nd income. I've seen similar things said about not being able to live in Sydney on 80k but you can you just can't live like a king. How many people in London survive well of the national average of 25k or even less, I should think many 1000s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Yeah sure in a share house. Or if they have a council house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Reading your posts it seems to me that you have a good handle on all the potential downsides from a financial point of view. These moves (either way) often don't make sense financially (for families anyway). I tend to believe that if it is something a couple really want then they will make it work. In your position I still think sooner must be better than later though if at all possible. Winter should not be a factor-after all you will have to all deal with winters anyway and I suspect the teens will find the first one at least a novelty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Do your children already have a good established relationship with their cousins? I ask because you give this as one of your reasons, and from experience we can't make our kids like or want to spend time with people because they're related. My daughter is in the UK at the moment and some family members haven't left the best impression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 How many people in London survive well of the national average of 25k or even less, I should think many 1000s Renting on the private market will in theory possible, would be as you say survival and little more. Fine when in twenties, especially if from elsewhere and want to experience London, but hardly ideal long term. I doubt if council houses are any easier to obtain from when I lived there, more likely a darn sight harder. Again sharing fine when young, but hardly when wanting to settle into what is considered a more ' norm' life pattern. London has seen a massive increase in thirty something's fleeing in recent years, owing to inhibitive costs. A city where these days foreign investors out bid even rich English.It is increasingly a city unsuitable for 'normal' working people. Quite a change from 1972, when I seem to recall the working class population numbered some 85% of the total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I would return if it was me for reasons other than family. It would be because it is the place I prefer to be on my own terms and anything else, would be but a consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 My brother in law rents the sort of house the OP would be looking at. It is outer London suburb with a train station that people commute in. It is a "ok" 3 bedroom terrace house with a garden, but is on a busy main road. It is £2400 a month. That would be about the entire income of the op. So, his wife would need to earn a net income enough to pay all the bills - gas, electricity, water, council tax, tv license, plus food plus commute costs, plus run a car and that is just survival point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 My brother in law rents the sort of house the OP would be looking at. It is outer London suburb with a train station that people commute in. It is a "ok" 3 bedroom terrace house with a garden, but is on a busy main road. It is £2400 a month. That would be about the entire income of the op. So, his wife would need to earn a net income enough to pay all the bills - gas, electricity, water, council tax, tv license, plus food plus commute costs, plus run a car and that is just survival point. It is possible to pay much less. This place in the suburb we lived in was less than an hour from central London. The nearest station was West Byfleet (15 minute walk) with trains to Waterloo in 40 minutes. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-44642085.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 It is possible to pay much less. This place in the suburb we lived in was less than an hour from central London. The nearest station was West Byfleet (15 minute walk) with trains to Waterloo in 40 minutes. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-44642085.html Your not selling it when you compare it to what you can get 40 mins from Brisbane at that price. Also thats still 60% of his net pay of 40k. Not counting the season ticket for 3k or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Your not selling it when you compare it to what you can get 40 mins from Brisbane at that price. Also thats still 60% of his net pay of 40k. Not counting the season ticket for 3k or whatever. What on earth has Brisbane got to do with it ? If the OP has no interest in Brisbane it's totally irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 My brother in law rents the sort of house the OP would be looking at. It is outer London suburb with a train station that people commute in. It is a "ok" 3 bedroom terrace house with a garden, but is on a busy main road. It is £2400 a month. That would be about the entire income of the op. So, his wife would need to earn a net income enough to pay all the bills - gas, electricity, water, council tax, tv license, plus food plus commute costs, plus run a car and that is just survival point. This is is our experience too. I definitely wouldn't want to do it on that income, or even one a bit higher. Our daughter is a student in London. Last year her rent for a tiny room in a shared terraced house in Collier's Wood was £600 a month (shared with her boyfriend). It was close to the tube so her commuting costs as a student were just over £100 a month. This was significantly cheaper than the previous year when they rented a one bed flat in Norbiton for £1k a month and her commuting costs were much higher (train and tube). Would this be your life if you're in a bedsit 5days a week? Could you afford that plus a home somewhere else? It wasn't just the cost that made them move further into London and a tiny flat, but the fact that the trains were so unreliable. They were often cancelled at the last minute, were so full they didn't stop at the station at all or were simply late. If they did stop, they were dirty and overcrowded. It was a horrible, stressful year and it's (along with the cost of everything) put her off living in London once she's graduated and she loves big cities. You can live outside London, but the commuting costs and hassle would, imo, wipe out any benefits you might gain from it. Is there any chance of work away from the SE? There are so many lovely, more affordable, easier places to live where you'd have a really good life on £40k. You could maybe survive on that salary in the SE, but I don't think you'd have a great standard of living and that might make resentment set in. Why would your wife have to work on a zero hours contract? Yes, there is an ever increasing number of them (or agency contracts with no job security), but they tend to be in the un/low skilled sector. If your wife has a fairly skilled occupation they tend to come with a contract for at least a certain number of guaranteed hours. I completely understand you wanting to be here. I love living in the UK for all the reasons you state, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to compromise what you seem to have there for what would likely be a bit of a struggle here. I'd only do it if I could be sure my and my family's lives would be improved, or at least not negatively impacted by the move. I do feel for you - it's so tough wanting to be somewhere else. You think you can put up with anything just to be where you feel you belong and it's hard to be objective in that situation especially when you feel there are time pressures forcing a decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Your not selling it when you compare it to what you can get 40 mins from Brisbane at that price. Also thats still 60% of his net pay of 40k. Not counting the season ticket for 3k or whatever. I know that as I moved the other way but this is not a move to better their financial position. The OP knows he will lose financially and materially in the short term but that is not the point. He just needs reassurance that it is possible, and it is with a decent second income. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Personally I would forget London altogether and move to the area talked about, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire. The £150k would be around 70% of the purchase price of a nice house in a much nicer environment than London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Personally I would forget London altogether and move to the area talked about, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire. The £150k would be around 70% of the purchase price of a nice house in a much nicer environment than London. Agree, but what's the commute like from those areas bearing in mind the job is in London. The OP mentions driving in but surely that would be a killer and congestion charges/parking costs would be astronomical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 No I mean forget London altogether including the job. For that sort of money it just isn't worth it, move to the favoured area and get a job in that area. There is absolutely no reason why the OPs wife would need to take a zero hour contract, the vast majority don't work those jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 No I mean forget London altogether including the job. For that sort of money it just isn't worth it, move to the favoured area and get a job in that area. There is absolutely no reason why the OPs wife would need to take a zero hour contract, the vast majority don't work those jobs. Don't disagree there. Would be better off earning £10k less and living in the parts of the country you mention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I was going to say even if he earned 30k they would still be miles ahead and live in a much nicer place as a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srh82 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I was going to say even if he earned 30k they would still be miles ahead and live in a much nicer place as a bonus. What if the OP could not achieve that type of salary outside of London? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 What on earth has Brisbane got to do with it ? If the OP has no interest in Brisbane it's totally irrelevant. Apart from currently living in Brisbane you mean? Where the rest of the family are happy?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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