Boredom - Ideas please

This last week I and family have been away most of the time, spending a few days down south, and a few days in various parts up here. Its given me time to think, and to not think, and to just realise stuff.

This area is no good. It will recover in time, but not quickly enough. It means as long as we stay put, I'll never be truly happy. Wife is indifferent. Lad likes it here but he's four, he knows no different. By staying put I'm condemning him to face the same dilemma, and worse, he will if he has any sense choose to move away, which means I'm condemned to face the same situation that my dad faced when I moved away for work for over 10 years before moving back.

So I have a new 10 year plan. Work out the least disruptive way to get out of here. Maybe not move miles and miles again. The 'dead spot' ends at about Sunderland heading north or York heading south. All close enough to regularly pop 'home' to see the folks or for them to pop along to see us (ie within 45 minutes drive).

 

Is that Sunderland near Newcastle Upon Tyne? I have a friend that moved there from East London to be near family and friends. Right now she is quite happy although at the start she was complaining about that it was so hard to get a job and the pay was little compared to where she was before.

 

That's the same one.

Anyone moving from London to the north east is going to go through turbulent times until they settle in, because its a different world. The north east is culturally different to the south, and there is a massive difference between salaries. However there is also a massive difference in living cost too so it all balances out. If you earn, say £35k per year in London, you're going to be pretty skint. For my job, London salaries are around £60k to £80k, effectively double the rate up here, but then my house (good size semi with gardens and drive) was less than £80k. To get a similar house anywhere near London, I reckon you'd be looking at at least double that price, so it all balances out.

 

one also has to take into consideration that people that are used to open spaces, no pollution, no crime, nice fresh food, they don't easily take the challenge of living in a quite different atmosphere.

 

Why ten years Clueless? Are you saying it's going to be that long before you move? You have thought about moving before and you are obviously in a restless mood, so I think if you're in a position to do it now you should. The holiday time you've just had has probably given you ideas into where and what sort of situation you'd like to live in, countryside, city etc. I think if you leave it to long before you make this move you will shrink back into the discontented life you have at the moment. If your family is in agreement to move on, I can't see the point of waiting until 'the time is right'.

Having said that, I've always moved on a whim, a spur of the moment decision, seven times. I haven't regretted any of those moves to different areas, but did leave a house behind once that I would have taken with me if it had been possible.

 

can I just show you this message that I have just added on my Facebook wall, and that applies to the undecided in general (me included).

 

Can't do it now. There's too much going on at the moment to even think about adding any extra chaos.

The 10 year figure is me plucking numbers out the air, but we'd be looking at at least a couple of years before we can move anyway.

I'm not in any real hurry to get out of here. Its mostly ok, but I just don't think its where I want to grow old.

In 10 years time, I expect to be in a much stronger financial position than I am now, and I also expect to have found my way out of the career I'm bored with, so will have much greater freedom.

Besides, my back garden is just starting to come together. I'd be a shame to walk away from it now when its half done.

 

With respect Clueless, you can't expect to be in a stronger financial position, the present state of the country may not have improved and if by that time your age is around 50 plus, then you will find it very hard to change jobs because a high percentage of employers aren't interested in those of mature years anymore, whether they have skills or not.

If you can, you have to live for now not what's in the future because you don't know what that future is, it is so uncertain.

 

Clueless remember the old saying
Thomas Jefferson - "Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today."

At my age I have to what I want to do today - I haven't got time to put it off.

 

I can understand your point, Clueless1, changing house and finding the ideal area etc it is not a 5 min. decision and especially with children involved, you have to evaluate carefully your decisions in order not to upset the feeling of safety and stability.

 

That's probably because you are on the Hertfordshire border isn't it? Prices seem to rocket in that county? Probably because everyone wants to live there (including me).

We are about 45 minutes from London's Fenchurch station in South Essex. Our house cost £203k for a 3 bed with 116ft garden. Cheaper houses outside of London are there if you look in the right places. Though I would rather live in Shiney's bit than here, but where I am is far better than living in London.

 

Keep working on the gardens. There is a garden at the back now, as opposed to the wasteland that it was when we moved in. Apart from increasing our enjoyment of the place, it also means (presumably) than some value will have been added to the property (that's not been my motive, but it is a nice bonus).

Sort out a few financial loose ends.

In parallel to that I can start brainwashing convincing the wife that there are better places to live.

It probably wont be too hard. I'd just like to move about 30 miles north or west. Still close to home, close enough to visit family whenever we want, but also closer to more work options, and yet not exactly here. 30 miles north puts us close to the cities of Durham and Sunderland, and within a stones throw of Newcastle. West puts us around Darlington, which is a significant town in itself but also has excellent transport links to everywhere, with York and Leeds being only one train stop away.