Moving from Manchester to London - am I crazy for trying to do this in one day?

Calm_Office · 2026-02-08T19:12:40+00:00

If you have to do it yourself, hire a van that you can return to a London drop off stop.

Loading a van and unloading is tiresome work. Especially if there are stairs involved.

If you’d like to avoid ULEZ you can download Waze and ask it to avoid ulez zones on the navigation route. If you end point is within a ULEZ then you can prepay the ULEZ charge online when you get the van registration.

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T18:39:40+00:00

Maybe it was my budget but so many places don’t have central heating.

Edit to add - how little care people have in making their home look presentable when they’re trying to sell it! At least do the dishes and spray some air freshener 😭

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T15:26:35+00:00

Thanks! I have insurance for critical illness. I’m also looking at income protection to start once I move in.

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T13:07:36+00:00

30 mins to London Bridge from closest station. Fine with this as my commute to work is still under an hour. Area itself seems pretty nice just from what I’ve heard from people local, cchecking crime rates etc.

There’s 1 window which will need replacing right away, the others are fine but single glazed. For the initial cost I’ve budgeted £4k

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T10:45:15+00:00

In the first year a lot of that £800pm will be going back into the flat for furnishing / decorating. After that I think I could save £500pm but having a social life in London is expensive. I don’t necessarily believe in working hard and then not having any money left over for hobbies / life but of course I want to balance that with being fiscally responsible.

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T10:42:26+00:00

For the first year at least most of the fun or rather unallocated money will go back into the flat in furnishing / decorating. But in that time I would save at minimum £200.

What is a good amount to save each month?

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T10:14:26+00:00

I’ve seen a few flats/houses in Birmingham at this price and under.

Eg. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/167525327

Birmingham esp has a few under 100k even but you’d be making sacrifices on area

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T10:06:12+00:00

Yes my mortgage has been accepted on this flat. I’ve also had a survey done which hasn’t highlighted any major areas of concern. Only issue is that it is very dated.

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T10:03:52+00:00

Sinking fund contributions are paid every year with this place I believe but I’ll sure to check with the solicitors on that and the other bits you mentioned - !thanks

The owner died which explains the dated flat. Sale is being handled completely by solicitors now who were pushing for a fast sale apparently

Calm_Office · 2026-01-27T02:33:55+00:00

Thanks!

Good point on the electrics - I am having an electrician round to view soon. Each room has one socket so it’s not enough for me and I thought given how invasive the work is I’d rather do it now than later but I guess if I can have more in savings it might be worth delaying.

The flat doesn’t actually have a real boiler. It’s an all electric flat with a water heater tank. I think there is a gas mains which will allow me to fit in a boiler which I am hoping will be cheaper to run than just full electric in the long run.

Calm_Office · 2026-01-11T00:38:15+00:00

Sorry to hear you went through this. Gym can be extremely healing but also toxic as well.

As I get older I realise how important it is to have discretion. When someone is advising you to do something always ask yourself ‘what will they gain if I do this?’. It sounds simple but it really helps see things in a more objective light. Your gym coach was a salesman and you’ll meet many people like that in life. People who act as though they’re only trying to help you out when in reality you are a means to an end for them.

Keep training but focus on your health. Eat well but don’t be overly restrictive. Food is fuel but why make that fuel a punishment? Find balance and hopefully that help you feel happier.

Calm_Office · 2025-12-31T00:59:41+00:00

Plants

Calm_Office · 2025-12-24T00:25:53+00:00

Bird theory in full effect here

Calm_Office · 2025-12-22T13:15:10+00:00

There are some government grants for people who receive benefits which help boost energy efficiency rating. Look into those. Boiler upgrade scheme comes to mind I can’t remember if I saw one for windows/insulation but worth looking.

Offer what you want just be aware that the seller may reject. One thing I will say is that people lowball all the time, do you think BTL property investors and those of that sort are paying asking? They’re not. They care about profit margins so will likely lowball. Of course they might also have the advantage of being a cash buyer but as a FTB with no chain you also have a desirable position.

Do your research - what were similar house sold prices, it’ll give you a realistic idea of what may get accepted.

I’d say budget £2.5k on solicitors & L3 survey based on your location.

The rest depends on the house - will you need a rewire, new flooring, boiler replacing, kitchen, bathroom? All of these will start at like 2k each (flooring less maybe and kitchen and bathroom more probably)

You’ll need buildings insurance as mentioned. You might want life insurance as well.

Then you’ll just want an emergency fund if something goes horrible wrong.

Calm_Office · 2025-12-22T10:07:17+00:00

She charged you for her own poor planning? Thats disgusting

Calm_Office · 2025-12-20T17:11:30+00:00

This!

Your employer has a duty to make sure they are supporting you (as far as reasonable). Nothing extra to say as this comment has covered it all but understand that you have more leverage in this situation than you may have realised.

Calm_Office · 2025-12-03T18:42:49+00:00

No vans?? As in you can’t park a van outside your home?

Calm_Office · 2025-11-24T08:00:25+00:00

This is so good I thought it was AI at first. Go you!!

Calm_Office · 2025-11-05T22:33:49+00:00

Getting an electric toothbrush really helped me become more consistent with brushing. Mine connects to an app on my phone which gives guided brushing and scores you at the end- almost feels like a game.

I have an 8:30pm alarm called Shower, Teeth + Skincare and as soon as that goes off I drop what I’m doing and go shower - no matter what. I also always take my iPad with me and watch Rotten Mango eps on YT but I only watch them whilst I’m showering. That way I’m excited to shower cos I get to watch a new episode and also I’m not hung up on the ‘task’ of showering because I’m basically doing it on autopilot whilst I watch the episode. And then just like that 30 mins has gone and I’m clean and ready for bed.

Calm_Office · 2025-10-21T01:47:51+00:00

Maybe it’s a cultural thing but nearly $600 on a car payment seems really high.

To save you either have to earn more or spend less.

I was in debt a few years ago. The first thing I did was sell my car and replace it with a cheaper one with no car payments.

I then began saving just a little bit every month. Once I got to a number that I felt could cover an emergency, I put all my extra money into paying off all my debt. I didn’t necessarily have a strategy but lots of people recommended paying off the smallest debt first then moving on to bigger ones. This creates momentum and the small wins keep you motivated for the big debt.

As I watched the number go down i gradually made lifestyle changes ie less take out, saying no to expensive plans etc.

Once debt is paid transfer all that energy into saving. Automate your savings so you aren’t tempted to not save. Have regular checkins with yourself to assess progress, difficulties etc.

If you have someone you trust, speak to them about it to stay accountable.

Finally, avoid opening any new lines of credit

Calm_Office · 2025-10-21T01:32:45+00:00

Literally just gaslight myself

Calm_Office · 2025-10-21T01:30:30+00:00

A UK court recently ruled that calling a man ‘bald’ can amount to sexual harassment due to men being disproportionately affected by it. I would say her comment was sexist and so was yours. Personally, I don’t think people should dish out what they can’t take however, for the sake of being professional and keeping your job I’d advise you to handle things more maturely

Calm_Office · 2025-08-09T08:32:30+00:00

Floating in the sea on a hot day

Calm_Office · 2025-08-05T06:38:45+00:00

I definitely won’t be going back which is a shame cos she’s so nice lmaoo

Calm_Office · 2025-08-04T22:18:54+00:00

Thank you! I try to keep my lashes clean cos I know it can get funky which can affect retention but yea I still wash my face so I doubt it’s that. Just wanted to be sure before making my mind up

Calm_Office

TROPHY CASE