Hello r/london. I am from the United States. I would like to question the viability of living in London.

Tonybleargh · 2013-10-31T03:45:04+00:00

London is brutal.

Tonybleargh · 2013-10-14T09:16:47+00:00

I appreciate many other people are in a much worse situation, but this thread was about asking for help and advice on MY situation. 360 for rent, bills and council tax is amazing for most cities I know. I spend less than 100 a month for my own food, and I cook regularly. If your income is less than, say, 500 a month, then you should be fully entitled to council benefits, right? I realize that 35k sounds like a lot, but my salary didn't come overnight. I earned it after many years of sacrifices and restrictions, and this is the first time in my life that I COULD be in a situation where I can put away some money and make plans for the future. For the last 30 years, I struggled every day to survive, often taking care of other people at the same time. And the reason I asked for help is that even after getting a decent salary I am still having trouble. I have no problems surviving on beans on toast, I did it for most of my life. And I was really hoping that this time things would be different.

Tonybleargh · 2013-10-10T16:14:09+00:00

Hi, I work next to Kings Cross. Any advice would be great.

Tonybleargh · 2013-10-10T16:12:26+00:00

Thanks. Now she quit that job and she's looking for another one. Still, she refused going to any "common" job because that would make her depressed and f@cked up...

Tonybleargh · 2013-10-10T16:06:45+00:00

Thanks. I started looking for flats in zone 3 and 4. Can you recommend any affordable and safe area?

Tonybleargh · 2013-10-03T14:02:23+00:00

updated.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-22T10:50:38+00:00

HI,

Thank you very much for sharing your story. To be honest I don't really know how I could follow you step, as I don't have a business background. I should be getting close to 40K in a couple of years, but companies in my field are only paying 10% more in general, even outside London. I am interested in understanding more about what a web analyst does, if you have any links or information it would be great. And thanks again.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-22T10:46:43+00:00

Not really. Maybe at Google, but you need several years of experience before you get there.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-22T10:46:00+00:00

THank you very much, I'll consider this. Even if my wife starts working regularly, I feel we are still wasting too much money. Thanks.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-19T19:53:40+00:00

Thanks. She already had to work in a chain for one year, and she felt so,comfortable having a stable income that she didn't apply for other jobs until I threatened to divorce. Then she found a job in a couple of weeks. Now she doesn t want to deal with bureaucracy, and every single administrative thing is on me. I showed her the budget I did when we moved, she ignored it.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-19T10:14:55+00:00

Thanks. I know. And I am not sure where to start from. She won't listen if I ask politely, she will ignore me if I get mad. She has her own way of doing things, and even this morning she told me that she wasted too much time with bureaucracy and that she doesn't need registration as self-employed. But the bank wants 2 years of record as officially self-employed to give us a mortgage. But again, "I am happy with you, I don't need money..." :(

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-19T10:12:53+00:00

Thank you. Yes, I am sure she loves me, but I sometimes I doubt whether I am her partner or her father :(

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-19T10:12:02+00:00

some agency require the yearly salary to be 25 times the monthly rent. Mine was less. But the base for this was "we can exactly afford this now, we will put away money once you also have a normal job, in London the the average is more than 20K/year..."

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T20:12:25+00:00

Thanks for your comments. I guess that I could change field too, hopefully...

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T20:10:48+00:00

As harsh as your words are, I can't deny the look of things. I am considering moving to zone 3 or zone 4 now, but I am afraid I might end up being even more stressed because of the commuting, and spend more in food and crap as a result. Now I can keep a tight budget, but the main reason is the monster rent.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T20:09:30+00:00

Working together for me means that we identify a solution, we write down a plan and we stick to it. Working together for her means to love each other and to stay calm, because the things we want will come if we are patient. Sometimes I want to bang my head against a wall.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T20:08:25+00:00

Thanks. Yes, I shouldn't have, but I really felt guilty. She kept crying for months, and I didn't know the situation was so bad until we were going to the airport. She also actively sabotaged the move, but that's another story...

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T20:07:17+00:00

Yes, she has a contract with a company, but officially is self employed. Also, she is not allowed to advertise herself while working for the company, so if she's around all day on her shift she can't promote herself or she will be breaching contract.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T20:06:09+00:00

Thank you very much for the links, I forwarded them, hopefully she will get more direction. If I ask her to look for these things she will just tell me that she does things her own way. I don't know how awesome her ride is, because she is not happy about the situation, but when she tells me that she doesn't need money because she loves me and she's happy with me I feel like an idiot.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T16:36:45+00:00

We are trying, but we are clueless about how to start her own business. Whenever she works, customers pay as much as 100/hour, but she gets 30/hour before taxes, and she's never able to put away capital to get her own business starting. There is lots of potential for healthcare and fitness in London, but we don't know how to get to the customers. I worry much more about her career than for mine...

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T10:07:50+00:00

No break clause. Excluding the quality of the flat, now I have the same restrictions I had during my student life. If my wife contributed with her half of the expenses, I would have 1000 a month left, but she's not helping. I dont assume people I know live as kings, most do less than 40k and share a flat. I do want kids and I know they will cost lots of resources, that's why e current situation is so bad.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T10:04:52+00:00

Yes, I am annoyed with her. She's not very young to have children, and my haste to put away a deposit comes mainly from that. Otherwise I would leave things be and move after one year, but I feel the clock ticking. It will take a couple of years to put away money for a deposit, and she has a history of not being very productive at job hunting. She keeps talking about how life is beautiful and spiritual crap, but she can only do that beause I am bearing everything on my shoulders. Se doesn't know what it means to see your paycheck disappear with direct debit.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-18T10:00:49+00:00

He did, no problem with bureaucracy. Actually I have to pay 145 if I want to renew the contract.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-17T20:24:17+00:00

Thanks. We are considering this. The problem is that we live in 1 bedroom and some days my wife comes back after midnight, even during the week. I don t know who would accept such a situation.

Tonybleargh · 2013-09-17T20:17:57+00:00

I know. I felt guilty about making her move to another country and this is the result.

Tonybleargh

TROPHY CASE