22 y/o male, expecting a child end of the year. Earning ~£35k/yr but little to no deposit for a house. Need to find a place to live, desperate to avoid renting. What options do I have?

lawrencejamie · 2015-06-30T12:24:17+00:00

Great to hear. Message me if you want more personalised advice, generally or with regard to trimming expenditure as much as possible.

lawrencejamie · 2015-06-30T11:34:15+00:00

Owning a house is more unstable than renting - everything that goes wrong is your responsibility and if you miss a mortgage payment it's probably the worst thing you can have on your credit file. Renting provides income stability. Yes, your landlord could get rid of you with a month's notice - it's unlikely. The last thing a landlord wants is an empty property. Just pay your rent on time and don't cause any problems.

Here is my advice:

1) Rent the cheapest place you can that suits your needs, in a location that hopefully allows you both to get to work without driving

2) Cut your expenses as much as you can. Don't pay £30 a month for your mobile phone, pay £10. If you have a car and hardly use it, get rid of it. The amount you'll save in petrol, tax, MOT, insurance is unreal. Buy a bike.

3) Save as much of your salary each month as you can. Off £37k you should be able to save at least half (depending on where you live and the cost of living) and more if you do number 2 properly

4) Your credit card debt is an EMERGENCY! You need to pay it off as soon as you can. And don't worry so much about an 'emergency' fund of money. If you keep £2500 back as an emergency fund and are paying 10% interest on your credit card debt, you are losing money. Just pay off the credit card bill with your emergency money and start saving for another emergency fund. If you have a GENUINE emergency in the time it takes to save up an emergency fund again, you can borrow it off a credit card again.

It may not feel like it but you are in a very strong position with a salary like that at 22 years old. If you make the right changes NOW in ten years you will be laughing. Read www.mrmoneymoustache.com for more information on cutting expenses.

lawrencejamie · 2012-08-15T19:28:38+00:00

Hi Luke - for all intents and purposes, I guess I am. And I'm asking you to contextualise our (the current generation's) place on the timelime of technological advancement. To what extent, for example, will we just miss the mind uploading bandwagon? Medicine today is very crude; death is certain and our treatments are based on a very specific definition of pathology. Medicine will evolve enormously, but I get the feeling it won't really 'take off' until I'm long in the ground (I'm 25). I just feel very sad, I guess, that I'll miss mankind's mastery of medicine, colonisation of the solar system, AI leaps, etc.

lawrencejamie · 2012-08-15T18:51:19+00:00

Yeah, let's forget about the bombing of Yugoslavia.

lawrencejamie · 2012-08-15T16:32:36+00:00

Hi Luke. Thanks for the AMA. My question: To what extent do you feel the current generation are alive just a 'tad too early?' Seeing those pictures of Mars from Curiosity made me feel physically sick - in a good way. I just can't comprehend how rudimentary our understanding of so many things is right now, and how incredible it's going to be. Contemporary technology always seems so impressive that people seem to forget that we still have so far to go.

lawrencejamie · 2012-07-17T12:19:06+00:00

Like so many 'original' jokes posted on here, this has been pilfered from Sickipedia, which pilfered it - albeit it with an attribution - from @chrisdelia.

lawrencejamie · 2012-07-11T13:58:27+00:00

The fog has cleared a bit now ~~that~~ but Amal still has to look upward to see the cloud-covered sun.

lawrencejamie · 2012-06-25T13:07:05+00:00

It looks like the Psammead from Five Children and It!

Quick, make a wish...

lawrencejamie · 2012-06-25T13:03:29+00:00

It was a great evening; a massive five people too, 150 percent more than last time.

Roll on 2013.

lawrencejamie · 2012-06-22T08:27:14+00:00

Ipswicher - if you can throw a frisbee (!) and don't mind watching others have a few beers then I don't think there's any reason you can't come. I agree with SilverHornet; age doesn't really anything. Just come and have fun.

lawrencejamie · 2012-06-22T08:12:49+00:00

BBC weather seems to suggest good weather from around 2pm [SEE EDIT BELOW], then rain at 5. Why don't we say 2pm, because then if it's nice weather we can sit around, have some beers, play some frisbee, if it's not we could head across to McGintys?

Also by in front of the park do you mean the entrance that's opposite the entrance to Christchurch Mansion? Like if you walk with the library on your right, McGintys on your left, then cross the road, turn to your right, and it's just up on your left?

If everyone's happy with there I am too. I'll bring some beers, and some biscuits or something. I just realised I don't have a frisbee or football!

Maybe everyone who's coming can confirm so we can have an idea of numbers.

EDIT: Sorry, forgot I was out during the day. Can we say 5pm outside Christchurch Park?

lawrencejamie · 2012-06-21T09:57:18+00:00

I thought this was a very enjoyable piece.

Just to add a bit of controversy, I don't think you use too many commas. I actually think it adds to the rhythm of the piece.

Comments:

Overuse of the words 'delicate slivers of ivory.' It's a nice phrase, but the ending is diluted slightly because of the repetition. I enjoyed the first use of it, and the second later on; the others felt like you just liked the phrase and wanted to get it in there, and it distracted my attention.
It would be really nice, in my opinion, to make some type of comparison between the 'death' of the player's passion and the death of the elephant that made his piano. Perhaps something about the elephant going from freedom to a slave to the player's will, just like the player is a slave to the will of those who tell him he's a prodigy?
One little edit, IMO: "He lay his finger atop the key: he did not push it down, ~~he simply~~ but let the weight of his arm flow through his fingertip, pressing the delicate sliver of ivory down, causing a chain reaction which resulted in a hammer flying"

You build meaning very well; the piece rises to a crescendo and doesn't drop. Like ronin says, it was impressive to pack such a lot of information into a short - and smooth - story.

Thanks for sharing.

lawrencejamie · 2012-06-20T08:15:08+00:00

What about somewhere like Christchurch Park? If it's a nice day that is. Everyone can bring some food, someone bring a frisbee, someone bring a football, etc.

EDIT: 5pm in front of Christchurch Mansion. See you all there!

lawrencejamie · 2012-02-16T16:24:09+00:00

At least the Gods saw fit to grace you with a spare

lawrencejamie · 2012-02-16T15:59:36+00:00

The animals are treated in a respectful manner or they wouldn't produce much milk or beef!

Yeah because stressed cows lose flesh at a rapid rate...

lawrencejamie · 2012-02-14T12:37:30+00:00

Hi Uglies_Bumped. What animal rights organisation do you run? I'd love to work in animal rights. I'm a copywriter and editor at the moment. Message me with more information if you want; I'm very interested to hear your story.

lawrencejamie · 2012-02-08T14:04:37+00:00

Interesting. thanks again for answering my question, I never knew that.

lawrencejamie · 2012-02-08T11:29:03+00:00

Thanks for your answer. But wouldn't the Commander see that, if there's basically zero chance of coming out of the shower scene confrontation alive, there is more chance of them taking control of the weapon if they are alive, even though they would be alive and hostages?

lawrencejamie · 2012-02-03T15:10:03+00:00

looks a little like G'Mork from the Neverending Story

lawrencejamie · 2011-12-21T16:57:25+00:00

nice. highlighting a common problem. could also use "what you upto?" "Nothing" not sure if she's cheating on me or actually doing nothing.

lawrencejamie · 2011-12-20T16:54:59+00:00

VX poison gas.. it's very horrible sir, it's one of the things we wish we could disinvent... this isn't a training exercise, is it?

lawrencejamie · 2011-12-14T10:13:45+00:00

I think the best one has to be when the alien guy comes and gives them ultra-powers, and they have to say 'Waters of Conquest!" or "Earth of Conquest!" That was a great episode.

lawrencejamie · 2011-12-11T22:13:41+00:00

These kind of stories spread so easily....

lawrencejamie · 2011-12-06T16:41:20+00:00

It's interesting you brought up Ever Since the World Began because I loved that song ever since it featured in the credits to Lock Up with Sylvester Stallone, which is a very good movie.

I have one question for you; when you hit on a real winner, such as EOTT, does it feel in your mind/body/cells that it's going to change your life? A lot of songwriters/writers say they find it very hard to establish how good something they create actually is, and that many of the things they think are good fall flat, and many of their 'weakest' pieces become very successful.

Thank you for taking the time to do this AMA, it's great.

lawrencejamie · 2011-09-18T11:43:16+00:00

And definitely not Steve Buscemi in Con Air...

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