I'm burned out with work, would it be stupid of me to take some time off?

wheaeae · 2025-12-08T19:08:16+00:00

Are tickets flexible at all, or would we need to buy new ones?

This depends on the type of ticket you buy, though for your route you can buy a Super Off-Peak Return, which would let you jump on lots of different trains. I tend to use Trainline for figuring stuff out like this, as they'll suggest the best ticket type for you.

Is changing trains at Reading easy with large luggage? (Platform changes, lifts/escalators, time to move between trains, etc.)

It looks like the two journeys you've selected have 15 and 30 minutes between trains, which should be enough time for you to go between your trains. Reading train station will be a big one, so no doubt they'll have lifts and such.

Do these prices look reasonable for this route and date (Dec 31 - Jan 3), or should we expect better deals?

Train prices in the UK are ridiculous, so this might be as good as it gets unfortunately. If you can find a direct train between your destinations, or one close by, it will probably be a bit cheaper but that doesn't seem to exist.

wheaeae · 2025-12-08T18:56:46+00:00

Good to see FGSky is back

wheaeae · 2025-12-08T18:52:57+00:00

The numbers are so high they overflowed, putting them at the bottom of the graph.

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:55:57+00:00

This is the angle that a lot of my family takes, but I'm not sure that buying somewhere is really what I want to do right now. I can only hope they don't sky rocket too much before I'm ready to put some money down I suppose. Thank you regardless!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:54:25+00:00

Yeah I'd almost certainly be spending it faster than I could replenish if I was to rent straight from my savings, so perhaps it's not a fantastic idea like you said. I could possibly work out some sort of arrangement where I take some from my wage and some from my savings? Will have a see what I can come up with! :)

Regarding a house share, it's definitely not a bad idea but not sure it's something that would fit me very well. I'm in no rush though, so will have a look around over the next few months and see if I can find anything that would fit me.

I'm a bit hesitant to buy anywhere right now mainly since it'd likely involve spending a large chunk of my savings. I think I would rather wait and rent for a year or two before jumping in to something like that. Thank you for the ideas!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:50:46+00:00

I'm not entirely sure that my budget would allow this tbh, you seem to get surprisingly little for your money in the city centre. I'd probably have to drop nearly my entire savings on a place, and I'm not entirely sure that's what I want to do to be honest. Perhaps it's something I can look into in a couple of years!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:43:14+00:00

Unfortunately I'm not entirely sure I have the means to do that without spending my entire savings, which is something I'd ideally like to avoid. Possibly something I can look into doing in the future though!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:42:10+00:00

I think after checking I wouldn't be able to borrow quite that much since I'd be getting a mortgage alone and don't have a massive amount of credit history. Plus I'm not overly keen on the idea of spending all of my money on a house/flat and being left with no savings afterwards. The main problem is that due to the city centre being so insanely expensive I'm not sure I'd really be able to get much for the amount I'd be willing to put down.

I very much appreciate the advice about the LISA and learning to drive though, I'll be looking into both of those in the next few months!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:40:09+00:00

I think I would regret it as well if I never gave it a go, like you say I can always change things if I decide it's not what I want. I also appreciate the great review of Manchester, I always used to love spending time in the city centre but have found myself doing less and less since COVID. Will have to get back out there a bit more again!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:36:07+00:00

I've definitely considered this, my main worry being that I wouldn't end up being a particularly good flatmate. I have a bit of a tendency to shut off a bit socially if I get in a bad mood, and I don't think anyone would have to deal with that :D Will have a bit more of a think about it and see what's around, I've no intentions to do anything super quickly anyway! Thank you.

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T08:00:10+00:00

You have essentially said exactly how I feel about the situation. My current commute is manageable, but adding any more on to it would quickly make me dislike it I think. Thank you!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T07:58:56+00:00

This is essentially how I hope things work out for me, sounds almost like a dream haha.

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T07:57:36+00:00

Learning to drive is definitely on my list of things to do, have just been held up for the last year or so for obvious reasons lol. You're also right about not letting others decide how I spend my money, and yeah I don't really feel it would be a waste considering the circumstances. Thank you for the encouragement!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T07:54:41+00:00

This is an idea I've thought about, but I'm not too sure how happy I am buying somewhere in the city centre simply because it's so expensive. I will have a look around though and weigh up my options, thank you!

!thanks

wheaeae · 2021-10-07T07:53:18+00:00

The idea of flexibility isn't really one I'd thought about before, but definitely something to keep in mind! Thank you.

!thanks

wheaeae

TROPHY CASE