Relocating on a low wage

[user808]

I've lived in the same town my entire life. It's ok, but it's pretty deprived. There's very little going on, few job opportunities, lots of low-level anti-social behaviour, people in general are fairly insular... On a personal level, I've never really found my place here. Even at school, I was never really part of anything.

I stay here because it's familiar and cheap. I earn pretty much minimum wage and I don't have any real prospect of earning more.

I sold a house that I hated last year and I'm struggling to find anything better within my budget. Wondering why I'm stretching myself to buy a house that I don't really like in an area I don't really like but I don't know where else I'd go.

I don't have the money to throw away on renting to try out living somewhere else but realistically, is anywhere that I can afford to live (max. house budget £110k) going to be any better? Where would you even start on choosing somewhere if you were to move for the sake of moving?

What will control your options? Work location? Desire to be near family? Schools?

Where do you live? Just this will give an idea of places you could poss afford somewhere else. I think it really is worth thinking about a move. Life is too short to just let it happen.

I have experience of relocation to London. It was expensive tbh. But London has its own costs! And it was 300 miles from my home town.

For me it's the balance of finding a job vs making the move. So if you find a job first which is often essential. You often need to move more quickly which often means renting. So it can be a difficult one.

How much cash do you have available for a deposit? Could you take a chunk of it to relocate?

Also if you earn a low wage what is the potential to get qualifications to increase that wage? Could this be part of the move? Eg going to uni part time in another area?

Also what are your commitments re family? Do you have children?

I don't have any draw to any particular area, which I think is what makes it so hard. No kids. I'd like them but I think it's unlikely to happen financially so schools definitely not a consideration.

Work's probably the easy bit. I work in retail with stores all over the country. I've never known anybody to struggle to get a transfer but worst case, I've done warehouse work before. That tends to be fairly easy to get into.

Most of my family are in Birmingham but I'm not a million miles from Birmingham right now (although the journey is a bit awkward) and I only see them at weddings. We're not close.

I'd like to be an easy train ride to a city but of course, the areas with straight-forward journeys into cities tend to be expensive ones.

Reluctant to use my house deposit money for anything but a house deposit in case I end up in a situation where I can't even afford to buy in my hometown. Can't afford university either.

Have you looked at part time uni op? The fees are paid back after graduation as a loan. I just think of it like a tax. And depending in your age and how much you earn you might not pay much back.

What are you looking for in an area?

Are there any types of jobs you would consider that potentially offer accommodation eg some hotels etc. That could be a way to see a new area?

When you say you can't afford university, what do you mean by that?

If you haven't gone to university before/taken out any student loans, you'll be eligble for a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan. The maintenance loan is based on your parent's income if you're a school leaver, but on your own household income if you're a mature student.

If you're on minimum wage, I suspect you'll be eligible for the full maintenance loan. You should be able to survive on that (albeit cheaply, and perhaps supplemented by a part-time/holiday job).

Then the loans are paid back as a proportion of your income once you earn over a certain rate after you've graduated. As a PP says, it's more like a little bit of extra tax rather than a normal loan.

If you're interested in studying at uni, I'd definitely encourage you to look into it - don't just write it off as something you can't afford.

A couple of links about finance for mature students:
www.ucas.com/undergraduate/student-life/mature-students/student-finance-mature-students
www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/mature-guide/

Newcastle / Gateshead?

I know it’s not that simple, but with half of your £110k I’d move abroad and buy a place on the beach. If you’ve never lived outside of your hometown, that should definitely be an experience!

Cheapest place I can think of is Burnley, Lancashire and I actually love it.

I guess in some regards it could be considered similar to your home town as far as deprivation, prospects etc. But I've found it to be quite charming. The people are friendly, which is what you'd need for a fresh start.

I think you are right to be considering a move and it is very brave of you. Just need to find the right place.

Pritchard Street, Burnley
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/109665077

....further to the above - I said Burnley as I have friends / distant family there and have found it to be a very friendly place.

However, for someone coming in a new comer, most small towns like this may be very insular, like your home town, and difficult to make friends. In that respect cities are easier to move to and make friends as there are more people doing it.

In a lot of small towns people are often just friends with the people they went to school with and there's not a huge amount of coming and going.

Do you think you'd be able to make friends through your retail job? Would you be looking to meet a partner?

Leeds. You could buy a 1 bed terrace in a reasonable area like Morley for that money.

Pretty much all the national retailers here. It was on the news that a factory was offering £16 an hour for unskilled work and still couldn't fill posts so you might be able to earn significantly more than NMW too.

I've moved away from the city I grew up mainly because I couldn't afford it any more (London). But I also moved to the place I settled because it had aspects that were important to me. What is important to you? What are your hobbies? Trying to whittle down possibilities based on being near people or places that you want to be will help. Otherwise you could be just as isolated elsewhere.
I agree with Pp that maybe a bit of travelling could be good? Don't know if you are able to save for this? I appreciate it's not the easiest time to travel.
I probably wouldn't buy a house in an area I didn't know. Very risky. Renting first is a good idea, even if it seems like chucking money away it's better than buying/selling stress and moving, legal and stamp duty costs if you buy and need to sell again.

North east Scotland-1 bed flat in Elgin overs over 70000 (think its usually about 10-15% over, but its also just been reduced) Short walk to train station, 50 mins to Inverness, 90 to Aberdeen. Free prescriptions and also university tuition if you are habitually resident in Scotland. This can be online through University of the Highlands and Islands.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90439813#/

I already have student loans unfortunately, didn't finish my degree, but I can't get any more funding. I've only ever really worked in shops and warehouses so not likely qualified to do anything live-in.

My ideal set-up would be a flat/house with some outside space. I'd like to be near a city for theatre, shops, evening classes, particularly art. I'm not fussed about making friends as such but I'd like to find a friendly, non-competitive badminton club and a not too geeky tabletop gaming club. I'd like to date. I'm gay and there are very few single, 30-ish-year-old lesbians around here, which is another reason to move. Nice green spaces, and decent public transport would be a bonus too.

In a lot of small towns people are often just friends with the people they went to school with and there's not a huge amount of coming and going.

That very much sounds like where I am at the moment. No doubt lovely for the people who have such strong connections but once you've missed the boat, you've really missed it.

Leeds is one that I've wondered about actually, based on nothing at all, I've never been there. Just thought it looked nice.

I'm not much of a beach goer but I keep eyeing up Norway. Definitely not the most affordable place though! I love Scotland too but the north is probably a bit too far from family.

Maybe somewhere on the outskirts of Manchester then? Or am I out of touch in thinking that Canal St gay scene might be good for meeting a gf or just potential friends?

It's a tough one. I think if you had a reason come up to move somewhere you could move and make a real go of it. But when you can move literally anywhere and have to decide where it's very hard!