I’m 26, and I’m not saving for a house or planning to move out

[WeCouldBeNice]

And apparently that’s a very unpopular decision amongst certain family members.

I have grown up always listening to my mum and grandmother saying that they regretted not travelling more in their youth. So I’m doing it, before I can have any regrets.

i work a job that pays just under £25k. Moving out would be miserable. I’d exist to pay my bills and nothing more. I am unable to borrow enough to even purchase a flat in my local area. So I’m spending all my money on travelling instead. Short trips. Weekends away and longer European trips next year.

my older brothers are horrified by this (despite both doing it themselves). They think I should be moved out and renting by now.

my dad turned round to them yesterday and asked if they wanted to ever see their daughters struggling and unhappy. They obviously said no, so he asked why they expected that of me. They couldn’t really answer.

theoretically I could take the money I’m putting into my travel savings each month and use it to save for a house. But I’d never get a big enough deposit to allow me to buy anything even anywhere near decent to live in. And I’d then be bound to a mortgage and never be able to do anything other than sit at home.

is it really that bad to do this?

Have you read the OP’s updates?! She drip fed that her parents have 5 properties, no assumptions were being made!

I don’t know. At the moment I’m saving for a trip to the Nordic countries and then southern europe next summer.

The ones that I like and have a similar outlook and compatible living style, absolutely!

I love those big family meal times where 8-10 people are all sitting down together.

I’d have to have my own space to escape to for a bit of peace and quiet every now s as me then of course. So it would need to be a home that had communal living areas and respected personal spaces too.

I am so confused. How are you going to move out if you have no money?

So a poster has asked how will you fund moving out if you are not saving for it and you then respond 'I am saving for it'. Next response I am not saving for a house

But again, that's only lovely if you live in a big house.

Not so much fun when you are 70 and sleeping on a sofa bed in the living room - as I've seen posters here having to do.

This whole thread is 'I'm much superior because I would always welcome my children/ I am always welcome' and of course it works well in some circumstances (like the OP's) but it doesn't mean it applies universally.

Having your 30 year old child living at home as a single parent who rents might be fine in terms of how you get on but I'll guarantee those parents have sleepless nights wondering how that person will manage when they are not around (assuming them to be prioritising things other than saving for housing as per the suggestion here)

That's fine. My DS saved £1k a month. And spends another £1k.

This is now a very weird thread OP.

I'm guessing that both of the OP's older siblings got a large sum of money to help them to get started at some point in their late 20s/early 30s and the OP is relying on that. She is saving for things but not for a house because that'll get taken care of at some point.

But in that scenario is the parent worried because the 30 year old doesn’t have a job or capacity to manage to rent on their own when the time came to it?

In the OPs case she has a job with prospects, she has the capacity and resilience to save, plan and travel on her own. Her parents can see that if she HAD to she could easily manage on her own.

The only thing I have suggested is keeping a savings account with enough for deposits and six months rent as an insurance policy for now.

Why can't you set aside some if that money for proper savings? That's quite the luxurious holiday budget for one person...
You're not so much travelling as going on posh holidays. Which is fine, lucky you. But it does mean your whining about house prices is bollocks.

OP’s thread title is that she’s not saving for a house or has plans to move out. I think as a parent that would concern me. Of course now it seems OP is in a more privileged position than most in that her parents are wealthy (you don’t own five houses if you’re poor). She has the safety net to not worry about these things. Still, I’d prefer to have my own space - unless the house is big enough that she has a self contained annex (but OP never responded to what her actual living arrangement is).

I'm thinking of my own parent's generation so people in their 70's; they definitely love me but they have their own lives, friendships, ideas about their space that is not easily aligned with mine as I'm in my 40s and I very much have the same. Neither of us are 'sad' about that.

This has raised an interesting issue for me in that my children are now teenagers but I am in a position to potentially give them quite an easy time of it through their 20s. I'm just not sure if I should. I moved in with my DH at 22 and by 30 had a house and two children. I learned to be self sufficient through my 20s and by mid 40s I was mortgage free. I don't know if it's 'better' to have a carefree 20s and get started with houses and children and such later on or to be done with all that in your 40s and be heading into later life with fewer cares. Maybe neither is better, just different?

So AIBU to waste all my money on travel and save nothing, but I am saving each month. I am travelling and gaining valuable life experiences.. to London and the F1. I living dire straights and life is worse for my generation than anyone that has ever lived before, I live in a terrible desolate area, with my parents that own five properties. And everyone my age that I have met is to scared to travel without parents. Riiiight.

So a massive house and someone prepared to coordinate meals for 10 every night?

Include Australia, New Zealand and Asia in your trips. Wish I travelled more before I settle down but I did manage Australia and Asia and loved every minute of it. Good luck with your planning and happy travelling 🥰

I live in the house. I have my own room and that’s about that. We’re happy as it is

I’d love this. I think it’s sad that so many people are so against it.

Nope, they didn’t (as far as I know)

I’m saving in general. Not for a house and certainly not in a LISA!

So I'll ask again - how are you planning to move out with no money?

Well you obviously are at an age or position where no one is calling on you for anything so.how would you possibly know?

Quit your job, do some ‘proper’ long term travelling and then settle down. You’ll get a more authentic experience of the world, will gain essential life experience/maturity and more importantly you won’t be stuck at home with your parents every other week. My DD recently spent a year in Australia on a working holiday visa - would highly recommend. Seeing bits of Europe every other weekend is hardly groundbreaking or bucket list stuff!

She’s only 21 but I’d be very disappointed with her if at 26 she was still working a minimum wage job and making 0 effort to save in order to move out. I’m not sure how/why your parents are tolerating such infantile behaviour.

It's easy to be romantic about having loads of people in the house when you're not paying for electricity, water and repairs and you don't have to look after any children!