People who have moved to the country from London

[CountessDracula]

What exactly is so much cheaper about living in the country to justify the massive salary cut you have to take when you move?

Food, clothes, schools etc the same price surely. Plus masses of petrol so that is more. If you are moving to an area where the house prices are not dissimilar to London, I can't see where you make the saving.

Hi Cd, have only read your first message but ooh, are you considering it again? I'm one of the few people who regretted moving to the country and moved back to a city again, although not to London. Food, petrol, utilities are the same price in the country. House prices can be high in e.g. parts of Devon and desirable, hmm, so I guess it's a question of be careful where you go. Will read the thread now with interest!

CD, I don't know if Southampton would be considered, the country (well, in fact I wanted to be near the New Forest when I decided to move) but like your DH I was a City lawyer (before having my DS about 1 and 1/2 years ago) and I just got fed up with London when I decided to move to a place near Southampton. As a City qualified lawyer, I had absolutely no problems with job offers, most of the recruitment agencies were falling over themselves to recruit me. I worked near Southampton for 6 months just after getting married, but DH had huge problems finding a job anywhere in Hampshire or any where remotely close to Hants, despite having an excellent cv, speaking 3 languages fluently, many years work experience in several different countries, etc.

The thing that really put me off though were the following: house prices same as London; bad restaurants and not enough choice in international cuisines; lack of proper cultural entertainment (well unless you love bingo and big shopping malls jam packed with teenagers); etc... the plus point was the New Forest and access to the sea, but that was the only plus.

The fact that I had to take a £10,000 a year pay cut did not justify moving to anywhere outside London.

If I move again, which I plan to in the next few years once DS is a bit older, it would be to another country altogether ... learning Italian right now

thanks nanneh

I wish it were only a £10k paycut, he would have no issue with that!

Well, he is going for both second interviews, we have had a horrible weekend with both of us grumpy and snapping at each other (not like us) and I guess it is due to stress about the uncertainty of all this.

AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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ooh yes I could have a swimming pool

La la la things are looking up

Don't want a horse

Wouldn't mind chickens but will wait til bird flu stuff died down

chickens ?? what with bird flu ??? NO - the idea makes me quite dizzzzzzyyyyyy

Love the swimming pool idea - but with your DH making loads of money in London, how about a roof top pool in a penhouse near the City ? Fantastic compromise

sorry no pun intended with "penhouse" - bad typing - meant penThouse

Eurgh no thanks! I love my house! The thought of living in a flat fills me with horror

Also we are not thinking of moving to Soton, rather to Winchester

Winchester is beautiful. In fact many of the lawyers I worked with near Soton commuted to and from Winchester ! Good choice !

I have loads of family in Dorset and tried to get a job there in one of the law firms. Not many big corporate law firms in Dorset though....and they only pay you just about enough to feed your chickens

LOL thanks Issymum! I love the thought of you thinking about someone you have never met!

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NONONONO I already know it well, I grew up there and my parents live in a fascist village just outside

hence my reservations

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I'm surprised your dh wants to go with you feeling like this about it, tbh. Doesn't the fact that you are quite likely to hate it take the sheen off it for him? I really think putting yourself in the position of potentially having to repress your negative feelings in order to please him is a terrible plan, to be blunt. I could see that being a real strain on your relationship in the longer term. Isn't there a compromise destination?

Yes true but equally if he is unhappy then how can I make him stay?

Noooooo!CD - You can't go - I still haven't met you. Mind you saying that - looks like we will be leaving Sheen this year too.

is it just moving to winchester that bugs you? i understand v. well the feeling of not wanting to move back to where you grew up. would there be another option for you to live somewhere else, e.g. salisbury, new forest, bournemouth, surrey...

or is it simply that you don't want to move out of london, full stop?

You need to find a compromise then, no? Where else could you both work that you both like? How about Bristol or Bath, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Durham, Guildford, Salisbury, Exeter? Or is it time to have a major family adventure? Why don't you move to Sydney or Vancouver or something?! It can't just come down to a straight choice between you crying in Winchester or him crying in London, surely?

You need to find a compromise then, no? Where else could you both work that you both like? How about Bristol or Bath, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Durham, Guildford, Salisbury, Exeter? Or is it time to have a major family adventure? Why don't you move to Sydney or Vancouver or something?! It can't just come down to a straight choice between you crying in Winchester or him crying in London, surely?

Sorry- computer went funny. Snap, bk.

Issymum, sounds like you were in my parents' road yesterday. Spooky.