Dilemma: Rent a place that's nice but $$$$ or rent a hole and save £££ for mortgage ??

[KookyNotOoky]

So I'm at that stage (mid-30s) where I've really had enough of moving from one crappy rental to another and am looking to buy. If I carry on doing lots of overtime etc., skip holidays etc. I should have enough saved in a year or maybe two max to put down a deposit.

In the meantime however I need to rent. Currently looking for a place and it's the usual thing - reasonably priced places are few and far between, cheap places are all house shares/lodging arrangements and the nice places are all expensive. I'm torn between taking somewhere cheap so I can save more £££, or actually living somewhere nice (bear in mind this could be two years).

I cannot emphasise how much I've come to despise house shares. My last one was a disaster - my house mate and I seriously fell out mid-way making for a horrible atmosphere for the last 6 months there. Dirty dishes, loud music, waiting for them to vacate the shower, annoying friends/boyfriends - was ok when I was a student but now I'm just absolutely sick to death of it.

After that I had a lodging with a retired teacher which was ok but tbh it felt like I was living with my parents. Nice person though he was, I never felt settled there as it was his house, his rules etc. and I'm very independent so used to doing my own thing in my own way.

So yeah.
Live somewhere nice, where I can rest and relax, but save less money.

Or.
Have 1-2 years of stress and clearing up a stranger's pubes from the shower but save more $$$.

Save £££ for 2 more years.

Or, a third option, housesit, petsit or live in a camper for a couple of years. Tiny house. Canal boat. That sort of thing.

Flash house and Airbnb the other room?

Don’t rent to hellhole honestly it’ll be detrimental to your mental health

I rented a dump for two years. It was a bit grim but worth it in the end.

Take an evening bar job so you aren't spending too much time there. it keeps the cost of social life down too.

I'd rather rent somewhere reasonable and cut back in other ways plus take longer to save. I'd willingly live somewhere small or less desirable in other ways e.g. further out, up lots of stairs, old and tired, but I would much prefer avoiding living with flatmates. It's so difficult when your home is a battle zone rather than a sanctuary.

thanks for replies.

Still torn tbh - need to sleep on it methinks :)

I would much rather spend years saving up than have to share housing with anyone other than my spouse and children. They only make the cut because I love them so much. Living with random people is awful. You can never truly relax.

One of my recurring nightmares is that I’m back living with flatmates. They will be perfectly nice people, they don’t do anything in the nightmares except exist, but it’s my absolute most hated nightmare and the one I tend to have when my anxiety is at its worst.

I would say stay cheap and save BUT I am a bit confused if you can "have enough saved in a year or two to put down a deposit" , why you are still living in house shares in your mid 30s.

I wouldn't want to be house-sharing with randoms in my mid 30s, but then it should give you the 'drive' to earn as much as you can and put every penny away, to be able to buy sooner rather than later.

As a pp suggested, when I was saving for my deposit, I did bar work and babysitting work regularly so that I was out of the house but not spending as well as earning. I used to find bar work quite sociable / enjoyable so didn't particularly feel I was missing out, but this does depend on the bar of course.

once you’re on the housing ladder you can usually slowly make your way up - the hardest part is getting on

if you do value being a home owner then i would say put up with a less than great set up for a short time to save as much as you can to buy

house prices are increasing fast and you wouldn’t want to lose out

Bear in mind house prices are still on the rise. The longer you wait the more likely.priced put of market. I would do as other person said live in not so nice house share, get a second PT job to keep out out of house, cut back on socialising and earn more money. Babysitting also. Try to go all out to save every penny and buy in 1 year. If you buy a 2 bedroom house you can always let out a room. If it does not work out ask them to leave.

I’d look hard for a lodger arrangement where you have a small annexe.