I hope all of you have been having exciting journeys within your own lives as I'm about to move into the next stage of mine...
And no before you say or think it... I'm not pregnant.
Maybe sometime next year though, but hubby and I are moving away from Crawley in Sussex to Shepton Mallet in Somerset. It was a tough decision to come to. But here's the low down for why we've opted to move.
We are still only young at 25 and 26 years, but we are getting nowhere fast in terms of saving money for a house. We currently rent a 1 bed split level flat right in the centre of town. We were lucky as it was £850 a month and was recently redecorated before we moved in. It's a nice little flat and has treated us really well as our own place for the 15 months we have lived in it.
My parents moved from my childhood and only home also in Crawley back on 25th June. They had owned that house for 25 years as they brought it just before I was born. It was only worth about £60,000 originally and they sold it for £265,000. They had paid off their mortgage at last and wanted to get away from the busy lifestyle and settle down in Devon, somewhere by the seaside. So they have moved to Teignmouth. It was an extremely stressful but exciting time in the lead up to the move. The day they moved I had to be strong, so many memories were made in that house and now it's time for a new family to make their own. The buyer is likely to redo the entire kitchen, bathroom and hallway plus redecorate the bedrooms as he's likely to put it up as a rental. So all of my memories will be stored in the brain and in the various photo albums my mum and dad have. It was a difficult day and I was strong while with them but broke down once I got back to the flat. Being an only child I'm finding it more difficult to deal with but I know it's the right decision and my parents moving away stirred me to want to get out of Crawley as well.
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| My Childhood Home |
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| With Mum and Dad the day they moved |
Don't get me wrong, Crawley is a very big, bustling and business driven town, but it just seems like it's too much now. What with Brexit and the uncertainty from it all, Gatwick possibly expanding and now the council have granted permission for Overline House(the huge building above the rail station) to be demolished so they can regenerate the town, the station and build towering apartments above. We would only be down the road from the demolishing and I dread to think what that'll be like over the 2 years or so of work in terms of noise, dust, more traffic etc.
We are ready to settle, but we need to save. We cannot do that here, so the plan is to move in with hubby's parents for a few months to get us on our feet in Somerset and then either rent for a while before buying or seeing if we can buy depending on how much we save in a few months. We have become impatient lately. We are ready for the next step in our marriage but we still have a long way to go to get their. We have to stay positive and keep going.
I'm very scared and nervous. Handing in my resignation at work was particularly difficult. I have 3 weeks left of work with Marks and Spencer. I have been with the company for 4 years already, I started in the Canterbury store in July 2012 as a Customer Assistant and left after 2 months due to personal circumstances but it was good for me to get some work experience straight after finishing university. I stayed with my parents and saw a job opportunity again for M&S but at the Redhill, I thought as it was closer it was worth going for as I did enjoy my time at Canterbury. So I applied and got the job. Having been with the company for 4 years I am now a Section Co-ordinator for Lingerie and oversee Ladieswear when no managers are about. I have learnt a lot of things and witnessed a lot of drama which did have an effect on my working behaviour. But retail is not what I want to do. While my superiors praise me for my efforts I still feel like I am getting nowhere, I know I have an impact on the store and I'm looking to keep pushing that right up until my last day. Many changes have occurred as well, while I know that retail is a forever growing and changing environment it's not my future passion. I'd love to get into the arts and while London is on my doorstep in Crawley for lots of opportunities I'd love to be able to reduce my working hours and volunteer either at the Bath and Bristol festivals or at a RSPCA or RSPB centre. Moving to Somerset I am aiming to achieve these goals as I feel like I'm not doing enough community based or volunteer work. I want to do more than just work for a company.
I know it's almost like going two steps back to move in with a parent, but to have the support there to keep us going and help us until we get new jobs is hugely appreciated. I am very grateful for my family and friends in their support for us moving. It's going to be a huge change but I'm excited to really start pushing for our future now and find our way to our dreams. Packing and sorting all the moving bits is a huge pain and financial strain but I'm very organised and hope it all goes smoothly.
You will probably hear from me just before or just after we've moved as it's a very stressful and planning based time now. But a few questions for you all:
1. How do you deal with moving stress? What do you find keeps you grounded in the all the ups and downs of moving?
2. Have your parents moved out of your childhood home? If so how did you feel about it?
3. What motivates you to try and pursue a new job?
Hope you all have a lovely few weeks.
Take care
Christine x
