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MOVING HOME ALONE ......AND TO A NEW PART OF THE COUNTRY

Hi All

Have you any experience of moving somewhere new on your own? I would love some input into my plan for the future, if you would be so kind.

My circumstances are as follows:

I have found myself a bit isolated since I am widowed and no longer out at work. I seem to have only acquaintances rather than close friends nearby. I have joined clubs and keep busy with hobbies, but the few people I have met seem set in their existing groups of friends or are reluctant to do anything in the evening. I have retired before getting my state pension as I no longer feel well enough to work.

Lack of funds is stopping me doing more on my own.

So I have come up with a plan to sell my home and rent somewhere instead; this will give me some more disposable income, enabling me to do more and to travel to meet old friends and family. It would also take away some concerns re house maintenance.

Now for my curved ball…… It has been suggested to me that I move 100+ miles away to Warwickshire…… a beautiful area with plenty of new places for me to explore and good transport links for visiting friends and family. I have done some online investigating and it certainly has potential. Now I am wondering what pitfalls there might be that I have not thought of.

🙁


Created By on 10/03/2015

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Goldfynche
24th Mar 2015 15:51:11
1
Thanks for voting!
That's lovely. I honestly believe that our next 'addition' will be a moggie (or two).
suffolknan Original Poster
24th Mar 2015 12:10:54
1
Thanks for voting!
Last August I house-sat for my daughter and a skinny little cat was constantly crying and fighting on the outhouse roof. I told my daughter that I thought it was a siamese cross as it was so angular. Anyway, turns out it stayed around and cried so much they eventually fed it (much to the annoyance of Sammy, their own cat). They took it to the vet a couple of months ago but it had no chip so they have now formally adopted it. Sammy still looks at him with venom, but there has been no fighting. "Henry" is now a very large, cuddly, black and white cat with no similarity to a Siamese at all - in fact he is well rounded, sleek furred and very beautiful! I love a happy ending!
Goldfynche
20th Mar 2015 15:05:26
2
Thanks for voting!
Yes indeed It's so true what they say.
Dogs are happy to regard you as their master/mistress. But to a cat. You are just staff. There to do their bidding in the realms of catering and door opening duties!
suffolknan Original Poster
20th Mar 2015 14:52:50
2
Thanks for voting!
I have had cats for 45 years and am finding the current lack of one in the house quite sad. Lucy, my last cat was the sort of character that left you feeling deeply honoured by her attention. She had moved with me twice and lived amongst busy town traffic but sadly got run down last year just after I moved to a tiny village! I suppose she must have dropped her guard.
I have had a dog and at least one cat since 1986 and they have always been good companions to each other. When Lucy's sibling Jack died she stayed even closer to my dog Ollie and whenever I got home they were always within a few feet of each other. Lucy always greeted Ollie with a nose touch when she entered the room. When he died she became very vocal. I know people say cats are solitary compared to dogs, but I have always thought that my cats regard themselves as pack leaders and behave accordingly.
Goldfynche
19th Mar 2015 17:15:01
0
Thanks for voting!
Yes, Gus had a good life. He was 13 and much loved and doted on.
I'm more of a cat person, myself. My lovely Flynn was about 15-16 when he had a stroke and we had to let him go. He had already lost a good deal of his eyesight.
suffolknan Original Poster
19th Mar 2015 16:33:11
1
Thanks for voting!
So very sorry about Gus. That must have been heartbreaking for you all. My dog Ollie had to be put to sleep in 2013 - he was 17 and my closest companion; Life's not the same without a dog by your side.
from the window next to my computer I can see an Ass which is tethered on the common land behind our house. It belongs to the gipsies from the other side of the common. He is oblivious to me of course, but I love just seeing him there - except in hot weather when I worry that they dont leave water out for him.
Goldfynche
19th Mar 2015 14:14:48
1
Thanks for voting!
suffolknan said


How is village life compared to London?


Worlds apart! Unbelievably different! London has got so unfriendly, and, shall we say. cosmopolitan. You daren't be out on your own, late at night.
And worst of all. There are no snow capped mountains at the end of your street! What sort of place is that to live in?
I've just been out on bird watching foray, down by the river. Saw a Heron, some Goosanders, a pair of Buzzards, some Long tailed tits misbehaving on a bridge over the river. And I heard a Yellowhammer! A species I hadn't seen or heard for decades. Mixed emotions though. Normally I would have been out with Gus, my daughters Dachshund/Jackrussell cross. But regrettably he was rushed to the vets on Tuesday, where it was found that most of his organs had failed, so it was agreed that the kindest thing would be to put him to sleep. We all miss him so much.
suffolknan Original Poster
18th Mar 2015 21:35:51
1
Thanks for voting!
Wow - that is a huge inc in council tax! I suppose there is a smaller population to contribute!
Yep - the perennial problem of those we are allied to changing what they are doing rears its head and I guess we must have at least have thought about the possibility in advance.
I wonder what it would be like for me when (rather than if) my daughter decides to leave Coventry uni.
Equally I am not planning to stay where I am now as I think my son and his family may decide to move away from the area.
I have already told my children of my intention of moving somewhere completely different if my first move doesn't work out. Another reason to rent - it is easier to pick up sticks and go!
A few years ago I met a lady in her mid 70s who was changing sheltered accommodation every 5 years or so just for the fun of exploring somewhere new.
I'm not sure if I am planning that exactly - but it is an interesting thought.
How is village life compared to London?
Goldfynche
18th Mar 2015 19:58:35
1
Thanks for voting!
Actually, I am now faced with a dilemma. We only moved here 6 months ago. And as my daughter was having financial difficulties, I bought a 3 bedroom flat, so she could live with me.
But she has since found romance and is now thinking of moving in with him. Which means I will be living on my own in a house that is too big for one person. The council tax is over 100% more than I was paying in London! So if she does move out and settles. I will have to consider downsizing. Still in the same town though.
suffolknan Original Poster
17th Mar 2015 18:15:12
1
Thanks for voting!
Hi Goldfynche
I can see why you ask the question about me renting and yes I do think it is a bit daunting - hence my open question really. I own a property with my son and daughter as my husband left his share to them when he died. As I am not now earning - and still 5 years off getting my state pension - so I am living on my occupational pensions. I love my family enormously, but we are a bit crowded and would all prefer our independence again. So we are going to sell our house and each take our part of the money. Unfortunately this will not give me enough to buy anything which I would like in this part of East Anglia, where I have lived for the past 40 years. For my own personal happiness I am desperate to have a garden and a spare room so I can have an occasional visitor to stay. I think that if I use the capital to rent for the next 5 years then I will be giving myself what I need now and hopefully once I get the state pension (government permitting) I wont be depleting my capital so quickly. So then my daughter threw me an odd ball.......she lives in London but works in Coventry and commutes/stays over to varying degrees. She suggested that she buys a house there and I rent from her - so I end up with a reliable landlord and she gets a "perfect" tenant who puts her up. So the additional question is...should I move to a completely new area and rent from my daughter? Should I go somewhere completely independently? I love Northumberland and have even thought of moving up there on my own as I know that some property there would be affordable to me. Lots to consider.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Goldfynche
15th Mar 2015 13:07:14
0
Thanks for voting!
Hello Suffolknan. You appear to be having the same dilemma, with loneliness and companionship that a few others here are experiencing.
What surprises me with your post, is that you say you are thinking of renting. I wonder, is that wise? As you will paying rent on top of your utility commitments ie: Council tax, Gas, Electricity, Phone, Broadband, Water rates etc. The average state pension, when you are entitled to it, doesn't go very far. Private pensions & annuities are a life saver for many. Me included. If you own your present property. Have you considered downsizing and buying a smaller, cheaper property? I am not prying into your personal circumstances. Just merely urging consideration of the long term.
I recently moved from London to Central Scotland to be near family. I was lucky. I sold my one bedroom flat down there, and bought a three bedroom house up here and still had some change left over. My daughter currently lives with me, otherwise I could have bought a one or two bedroom flat here in the same village for a ridiculous price. Some as little as £88.000.
But now she is thinking of moving in with her new boyfriend. So I will also be entitled to Single person Council tax allowance. And maybe even Pension credits.
I'm not suggesting that you move to Scotland. Just that you really closely scrutinise property prices and amenities in your chosen area.
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