Well....
I started work in September, just out of Uni, in London. My mum was planning to retire to France so in 2007 bought some land (~£45k), remorgaged the house for double the amount the morgage was (and put it in a savings account - in £'s), and put down some money for a small bungalow to be built on the land (~£120k).

She also bought a horse (special breed so ~£6k and bloody difficult to sell) as she has always wanted her own. The plan was to sell the house for ~£500k (estimated as a 'Good Price' by Foxtons mid 2008) and move out there, while I moved in with my Boyfriend near London somewhere. Since september I have saved any money left over while living with my mum, and have managed to save almost £10k. This could go towards rental deposit, small new car as mine is ancient, etc...

Just before christmas she had a breakdown, got depressed and thought we'd 'lost everything'. Christmas was fun. She has not worked since Christmas, and doesnt look like she will any time soon. Also, my 19 year old brother has been ill for the last 6 years with Colitis, and is on a special diet so costs a fortune in food.

The house prices in our area are now a bit more than half of what they were, and I now have to spend almost all my pay every month paying the morgage, food, keep for the horse miles away so we cant even ride it (I also ride, and it would be one thing to look forward to during the week) and put most of my savings towards the French house savings shotfall because of the crash of the pound v. Euro. Fun times.

However, we should just about make it through, and im a lot luckier than some other people on this forum and elsewhere, so its not all bad.
(PixelGirl unlock the mind...unmind the lock, Fri 23 Jan 2009, 20:05, 5 replies)

Oh for the love of God ...
Isn't this a bit like being an upper class white dude at an inner city AA meeting listening to fellas who have offered up their bum to get their next fix, and then proceed to whine about needing to cut back on the fine wines since you got pissed and insulted Auntie Meg at Christmas Dinner?

Having a breakdown over losing the villa in France is a bit like that cunt who shot his missus and daughter and burned down the Berkshire manor rather than tell them that he'd ruined them and the bailiffs were coming around in the morning.

FFS, suffer the 'rented-3-bedroom-semi-in-Sussex-sending-the-sproglet-to-a-comprehensive-school' hell that the rest of us endure.

It sucks, but you'll manage. Honest.
(Que?, Sat 24 Jan 2009, 7:55, closed)

And what does the guy's race have to do with him being an alcoholic?
Anyway, it's a big deal- it sounds like they worked for what they wanted (always something to encourage), thought they had it in their grasp and are now having to work even harder to keep hold of it.

And even moreso he doesn't sound too cuntish when he's saying it.

"rented-3-bedroom-semi-in-Sussex" is luxury compared to what most of the world's populationg live in anyway. I mean there's a taxpayer-funded school just 'round the corner! Hell, I'm in a heavily (though affordably) mortgaged 1-bedroom flat in a crap bit of Aberdeen. A 3-bed, rented or otherwise, would be a huge step up for me!

Equally, I'm on a decent salary with decent increases and bought a flat and a car within a year of starting full-time work, so I should make that huge step in not too much time!

Can everyone please quit it with the "I'm poorer and hence holier than thou" "Ooohh, check you with yer "hence" words! posh git!" attitude.
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Mon 26 Jan 2009, 12:33, closed)

If it gets really tight
You could always eat the horse.
( rofl harris, Sat 24 Jan 2009, 16:41, closed)

Just like steak apparently
apart from the fat being yellow.
(adamb, Sat 24 Jan 2009, 17:50, closed)

Or...
....breed the horse, turn the land reserved for a bungalow in France into an abbatoir, repeated butcher the equine offspring, the French will buy up the cheap meat, you'll make a fortune, problem solved.

Sorry I couldn't work out a fix for your nutjob mum, but I'm not fucking Jesus. Not after last time.
(NoveltyCondomHead Clanks Wams., Tue 27 Jan 2009, 16:24, closed)