cricket1again

I hope this isn't an impolite question but at least it might be an interesting debate on how much you need to start life again in the UK. Although bearing in mind, some people who already live there as well as in any other country, do not enjoy a comfortable standard of living.

We're able to go back, buy a small house outright, transfer business, buy a car and live for a while without racing off to get a job.

But.....we've had to cash our pensions in to raise the cash. As the housing market is flat, we'll probably buy 2 houses eventually, one to live in, one as a retirement fund.

This isn't because we're loaded. It's our own financial planning strategy. We wouldn't get a mortgage easily because our credit history is broken by living abroad so we have to buy a house for cash. Once we've established a new credit rating, we'll borrow to buy another house.

I'm just planning around the problems we'll face when do head back and thinking how best to prioritise the capital we do have available knowing that borrowing won't be an option for a while.

lobby lou

if u can afford to buy a house for cash ...then surely u could re mortgage this to buy a 2nd property......that is what we did .....

cricket1again

Exactly.

Mummy in the foothills

I'd planned on buying a house for cash, but prices here seem to have dropped so much more than in the UK even. So we'd end up with a small mortgage or a smaller house.

Sue1

Your lucky we going back with maybe a couple of thousand, so think yourself lucky your not us, but thats life we have had our fun, and we have 2 boys, we going to stay at my parents at the start, trying to get a job sorted out from this end NZ, if we can't get one sorted out will go back and look, and then hopefully rent a house. At least we will be back with family and friends. Good luck with your move etc Sue

Rodfan

Hi,
We also (have sent you a p.m. Sue) would be going back with very little to get started again, due to pingponging, and that is if I can even pesuade OH to go back again..and we are no "spring Chickens" either, but my heart is not in OZ. you are very lucky to be able to go back and buy a house,I sometimes wish my emotions did not rule!! would certainly be better off financially!!

cricket1again

Can I ask? When you were ping ponging, did you always go back to the same places? Or did you try somewhere new?

Fleaflyfloflum

Very little.

After 2 failed attempts at going back firs on my own to get a job and twice it all falling htrough for very different reasons, none of my own making. It has cost us a huge amount of money. Couple that with most of our remaining savings wiped out in the stockmarket crash recently, and my inability to work due to illness, we are pretty much on the bones of our bum for the time being.
One day we will inherit 50% of a large property in NZ, but I am hoping that doesnt happen for many years to come.

You know what? I really dont care too much. I mean this from the bottom of my heart...

I dont care if i never own a home again. Owned several, rented several, i dont care either way as long as i have a warm roof over my head, a garden to potter in and the ability to go out and enjoy my life with my family.

I am totally over the need for possesions and material status symbols uch as flash cars, big house etc. Had them all, didnt make me any happier, just stressed out trying to pay for them.

I am an extremely resourceful person. I have that much faith in myself that i know i will rebuild my life in UK. I started with nothing, came from a poor background and worked my way out of it and will no doubt do it again, but theres one big difference this time... I'll be doing it to enjoy simpler pleasures and have inner contentment.
Over the last few weeks i have had a lot of spare time to think and i know exactly what I want to achieve now...

1.a SMALL home please, 2 bedrooms maybe, but must have fair sized garden to potter in.

2. SMALL reliable car... actually, i have it already i forgot...my little Astra is waiting at my daughters house for me to return

3. I am researching a small home based business to start which will enable me to spend much more time with my grandchildren.

I dont want or need anything else. Thats it. Just need to get healthy enough to make all this happen now

cricket1again

I so agree. In fact I think that this whole current economic climate is a timely lesson on showing people what they don't need and how to be more resourceful and in fact, be happier.

DDL

Wow - our situation is very similar...and I feel pretty much the way you do about "stuff". We've been back here in the States for 4 years (long enough to get DH's citizenship) - I was diagnosed with breast cancer less than a year after arriving. I am cancer free now but even with health insurance, we've spent thousands on my treatment. We're going back with little to nothing.

I keep thinking about my great-grandparents who were immigrants to America from Austria at the turn of the century. They arrived at Ellis Island with 2 suitcases, 2 little boys and couldn't even speak the language. They survived. Just look how much easier things are for us nowadays.

I love small spaces. Our little house here in South Carolina is only 944 sq feet.

I hope you find a home-based business that will turn into a big success for you!

Fleaflyfloflum

Thankyou.

I'm really pleased to read you are cancer free now. May it continue!

Things like this do changed how you view the world though dont they?
Just as your great grandparents did, we all have the ability to work through whatever life throws at us. Lets be honest, what are the alternatives? Crawl under a bush and die? I dont think so!!
The realisation that pleasure and enjoyment can come from things that cost nothing in monetary terms, makes not having money a little easier to deal with i think.
I feel very excited at getting into something new. In fact i am extremely frustrated being here as i cant move forward with anything until i get back to UK.

Nu-Shooz

We are going back with half of what we came with. Lost abit on the house here so that didn't help.
I keep thinking 'it's only money' happiness in more important.

cricket1again

For me, it's about what I want in my life. I frequently ask myself the question, 'what is my life about', then I ask myself what do I want in my life? Like Quoll, it has little to do with money. It's about waking up feeling connected to something solid and feeling grounded.

The only thing I'm struggling with is Britain's current mood. I could strangle the next person who tries to tell me I'm mad for wanting to go home. Like we haven't had recessions before??? What happened to that British bulldog fighting spirit and pulling together??? The blind faith and optimism. Where did that go?

USAGypsies

We went back in December last year and had enough to pay for the flights, rental car, short term rental, deposit + 1mth rent for a house, buy a car and get other things sorted out like getting cell phones, money for essentials and a bit left over to keep us afloat until huz got his first pay and I got the business going etc... but we had underestimated the cost of a 'nice' rental house/location and the council tax on top plus the extra fee's for daring to have a pet and actually furnishing the place even if most of it ended up being from Ikea. We could have got by, if huz started working soon after arrival but it would have added extra stress to an already difficult transition.

In hindsight, we've since decided that our ping-pong trip, insane as it seemed at the time, turned out to be a positive thing because it gave us a wake up call on the cost of returning. Let's just say we had stayed there, we would have arrived just in time for the recession.
Now we are giving ourselves time to save as much as we can so that it's as easy as possible when we do get back. I'm quite frugal already with the economy being the way it is and fortunately huz is getting increasingly tight too and it's become a bit of a contest in our house on who can be the biggest stinge lol To have a better start when we get home will make it all worth it.

cricket1again

I'm confused. Did you go back the UK last December, then come back to Australia, now you're planning to go back to the UK, right?