Dropping out and living the dream

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by tommygoldy, Jun 20, 2015.

  1. Id up sticks and be off tomorrow if the mrs agreed!
    But....
    Living the dream isn't always a dream. If you're still going to have to work, you're going to end up in the same merry go round.
    My parents did it when we were young. My dad had a succesful business which gave us a good life but they decided to sell up and move to the wilds of Scotland, buy a village shop and hope to take it easy. The reality was they ended up working their asses off for much less reward. Ultimately it ended in divorce.
    They had the right idea but perhaps chose the wrong path.
    But as I said I'd be be off with my my lot if I could! If you don't try you don't know.
     
    snotty, Lord Congi, zed and 2 others like this.
  2. Where are you guys thinking? You're already a step ahead of me in terms of getting out of the rat race... the south coast would be an escape of a kind, we could probably lose the mortgage but we'd still have to work.
     
    Lord Congi and Merlin Cat like this.
  3. One of my biggest draws to France was I put one teen into high school in Cornwall and he was lost ,he was top boy at his previous school (which incidentally was a good school) ,I still beat myself up wasting a year of his life there ,my daughter was about to go to the same hopeless school...

    so we ran....:D
     
  4. We have friends here in Southampton from north London. They came here to get away from London , both had good jobs in lonndon and now have good jobs here, bought a nice house with the proceeds of their London home.
    Nothings changed though, they're still working hard just in a different place.!
     
    Merlin Cat and tommygoldy like this.
  5. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    Where was that?
     
  6. The school? we tried two ,in our area there was just two choices...
     
  7. I don't think we have a 'plan' as such @tommygoldy. 9 years ago we went travelling & both loved Australia & New Zealand. Our 'plan' on our return was to save up, & then emigrate. @volkswombat even had a job offer for NZ... Instead, we got married, had kids, got a mortgage... now our oldest is in Primary school... The notion of leaving is harder when you factor in grandparents who are getting on in life... I'm not ruling out ever going, but I can't see it happening in the next 5 years.
     
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  8. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    We did actually sell up and buy a old run down property in the sticks by the river for cash when we were 28. After 15 carefree years we decided to hop back in as we thought we had opted out too young. Both decisions were the right one and we did enjoy our time in the sticks rebuilding the house and generally being laid back with life.
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2015
  9. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    The area. We quite like Looe and wouldn't mind buying another property there, but we don't know whether to leave it until Will leaves school or not!
     
    Skid66 likes this.
  10. we had it easier , because we had zero family ties...:thumbsup:

    it was further down mate...:thumbsup:
     
  11. PIE

    PIE

    I recomend it, I live in the country, no job, have chickens train gun dogs and fish in the summer, go beating and picking up in the winter, its great and I couldn't be happier!!!
     
    blueeyes, Lord Congi, redarmy and 5 others like this.
  12. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    This last bit is so true isn't it. My mum and dad are in their mid 70's and Lou's mum in her early 80's. It does play on your mind even if we both have other family ( brothers and sisters) who could see them okay.
     
  13. I was talking to a Newcastle girl this week who moved to New south wales ,later on she married a airline pilot and now lives 20 meters from the beach...

    Even I envy people moving to Australia ,just because of the language/climate etc ,but I do like France for the scenery etc...


    Even I am torn...:D
     
  14. A good friend of mine did it about 5 years ago, the company he worked for said go and we'll pay moving expenses and offered him a salary he couldn't refuse.

    He can't afford to buy as the wage is only relative to the house prices and citizenship is a tricky old thing despite his first child being born there, he's in two minds whether to come back as the nest egg his built up isn't enough to do much where he is but will almost buy him a house outright if he came back.

    I'm still jealous though when I talk to him on FaceTime from his roof terrace, it's not all fun n games though, he's ginger so burns regularly!
     
  15. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    What do you train the fish to do?
     
    Barneyrubble, redarmy, Moons and 3 others like this.
  16. swim faster...:D

    I don't know if I could personally move somewhere and just "do the house up" or "look after the animals etc", I do think I need social interaction ...

    It would get right on my nerves if I had to stay home every day ,plus I need to earn x amount every month just to live here ...

    A lot of Britain's move back because of isolation ...

    Holiday makers always ask me the same question..."would you move back" ?

    The thought never ever crosses our minds...:hattip:
     
    blueeyes, Lord Congi, redarmy and 4 others like this.
  17. We home schooled our three kids and are glad we did, I was also worried about the social aspect but it never was a problem, have you seen and heard the majority of school children? Our three have turned out to have good manners,social skills etc but can still fight their corner and dont talk like they were born in" da hood". Joe, my eldest, has landed a job as a welder and loves it, Ellen is studying drama at college and Archie will be starting college in september.Saying that not all home ed kids are good, some of the parents are not right in the head, basically trying to live an alternative lifestyle on a council estate in Ashford doesnt quite cut it.Bushcraft is a good thing if you live in Borneo perhaps but wielding a machete and making clay ovens in Kent...............................well you know.I do think some of the home edders do it so they dont have to get up and take the kids to school.
     
  18. theBusmonkey

    theBusmonkey Sponsor

    We are 10 years in now!
    Quit corporate life at 40, & surprisingly our first Westy was a catalyst in a way.
    Big house, big German cars, nice salary & benefits, no lifestyle!
     
  19. Iv thought about giving up work but big but I have a 4 bed bungalow with no morgage . A big house in Thailand good bank account . But like I said a big but I like to work but with no stress go on holiday when u like and know that I can walk away anytime. But with my my little girl and her problems means that we have to stay around for her medical needs but it's nice to have a easy life . so I say chase your dreams and then look back and say we did it if it works great. . but if not you won't have any regrets ;);)
     
    Merlin Cat likes this.
  20. This morning the first thing I said to the missus was "let's buy a wreck in the south of France". She smiled. The more I talked about it the wider her smile got. I've being trying to sell her the idea of Spain, I think I may have been flogging a dead horse there... maybe I've cracked it!

    It's true that France would be easier as we both speak a bit of the language. We've also travelled in France quite a bit, and her sister lives in Lyon, so we have some family there. Plus the sister of a couple that we're very close to has recently bought a house in Lot-et-Garonne - they're travelling out there all the time.

    Still, wondering what I'd do out there for money, maybe a small rental property in the UK? Or maybe buy a place, do it up and sell it. I'm not anti work, but in London I feel like I'm on a treadmill going nowhere, and I can't help but feel that there's got to be a more relaxed option.

    @lost-en-france @tuesday_wildchild would love to hear more about how you've made your moves work especially in terms of making ends meet. Is anyone else on here in France? What regions would you be looking at for value and opportunity?

    Hmmm... it's fun to dream.
     

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