Basically, I have lived frugally all my life, except I decided to leave the states and come to the UK for school, leaving me living in a very expensive country (and expensive city!) with debts of about $20,000 for school. I had a temporary job that was paying my bills, but that job is over now.

More: I live with my boyfriend who is a student, and we have a cat. Currently, our rent and bills (and stupid insane taxes that the UK charge...£100 a month for WATER and trash collection AND I even get a discount as I am the only worker in the house) come to about £625 a month.

I was offered a job that pays £11,000 a year for 25 hours of work. Great I thought, I can just get a second job and we'll be fine. Only the job is a 2 hour commute. I don't have a car, so I would have to take the train and a bus. I still thought, do-able. It's a great job with great people and benefits. Then I checked the train schedule. I would have to leave the house at 4:30am to walk to the train station to catch the 5:22 am train that will get me to the town at 7:30 so I can catch the bus. Oh, did I mention the 1/2 hour layover? Oh and that the travel expenses rack up to £144 a month, if I but my tickets three weeks in advance. Otherwise, it's £24 a trip, plus bus fare. 70 a week? OUCH!

So basically, I would have to move to this town to take the job. But I don't know anyone there, my boyfriend couldn't come with me, and I would feel very isolated. I would also have to find a new roommate, since I cannot afford to live alone.

My other option is to find a flatshare with two more people, so we can cut our costs to £450 a month all together, paying only 225 per person a month. But we would have to get rid of the cat. Then, while living on my savings, try to find another job. The hard part is that the economy in the UK is okay, but the town I live in is so full of recent graduates and talented people from all over the world, that getting a nice job is really hard. And honestly, unless we moved into a flat with like 6 other people (an option) a minimum wage job won't pay the bills here. They tax everyone so heavily here...I know I can go to the doctor for free whenever I want, but I would rather have that £200 a month so I can afford to eat vegetables instead of pasta.

I just don't know what to do. I want to stay in this city, but I also want to be able to pay off, at minimum, £4,000 of my debt a year.

Any advice?

Thank you so much in advance!

Is it possible to rent a room in the new town??? This might make it less expensive and if the people were nice they may let you bring your kitty.

Question: why isn't the boyfriend working and making a contribution??? why are you supporting him. Not my business but you shouldn't be carrying the whole load on your own that isn't fair.

JMHO,
leezza

sorry, I forgot to add, he does contribute! He adds about £600 a month, but he is a full time student. In the summer, he works more and can add more. I just actually have a job, so I want to put money into savings, whereas his share of all bills is about £594 a month (it's actually his cat, so he pays her insurance). He also wanted the crazy good internet, so he pays more for that, and for better cable.

I could get a room there, that was the plan, not to get a whole place. I looked into it and spoke to a few people and even looked at two places when I had my job interview. But in order to live close to work and in a non-scary neighborhood, it was going to cost £380 a month plus council tax which is about £50!

A breakdown of our current budget:

rent: 475
council tax: 100
utilities: 30
groceries: 200
current travel (for last job): 80
Internet/cell phones/cable: 50
cat: 10
so like £935 (doing math in my head!) a month to split two ways, which is about £470 per person.

I also try and stick £100 a month in my savings. And whatever else, I put towards my student loan.

But truthfully, travel for this job, split in half (which my boyfriend offered to do) would only be £87, and so it wouldn't be much cheaper to move.
I'm just tor about financially and mentally what would be best. I know the commute would be deadly, but living without any friends would be really rough as well. Of course, I really want to pay off my loans!

I don't know the UK but would it be possible to get a lower paying job that is closer to you that way you would save on commute costs??? Are there any people in your area that may want to hire assistants??? Is there any possiblity of getting a job with flex hours or something that you could do from your flat???

By looking at your budget you seem to be doing a really good job of handling things.

Best Wishes,
leezza

I am confused, you said your the only worker in the house so how does your boyfriend contribute?

Seems to be it might be better to find a lower paying job in the location your at now, thus saving you so much on commute costs or atleast keeping them the same.

If you had to find a roommate at the place your at now, that would cut some costs as well. JMHO.

I am confused, you said your the only worker in the house so how does your boyfriend contribute?

Seems to be it might be better to find a lower paying job in the location your at now, thus saving you so much on commute costs or atleast keeping them the same.

If you had to find a roommate at the place your at now, that would cut some costs as well. JMHO.

I agree, find a lower paying job where you are at.

I agree pass on this job it sounds like too much of a hassel,another job will come along.

Would it be possible to try the commute for a bit, just to see how horrible it might be?

Then, if it is really more than you can stand, you can come to a more informed decision... Either you can see about getting a place closer to your job, or a job closer to your place. ;) Wouldn't it be awful if you took a place in the next town, only to find that some part of the job didn't work out as you'd hoped?

A couple of years back, I had a job with a 1.5 hour commute each way by train... NOT as bad as what you're contemplating, but I sympathize.... On the upside, I got to catch up on all of the books I'd been meaning to read! :)

Thanks for everyone's advice so far...

I will explain a bit...my boyfriend is in school full time, so he has a loan that pays his rent (£300) a month and his parents give him £300 a month as well, making it so he can add £600 for all bills. Just the way that the UK works is that if you are a full time student you do not get taxed on anything. Yo don't pay council tax or get money taken out of any part-time job you have. So when you take out a lease, you have to show who is working and who isn't to the goverment and then they send you a council tax bill based on how big your house is, where you live, what your rent is, and how many people work.

We cannot get a roommate in our current flat as it is a one bedroom :( so we have to find a new place, but that involves having to put down a deposit and all, and with me currently not working, it will be hard to come up with the £700 or so pounds it will cost up front. Of course, with no job, paying the rent here is hard too...

I have been applying for job here like crazy. I have a nannying job interview Tuesday, but the problem is, I think they want to pay me like £150 a week, which is not enough to live in this city, at all. I used to work retail and could get a job doing that, but again, after taxes (taken from the pay, not council tax), I am looking at £100 a week and that is just not enough. I have minimum payments I need to make on my student loan.

I have pretty much decided not to take the job I have on offer though. It's tough. It's hard to explain, because in the states, $11,000 is more than enough to live on. But here...it's really not. I mean, we currently keep our bills as low as they are because we don't EVER turn our heat on (no exaggeration) or turn the lights on, except in rooms without windows (the bathroom and shower room). In the UK, housing is so expensive that many people either live with their parents or with multiple flatmates until they are well into their 40's. It's insane.

a huge part of me just wants to come back to the states, but with the recession there, it doesn't seem like a magic solution either.

Oh, and to Krissyre, the thing about the job is that it is cooking for homeless shelter and not a corporate job or anything...so the people are amazing and super nice...I do not want to start working there and then quit on them. They are amazing amazing people and deserve to have an employee that will stick around.

We lived in the UK for three years - but stationed there in the military (until 7/07). Where do you live in England?
I really feel for you on the tax situation! It is ridiculous the amount of council tax and employment taxes one has to pay. You sound bright and ready for just about anything. Perhaps you should look into some night or evening work until you can secure something you are better qualified for. Have you checked with the temp/employment agencies? If you are in London - check with British Doula/Nannies for a position there. I trained with them to become a doula and I know Jean has the nanny agency as well. It's called Top Notch Nannies, I just looked it up. Even if you don't live in London - they have work all over England.
Best Wishes!
Dianne