For the last few years I have been actively planning my trip around the world. It takes place in 2015 when my youngest is close to being 18 and my first location is the Caribbean. The recession hampered my plans because business was a real struggle for a couple of years but I am through the worst of that now and things are picking up again and gaining in strength. It never dampened my enthusiasm just ate into my savings in a big way!
So what did I do to survive and make sure this still goes ahead? I simplified my life – I downsized! I took my outgoings in 2009 from £3,000 a month down to what it is now around £1,700. In 2008-09 when I needed to find £3k a month just to pay bills it was a real struggle at times but now in 2011 after releasing myself from “stuff” and credit card bills and car payments life is a lot better and I feel free.
Right now the ONLY thing to keep me in England are my children. I have no car payments, no mortgage (I sold my house to pay everything off), no ties of any kind and it feels great. I think the biggest thing I gave up was my car but I am now used to life without one because to be honest working at home every day meant I hardly ever used it. I also got real lazy and would jump in the car to go post a letter!!!!
The biggest CHANGE I made was to move a couple of months ago. I decided to stop paying London prices for rent and move just out of London to Luton, Bedfordshire. I am LOVING it here. It is far more open to black/caribbean events and activities than Harrow. In Luton black people actually count for something! I am saving £300 a month on rent which is going into my travel pot – or at least it will once I stop spending money on stuff for the house!
I missed not having a garden. Our last place was a top floor flat on a main road. This time I choose a house with a big garden and it is so quiet. I live in a really nice part of Luton with an (so I have been told by my estate agent) “affluent” black and asian community.
My youngest – the future England cricket player – went down to the local cricket club and introduced himself to the adults there. He has been there ever since playing and scoring for the adults. They feed him and treat him really well. In Harrow they didn’t even play him in a team – he was in reserves – apart from at school where they did use him. He was always upset about not being picked to play in the main Harrow team but was happy he had the school team at least. In Luton the coach hasn’t seen him play yet but is determined to make him a great cricket player – I guess his dedication of giving up his weekends to sit and watch the adults (which he loves to do) makes him a great candidate to succeed!!
He is still waiting to meet England cricket player Monty Panesar who is a regular visitor to the Luton cricket ground and was trained by the guy who will know be coach to my youngest.
Middle child and mister socialable is the only one without a real focus yet but he is down to start college next week and hopefully he will make some new friends. He keeps wanting to revisit Harrow (I think he has a girl there!) and as always he keeps us all laughing and entertained at home. I wanted to send him to Dominica this year to be with his cousins but the move took priority over that in the end.
So, for the next 5 years I will be here living in Luton. I may make one more move to a bigger place because my oldest doesn’t have her own room which is not a big deal while she is away at university but in the next couple of years when she returns I will move to give her some space.
All I do now is save and have fun. There are so many cultural events on in and around Luton that I will love being here and it won’t take me long to connect with some new people.
As for business. It is picking up and I had a real growth spurt last year around September-December. Talk of a double dip recession slowed this down again this year around April-June but so far for September 2011 its looking good again. Its almost as if everyone got back from their holidays and decided to use my services!
I have plans to visit Dominica again possibly in 2012 but this time I want to take the kids with me so I am looking at a £3-4k flight payment before we even think about anything else! My place in Dominica is definitely Fond St Jean which is where my dad was born and it will be my haven away from the England winters.
Marcia Charles
MaDD