Homeowning
Hi everyone!
I'm on a train to Bruges at the moment and I've finally found some time to write, after being away for more than a month (sorry!), swallowed by my life basically. What happened in the past busy month? First of all, this blog turned one year old (yay! virtual prosecco for all my followers).
But the biggest news is a personal milestone I've finally achieved: [drumroll............] I've bought a house! Well, a flat actually, not an entire building, which in London is already a pretty big thing. But yes, I'm officially an adult with a mortgage, scared and excited. I know that most travel&lifestyle bloggers prefer to have a more nomad life and flexible bases, and I thought about it a lot... coming to the conclusion that for me it was very important to stop wasting money on rent, making landlords rich and having to deal with ridiculous letting agencies (and having to argue because they wanted to charge us 334 £ to change a toilet lid that was cracked. Yep, 334 £, true story. Not even in the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi I've seen toilet lids worth 334 £). I wanted to start investing in something more solid for my future. Plus, my partner and I really wanted to have a house to call our own and we felt this was the right time.
The past year has been dedicated to this project entirely. Saving money was a priority: after a delightful contract on board SilverCloud I had to put my performing on hold and commit to a more regular day job (aaaaaargh....). I had to find ingenious ways to live, eat, go out, even have holidays on a budget. I've switched to a capsule wardrobe, minimising and optimising the purchase of clothes. I've mastered a shopping list template that allows me to buy groceries for an entire week for two people spending less than 30£, salmon fillets included. I've cooked nice and healthy meals to take to work, so that I could cut extra costs (and extra carbs). I bought an insulated flask and started preparing my coffee at home, with my beloved Italian moka espresso machine (saving a minimum of 2,70£ a day). This was the best part, but it was tough at times. I had to constantly remind myself that I was working towards a goal, and that sacrifice was only a temporary and necessary step.
And here we are, all settled in our new place, having a fresh new start. I feel a bit tired and overwhelmed by emotions, but at the same time I'm happy and energised. We still don't have Internet connection at home (we live in a brand new development and the works for the fibre broadband are delaying a bit), but I think I'll use the local library to have my blog work done. I need to get back in the game, and after this important milestone there's so much more I want to achieve, personally. Things I want to do, places I want to go, best versions of me I want to be. But first, I'd better put up the curtains on the bedroom window, because I'm currently sleeping with a black t-shirt wrapped around my eyes like I had been kidnapped by a dodgy gang in Tijuana.
See you all soon!
