What are your biggest early 20s regrets?
Discussion
You are 22 and single, enjoy life. If you like your job keep it for now, and if you get on well with your GF stay with her, she might well be the one. Whatever you do don't buy a flat, at your stage of life it will just be a millstone and prevent you from taking up opportunities that may take you away. If you want to flee the nest, then rent; it's more flexible.
Justin Case said:
You are 22 and single, enjoy life. If you like your job keep it for now, and if you get on well with your GF stay with her, she might well be the one. Whatever you do don't buy a flat, at your stage of life it will just be a millstone and prevent you from taking up opportunities that may take you away. If you want to flee the nest, then rent; it's more flexible.
Good advice, I've had a quick look on rightmove this morning for ideas. Doesn't seem that I can rent a decent flat for any less than 700PCM, without parking. Think I'd rather get throttle bodies for my DC2
DanielJames said:
Good advice, I've had a quick look on rightmove this morning for ideas. Doesn't seem that I can rent a decent flat for any less than 700PCM, without parking.
Think I'd rather get throttle bodies for my DC2
Would ahve thought you could get a decent house in yorkshire for 500-600 PCM.Think I'd rather get throttle bodies for my DC2
Jimmy No Hands said:
Get your own place, £600 PCM will get you a very nice apartment (or at least in W.Yorks it would) It'll change your life for the better. I've just bought my first house at 25 and it still feels like I'm on holiday every day. Sometimes I don't even put pants on.
Yup, agree. Get your own place. Before opening the thread I was reminded of my biggest regret as below. It's something that I bring up now and again when conversations head in this direction.
I'm 40 now and my biggest regret was not buying my own place in my early 20's. Spent my money on cars instead and continued living with my parents until my late 20s. If I had got my own place, sure, I wouldn't have been able to dick around with cars so much then, but I would be in a much better position now to dick around with cars in a much more comfortable way.
The above is aside from all the money spent going out on the piss every night with my mates. Maybe getting my own place sooner would have curtailed that a bit as well.
DanielJames said:
That's a bit bitey and presumptuous!
By the way I was in the London National History Museum the other day and had a weird Pistonheads moment when I discovered what a Baryonyx was and thought hey, that's not a Baryonyx, he's a guy on Pistonheads.
Indeed, most here think I'm called Bary. Who has ever heard of a bloke called Bary? I do like the Baryonyx though, and the Natural History Museum has a good one, which is fitting saying as they lived in what would one day become the South of England.By the way I was in the London National History Museum the other day and had a weird Pistonheads moment when I discovered what a Baryonyx was and thought hey, that's not a Baryonyx, he's a guy on Pistonheads.
Eating too many cakes and hence spending my 20s porkie.
And you can get a nice 1 bed flat with parking in central Leeds for £650 - £700pcm. Throttle bodies or your own pad?! Bloody hell.
Conversely, the best thing I did in my early 20s was to get my own apartment. Only then did life properly begin.
And you can get a nice 1 bed flat with parking in central Leeds for £650 - £700pcm. Throttle bodies or your own pad?! Bloody hell.
Conversely, the best thing I did in my early 20s was to get my own apartment. Only then did life properly begin.
£30k at 22? What are you complaining about lol. If the work life balance is good that sounds like a fantastic career.
Sounds like you need a slight change of scenery, a flat purchase/renting a place will provide something a bit different while not upsetting the nest too much I'da thought?
Sell both cars and buy something more special IMO. Give you something new to enjoy.
Haven't seen your Integra around sheffield, where is it you work?
Sounds like you need a slight change of scenery, a flat purchase/renting a place will provide something a bit different while not upsetting the nest too much I'da thought?
Sell both cars and buy something more special IMO. Give you something new to enjoy.
Haven't seen your Integra around sheffield, where is it you work?
rossub said:
Not buying a flat in 2001/02 for £40k like all my mates did. Two of them still own them, have them rented out for £700 pcm and they're worth £140k 
We'll never see those times again, too many people see the investment rather than the place to live.
Similar. I got talked out of buying a house in 2001 that would now be worth pretty much double and probably paid off altogether if I was still there. Never mind though, plenty worse off than me. We'll never see those times again, too many people see the investment rather than the place to live.
Sheffield is a great city for someone your age.
Get yourself a decent flat with parking.
Loads available for less that £600 pcm.
Ecclesall Rd, Broomhill, Kelham Island etc...
Loads of places to go out, loads of student totty.....
I spent all my 20's in Sheffield in rented houses and loved every minute of it.
Get yourself a decent flat with parking.
Loads available for less that £600 pcm.
Ecclesall Rd, Broomhill, Kelham Island etc...
Loads of places to go out, loads of student totty.....
I spent all my 20's in Sheffield in rented houses and loved every minute of it.
DanielJames said:
Justin Case said:
You are 22 and single, enjoy life. If you like your job keep it for now, and if you get on well with your GF stay with her, she might well be the one. Whatever you do don't buy a flat, at your stage of life it will just be a millstone and prevent you from taking up opportunities that may take you away. If you want to flee the nest, then rent; it's more flexible.
Good advice, I've had a quick look on rightmove this morning for ideas. Doesn't seem that I can rent a decent flat for any less than 700PCM, without parking. Think I'd rather get throttle bodies for my DC2
That's about the only regret I have. When I was 19 and at uni, my parent's suggested I buy a student let to live in (I had enough savings for what would have been a decent deposit at the time). I thought it was a daft suggestion, I was too busy being a student to consider being tied down to something like that. So they bought a student let instead. That was 15 years ago. Now it's worth three times what they paid for it, and the rental profit has more than covered the mortgage. Admittedly now is not such a good time to buy as it was then, but bricks and mortar is hardly ever a bad investment, especially for the long term.
A few years later, when I was about your age, I was in a very similar situation to you. I had a good amount of money in the bank, steady g/f, decent job. This time I was seriously getting ready to buy a place, but then the relationship went south, so I stayed with parents. Couple of years later I moved out - relocated to other end of the country and into rented accommodation with another girl. Fast forward to the present and I have no savings, I've paid out 50k in rent, and no real prospect of getting on the property ladder any time soon.
As I look back, ALL my friends who bought houses early in life are in a better financial place than those that didn't, the earlier the better. Quite a few are (or nearly are) mortgage free, many have a second property as a BTL. Not buying years ago, when I had the savings and income is my only regret.
I'm not sure why everyone is encouraging to move out at 22? I am 29 now and only moved out at 27. Staying those extra years meant I had loads more money to blow on clothes, women, drink, holiday's and cars. The house was big enough that us kids had our own half (6 bedrooms), so we would have regular parties etc, and my mum honestly didn't mind. She was good as gold. The house was a social hub for all of our friends. I had the best time all through my twenties, and if I could go back I wouldn't move out any sooner at all! I'm now happy in my own house I purchased with my girlfriend last year. Any earlier and I wouldn't have had the disposable income to do all the things I did.
I guess it does come down to how restrictive your parents are, and if the house is small, I guess you'd be under each others feet constantly? Maybe that plays a big part?
I guess it does come down to how restrictive your parents are, and if the house is small, I guess you'd be under each others feet constantly? Maybe that plays a big part?
nick s said:
I'm not sure why everyone is encouraging to move out at 22? I am 29 now and only moved out at 27. Staying those extra years meant I had loads more money to blow on clothes, women, drink, holiday's and cars. The house was big enough that us kids had our own half (6 bedrooms), so we would have regular parties etc, and my mum honestly didn't mind. She was good as gold. The house was a social hub for all of our friends. I had the best time all through my twenties, and if I could go back I wouldn't move out any sooner at all! I'm now happy in my own house I purchased with my girlfriend last year. Any earlier and I wouldn't have had the disposable income to do all the things I did.
I guess it does come down to how restrictive your parents are, and if the house is small, I guess you'd be under each others feet constantly? Maybe that plays a big part?
I agree with this, I stayed at home saved up bought a house at 25 it was the best thing I have ever done. You might as well flush your money down the toilet renting and in kent its about £450 p/m for a room but dont leave it to long as house prices will rise.I guess it does come down to how restrictive your parents are, and if the house is small, I guess you'd be under each others feet constantly? Maybe that plays a big part?
Adenauer said:
nick s said:
I'm not sure why everyone is encouraging to move out at 22? I am 29 now and only moved out at 27. Staying those extra years meant I had loads more money to blow on clothes, women, drink, holiday's and cars.
You might like to check that you have the flame suit handy? 
Not to mention most people won't have enough for a deposit in their early twenties. And as above, renting is a complete waste of money IMO.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff