Advice Please

I really would ask you to reconsider taking in a lodger. I have one and it is working out great. She is a friend so things are great between us. Its an extra €600 a month for me. Things really would be a struggle otherwise. I know you want your privacy, but it is not worth the risk of losing your home and having a bad credit rating.

I am quite shocked at your attitude though. You seem quite immature to me. You are worried about making your first mortgage payment, yet you went on holiday before Christmas! You really need a reality check. I am not a frugel liver by any means, but you really just have to take stock when you have a property.

I like to keep up with the latest fashions as well, but when I moved into my apartment I realised the amount of stuff I actually have! Style is not about keeping up with whatever junk is in the shops, but about making the most of what you have and putting things together creatively. Try this before you go running into Oasis, Topshop etc in the future.

I would also suggest going through your clothes, shoes and jewelery and selling some of it on ebay. You could make a few quid on there. I would also recommend doing a spot of babysitting in your locality. Most times the kids are in bed, and you can charge around €10 I think these days. Could be very handy money.

Forget about going on holidays this summer also, until you are comfortable with the mortgage.

Bring your lunch to work. Stop getting coffee etc in the morning. Cut down on taxis. Have friends around to yours for dinner and drinks rather than going out. These are all things that can free up a bit of money. However they are not going to make a huge impact.

Best of luck with it.

I can understand your reluctance to share your house with anyone, but you really can't afford the luxury of total privacy at the moment. I used to act as a host to foreign students aged over 18 yrs. It really just involved leaving a few dinners in the freezer for them to heat up for themselves in the evening and showing them where the bread and coffee were for their breakfast. Most of them are out in the evenings anyway, as they're usually only in Dublin for a few weeks and want to make the most of it. Also, get a second hand portable TV and stick it in their room. This will mean you should have your sitting room to yourself, even on the nights they decide to stay in. Also, you can give yourself a break of a week or two between students so you can have the house totally to yourself some of the time. Its a good compromise between trying to pay the mortgage on your own and being stuck with a permanent lodger that you might not like.

There is also gumtree.ie and these are short term lets - anything from a night to a month...

I have to say i am more than surprise than you found a mortgage provider. You are basically left with 800 euro to leave on each month. In my opinion, you are not living, you are SURVIVING. I completely agree with what a few people have said: you need a reality check.

You want everything at the same time (have your own house and keep shopping, holidays...) It wouldn t be a problem if you could afford it but the problem is that you can t! A friend of mine was in a similar situation a few years ago, she had bought a well overpriced cottage in Dublin and although the place was tiny, and i mean tiny (smallest house i have ever visited!) she had to rent out the second bedroom. She had to compromise and i think that is what you are going to have to do if you want to live and not just survive!

Best of luck anyway, you will need it!!!!!

legallady-you have no rite to call me immature, u dont even know the details of the holidays..

and people i dont need a reality check, ye obviously have not been in my situation, except for momomo, and they are managing quiet well. and im sure i will. when your on a lower salary like i am, you get used to not having money to buy a lot of stuff, when i said at the start i like the lastest fashions, you can easily pick up nice stuff in A-wear, dunnes etc, its not like i shop in BT or anything...

so i'll get back to ye in a few months and give ye an update.....

Hi there,
To be honest I dont think it is helpfull of those to say "How could you get a mortgage on your salary" you have a mortgage and now you have to learn to manage your money..
You would be surprised howmany have been in your boat - and still are - and yes you are right when you are not used to money you dont spend it.
That is not to say that some of the advise isn't helpfull, see how things go for the next few months you do have a small buffer but it would be nice iif rather than scraping by - that you could have some leeway..

007007 said:

and people i dont need a reality check, ye obviously have not been in my situation, except for momomo, and they are managing quiet well. and im sure i will. when your on a lower salary like i am, you get used to not having money to buy a lot of stuff, when i said at the start i like the lastest fashions, you can easily pick up nice stuff in A-wear, dunnes etc, its not like i shop in BT or anything...

so i'll get back to ye in a few months and give ye an update.....

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Since the original poster seems to only want to deal with a single poster who agrees with them and not with the advice from others who might have differing views I am closing this thread and they can continue their mutual appreciation by PM if they like.