Turning 27, COVID-19, starting a new blog, and navigating London on a tight budget.
Welcome to my new blog! I originally started TheGiraffesLife as a blog back in 2017 but I quickly fell out of love with it because WordPress just wasn't offering me the look I wanted. So, now I've joined Wix and hopefully, I'll stay! The reason why I wanted to blog again is that there's so much that's changed in my life I don't really feel like it's YouTube-worthy content. If you didn't know I make lifestyle and travel videos, mostly lifestyle at the moment as COVID-19 has cancelled every travel plan I had in 2020,
"2020 was going to be my year and then... COVID-19 ruined everything."
Turning 27
In February I turned the ripe age of 27, I'm only three years away from being THIRTY and I honestly don't know how to feel about this. Part of me feels like I'm still 23, fresh out of uni and the whole world at my feet and the other part feels like I've not achieved anything and that time is running out. I know 27 is still young-ish and I have many years left until it's too late to do what I want to do, but I still feel stressed about turning thirty. Heck,I graduated university FIVE years ago and when I think back at what I've actually done the list is endless. Nevertheless, I still feel like I haven't accomplished anything.
2020 was going to be my year. I started out strong: got my driving license early February, met James Blunt ON my birthday, was dating this guy and then... COVID-19 ruined everything.
COVID-19 Cancelled My Travel Plans
I LOVE travelling and try and get away as often as possible, whether that's in the UK or in Europe I don't mind. In March I was meant to go to Amsterdam for three days with two friends and I was incredibly excited. Vlog content was planned, I was about to film my packing video and then you felt COVID-19 get closer and closer. China closed down, Italy followed shortly and we were just waiting for official news that the Netherlands would also shut down.
Luckily for us we had only paid for our flights which didn't cost us a fortune and the second we decided to not travel EasyJet offered us a free of charge change of dates. We've rescheduled the flights for September but at the moment it doesn't look like that will happen either. These are the reasons why I always make sure to only reserve a hotel room and pay upon arrival because then you're not out of pocket in case of things like a global pandemic happens.
I was then meant to be going on a little solo 48 hour trip to Brussels in early May but obviously that was too cancelled. Luckily I could change my EuroStar tickets free of charge so have rebooked these for November, but who knows at this point if I'll ever get off this one British Isle before the end of the year.
And finally, the worst travel plan cancellation of the year: I'm meant to be sat in Sweden writing this post and not in my London flat. Because of COVID-19, the Swedish officials recommended against travelling and this recommendation is until July 15th and due to the unknown, I postponed my annual leave from work until August, hoping that the UK two-week quarantine will be lifted by then and I can fly home to see my family. Fingers crossed because right now 2020 is turning out to be the worst year of my life.
COVID-19 Made Me Lose My Job
On top of having all my travel plans cancelled, I also lost one of my jobs back in March. This news came on the same day that I decided to move flats and had decided to sacrifice some money and pay double rent just so I could get out of the hellhole I was living in, but that's a story for another time. I quickly applied for a job at Tesco and got it! Worked there for 7 weeks and then I quit, probably not the best idea financially but the hours were killing me and the fact that my normal job was soon opening back up I just wanted some time for myself.
What his has led to is a tough time financially and while it's kind of taboo to talk about I think it's important that we do. I admit, I'm a good saver so I do have a nice financial reserve but losing half of your income takes a toll.
Living in London on a Tight Budget
And then, on top of losing half my income I did my tax returns yesterday and now have a nice £3300 bill that has to be paid in January. Luckily (?) I was good and saved some of the money I made last year from the job I lost, so I only have to find half of that bill in the next six months. And to be honest, it's gonna suck.
So, while I still have one job I only work 20 hours a week so at the end of the month, I've made a good grand. Take away tax and other deductions I'm left with £950-ish. Rent in London ain't cheap but my new place is super central so I don't have to pay for public transport as I just walk everywhere, even to work! So, without going into the details after I've paid for my rent, bills and my Amex bill I have a solid -£150. Yup, I have negative money in the bank.
I know I'm no economist but I too understand that that won't work out in the end. So, my plan is to keep a really frickin' tight budget, try and keep my Amex, which is my monthly spending, to under £200. That will leave me a buffer of £30. This money I'll save towards the tax bill and unless I get more hours or find another job I'll just have to use my well-earned savings.
Money is an ugly topic and people are scared to talk about it but honestly, I don't mind. I know this situation sucks for everyone but I'm lucky to have enough money to cover rent, bills, and food - all the fun stuff can wait. Besides, it's not like I'll be doing anything fun in the next few months anyway because we are still in the middle of a pandemic.
Moving Forward
While this has been the most negative post I've ever written it still leaves me with a positive outlook on life. All things happen for a reason and after years of good fortune, it's about time something ends up going wrong for me. We learn from hardship and failure so I'm excited to come out of this mess stronger and more in control of who I am and what I want to do.
Living on a tight budget is definitely going to teach me that I can still have fun and enjoy life without splurging. The lack of travelling is going to make me explore more local places, heck, I live in London and I've not explored even half of what it has to offer. And lastly, COVID-19 has taught me that apparently people don't know how to follow simple guidelines like keeping distance and washing their hands properly.
I'm excited where this next chapter is going to lead me and most of all I'm incredibly excited to be blogging again!
Until next time, stay safe out there.
Comments