I』m recently back from travelling and am living with my parents in Kent. It’s not my first choice. Not that I don』t get on with them – I do, but before I went travelling I lived in London and had moved away to university, so I』ve had my taste of freedom. Compared with some people’s parents, mine are very generous. They don』t make me pay rent. My mum calls me a 「boomerang child」.

I』ve got a new job as a property auctioneer’s assistant in London. I』ll be doing the sales pitches and the prep for the auctions. When I started earning money, my attitude towards it changed – I became thrifty.

When I commuted to London, before I went travelling, I took the slow train rather than the fast one to save £250 a month. I never buy lunch. I take my own just because I know that had I spent £8 a day on it, I wouldn』t have been able to go travelling. I also always get the bus rather than the tube to save costs.

I owe the Student Loans Company £42,000, which I borrowed to study geography at Newcastle University. I knew when I signed up that I would have it. So it doesn』t hang over me every day. I pay it back in tiny amounts compared with what I earn. I think it’s worth it. I wouldn』t be where I am if I hadn』t got a degree.

『I typically go to 40 or 50 gigs a year all over the UK. I started when I was 16, now I』m 47. Maybe I』ve never grown up

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I have tallied up how long it will take to save up a £20,000 deposit for a house, and, on my current salary, setting aside money at the rate I was doing to go travelling, it will take seven years. Even then, I won』t be able to afford to buy in London. I』d have to move elsewhere and be realistic about the kind of property I can afford. I don』t think it’s unachievable.

When I left Newcastle I moved back home, and that summer I worked as a waitress at Wimbledon. Because of the tips I made quite a lot of money. In two weeks I earned roughly £1,500, which I was able to save. I then did an internship with the local planning department for four months and was paid £100 a week. At that point, I really didn』t have any money. I did struggle and didn』t do a lot.

That winter I did a ski season in Val d』Isère in France, which I paid for out of my savings from Wimbledon. They said I』d earn a good wage out there, but what they didn』t mention was that they』d deduct money for a ski pass, equipment, insurance and accommodation, and I was just left with minimal spending money a day.

『I started my business from scratch and now work two weeks a month』

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When I came back from the ski season I worked for Savills for a year on £22,500. I saved up £8,000 as I knew I wanted to travel. While away I worked in a coffee shop in Sydney. I stayed with a family and got bed and board in return for walking their dog.

I want to move back to London, but I』m waiting for my boyfriend, who’s travelling, before I do. We used to rent a room in a house in Clapham Junction for £850 a month plus bills, which we split. I won』t pay that kind of price on my own, although I know a lot of people do.

My new job is going to sponsor me to do a master’s and an APC surveyor’s qualification concurrently. It will mean studying evenings and weekends. I worked hard at university, I got a first class, so I know the work that needs to go in and the rewards afterwards. In terms of the next five years, I』ll be staying put and trying to work my way up, qualifying as a surveyor so I can ultimately earn more money.

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本文來源：https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/apr/21/how-i-spend-it