(Ten points if you know where the quote for this blog post has come from)
Who remembers that blog post I wrote many moons ago where I mentioned I couldn’t see myself moving out of Northamptonshire?
Well… things change, things happen and turns out life can take us in many different directions.
After my last life update where I shared about the end of my 4-year relationship and having to move back home with my parents etc, I didn’t think I would be moving to a whole different county but yes…
I have moved to Bedfordshire!
Surprise!
But, why, do you ask?
Well… it all happened quite randomly actually, so let me start from the beginning…
Where I was
I always knew I wanted and needed to move back out of my parent’s house.
God love them, but after spending 3 years being independent with my own life, my own house etc, it was quite the reality check to come back home and be under my parent’s roof again.
I think anyone who has lived by themselves or away from their parents will know how that feels when you have to go back temporarily.
But I felt a little lost as to whether moving out and buying a house of my own would be achievable for me – especially with the current state of the property market.
I also had another problem: where could I afford to live!?
Towcester unfortunately was out of budget for me – even a one-bedroom flat was out of reach for me. So I always knew I wanted to and needed to look further afield.
But I was lost. My work was based in Bedfordshire, but I called Northamptonshire my home and have done it for years.
I was literally between a rock and a hard place.
So for a while, I guess I was just going day by day and floating. I didn’t feel like I was really living.
Something had to change…
Why the big move?
Well, one of the main reasons for the big move is because my work is based here and the commute was starting to get on top of me. I found myself spending 2 hours in the car 3-4 days a week and coming home feeling tired and unmotivated to do anything else.
I was kind of just surviving and not thriving.
I also feel with everything that happened last year; it showed me that nothing lasts forever and that sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can be the best thing to shift your mindset and start again.
A fresh start was needed.
How it happened
For a while, I was looking at various locations across Northamptonshire to see if I could have the best of both worlds.
Carry on working in Bedfordshire, but live somewhere in Northamptonshire, not too far, but with a lesser commute.
I looked at a few places but nothing was striking out to me. The conversation of moving nearer to Bedfordshire was discussed a few times but it felt like such a BIG leap to me.
Especially since I was adamant at the time I wanted to buy my own place. Renting was out of the question for me originally, as it felt like a step back; why would I rent when I’ve previously owned a place?
So once again… I felt like I was between a rock and a hard place.
But a couple of months down the line, one wintery day in December I was scrolling through the various housing websites and I came across this GORGEOUS cottage in a little town in Bedfordshire.
But here was the catch: it was a rental property.
So there sprouted the idea…
Why was I so adamant about not renting? I wanted a fresh start, but I wasn’t quite ready to take the leap into getting a mortgage again, so maybe this was an opportunity to try living in the area for a minimum of a year and see whether it would be a location I could see myself living in long term.
I remember speaking to my colleague about it who had previously lived in the area asking whether this was a good find or not – turns out that for the amount of rent advertised and the type of property it was, it was a very rare find.
But it was quite honestly love at first sight.
So things moved pretty quickly once I submitted my interest to view the property as the day after I had a look around with my dad and sent off my tenant application, I was told they wanted me as their tenant and asked me when I could move in.
Again… I was in the office surrounded by colleagues when I received the email and I cried my eyes out.
I won’t forget that moment. I was so happy and things finally felt like they were falling into place.
So… what now?
As I’m writing this blog post, it’s been a whole month since I moved and honestly? I love it!
I’ve really enjoyed being independent again, I’ve discovered a lot about myself as I’m navigating solo living and being in charge of my own life, expenses, shopping and everything else.
There’s no one else to rely on. It’s just me.
And that seemed quite scary at first, but so far, I feel like I’ve grasped it and I’ve enjoyed the peace of doing things my way.
Plus, there’s nothing more comforting than sitting on the sofa after a day’s work, settling down with dinner and watching whatever crap on tv. I’m really starting to enjoy the small things.
What does that mean about my Northamptonshire content?
Don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere – but obviously, it means I may not be writing about Northamptonshire as much – though a lot of my blog posts could do with updating, so expect some more updated recommendations!
For a while, I have felt there’s been a shift leading me in a different direction and as I said previously: nothing lasts forever.
Without promising too much, I’d love to write more blog posts about navigating all sorts: solo living, exploring a new area, the occasional Northants stuff when I return, dating, work, travel (I have some Greece blog posts I’m still in the process of writing!) and much more.
My word of the year this year is passion: so let’s put the passion back into writing on this blog again (just like how it started way back in the day).
I hope you’ll still continue to follow me and my journey, whether I’m in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire or anywhere else in the world.
It’s a handy thing that my blog is called Nicole Navigates because I feel like that allows me to navigate everything and anything life gives me.