MY EXPERIENCE OF MOVING TO MANCHESTER

Hey guys!

So my third and final post on my new job/move to Manchester - although I'm sure they'll be plenty of updates a few months down the line. Where to begin...

As soon as I accepted the job and sobered up from my weekend in London, I knew I had to find somewhere to live. And fast. With just a week before I was due to start, I hadn't left myself time to find somewhere proper to live, so the obvious choice was to get an Airbnb. Considering I didn't have any money either, I couldn't afford rent so was hoping to find somewhere fairly cheap to crash for a couple of weeks until payday. Hostels were working out cheaper than Airbnb's, but there was no way I was spending my first 2 weeks in a new job completely sleep deprived from sharing with noisy strangers. It was a real predicament, especially as my mum and dad were lending me the money so I wanted to spend as little as possible. Luckily, I hit the jackpot and came across an Airbnb a 10 minute drive from my office for, wait for it... £13 a night!!! I read a ton of reviews to make sure it was legit and eventually decided to book it (despite my mum worrying that I was staying in some random guys spare room). But for £175 for 12 nights, how could I refuse?

Maybe it's my experiences from travelling that have made me way more open, but I know a lot of people wouldn't have stayed in the Airbnb I was in. On paper (#loveisland), I can definitely understand why people would find it uncomfortable. The guy also rented out a mattress on his living room floor, which meant there would often be between 1-4 backpackers crashing in the kitchen area when I was getting ready for work in the morning. The flat was also in quite a rough area of Manchester, but luckily I never noticed as the estate I was on was lovely and I never ventured out unless I was driving to work. Of course not being able to cook breakfast or dinner for 12 nights was a tad inconvenient, and yes the kids playing outside woke me up a few times which I wasn't happy about, but on the whole it was completely fine. The host and his girlfriend were lovely, but we kept ourselves to ourselves and literally never saw each other. I had a room to sleep in and that's all that mattered. I always trust reviews and, honestly, I'm not afraid of a little upheaval now and again. Trust me, I've slept in a lot worse (hello Asiaaa).

Anyway, another reason I wanted to wait a few weeks before I committed to a flat share was because I wasn't 100% sure which area of Manchester I wanted to live in. I'd done some research and had asked a few friends where they'd recommend, but wanted to wait and hear what people at work said. The one area that kept popping up was Didsbury. Didsbury is really popular with young professionals and just so happens to be one of the most desirable areas to live in the whole of the UK. Buying a house there costs an absolute bomb, but luckily renting is a lot cheaper than the city centre. The only downfall is that it's 30 minutes south of the city, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to tackle the long commute every morning. I always said that when I moved I wanted to live no further than a 10 minute walk from work, so I was completely torn. I suddenly regretted all the viewings I had lined up for Didsbury and was tearing my hair out trying to make a decision. Looking back, I was so desperate to make everything perfect first time round that I got myself into such a state. I was fully breaking down over it. You always think that flat hunting is going to be fun, but when you're against the clock like I was, the whole experience is pretty soul destroying.

After a few days (baring in mind it was my first week at a new job and every evening I was driving round Manc viewing places), I learned a vital lesson. TAKE A CHILL PILL. There's no way I was gonna find the perfect flat with a good sized room, nice housemates and a short commute from work all within my preferred move in date of 1st August - it just didn't exist. If I wanted to move in somewhere pronto (which I did so I could finally feel settled), I'd have to take what was available. If things don't work out, I can always move again when my contract is up in 6 months. So far, all the houses I'd viewed in Didsbury were gross (like worse than my student house). Probably because they had so many young professionals living in them. Some were 10 beds for crying out loud. I found a place I really liked in the city, but competition was fierce and I kinda got the impression that the girls living there weren't my type of people. I had a feeling they were gonna choose one of the other girls over me. I was torn. Do I hold out and hope they choose me? What if they pick someone else and I'm left with nothing? That was the dilemma I faced when viewing my final flat in Didsbury. Finally, a place that was clean, tidy, a decent enough sized room and the icing on the cake - a perfect location. It was the first place in Didsbury I liked and I knew I'd kick myself if I lost it. After much deliberation, I decided the city flat wasn't worth the risk. I rang up the next day and paid my fees for the Didsbury flat.

Finally the weekend came for me to move out of my Airbnb. I drove home and basically had a day and a half to pack my entire room into my tiny little car. Luckily my housemates said I could move in a few days earlier without the Estate Agents knowing. Moving in on a Sunday made more sense than a Tuesday. Driving away from my parents house was definitely emosh. Obviously it was nothing compared to the hysterical tears I was in at the airport before I went travelling. But still, it hits you more than you think it will. Moving out of your parents house for good is a big deal. For me, it felt like I was finally growing up and starting my adult life. You know, at the not-so-young age of 24. I wasn't just moving up the road either. Okay, it's not like I'm in Mars but still - 2 hours by car or 3.5 hours by public transport isn't the sort of journey you wanna be making all the time. Me and my mum are mega close, so it was sad knowing I wasn't gonna see her every day anymore. But alas, change is inevitable.

And that brings us to now. 6 weeks later and I'm finally settled. Not only in my flat but in my life in Manchester. More updates to follow!

Thanks for reading huns
xxx