The past couple of years have been really testing for me and my husband. Weve been living in a rented flat in London; honestly, the conditions are far from ideal. Our greatest wish is to finally get our own place, but with our present situation, it seems like a distant dream. The flat belongs to a friend of my mums, and sharing this space with her oversight constantly weighs down on us. Every time something isnt exactly where it ought to be, or if we do something she doesnt approve of, theres a risk of an argument erupting. The neighbours arent exactly welcoming, eitherthey seem to take pleasure in reminding us how temporary our stay is, as if we dont belong.
Our parents are always on our backs, urging us to set aside some money for a place of our own. But even setting aside a little is tough, what with the rent swallowing most of our salary, along with all the usual living expenses. Mum keeps a hawks eye on our finances, scrutinising every penny we spend, which only makes saving more challenging. Weve cut down to only the essentialseven stopped buying new clothes and try to make do with what we have to stretch our savings.
Its especially tough because both my mum and my husbands mum have their own flats, and expect us to save enough to buy a place ourselves. Neither is willing to support us financially or let us stay in their flats, and they say its so we learn independence. Yet, were not novices at lifeweve struggled and managed so much already; now would be the perfect time for a bit of support. What stings most is seeing our brothers and sisters handed flats, while were left to piece together our own future alone. It feels unfair, and I cant help but wish theyd see things from our perspective and offer some help to make life just a bit easier.
