I've stopped worrying about getting on the PROPERTY LADDER

Buying a house is often seen as a life milestone, but what if it never happens? Claire Weekes shares why she's letting go of the pressure

- 

Scrolling through the group WhatsApp chat, I was chuffed to read that another of my single friends had made it on to the property ladder. And for the first time, I didn't simultaneously feel a wash of panic. No voice in my head screamed, 'Why aren't you there yet? What if you retire and die living in a cardboard box?' Aged 45, I've finally stopped worrying about it.

Back in the late 90s, at the tender age of 19, I'd been able to buy a little terraced house in the town I grew up in, with my then partner. House prices were affordable and interest rates were low. When we split and sold it five years later, I naively assumed my time would come again. However, pretty much everything since - from the credit crunch to the cost-of-living fiasco - has got in my way.

For years I fretted over every penny, watching the amount in my savings account bob up and down with my income as a freelance writer. Scrimping and saving for the seemingly unattainable left me feeling anxious and exhausted.

Shifting mindset

It wasn't that I was struggling financially day-to-day. My problem was that every spare bit of income was put aside with the aim of saving up for a house. When a friend gently reminded me that renting solo in a beautiful city in the South West in this climate is no small feat, I realised I should give myself a bit more credit and my mindset shifted. I made a conscious decision to live in the now and spend my hard-earned income on experiences, travel and fun, instead of the pursuit of a near-impossible goal.