On A Mission - Maybe

We're shut off from the rest of the World (aka London) this weekend, they've suspended both tube lines going into town. Awesome, well done TFL. Despite of that, I've made my way to Ealing to have a little chat to the Estate Agencies again. Only to find out that I won't be able to secure the lease on a 2 bed flat on my salary. This basically means that my original plan to find a lovely, cosy, warm & as close to German standards as possible flat & then look for a suitable flatmate won't work. As it stands I'd have to find the flatmate FIRST & then get the flat, which is exactly what I don't want.

Not that there are currently any flats on the market in the first place. One of the agents tried showing me a place that she said was just what I'm looking for - thankfully the current tenants were still asleep due to going a bit overboard while celebrating Diwali & I didn't have to break to her that actually, that place was pretty shite. This was before someone told me I wouldn't be able to rent it, anyway.

So my options are:
1. Find someone to share with & go flathunting together
2. Move further out of London & get a studio/one bed flat on my own
3. Leave this fucking country & move somewhere where I can afford a nice place
4. Get a better paying job/raise/promotion
5. Hit gumtree & find a flatshare that fulfills most of my requirements

I can't see 1 happening as none of my friends wants to live in West London. I would consider 2 if all else fails. 3 is very tempting, but I like my job & my friends & London if it wasn't for the abysmally bad housing situation. 4 is a nice thought, but not very likely to happen. Which leaves me with 5 (& 2 as my plan B). It's not going to be easy.

Or I could just stay where I currently am, freeze & feel guilty every time I turn on the heating. Yeah, not ideal, either.

On another note, I'm still trying to distract me from the misery that is English housing by making an effort to be more sociable. Frani came over on Friday for a massive catch up & a home-cooked vegan dinner, both of which was great & made me happy. And I went to a Halloween party on Saturday, dressed up as a gothy witch, which was quite cool, too. The weather hasn't been as cold as the previous weeks, which means I've actually had a few quite decent days in our current flat.

It's set to get colder again next week, though, and I'm starting to panic again. And my flatmates kinda have someone lined up to take my room already, so I should make up my mind if I want to do the flatshare-hunting or just hole up in my room with my heater & wait for winter to pass.

Honestly, if anything's ever going to be the final straw that makes me leave London it's going to be the living situation (oh, and the medical care, which to be quite frank, is just as bad as the houses).