So what did you sacrifice?

There is often a post within a thread about the sacrifices (usually on 'older' generation) made to get on the property ladder.

My partner and I sold our second car so we could save our deposit as were weren't getting anywhere paying 2 car loans plus rent. This meant trains to work and car pooling etc. We also had practically zero money for entertainment - I remember walking to the library on the weekends and our biggest treat was a custard tart from the local bakery. I'll never forget the freezing winter we spent in front of a 2-bar heater, of which one bar didn't work that my mum had given us...

Our first house was a 2 bedder 1940's place with original carpet. Nothing flash but it was ours :)

So, what did you sacrifice?
 
The main thing we have sacrificed is our time. Having mostly bought 'renovators' delights' and done the majority of the work ourselves, then renting them as self contained properties, I can't count the number of hours that we have spent on the properties rather than living it up.
 
Buy, reno, sell, buy, reno sell: finally bought "dream" house. Had to sell said house as couldn't afford mortgage! Bought a crapper but still couldn't afford mortgage so rented it out (over East), packed up and moved to a mining town (in the West), bought a crapper! Stuck with crapper now worth 30% less than purchase price - crap! Time to formulate a different plan - read, research, risk = 3 additional IPs. When the going gets tough, it's easy to cry "poor me" but with a bit of hard work, anything is possible :)
 
When i chat with work colleagues or other acquaintances of similar age, generally the main thing they have and I don't is international travel. I've only traveled internationally twice (but domestically countless times), which is a sacrifice I've paid to get what I'd prefer to have.
 
I sacrificed Time.

My first PPoR was bought after spending almost a year and a half working 7 days per week in my first ProShop business, from virtually first light until almost dark..

It was a necessary step though; new business, not a lot of turnover to support other staff - so I had to work it on my own.

Made enough in that time for a deposit.
 
Well done Freyja. Good on you

Sacrifices:
No travel
no weekends on the Coast,
no concerts,
no eating out


Common sense:
one bathroom per house,
no carpets on the floor,
no air conditioning,
no dishwasher,
no pubs,
no nightclubs (definitely not a sacrifice),
no mobile phone,
no ipad,
paid cash for the one car we drove,
never ever considered a second car,
no buying lotto tickets,
no expensive clothes,
no fancy shoes or handbags,
no jewellery
ordinary TVs


I am making up for these sacrifices now. Baby boomers might be seen to spend like there is no tomorrow, but it wasn't always like this. We all started out with second-hand cars and furniture and modest homes out in the boonies. It was normal to catch a bus or train to work, if they went in the right direction. We only drove if public transport was not available.

Many items younger people cant live without were not available, such as air con in private homes. It was our first luxury expenditure item when it became available about ten to 15 years ago.
 
Same here.
The way we saved with our first house that was a new build was we opted for no carpet, no tiles, no wardrobes, no grass, no driveway, no letterbox, no tv aerial, no wall cupboards in the kitchen. All of these we added in the 3 years we lived there, bit by bit.
All our furniture was from the dump shop ( I still have that dining table:eek: it's considered an antique now and worth a fortune, lol).
We had a black and white tv with rabbit ears.
We froze that first winter on a concrete floor but to be honest we didn't really know any different as we both came from low income families and were just happy to have a place to call our own.
We have never traveled overseas for a holiday together, our honeymoon was in my parents caravan.
What some people on here consider to be a basic lifestyle is still way more than we have even with 9 houses
I just want to add, that at the time it didn't feel like sacrifice, it was just what we had to do to achieve our goal of having our own home.
 
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Uhm, not being able to see positive balance in my bank account?

I don't drink
I don't go to pubs
I don't go partying
I go holiday within means
I eat out within means
I choose area I can afford to live


None of the above considered sacrifice though. Just common sense.
 
As RF said above.
But also, I sacrificed city living. Which I sometimes miss. It was time for a change anyway and I love living out here.
My sense of contentment increased, I've got the most satisfying job I've ever had (despite management and pay) and my level of happiness increased when I rescued/stole the neighbour's dog. Now have 2 dogs and 4 cats, 2 mins drive to work, an hour + walk with dogs every day - not unusual here but not easy to do in the big smoke.
 
I sacrificed my 1st marriage not by choice.Worked 7 days a week,12 hour shifts day,afternoon,nights building car components for Holden,Ford,Mitsubishi to pay a 17% mortgage.My belief was i was getting the family ahead,in actual fact not being there enough caused irrevocable breakdown.
 
I sacrificed my 1st marriage not by choice.Worked 7 days a week,12 hour shifts day,afternoon,nights building car components for Holden,Ford,Mitsubishi to pay a 17% mortgage.My belief was i was getting the family ahead,in actual fact not being there enough caused irrevocable breakdown.

Sorry to hear that Jim :(. I was going down that path as well by working all the time too and using the little spare time and public holidays for research on properties and attending inspections for homes.
 
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