Developing A Work Strategy During Covid Lockdown

During lockdown the cynical approach to work is not an option, so this article seeks to develop a strategy which makes use of domestic UK strategies as international ones are not readily available due to travel restrictions. The advantages here are you can store items and do not need to live out of a rucksack as you will be more in one location.

Location

Select a cheap location for living in UK, normally you may have to consider ones of the beaten track. Entertainment can be free if you select a place with good outdoor activities. Scotland allows wild camping, so this could be an option to utilize as no landlords are required.

• Thurso - accommodation costs around £350 per month. Excellent surfing location, which provides entertainment even during winter as that is when the surf waves are at their best. 

• Dundee - Cheap accommodation again at £400 per month. Close to Arbroath - cliff jumping, snorkeling, kite surfing. 1.5hrs bus ride to Cairngorms, including Glenshee ski centre. Also close to St Andrews.

• Aberdeen - cheap accommodation around £350 per month, a larger city at a cheap cost. Also has access to Cairngorms and is a beach city.

The cost of living should be around the following:

• Rent - £400 per month
• Bills and council tax - £150 per month
• Transport - £50 or less per month. Use bicycle for short distance and bus journeys for anything longer distance. This also means you do not need a car. Ideally everything you want to do should be on your doorstep as to prevent the need for transport, e.g. being next to a beach/mountains.
• Food - £100 per month 

In total, you can expect to spend £700 per month on bills as a rock-bottom base for a cheap location. Note, if you rough it and take advantage of the wild camping laws in Scotland, this eliminates the rent and bills expenses of £550, taking the monthly expenses down to just £150 per month. Options include: living in a tent (likely short term and cold) or living in a van. Equally, there is the option of a live-in position as this will also eliminate rental costs.

If you do tent camping, you need to shower at a local gym (budget £20 per month for this)

Income

If you need £700 per month, assuming you work a full-time job at 35 hours per week at £10 per hour, you will earn £1,400 (£1,250 after tax). This leaves a saving of £550 per month. Make sure to try and build another income stream ready for the cynical approach when travel reopens - you can do this in your spare time. If lockdown extends until the end of 2023, you could have a saving of £550 * 24 = £13,200, which can be added to the gold reserves.

Option of doing ACA exams before finding employment - working through winter and being ready with a job in the summer. I would aim to qualify before being 26 and this could open up a second income stream and be a good positional move. If lockdown extends until the end of 2023, you could have an ACA qualification, with monthly savings of roughly £1,000 per month earned over one year, £12,000. This would be a better long-term solution, but it means you sacrifice a year of fun.