Couple on £20,000 a year saved to buy an £82,500 home in their early 20s

A 25-year-old woman has revealed how she and her fiancé bought a house together in their early 20s with – a combined income of around £40,000.

Earlier this month, TV presenter Kirsty Allsopp sparked a huge row after suggesting in an interview with The Times that young people could afford to buy a house by the age of 21 if they simply made sacrifices such as quitting Netflix, gym memberships and takeaway coffee.

There’s been heavy criticism against Allsopp, who also said that first time buyers should consider moving to cheaper areas ‘in the north’ if they wanted a better chance at buying a home.

But cash-savvy saver Georgina Carson agrees with some of Kristie’s points – she bought a Wigan property, which was on the market for £82,500, with Freddy Quinn, 27, three years ago after saving up money while they lived at home with their parents.

The couple put down a five per cent deposit on the three-bed terraced home, which they saved through ditching nights out, prioritising and budgeting. 

Georgina Carson, pictured with her partner Freddy Quinn, was just 22 when the couple bought their first house together three years ago, on a combined income of arund £40,000

The couple's Wigan home was on the market for £82,500 when they bought it three years ago, before renovating it themselves

The couple’s Wigan home was on the market for £82,500 when they bought it three years ago, before renovating it themselves

Georgina and Freddy revealed how they saved money on their kitchen by fitting it themselves, at a cost of just £1,000

Georgina and Freddy revealed how they saved money on their kitchen by fitting it themselves, at a cost of just £1,000

After six months of modernising the home themselves during lockdown, which cost them between £6,000 and £7,000, they then sold their first home for £115,000 – making a profit of £32,500.

Now onto renovating and selling their second property, Georgina states ‘it’s all about priorities’.

‘Whilst saving for our first house my partner and I were both earning just over £20,000 a year, so not an extravagant wage,’ she said.

‘We put away savings every month and managed to save about £1,000 per month between us. 

‘When we got the keys, we moved into the house straight away and lived in it whilst we were renovating.

‘We didn’t even have a bed, we just had a mattress on the floor and were living very basic.

‘We had to wait to get paid every month to buy things to renovate the house. So one month we’d do the tiling and another month we’d get all the paint to do the walls.

‘This was all to save as much money as possible as that’s what you have to do.’ 

One of the main comments Kirstie Allsopp came under fire for was her view that more young people could afford a home if they stopped buying ‘coffee, gym memberships and Netflix’. 

The couple says their house was 'liveable' when they bought it, but in need of updating. One of the jobs they did was to refurbish the bathroom (pictured before the renovation)

The couple says their house was ‘liveable’ when they bought it, but in need of updating. One of the jobs they did was to refurbish the bathroom (pictured before the renovation)

According to Georgina, they learnt DIY tricks from YouTube and podcasts, which they then used to do up the house (their bathroom pictured after the renovation)

According to Georgina, they learnt DIY tricks from YouTube and podcasts, which they then used to do up the house (their bathroom pictured after the renovation)

Georgina said: ‘Giving up things like Netflix and coffee won’t give you the money for a house but it does help to save all that extra bit of cash you can.

‘Maybe cut down on how many coffees you buy a week or think about if you really need subscriptions to Netflix etc.’   

She added that while some people will never be able afford to buy a house, many people are not willing to sacrifice certain luxuries to save-up money.

She said: ‘A lot of young people don’t want to make these sacrifices which, each to their own, but if you want something that much you would do what you could to get it. 

‘I still enjoyed myself whilst saving, I always liked to make sure I have money saved to go on weekends away or to go abroad and that’s just because I manage my money well not because I come from a wealthy background.’ 

Both Georgina and fiancé Freddy lived with their parents whilst saving up for their first house – something they are aware not everybody is in a position to do.

Georgina said although this helped, it wasn’t the main factor that allowed them to save.

The house was 'quite old fashioned' when they bought it, according to Georgina. The living room (pictured before the renovation) is just one of the areas they updated

The house was ‘quite old fashioned’ when they bought it, according to Georgina. The living room (pictured before the renovation) is just one of the areas they updated

Georgina shared some of things she did herself - like buying secondhand doors and painting them - to save money on the renovation (pictured: the living room after refurbishment)

Georgina shared some of things she did herself – like buying secondhand doors and painting them – to save money on the renovation (pictured: the living room after refurbishment)

‘Whilst living with my parents I still paid rent, probably just not as much as I would have if I moved out,’ she explained.

‘We’re not big drinkers so we didn’t go out every weekend and I only bought clothes for occasions or if I needed them, so that helped us to save.

‘We just prioritised and made sure that the money we were spending was just on things that we needed.

‘I think young people rush to move out so young, and then use most of their wages on rent.

‘For some people that might work but then you are stuck in a trap of paying rent from a young age, which then makes it harder to save for a deposit for a house.

‘I think it does help to try and stay at home with parents if you can, just so you can get yourself on track and save up a bit more money instead of moving out at 18.’  

The kitchen (pictured before the renovation) would have cost the couple £3,000 if they paid to have it fitted, so they saved cash and fitted it themselves for £1,000

The kitchen (pictured before the renovation) would have cost the couple £3,000 if they paid to have it fitted, so they saved cash and fitted it themselves for £1,000

Georgina said that despite saving hard for her home, she made sure she had money to go abroad and for weekends away

Georgina said that despite saving hard for her home, she made sure she had money to go abroad and for weekends away

According to Georgina, living in the north of England made it easier for her to buy a house.

She said: ‘House prices in the north are a lot more affordable.

‘I am on my second house that I have bought but I wouldn’t be in this position if I lived in the south.

‘You can make money from houses in the north to put towards a house more down south – I think it is more about knowing the property market and how to make money with it.’

Georgina and Freddy’s house was ‘liveable’ but quite old fashioned when they bought it, and in need of modernising.

The pair renovated everything themselves from painting to tiling the kitchen and bathroom, and they learnt their DIY tricks from YouTube and podcasts.

‘Before we both met we had it in our heads that we wanted to buy a house and rent it out,’ Georgina said.

‘We both listened to podcasts and watched YouTube videos to learn everything about the home-buying and renovating process.

‘We researched loads and found the cheapest way to buy a house without having loads of savings.’

Georgina, who says that understanding the property market is the key to making money on houses, made a significant profit on her first home, which she renovated for just £6,000

Georgina, who says that understanding the property market is the key to making money on houses, made a significant profit on her first home, which she renovated for just £6,000

Kirstie Allsopp recently sparked a media storm by claiming that people could get on the property ladder if they saved money on services like Netflix. While Georgina agreed that some people don't want to forego luxuries, she said 'Giving up things like Netflix and coffee won't give you the money for a house'

Kirstie Allsopp recently sparked a media storm by claiming that people could get on the property ladder if they saved money on services like Netflix. While Georgina agreed that some people don’t want to forego luxuries, she said ‘Giving up things like Netflix and coffee won’t give you the money for a house’

Georgina said that when the couple first moved into the house, they only had a mattress.

‘We moved into the house straight away when we got the keys and lived in it whilst we were renovating,’ she said.

‘We didn’t even have a bed, we just had a mattress on the floor and were living very basic.

‘When we ripped the kitchen out we just had a microwave out. This was all to save as much money as possible as that’s what you have to do..’

She advised that first-time buyers should shop around for the cheapest deals.

‘Shop around and go to the clearance sections in supermarkets, and go on Facebook Marketplace to buy second hand things.

‘All of our doors in the house were second hand and we just painted them.

‘Try and learn DIY on YouTube as that’s really helpful. We got a quote to get a kitchen fitted which was £3,000, but because we did it ourselves it only cost £1,000.

‘The more you can do for yourself the more money you can save – and the more you can make on it.’