For the first two years of working life, I lived on my own. I had a flat in a small village in North Bedfordshire, which was above a hair dressers. I hadn't seen the flat before signing the agreement, it was one of the few that was available on a MoD accommodation list, at the short notice I had before starting my job. It was pleasant enough, it was an old stone cottage, I had a big bedroom on the top floor, with enough room to have a desk, with a lounge next to it. The floor below then had a large bathroom and the kitchen, then the ground floor was the hair dressers. The entrance to the flat was within the reception for the hair dressers (I had a key for their front door too) It was a small village, there was a small Co-op food store, a post office, a news agents and two pubs. For those first two years I didn't go out a great deal. My take home pay was around £600 a month. Rent was £325 a month, after electric bills, water rates, council rates (initially, then the 'poll t...