What would you prefer out a more comfortable lifestyle or a dream home

[Lardlizard]

So for example a three bed house in a very nice area with a nice garden that and Enough money to be able to have several holidays a year, weekends away days out meal out etc
And just being able to relax about money

Or say a five bed house in the same area, and enough money for one holiday a year
But you would generally have to be a lot tighter about money

We opted for option one and this is also the reason we stopped at 2 kids! Lifestyle is hugely important to us, cash was quite tight when we had babies and we bought around the time childcare was diminishing but also started going on holiday which was a huge release for us. There is so much DH and I want to do and want to show the kids that a bigger house just doesn't compensate that.

Life is too short to live in a big house with no other experiences! DH and I like to holiday with each other plus then have a holiday with the kids, we love eating out and the cinema is usually a monthly occurance. We specifically bought a house that was significantly under what we could borrow to have this lifestyle (although we didn't compromise location and spent more than we would have done if we hadn't of picked here).

It's hugely important to remember as well life changes, you don't know what's around the corner or whether you'll be able to keep up with a massive mortgage.

We have compromised with this smaller house but will move when our eldest starts high school, at that point I can see the need for a bigger house, bigger rooms for teenagers etc and we may need to compromise more then be it location or mortgage size. Hopefully we'll be mad rich by then and can have it all 😁

Definitely option 2. We moved into a 4-bedroomed house 25 years ago, have extended and it is now 5-bedroomed with 4 bathrooms and I love it. Plenty of space and no immediate neighbours. However, now it is just the two of us here and we are considering downsizing but although a couple less bedrooms and bathrooms would be fine it would be hard to compromise on living space.

I'm not particularly bothered by taking holidays and don't really understand the need. You have your home all year but a holiday for a few weeks.

Option 1. Every time. I am not a homebody at all, and neither is DH, so there's no point on blowing all our earnings on a house when we're barely in it.

@user1497787065 ah see it's so interesting how different people are isn't it, my mum is very similar and she doesn't get us at all, I totally get your logic (and it's for that reason I couldn't buy a house I didn't like) but a holiday is what keeps me going, I look forward to it, to me life is all about those special out of the ordinary experiences you count down to, then of course reminiscing on the holiday memories, so a holiday has a bigger impact than the 2 weeks you're away in my opinion. I get into a genuinely depressive state if I feel I haven't got something specific to look forward to so for this reason I couldn't put all my money into a house.

user I think everyone's different. I don't like big houses, I like cosy spaces and I feel safer with immediate neighbours. I'm an extrovert and having no people nearby is my idea of hell!

I love travel and exploring the world.

Option one!
Especially if its say you dh ds ds or dd dd who could share a room.
If you dh ds dd i would want option 1.5

I actually really like tiny houses; I don’t want to have loads of extra rooms to keep clean and tidy, or having to be the one to host because you’ve got the biggest home. Just enough for your needs, and enough money left over to enjoy life is what would suit me best.

Small house and more disposable income for me. I'd happily stay in my tiny house, actually. I would use some of my extra money to fix and change things around in my tiny house, but I wouldn't want to swap to a large one - as lovely as some larger country homes are!

Option 1.

First option!

Thanks for the benefit of your advice

We went for option 1, we have never regretted it. There's the odd occasion when we wish we had more space to throw a party or similar, but that is far outweighed by the benefits of being able to have holidays, days out, meals out, cope with unexpected bills without worrying about the mortgage. We still sometimes think about upsizing, the DCs are teenagers now and we would like more hobby space for ourselves (craft room, workshop, home office instead of using the dining room) but I don't think we will.

Option 1.

We have more bedrooms than we need but bought our house as we liked everything else and could comfortably afford it. It feels odd having 2 spare bedrooms.

Option three.

A four bed. For me an extra bedroom and extra space is necessary as part of the lifestyle choice but I wouldn't need extra extra space iykwim.

So half way between your options.

I think they are both good options. You can't really go wrong. I would probably choose option 2 as I really like spending time at home so would benefit more from investing in the house than having money for holidays and going out. It depends on what a good lifestyle means to you. I like going out for the day and coming back to my own bed, my own stuff, my pets. I like pottering around the garden and one today a year. It wouldn't be my idea of a good time to be packing and unpacking, waiting in airports, staying in hotels and apartments multiple times a year. So if you are like me I think option 2. If you aren't one for spending time at home then Option 1 would probably suit you more.

How much living space do they have? I’d probably go for a 4 bed as well if you had the choice.