to buy a caravan against DH's wishes

[Babieseverywhere]

Short Version
My DH thinks I am being very unreasonable but AIBU to want to sell MY things to fund a cheap old caravan which I will use ON MY OWN with our children, so they can have a holiday ?

Long Version
My DH works very hard to support our family, whilst I'm currently a SAHM to our 4 DC's. DH is happy with this arrangement and I will be returning to work in a couple of years time, when our youngest is at school.

Our budget does not cover luxuries like proper holidays and so we usually have a few day trips each year. However last year my MIL invited us to stay in a static caravan for a week with the DC's and we had a ball. Really enjoyed the beach, the children's playgrounds on site and the onsite swimming pool.

I have been trying to convince my DH to buy a tourer caravan to enable us to have cheap self catering holidays but he claims to hate tourer caravans though he has never had a holiday in one. He had previously claimed to hate static caravans too, but really enjoyed last years holiday in one...all I wanted him to do was have a go before making a decision on how he feels about it, but he is stubborn (like me) and he remain unconvinced.

I decided that I will sell anything I have of value which I paid for pre-children...my laptop, my mobile phone, my collection of baby slings (bought with maternity money for first child), mobile cashbacks etc and buy a cheap caravan.

Looking to spend (if I manage to raise this much money) £400 or less on a 4/5/6 berth one with a minimum of two double beds, to pile my small children on. If anyone has one they are getting rid of in the North West PM me.

I don't expect my DH to come away in this caravan, I will go on my own with the children. No, it won't be a relaxing holiday for me but the idea is to give the children a nice time and I'm on my own with all the children every school holiday anyway. I do hope DH might try it one day but I am buying it with no expectations of him ever setting foot in it, as he hates caravans.

DH is still against the idea of me even self funding a caravan and when I mention my caravan fund (barely started), he is very negative and is trying to put me off the idea...telling me I can't put the caravan on our drive...I could put the caravan on our double drive but this would mean I would have to park my car on the road which I am willing to do but he says no.

I aim to buy a couple of food tins every food shop through out the year, to put in the caravan, that is what we did as children. Had a tourer holiday where we ate tinned food for a week with fruit ! Then the money I would of spent on a food shop the week of the holiday, can cover site fees on a basic caravan park...we'll have so much fun.

Caravan insurance will be around a £5 a week/month (can't remember which) and this I will take out of the child benefit for our youngest which we have just started receiving and isn't currently in our budget IYSWIM, as it is a benefit for our children.

My father has already agreed IF i get a caravan he will be willing to tow it nearby for me (within a couple of hours drive). So I don't need to get a tow bar, nor worry about towing the caravan. I'm sure my father will help me set it up for me on site :)

DH's parents live permanently in a caravan travelling around Europe and England and I'm sure I could pitch up next to them for a few nights. They don't see enough of the grandchildren and I'm sure would love for me to do this. Likewise my own parents are retired and have a tourer and would love to spend a few days at the seaside with their grandchildren.

AIBU to buy a caravan ?

Its a ridiculous idea, especially if you cant/wont drive it anywhere.

Pitching fees are not cheap, especially in the school holidays, many places will only let you book for a whole week.

A £400 caravan (I know I've been looking), will be falling apart, in addition I agree with DH, its unfair on the neighbours to keep it on the drive, I kept our last one on a farm £120/year.

Dragging bedding for 4 children and yourself in and out, will be a pain, as will storing it all (it will smell of damp you wont want it on the house, again I know), and you cant live on tinned food for a week, well I don't think so.

It wont be cheap, it will be pricey as.

babies, we are going to the south of france for 2 weeks next year over the may half term week, thats £500, we have done pontins (wouldnt do it again but the DCs loved it) for £30, we stay in travel lodges on their £19 sale deals.

There are things you can do very cheapily in this country, if you look hard enough.

You will manage without either a laptop or a phone, all year?

It will take ages to build up fiunds again to buy a new laptop at 'new' prices. Very bad use of money, IMO to sell stuff off at cheap prices and then eventually need to replace expensively.

The caravan won't be the end of the expense - you will need gas bottles, equipment, etc etc.

Save those vouchers from The Sun and Tesco and what have you for a family holiday, or else rent a caravan for a week from a friend - but as a long term investment right now, this sounds like a bad deal. Fun dream, but bad deal.

I don't think it's a great idea. A caravan that cheap will probably be rubbish.

If your dh is the breadwinner in the family, and money he earns is family money, then why is money that you earn by selling things your money and not family money?

Any major outgoing needs to be agreed by both of you.

Hostelling can be very cheap and far better than any caravan you can buy for £400.

YADNBU! we have a 5 berth tourer and we absolutely love it! Our tourer cost us 1700, its 20 years old and is perfectly comfortable. We've been to some lovely campsites, 2 of which are only 45mins/60mins away. I'd say go for it, we get away in ours around 6 times a year and it does'nt cost a fortune.

I have a caravan and love it but it does cost a reasonable amount when you take in to account storage, equipment, pitch fees, you use more petrol towing, gas, repairs, maintenance,etc. there is no way you will get anything near decent for £400, especially with the size you will need.
If the tent idea is unbearable then just save for short breaks instead.

'Our tourer cost us 1700, its 20 years old and is perfectly comfortable.'

But the OP has only £400.

Mhmm, there's a lot of holes in that plan (and also probably in whatever caravan you get for £400), especially with the car insurance etc. I can see why your DH is reluctant to spend money from the child benefit, so essentially part of your household budget, on a caravan that will probably cost a clean fortune to kit out, insure, tow and park. Whoever said there's a vast difference in static van and a tourer is right. Maybe wait until there's a bit more cash available and see what options you have then.

Morloth that's exactly what my parents are like, but then you have to take into account their food tent, the dog's tent, the 'WC tent', depending on which 'main' tent they take they might also have their 'party' tent - a dome tent used for storing the TV/music system/booze and where they sit on an evening. If they take the 'big' tent they don't need the party tent, the big tent has a large seating area and a built in kitchen area, but apparently if they're only going for a few days it's easier to put up two smaller tents than one giant one.

They have that much stuff and that many tents they have to pay for two pitches to put it all on.

Their camping set up is often more well stocked than our four star hotels.#

They had a brief love affair with a small caravan recently but found it wasn't as well set up as their village of tents. It's rarely used now and when it is they attach tents to it and pitch tents by it.

Do it.

Just bloody do it.

It will be great.

A quick poke at caravan autotrader site suggest you would need about 1,000 quid to get something 'OK'.

We really are raining on your parade here aren't we OP? Sorry. Still better to find out now that it is a really bad idea then after you have sold all your stuff.

Aw I feel for the OP, who must be going BAH! at this thread.
Chips duly pissed on....but it's a kindness. The budget isn't enough.

I like the idea of the Sun vouchers, I will look into them and I'm off to goggle Hostelling as I have no idea what that is...is it youth hostelling ?

But tbh I suspect it will be stay at home day trips for a few more years.

Oh do it anyway.

Think of the fun you and the kids will have, think of the long summer holidays.

You're a long time dead.

Believe me, some of these hostels are amazing! And you can stay in ones with ensuite family rooms. Cheap as chips.

A far better alternative to £400 on a caravan.

Your DH might be more on board with that, too, so you can have a family holiday.

Oh God Dooin do they also go camping at the same place every year and tussle to get the same bloody site and see the same people?

On the upside she is always really happy to take a kid or two when she goes, we rock up, have lunch, leave the kids and come back a couple of days later.

It is her thing and she firmly believes we all loved it, even though amongst all of my siblings not one of us has ever camped off our own bat. Dad never went either, we used to go just Mum and the kids, now she goes by herself (but not really because there is always a grandchild or three being dropped off).

yeah expat, i saw that! I would say to the OP if possible save up for a year or so and buy a caravan for at least over 1000. It sounds sad but buying our caravan has transformed my life. Just my opinion.

OP we opted for a cheap stay at home holiday this year. We asked around family and friends and colleagues and found someone who owned a static they were willing to rent to us for £10 a day.

Also try checking the local paper, people sometimes advertise statics for rent in there. When we were young we used to regularly rent a static at Flamingo Land.

My 20 year old 2 berth cost £1800. It is in very good condition and has been well looked after by previous owners. We searched extensively and couldn't find much below that price in a similar condition.

They often go somewhere different each time, but they do have their favourite sites they'll visit again. They go a few times a year and always take their grandchildren.

Dd2 enjoys camping more then holidays abroad with us. I rarely go because they won't let my terrier go and I don't trust DH with him or him with DH for that matter. On the few occassions I have been I have been pleasantly surprised by how well facilitated and comfortable it is, although it's not something I'd arrange to do of my own accord.

Next year they are going back to the site on which they lost their dog because the owner of the site was helpful in looking for him and has been in touch with them and assisting them in their complaint about the unregulated and illegal fireworks display that caused his escape.

I dont think you understand the cost and maintenance of caravan ownership, aside from actually buying it. If you need a year to save £400 and and another to save £250 for a tow bar, plus learning to tow, in addition to not knowing how much the insurance of your car will go up parked on the drive and when used for towing, and how much it will cost to insure a 20 year old wreck of damp on wheels, and must set a side tinned food (which will go baking hot or cold repeatedly over the year) to afford to eat when away, then I would say that this is beyond your means. Sorry.

Pitch a tent outside your family caravan. I am sure some of the children can sleep inside.

YANBU to set aside a holiday fund though and start saving!

Aw I feel for the OP, who must be going BAH! at this thread.
Chips duly pissed on....but it's a kindness. The budget isn't enough.

I know i feel really mean

IGNORE THEM ALL

Just do it anyway. You'll manage and you will have tremendous times.

Sometimes one just has to throw common sense in the dustbin and take a leap.

Yep, another saying a pokey, smelly, dodgy old caravan won't be fun.

camping is the way forward. You can lock the tents (as others have said, get little padlocks). Anything v valuable, you shove in the boot of the car when you go out for the day. This will also mean you're not reliant on someone else taking you/picking you up from holiday, so if you do decide that actually you aren't enjoying camping in the rain, you can pop everything in the car and come home a day or two early, rather than having to hold out for your Dad.