To Spend The Forever House Fund On Memories

[MyWonderwall]

Just looking for advice from all you wise folk!

Me and DH have been saving for a while, we finally have enough money to put down on our forever home (with mortgage) - 4 bed detached in our dream area with lovely schools and activities for the DC. We have three DC ages 5,3 and 9 months.

HOWEVER, I would just love, love to spend this money on taking a year out and go travelling to spend some quality time with our children!

I think it would put us back 1-2 years of saving on our return but we could probably get the dream family home again eventually or maybe not but I think it may be worth the risk.

I really don’t want any death bed regrets and they’re growing up so quickly! We have this opportunity now.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Especially from people who’s children have already grown up and now have the precious hindsight!

What would be the more important/best thing for our children and family please!

#makingmemories
#livelaughlove
#yolo

🙄

Buy the house.

I took a year off to go travelling but I had bought a home first which I rented out while I was away.

House. No question.

Buy the house. Many years of memories.
The year of travel sounds like a self indulgent memory for you. Sorry.

How much money is it, if you can save it again in 1-2 years?

Would it actually enable you to travel that much?

Buy the house and then save for travel, holidays with under 5’s are pure shite anyway.

Buy the house, get the security, then leave to travel if you wish

The kids won’t remember anything now. Who knows what will happen on the next two years, you could be priced out

I don't think you'd be doing your kids any favours taking them travelling so young. The 5 year old might remember it but the two younger ones won't. And I'm 99% sure none of them will appreciate it. They will be unsettled, permanently out of routine and the glories of architecture, history and nature will be wasted on them.

It makes much more sense to secure the dream home now and delay the travelling until they are old enough to appreciate and remember what they are seeing. As PP have said it would be a great homeschooling year in 7 or 8 years time.

Buy the house. And some camping equipment. Try out some weeks/weekends away camping, living out of suitcases without the mod cons of home and see how you all get on. In my experience kids love camping. Adults not so much. But you will still get the time with them and the memories.

@Avacadoandtoast I'm in Ireland so my plan is to take our when the youngest is just finished primary school (age 12) and my eldest will be 15 and she will be entering her 4th year of school which is a an optional year in itself so it doesn't count towards anything. My DS (youngest) would then start secondary at age 14 and finish at age 18 or 19 depending on whether he does 4th year.

God no, sorry!

Actually I'm going against the grain here. Sell your present house, go travelling. I think property prices are on the way down. Get as much as you can now for present house. Invest it. Have a blast for a year. Come back and buy at a reduced price.

Travel.
Do it while you have the get up and go.
Then do the sensible stuff.

You will never regret providing your children a good education.

You never know what's around the corner, you need to make sure you can provide a safe home for your kids, they're very young you have lots of time for memories but your plan is madness.

I don't think travelling will be fun with three very young children including a baby, and house prices are only going to go up.

As a 29 year old who has lost both parents - do the travelling/making memories! You already have security in the form of owning your current home, you could save when you return but these precious memories you can make are worth far more than any house value

@LM20

As a 29 year old who has lost both parents - do the travelling/making memories! You already have security in the form of owning your current home, you could save when you return but these precious memories you can make are worth far more than any house value

Memories for whom?

They won't remember it.

This seems more about you having cold feet about taking on a mortgage and having responsibilities.

Don't see why you'd have regrets or insufficient happy memories from having a happy family life in a stable secure home. Why don't you think everyday life is quality time?

I’d do it now, we jyst don’t know what the next 5/7 years will bring and if you can’t go in 5 years you’ll kick yourself.

It’s much harder to take children out of school than do it before they start - if that’s the route you take.

It’s not jyst about the children remembering everything but you and your dh and after the last to years… go spread your wings and look around

You’d be unhinged. Buy the house. Wait to do the big trip when the kids would be able to remember it and have a better idea of where they want to go

Ahhh I would love to say go travelling. Buuuut I would move for the schools.

@MarinoRoyale

Your children won’t remember the trip, I’d buy the house now and go when they’re older.

Yeah this. We did a couple of dream holidays with our kids when they were young, but because we had wanted to do them for ages. The kids barely remember anything, even when we show them the photos. We had fun at the time but it didn’t stick for the kids.

Haven't a lot of places still got Covid restrictions, all that form filling and testing wouldn't be much fun