Anyone else struggling to afford essential repairs despite a decent income?

[MargotGobby]

We have good jobs and before kids, we enjoyed a lovely lifestyle. Had lovely holidays, always eating out, actually felt quite rich! We are quite sensible - we bought a house with a much lower income to earnings ratio than we could have done and drive a very old second hand car. Kids at state school etc

Now obviously we the cost of living and kids we’ve downgraded our lifestyle a lot - we really try to avoid eating out at all unless we are somewhere where we can’t make food such as visiting distant in-laws etc. Would never just randomly eat out in our home town. We are lucky enough to go to Eurocamp each summer.

Now we chose to have kids and don’t expect to feel massively flush – lucky to be able to afford all their school clothes etc. I don’t mind not eating out and having a second hand car. But what is getting me down a bit is we can’t really afford to fix broken stuff in the house.

I’m not talking about whole renovations or new kitchen but leaking windows, stuff that is so broken it’s now potentially unsafe (obviously we then do a halfway house to make stuff like that safe!).

We didn’t buy a doer-upper, it’s just we’ve had the house for 15 years so stuff is now constantly breaking and we’re struggling to afford replacing/fixing stuff that is broken/leaking/unsafe.

Does anyone else feel like this? It’s just a rant really. I feel like I can’t actually put our household income as we will be utterly roasted as obviously we are privileged not to be in poverty, but it’s just an adjustment that we felt like were doing well, got lots of subsequent promotions – but still can’t afford to properly fix things hmph!

In these situations its almost always a case of the claimed 'very frugal lifestyle' being nothing of the sort to the average person. Which is a choice you make but at least own it or make changes to free up money for the other things you'd like to pay for.

Yep - this.

Try not having a holiday for a couple of years - you'll soon have the money for new windows.

We did no foreign trips for 4 years when money was scarce for other reasons. Sometimes you can't have everything you'd like.

I know what you mean op. Everything is just crazy expensive, with the COL crisis the disposable income pot at the end of the month just gets smaller and smaller. It does make me wonder where it will end though as more and more people struggle to make ends meet. We’ve had to forego important things this year, we haven’t been able to get the car serviced as just no money left to do it, we know it needs to be done, but just don’t have the money to do it. It’s an awful situation be in.

Could you take out a small loan to cover the most important parts? The longer you leave things the worse they will get

I get you OP - we have on paper what looks like a decent income but 2 DC in university eats away massively at what we have left each month. Our front door is dreadful - it’s almost falling out of the house but can’t afford the 2k or so it’ll cost for a new one (why are doors so expensive?) - also need a new kitchen window and those cost hundreds too. We are going to have to wait til the dc finish uni but that’s a couple more years away. It shouldn’t be like this really - we should have loads left each month but it just vanishes on car fuel (cost £95 to fill up last week, just an old estate car from 2014 so nothing posh), food and paying dc’s rent as the loans don’t even touch the sides these days. Sigh.

What essential repairs need doing OP?
We've been in our new build 9 years and this year we're had to replace the shower, the tiling needed to be re grouted, ceilings painted, side panel of bath replacing, the list is endless.

I mean this is the norm isn't it? I just prioritise one at a time. I remember it being the same growing up, things broken for a while etc., we only had a shower installed in 1997.

Yes absolutely agree. Don't feel bad. The cost of basic maintenance is insane. We've just fixed our dishwasher because the cost of a Bosch visit was INSANE. Just hoping it stays fixed. I have horrible eczema and washing by hand is awful. Yet I feel bad saying it because so many couldn't afford a bloody German dishwasher in the first place.

We had a small water leak too, in the ceiling, and it cost a fortune to fix. It is crazy OP. You're not alone.

No one would argue with you that the trades haven’t gone up a lot and getting any building work done seems to cost a fair bit, if you can even find a builder with enough time to give you a quote. But I’m surprised you’re feeling the pinch as you say you’re both 50, in good jobs with recent promotions and you bought your home well within your means 15 years ago when house prices were considerably lower. Presumably your children are past the childcare stage now. So you’re in a better position than most. Where is it all going?

I sympathise OP. I bought a doer upper in 2011 and the first few years were great - demolished an old DIY extension, got planning permission to replace it with a professionally built extn, knock through kitchen, rewire etc.

Gradually work got slower as I struggled to save up for each next bit of work. The last two double glazed windows and backdoor will be installed next month. Finally our house will be structurally sound and secure. And I've paid off the mortgage. I am 63. I've managed to get it all done, just in time. Now I need to redecorate throughout before I retire.

Stay focused and you will get there.

What needs repairing ?

Some things can be fixed yourself if you have the time & inclination.
Otherwise you have to pay someone to fix it.

In the last month

Toaster - blew up - Bought new one with discount voucher at supermarket

Shower - started badly leaking out of the bottom
Bought 3 new parts & fitted ourselves (saved buying a whole new unit)

We also buy some things second hand

I'm sure it's been said already, butvif you have fixed income it's about budgeting and prioritising. Or getting savvy with interest free credit cards (or even Stoozing to make free money).

If we need something doing to the house we start ebaying, tightening our belts, spending on needs & not wants etc until the money is found or paid off.

It’s the insane cost of tradespeople! We do it all ourselves now if we possibly can. Neighbour has taken a career break to lay his own driveway since he was quoted £40k for a 3-car parking space. We are starting a DIY garage conversion after being quoted £30k to turn it into a home office (no structural work at all, not being linked to the house, not including heating).