DH and I are planning to move country when our new baby is 6 weeks old and DS is 3 years old. Withouth wishing to bore you to death the background is:
We have a house here + £40K worth of loans (c/card and personal loan), when we add up the repayment on our mortgage, the loan, credit card and the £700 per month we have to shell out for DS's childminder a month we are barely surviving - about £25 per month disposable income . Considering that we have a joint income of £70k per year this is gutting. If we moved back to SA we would sell the house here and re-invest any profit we make on it.
We have a house and car in SA (both fully paid for) and quite a lot of cash and because of this we have almost decided to move back there. The reasons aren't purely financial, other reasons include a) having a support system there (family & friends to babysit and help out with the kids), b) Cape Town is really beautiful c) we would have a beach lifestyle - the kids would spend their weekends on the beach or in the pool d) the weather is great almost all year round e) we could afford to have some help at home with ironing/cleaning 3 days a week f) I could stay at home with the kids
I get full pay for six months (I will be on maternity leave), so for the first 3/4 months we will be living on my UK salary. Thereafter DH is looking into starting his own business/consultancy.
95% of me is raring to go and cannot wait to leave, the other 5% of me is thinking about the crime in SA, unpredictable economy and the fact that if DH cannot make a go of his own business he will not get a job.
Are we mad or is quality of life worth sacrificing a little bit of the "devil we know"? what would you do?