I'm in the very lucky position of having inherited a bit of money. We have been planning on spending it on a new kitchen, windows and new roof (it would at a push cover all of this). We have spent months planning the kitchen/choosing specs etc. It's at the point of booking it in to be done in a couple of months time.
DH announces to me last night in an argument about money if it was up to him we wouldn't buy a new kitchen, we'd buy the windows (as they are absolutely rotten through) and spend the rest paying a lump sum on his mortgage for his property he bought before we lived together which he now rents out (rent doesn't cover mortgage though). I was 
as he's never even mentioned this before and I now have no idea what to do for the best and would appreciate some advice on this (if there's a better topic for this please let me know).
If we paid off some of his mortgage it would be about 2 years worth of payments, meaning if we then carried on as we are it would be paid off in around 5 years (DH is 35, I'm 31). We are very lucky in that we own our house outright. We don't have a huge income, DH is a gardener and I'm a PT teacher. I looked upon it as this will be the only time ever we will have a decent amount of money, we need a new kitchen so it's a great opportunity for us to get it done. Our current kitchen is over 20 years old and falling apart, but is in just about working order.
If we didn't get the kitchen redone we would still have to have some work done to the house with the inheritance (bring the washing machine downstairs from the bedroom where it shakes the whole floor upstairs, get a hard floor for the dining room where the carpet is ruined with DDs spillages) but I guess this would be on the short-medium term length with a view that the money we'd save from not paying the martgage/getting rental income from 5 years time would mean we could save for a new kitchen within the next 10 years.
I have no idea what to do now, and I realise I'm very lucky to be where I am, I just want to spend the money wisely. It's my Grandmothers life savings and I need to choose the best thing to spend it on. I can see where DH is coming from but I guess part of me sees his old house as 'his' and not mine.
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New kitchen or pay off some of the mortgage?
reastie · 12/03/2013 09:19
If he inherited the money instead of you, what would you expect him to do with it? 
It's normal to have different ideas about money. Open a bottle of wine, talk it through and find an agreement. Don't let this ruin your relationship.
Disk if it was the other way round and he wanted to spend all of it on his mortgage then I'd be fine with that.
wendy he has more savings than me, but they are both dwindling alot with works done to the house over the past few years (we've had things like new water tank etc done. Lots of little bits).
I'm thinking to do our house improvements and if there's any left give it to DH for his mortgage but there won't be . We'll look at cheaper kitchen units and other ways to lower the cost. He's fine with how I've decided to spend it, think it's just different ideas and upbringings.
so much for all of your perspectives.
Her I have no idea how much this property is worth. I'd guess £350 - 400k very roughly.
Flat my parents gave it to us. Yes, I know we're lucky! It's in our joint names.
Back that's interesting re: your kitchen. We've tried really hard to pick a traditional kitchen in the hope it won't date too much. We got quotes from homebase and howdens but tbh they weren't alot cheaper (and we're not picking the expensive ranges or anything). Alot of the money is going on workmen as the walls need plastering, heavy tiled floor needs taking up, floorboards in dining room need preparing before the hard lino floor goes on, electrics need alot of work etc. It's not 'just' a case of sticking a kitchen in and that's it 
My parents asked me if I wanted it in my name or joint names, I said joint 
. DHs house he sees as his pension (and so I guess mine too). He isn't entitled at all, he's put no pressure on me to put the money on his mortgage, he just put it out there for me to consider. Tbh he finds the whole thing about my parents giving us this house quite odd - he says even though it's in his name and he owns it it will 'never feel like his home' as he hasn't paid for it. He sees it as somewhere he lives until he dies but not his home . He said he went into his old house last week (tenants are changing) and it still felt like his home. He has this thing about having to work for his money/house etc and being given things like that he finds hard to swallow. It's his upbringing I guess.
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