Relocating in the UK with 2 small children

[Sammy923]

Hi all!

My husband and I are thinking of relocating as the area we live in now (south east) is very expensive and it would take us a very long time to save and buy a house. I know house prices have gone up quite a lot most places and cost of living is at an all time high so somewhere where there's a good balance.

We have 2 children (3 & 2) so somewhere with good schools and lots to do for kids. Not too far from the south east as all my family live here, maybe an hour or so away?

We would have to rent a 2 bed for a good few years before we can buy.

Thanks in advance!

Where in the SE? An hour from Essex is very different from an hour from Buckinghamshire!

Reading

Unfortunately you are bang in the middle of many expensive hot-spots, as I'm sure you know, with Oxford to the north and Winchester to the south - both of which are eye-watering.

You can find cheaper places than Reading - Wantage is relatively good value, for example - but they won't have the opportunities of where you are now.

Is there any way you can decrease costs/increase income, rather than move? If not, you are likely to have to choose between moving further away or compromising on your wishlist.

I'm a housewife and my husband works. I will go back to work but it won't be for another few years as my 2 year old would start school in September 2026 and even then it would be part time. In terms of saving, it's really hard with the cost of living at the moment.

I think you are right, we would have to move further away. My husband has been telling me this but I didn't want to accept it as I'll be so far away from family. My children have a lovely relationship with them so it'll affect them too ☹️

Look at Swindon and surrounding areas perhaps, still easy access to reading, into London but a little cheaper. Alternatively you need to look into putting dc into nursery and returning to work

Thanks. If I put dc into nursery I'll incur childcare costs so no point me going back to work.

Thank you, I'll have a look.

I’ve worked a fair bit in swindon and most definitely wouldn’t live there or raise children in Swindon.
As PP’s have said you’re bang in the middle of expensive hotspots so I can’t really recommend an area as it’s all expensive.

I will be looking to move further up north somewhere in the midlands with good transport links if I were you.
I know a couple parents who have moved out of London to Bedfordshire and so far like it.

Or stay where you are if your community is vital to you. This is sadly the reality of many having to move further away from loved ones to accommodate affordability.

Yeah, I definitely would not move from Reading to Swindon. Swindon has all the bad features of Reading, and none of the redeeming ones!