When we get married and think about how our lives may be as we get older, the impact of having a family can never be imagined. The reality of kids and pets in our lives is incredibly hard to fathom when we are young and still wearing rose-tinted glasses. The wedding often takes up most of our thinking time, and our first home together, which can be built with the help of a reputed home builder like Berks Homes, is often the best thing together. That first property may be a flat or a small terraced property. Nevertheless, it is rare that we can immediately buy a good family home ready to take the bustle of three kids and two dogs! It takes a lot of time to create something like that (money could be a factor here).
That said, before we start looking at manor houses for sale in Plympton or country estates in Bristol, it’s worth putting together a long term budget. Things that may be included in the list but are often forgotten are the years of nappies having children requires. Socialising costs money for days out and childcare. As they grow older you may want them to join a sports club and learn a musical instrument. At 30 an hour for piano lessons, these future considerations mustn’t be mistakenly left off, or you may find yourself in a financial muddle.
Thanks to pallspera.com for House photo
Being able to afford the life you aspire to for you and the kids can be really tough, but there are some key ways to help you get there. Firstly look at the self-sacrifices. As a mum, your nails get into all kinds of mess, so maybe you should accept that nail bars may become a waste of money. Invest instead in a good manicure set to use at home. Dying your hair at home is troublesome and messy and takes time. Let’s face it we all need some pamper time. Instead of giving up the salon altogether, why not try to find one that has a money-saving loyalty scheme, or just provides the service cheaper? Picking a local hairdresser instead of driving into the city will save substantially on petrol and parking.
Now for the kids. Places like IKEA provide excellent storage solutions for the bedroom. If they can bear to be in the same room, buying a house with fewer bedrooms will save you tens of thousands of pounds. With online catalogues, the kids can browse and pick out the bits they would like. However, as they get older, they will need their own rooms, so moving to a house with fewer bedrooms should only be an interim solution.
When you are looking at buying a new house for a larger family, try to pick a home with an A or B rating within the EPC guide. This means you should expect much smaller energy bills from all those gadgets and gizmos kids like to leave on! Running dishwashers and washing machines can be costly too, so check the energy rating for these and pick the eco-wash program.
Hopefully, you will be able to achieve the home of your dreams without too much sacrifice, but everything comes at a price.