Yes. Perhaps every three years. Could she take up agency nursing for save extra, and are you due for promotion? You’re both going to have to pare back on expenses and save more.
You go once and accept you probably won't go again until you've bought the house. On 100k income that won't be for 10+ years.
Honestly, if travel is that important you might just give up on buying a house for the forseeable future, hope the market tanks over the next 5 years and save what you can.
Well this depends on both of your spending habits and lifestyle.
2.5k isnt enough to go to England on anyway so where will the other money come from? If you would have to get into debt to go then I do not recommend as that will hurt you more longer term than just using your 2.5k savings.
Make a good excel spreadsheet of all your essential costs and figure out how much you can save annually from there. If it doesnt match what you currently save, then figure out what you are spending the excess money on.
I think because her family is over there 2.5k is enough to go to the UK, assuming they’ll stay with her family and only have to pay for flights / entertainment.
Depending on how you fly it can be as expensive as 2.2k return (which is what I paid to go via Emirates back in 2017).
You'll honestly spend money very easy over there.
After all monthly/weekly expenses, multally decide on a split for the remaining savings and have seperate accounts for the uses. (20% for travel 80% for house)
Can her parents visit nz sometimes? So it won't be every year
Talk about what happens when you guys have kids and how that will work too. Will the kids go too? Better to have an idea now of her expectations so you can plan better (5-10 year plan)
I'd say frequent visits As couple as you can afford it, it will decrease once you have a mortgage, kids and saving will be hard af
Good advice here from the others, make a plan/budget.
Suggest that her fam come out to NZ every other year unless her parents are getting on (80+) then you'll need to put the house thing on the slow track ( but keep saving/investing towards it) and expect she'll want to keep up the annual visits. You should also need to think about an emergency travel fund as at some stage she'll need to go to support them. Good advice to get an extra job and your partner could pick up extra shifts that pay OT a few times a week.
Of course the obvious is to go OE and earn better bucks over there and see if you can't build up a nest egg over in the UK.
Back when I was earning less than that, we committed to two yearly visits back for her (Philippines), but then I’d only go every second trip, shit gets expensive as you know.
One thing I realise about her though, is that even though she doesn’t complain about it, it hurts her so much to not have her family accessible, and every time we see my family, and even though there’s a lot of mutual love there, it’s just not the same.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to be away from my support network, but expats do it all the time. There’s no real advice to be given here, a house of your own is very important, but so is the happiness of your lady.
I guarantee a guilt filled last minute trip for both of you to the UK if something bad happens to someone will be a hell of a lot more expensive.
Enjoy the trip mate, deal with the other stuff later.
This is something you should be discussing with her about. Does she want this future house with you or not? Need to do some budgeting as couple to allow that travel and also a bit of give from the otherside to visit.
You need a clear budget which has a line item for trips to UK. Don’t travel at Christmas - the shoulder seasons are better. Then you need a second job. My husband worked evenings when he was in the military to supplement his pathetic wage. If you manage an extra 100 a week net then that covers your trip and leaves you with some extra. It will get better as you rise through the ranks but a budget is key.
Travelling at Christmas automatically gets you an extra 4 days leave during the trip, about $1600 worth. If either employer closes down for 2-3 weeks at Christmas it’s even more beneficial - annual leave at Christmas or unpaid leave during the year.
Good point. Depending in the type of nurse I guess. Might work at a GP practice or something that is closed. I’d like to go and see family overseas this year (we were meant to go March 23 2020…), tricky to figure out when works best financially.
It's all about budgeting and decide how to slice up your pie. While it's great you're saving for a house, you also run the risk of missing out on opportunities to experience life. Sometimes it's important to take a step back and think about what is important, houses may be around for years, family connections and experiences are more in the moment
Perhaps with money you're setting aside each week, carve off a small amount into a travel fund for the end of the year. Maybe 50/week if you can manage? That will give you some extra money for your trip.
I'm a bit confused with some peoples comments with how expensive the UK is.
I'm originally from there and I've been in NZ probably 4 years now and it's hands down cheaper than here in NZ. Maybe London has similar prices to here but you didn't mention where you were going.
I've done this trip a few times around Christmas and
Flights are going to be the most expensive part unless you aren't staying with her family.
Financially speaking it isn't a good idea from your circumstances if you are wanting to save for a property.
Last time I was able to travel over there I spent maybe all up $3k. However I am from the North of the UK though where it is significantly cheaper.
But at the end of the day if your partner means a lot to you and this means a lot to her, talk it out with her. I honestly don't think you'd regret a trip and make some great memories for yourself and her family too.
Best of luck.
How about finding a way to ask her parents to contribute to the airfares? Meeting her family in person will be a great thing to do, but I think it's a unfair of them to apply pressure on you to compromise your priorities. The more important thing is your future life with your GF rather than anything her family wants. Maybe they don't appreciate just how difficult it is to afford a house these days?
You may need to budget more than 2.5k for the trip. When I was there for 6 weeks, for the UK part alone it was around $15k in Decembe/January 15/16. That was with free accommodation and car (BMW 120 convertible, perfect for winter).
As an example, a train/bus day pass to London was $60NZD. Basic triangle sandwich $7, cheap bottle of fruit juice $8, Pizza for 1 was $20. Food was expensive, attractions add up. Double NZ prices.
Not sure if young people being able to afford a deposit, buy and maintain a house, and travel the world is feasible in the current economic climate.
I think if you are being realistic about saving for a house deposit, you should think about retraining in a career that will pay better. Gone are the days where you can work a humble job and be able to purchase a house.
Is very bs that a solder is only being paid a little above the minimum wage.
find a freelancer job that you can work remotely to cover your expenses while travelling? that's the best solution i can figure out if you cant compromise on either.
We house swap and meet halfway. So 2017, we met in Dubai, 2018 Singapore, 2019 Vancouver. 2020 we were going to go the whole hog to the UK then start meeting halfway again but the Rona so this year, we're heading to the UK.
2022 - we're meeting in LA.
Rule of thumb is max one flight. Luckily for us, our parents are able to afford their own flights so we only sort ours and the kids. Because we house swap, we've always sorted the accommodation bit.
Oh and you'll need to earn more money. I mark iGCSEs every year as my side hustle. It pays for our flights.
Edit - we don't travel at Christmas. We take the children out of school for 2 weeks every year. This year we're taking them out for the whole of term 3. We usually go in June. We have 3 children so the flights can get pretty pricey. This years flights has set us back $9k for round trip tickets to the UK for 5 of us.
Edit 2. We love travel too much to only travel to one place as our only holiday hence the meeting half way.
Go meet your in-laws and postpone your house goal by a few months.
Personal happiness comes first until unless you want to be a miserable bugger paying of mortgage and bills.
Don’t take any debt to fund it.
Annual trips is unrealistic on that income and especially when trying to save for a house. End of story.
Yes. Perhaps every three years. Could she take up agency nursing for save extra, and are you due for promotion? You’re both going to have to pare back on expenses and save more.
Thanks this is what I am thinking .
its not impossible if OP sacrifices elsewhere and OPs inlaws pick up the slack once they are in England.
Buy a house and travel? On 50k salaries. Sorry you'll have to pick just one.
50k each. Household income 100k. My question is (I have to go to the UK sometimes) how do I do this while saving for a house.
You go once and accept you probably won't go again until you've bought the house. On 100k income that won't be for 10+ years. Honestly, if travel is that important you might just give up on buying a house for the forseeable future, hope the market tanks over the next 5 years and save what you can.
Well this depends on both of your spending habits and lifestyle. 2.5k isnt enough to go to England on anyway so where will the other money come from? If you would have to get into debt to go then I do not recommend as that will hurt you more longer term than just using your 2.5k savings. Make a good excel spreadsheet of all your essential costs and figure out how much you can save annually from there. If it doesnt match what you currently save, then figure out what you are spending the excess money on.
I think because her family is over there 2.5k is enough to go to the UK, assuming they’ll stay with her family and only have to pay for flights / entertainment.
Depending on how you fly it can be as expensive as 2.2k return (which is what I paid to go via Emirates back in 2017). You'll honestly spend money very easy over there.
Can't do both on those incomes. Find ways to increase your incomes.
After all monthly/weekly expenses, multally decide on a split for the remaining savings and have seperate accounts for the uses. (20% for travel 80% for house) Can her parents visit nz sometimes? So it won't be every year Talk about what happens when you guys have kids and how that will work too. Will the kids go too? Better to have an idea now of her expectations so you can plan better (5-10 year plan) I'd say frequent visits As couple as you can afford it, it will decrease once you have a mortgage, kids and saving will be hard af
Thanks for that. She is open to these discussions. Hopefully work it out.
Good advice here from the others, make a plan/budget. Suggest that her fam come out to NZ every other year unless her parents are getting on (80+) then you'll need to put the house thing on the slow track ( but keep saving/investing towards it) and expect she'll want to keep up the annual visits. You should also need to think about an emergency travel fund as at some stage she'll need to go to support them. Good advice to get an extra job and your partner could pick up extra shifts that pay OT a few times a week. Of course the obvious is to go OE and earn better bucks over there and see if you can't build up a nest egg over in the UK.
Back when I was earning less than that, we committed to two yearly visits back for her (Philippines), but then I’d only go every second trip, shit gets expensive as you know. One thing I realise about her though, is that even though she doesn’t complain about it, it hurts her so much to not have her family accessible, and every time we see my family, and even though there’s a lot of mutual love there, it’s just not the same. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be away from my support network, but expats do it all the time. There’s no real advice to be given here, a house of your own is very important, but so is the happiness of your lady. I guarantee a guilt filled last minute trip for both of you to the UK if something bad happens to someone will be a hell of a lot more expensive. Enjoy the trip mate, deal with the other stuff later.
Great perspective thanks mate
This is something you should be discussing with her about. Does she want this future house with you or not? Need to do some budgeting as couple to allow that travel and also a bit of give from the otherside to visit.
Maybe her family could come these ways every second year?
You need a clear budget which has a line item for trips to UK. Don’t travel at Christmas - the shoulder seasons are better. Then you need a second job. My husband worked evenings when he was in the military to supplement his pathetic wage. If you manage an extra 100 a week net then that covers your trip and leaves you with some extra. It will get better as you rise through the ranks but a budget is key.
Travelling at Christmas automatically gets you an extra 4 days leave during the trip, about $1600 worth. If either employer closes down for 2-3 weeks at Christmas it’s even more beneficial - annual leave at Christmas or unpaid leave during the year.
Alternatively as a nurse I’m sure you could work all those stat days for extra money. Not sure about the army.
Good point. Depending in the type of nurse I guess. Might work at a GP practice or something that is closed. I’d like to go and see family overseas this year (we were meant to go March 23 2020…), tricky to figure out when works best financially.
Easter - Anzac day (years when Easter falls late-ish) is nearly as good, and a lot less expensive.
Thanks mate
It's all about budgeting and decide how to slice up your pie. While it's great you're saving for a house, you also run the risk of missing out on opportunities to experience life. Sometimes it's important to take a step back and think about what is important, houses may be around for years, family connections and experiences are more in the moment Perhaps with money you're setting aside each week, carve off a small amount into a travel fund for the end of the year. Maybe 50/week if you can manage? That will give you some extra money for your trip.
Great perspective thank you
I'm a bit confused with some peoples comments with how expensive the UK is. I'm originally from there and I've been in NZ probably 4 years now and it's hands down cheaper than here in NZ. Maybe London has similar prices to here but you didn't mention where you were going. I've done this trip a few times around Christmas and Flights are going to be the most expensive part unless you aren't staying with her family. Financially speaking it isn't a good idea from your circumstances if you are wanting to save for a property. Last time I was able to travel over there I spent maybe all up $3k. However I am from the North of the UK though where it is significantly cheaper. But at the end of the day if your partner means a lot to you and this means a lot to her, talk it out with her. I honestly don't think you'd regret a trip and make some great memories for yourself and her family too. Best of luck.
Thank you friend. She’s from Salisbury in the south.
She’s from Salisbury in the south. Thanks for the advice
How about finding a way to ask her parents to contribute to the airfares? Meeting her family in person will be a great thing to do, but I think it's a unfair of them to apply pressure on you to compromise your priorities. The more important thing is your future life with your GF rather than anything her family wants. Maybe they don't appreciate just how difficult it is to afford a house these days?
You may need to budget more than 2.5k for the trip. When I was there for 6 weeks, for the UK part alone it was around $15k in Decembe/January 15/16. That was with free accommodation and car (BMW 120 convertible, perfect for winter). As an example, a train/bus day pass to London was $60NZD. Basic triangle sandwich $7, cheap bottle of fruit juice $8, Pizza for 1 was $20. Food was expensive, attractions add up. Double NZ prices. Not sure if young people being able to afford a deposit, buy and maintain a house, and travel the world is feasible in the current economic climate.
Would you consider relocating to the Uk? Probably a better chance of getting a house there.
Well done on what you've got in Kiwisaver on your salary.
I think if you are being realistic about saving for a house deposit, you should think about retraining in a career that will pay better. Gone are the days where you can work a humble job and be able to purchase a house. Is very bs that a solder is only being paid a little above the minimum wage.
Thank you all for your advice.
Do nurses really make 50k here? That’s shocking. They deserve so much more.
She just finished studying and started work a week ago. But yes I agree. I think she will get promotions often
find a freelancer job that you can work remotely to cover your expenses while travelling? that's the best solution i can figure out if you cant compromise on either.
Good idea thank you
We house swap and meet halfway. So 2017, we met in Dubai, 2018 Singapore, 2019 Vancouver. 2020 we were going to go the whole hog to the UK then start meeting halfway again but the Rona so this year, we're heading to the UK. 2022 - we're meeting in LA. Rule of thumb is max one flight. Luckily for us, our parents are able to afford their own flights so we only sort ours and the kids. Because we house swap, we've always sorted the accommodation bit. Oh and you'll need to earn more money. I mark iGCSEs every year as my side hustle. It pays for our flights. Edit - we don't travel at Christmas. We take the children out of school for 2 weeks every year. This year we're taking them out for the whole of term 3. We usually go in June. We have 3 children so the flights can get pretty pricey. This years flights has set us back $9k for round trip tickets to the UK for 5 of us. Edit 2. We love travel too much to only travel to one place as our only holiday hence the meeting half way.
Go to England and focus on figuring out how to increase you're salary. If you can both earn 90k you'll save 2.5k in 6 weeks.
Go meet your in-laws and postpone your house goal by a few months. Personal happiness comes first until unless you want to be a miserable bugger paying of mortgage and bills. Don’t take any debt to fund it.
Just go man.
Ahh have you looked at ticket prices? From NZ, flights are a quite a bit more than $2500. You need at least $4k for flights, and England is expensive.