‘My husband and I will be mortgage-free at 34’

Could you tell me a bit about you and your life?

My husband and I are 34, and will be paying our mortgage off next year. We met when we were newly graduated; I worked in a call centre and he was unemployed. Currently I earn 55k and he earns 120k plus a bonus, and we share two kids - a 4 year old child and a newborn. For background - both my parents worked minimum wage jobs and my husband grew up in a single parent household, so we had no financial help from either of them when buying a house - which we bought for £350,000.

What has enabled you to become almost mortgage free?

My husband’s income without a doubt! But we do also live well within our means, and he hasn’t been on this level of income for very long. We have old cars, old phones, shop at budget supermarkets etc. We don’t buy into the ‘Instagram Aesthetic’ lifestyle. For childcare, we’ve taken our 4 year old out of nursery whilst I’m on maternity to save money - as nursery fees are our biggest expenditure! Our main luxury is our holidays - this year we splashed out on a more expensive holiday - but we still went out of season and made sure we got the best deal.

How do you feel about the position you are in?

I struggle with the guilt that I have financial freedom while my friends and family don’t. I’m also worried that my kids will grow up to be spoiled and out of touch, but on the other hand I feel safe knowing that we don’t have to worry about money.

I also feel judged and think that people will assume that I sponge off my husband. To clarify - up until we bought this house, we’d paid for everything equally, but since having children has stalled my career whilst his has flourished.