u/Alive-Atmosphere-889

My partner and I are in our late 30s and bought a house in 2023. We are financially comfortable and love having our own place, but lately we're wondering if it’s all worth it.

We took on a large mortgage, and our disposable income for fun or travel has vanished. If it's not the monthly payment, it’s a bill for an unexpected repair. Saturdays and Sundays are entirely eaten up by an endless list of jobs around the house and garden. We have no time or money for date nights, and all we ever seem to talk about anymore is the house, the bills, and the next job that needs doing.

My parents pushed really hard for us to get on the property ladder, because that's how they managed to retire early and build financial security. But doing all this in the 80s was different.

We’re doing okay right now, but the stress of work declining or job loss hangs over us. We’d be eating into savings immediately. The margin for error feels incredibly slim. We are stuck in a cycle of working to pay for a house we only have time to maintain, with no room left to enjoy life.

We've had some serious conversations about selling up and going travelling for a year. We're both just feeling so.... bored.

Has anyone else experienced this burnout? Can anyone convince me that this is actually a good thing?

EDIT: I'm not complaining about cleaning the bathroom - more like fixing fences, replacing guttering, sanding, painting, installing flooring, etc.

ANOTHER EDIT: Monthly house costs (mortgage & bills) account for roughly 35% of our income, which I understood was quite normal.

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