Still owe the house rent but my husband still insists on buying a car

My husband and I got married over 10 years ago. Since we're both from the provinces, we didn't own a house in Hanoi and rented for a year after getting married. Neither of our families had much money, so we decided that we had to be financially independent.

In 2015, after finding out I was pregnant, I realized the need for housing had become more urgent than ever. Because we wanted to have my mother and my mother come to help with childcare, we needed a house to live in.

My wife and I only had a little over 200 million VND, so we had to borrow from the bank. We managed to buy a two-bedroom apartment for over one billion VND.

My wife and I have a combined income of nearly 30 million VND per month. For many years, we've been spending around 7-8 million VND each month on bank payments.

We spent the rest on our family and set aside some for savings. Because we benefited from a preferential loan package, the fixed interest rate was only 5% for 15 years. Thanks to this, when we had extra money, we didn't pay it all off immediately but wanted to save it for other things.

Up to now, although we are still in debt, we have saved a small amount of money. The life of a family of four, including husband, wife and two children, is quite good. Occasionally, we even travel together.

In the near future, I plan to use my savings to buy a plot of land in our hometown with my brother. Land is always profitable in the long run. However, my husband came up with a completely unexpected idea.

My wife and I disagree when discussing buying a car (Illustrative image: ShutterStock).

He said he would use the money to buy a car, of course my husband and I would still have to borrow some more. The procedure is simple now because we can use the car itself as collateral. With our current income, we are perfectly capable of paying off both the house and the car loan and ensuring our livelihood.

According to him, since my wife and I live far from the city center, having a car to commute to work would be convenient, avoiding the hardship of rain and sun. Furthermore, dropping off and picking up our children from school would also be easier.

Having a car also makes things easier for my wife and me every time we go back to our hometown, making travel safer and more convenient. With our own vehicle, we can travel more independently, no longer having to rush back to Hanoi the next day to catch a bus.

My husband also said that since we're almost 40, we should start thinking about having a more comfortable life. Having a car would also give him more motivation and goals to strive for.

When trying to convince me, my husband even cited stories from his friends, saying that everyone says "having a car is great," "if only everyone knew how wonderful it is to drive a car sooner"... Many of his friends still owe money on their houses but bought cars a few years ago.

A comfortable life, where you're protected from rain and sun, is something everyone dreams of. But I think that's only possible when you're debt-free and have a stable savings or investment. My wife and I still owe over 300 million VND – a considerable sum.

Not only that, I think cars are "liabilities," bought and used, they only depreciate and lose value. Meanwhile, the most important thing for my family is saving, investing, preparing for the future, and securing my children's lives. I'm not going to be foolish enough to take on another debt.

I immediately objected to my husband's suggestion. He was very unhappy and thought I was old-fashioned. He said that he and his wife loved their children, were responsible for caring for them, and provided for their education until they reached adulthood. Later, if they had any surplus, they would give them some of their wealth. He argued that I shouldn't force myself to live a frugal life just to save for my children.

He wants his children to be independent and self-reliant in the future, just as they have persevered and made a living in a land far from their hometown.

My wife and I still have very different opinions. As a result, the atmosphere in our family has become increasingly tense over the past few weeks.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/con-no-tien-nha-nhung-chong-toi-van-nhat-quyet-doi-mua-o-to-17224040512231286.htm