A couple say they save £9k-a-year by being child-free – and don’t want to "sacrifice" their four holidays a year, nights out and lie-ins by having kids.
Jenni Hill, 33, had always assumed she’d be a mum but she started to change her mind after reaching her late 20s.
The finance copywriter realised her life was only just getting to a point she was happy with and to continue to afford the lifestyle she wanted be child-free.
Now, as a self-employed woman, she enjoys a lie-in, four holidays a year and nights out with her partner, Bob, 28, a teacher.
Jenni calculated she gains £9k-a-year being child-free - based on the average cost of £160k to raise a child to the age of 18.
She wants others to know it's OK to "celebrate" being childfree.
Jenni, from Manchester, said: “As a child I always assumed I would be a mum.
“I had a plan – I thought I’d get married at 28, have a baby at 29 and live happily ever after.
“But by aged 28 to 29 I started to change my mind.
“Life was only just getting to a place I wanted it to be – I’m not ready.
“Seeing my friend become mums it made me realise how hard being a mum is.
“I see how much they struggle - I don’t think I could handle that.
“I don’t think I could sacrifice everything else if I became a mum.
“I found out the average cost of raising a child.
“I divided that by the number of years – it feels like I have an extra £9k to spent on what I want.
“I want to enjoy my money and celebrate it.”
Jenni didn’t travel much in her 20s and now loves to jet off as much as she can.
She said: “Me and my boyfriend go on holiday three to four times a year.
“It’s really nice.
“There are no responsibilities.
“We can be quite spontaneous.
“So many places I want to tick off my list.
“I wouldn’t want to be resentful or regretful."
The pair often travel to Northern Ireland to visit Bob’s family and enjoy nights out.
She said: “We have freedom and I have the money to do that.”
Jenni has big career goals to grow her business and wants to buy a bigger home and save for her retirement.
She said: “It’s hard to find enough hours in the day – I don’t know how mothers juggle it.
“It’s been eye opening to see my friends become mums – and to see how much it restricts you.”
Jenni hasn’t ruled out children in the future but currently doesn’t know how they would fit into her life – or how she would afford them without compromise.
She said: “If I had a child I would need to spend all my money on them.
“For me the motherhood penalty – it would have a hard impact on me.
“There is no way we could afford to get married, have kids and buy a house.”
Jenni says people online have accused her of being "selfish" for not wanting children, but she says she wants to share a positive view around the choice to not have kids.
She said: "I can shape my day around what I want to do.
"Some days I don’t get up until 9am.
"If I had a child my life schedule would be dictated by them.
"I’m celebrating being child-free.
"Celebrate a different choice."
Follow Jenni @jennihillwrites
Jenni Hill, 33, had always assumed she’d be a mum but she started to change her mind after reaching her late 20s.
The finance copywriter realised her life was only just getting to a point she was happy with and to continue to afford the lifestyle she wanted be child-free.
Now, as a self-employed woman, she enjoys a lie-in, four holidays a year and nights out with her partner, Bob, 28, a teacher.
Jenni calculated she gains £9k-a-year being child-free - based on the average cost of £160k to raise a child to the age of 18.
She wants others to know it's OK to "celebrate" being childfree.
Jenni, from Manchester, said: “As a child I always assumed I would be a mum.
“I had a plan – I thought I’d get married at 28, have a baby at 29 and live happily ever after.
“But by aged 28 to 29 I started to change my mind.
“Life was only just getting to a place I wanted it to be – I’m not ready.
“Seeing my friend become mums it made me realise how hard being a mum is.
“I see how much they struggle - I don’t think I could handle that.
“I don’t think I could sacrifice everything else if I became a mum.
“I found out the average cost of raising a child.
“I divided that by the number of years – it feels like I have an extra £9k to spent on what I want.
“I want to enjoy my money and celebrate it.”
Jenni didn’t travel much in her 20s and now loves to jet off as much as she can.
She said: “Me and my boyfriend go on holiday three to four times a year.
“It’s really nice.
“There are no responsibilities.
“We can be quite spontaneous.
“So many places I want to tick off my list.
“I wouldn’t want to be resentful or regretful."
The pair often travel to Northern Ireland to visit Bob’s family and enjoy nights out.
She said: “We have freedom and I have the money to do that.”
Jenni has big career goals to grow her business and wants to buy a bigger home and save for her retirement.
She said: “It’s hard to find enough hours in the day – I don’t know how mothers juggle it.
“It’s been eye opening to see my friends become mums – and to see how much it restricts you.”
Jenni hasn’t ruled out children in the future but currently doesn’t know how they would fit into her life – or how she would afford them without compromise.
She said: “If I had a child I would need to spend all my money on them.
“For me the motherhood penalty – it would have a hard impact on me.
“There is no way we could afford to get married, have kids and buy a house.”
Jenni says people online have accused her of being "selfish" for not wanting children, but she says she wants to share a positive view around the choice to not have kids.
She said: "I can shape my day around what I want to do.
"Some days I don’t get up until 9am.
"If I had a child my life schedule would be dictated by them.
"I’m celebrating being child-free.
"Celebrate a different choice."
Follow Jenni @jennihillwrites
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