Hello everyone,
I discovered She Knows Best through a WhatsApp group and was hoping for some guidance please. My family runs a car rental business in the UAE, but due to financial constraints, I’ve been unable to move there with my two kids. The distance is affecting my mental health and taking a toll on my children as they miss their father. I want to contribute financially to help make our move possible but don’t know where to start. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all x
@minahknowsbest
Hello there sister. I would say that you may need to work with your husband to create a shared plan for the steps to relocate to the UAE. Maybe discussing how the car rental business can generate more income, networking with other businesses or talking about ways you can reduce current expenses as a family might help make things a bit clearer for your own mental health. Relocation is a big decision and is not easy so making these plans first will help to reunite your family. Good luck sister.
Hi.The car rental business can generate more income by partnering with popular hotels, I’ve seen queues of tourists at the hotel reception waiting for the car rental desk. Try that!
Hello dear. I admire you because you are basically a single mom whilst your husband is working in the business in the UAE. I advise you to first start by calculating the total cost of relocating your family to the UAE. Remember to think of these things–
-Visa and residency visa permits for you and your children (if you have a business you may get a golden visa, im not too sure).
-Flight tickets.
-Housing costs (rent, deposits, and utilities).
-School fees for your children.
-Daily living expenses for the first few months.
Having these costs in your mind will help you to start saving towards a goal amount that will make your relocation possible. I hope this has helped you x
Hi lovely,
It’s so brave to share your story with us. It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job holding things together for your family. When it comes to saving for your move, think in small steps. Break it down. Focus on visas first, then flights, then the bigger stuff like rent and school fees.
I think that your car rental business could be so helpful, maybe offer deals or partner with hotels to bring in more cash. Also, consider selling things you don’t need to make the move more manageable. If you haven’t already, open up a separate savings account just for the move and put a bit of money in each month. When you get to the UAE, look into budget housing or short-term options to keep costs low. I can understand all of this is not easy, but you’re doing it for a better future. Thats huge!! Big hugs xxx
Hey lovely,
Look it so tough when kids are missing their dad and it’s clear you’re doing everything you can to hold the family together. In the meantime, why don’t u try setting up regular videos chats or something? My husband works in Saudi during the week and misses out on lots of time with my kids so I made a “countdown” calendar to give them something to look forward to. I know it’s hard and you probably want to be strong for your kids. Bug hugs!
Plan plan plan! Relocation is expensive and there are so many costs that creep up. When we moved to Abu Dhabi, I didn’t realise housing and school fees would be so expensive and most of the time these things have to be paid in cheques up front (a term of the school fees has to be paid in advance for example). Try and plan for costs with your husband so you both know what the end goal is. Are you working? Maybe also think about putting some money aside into the “relocation” fund? Hope you can finally be reunited soon x
Hi. It is expensive to live in the UAE, but have you considered Sharjah. Sharjah has some really good schools which aren’t as expensive as Dubai and Abu Dhabi and the rent is less. Alot more expats are moving to Sharjah due to the cost of living and love it as the new communities are out of the way and are very green. Maybe that can help with the move.