I want to push the date back.

[panzerfaust0]

Hello. I need help saying something.

Background: Where I live, one can wait up to 3 years before renewing one's driver license. All one needs to do is go down to the licensing office and pay the fee. If one lets the 3 years lapse, as in, she waits more than 3 years after her license expires, she needs to re-take all the tests.

My license expired in August, 2016. So I waited till July of 2019 to go in and renew it. The lady at the licensing office asked me why I waited till so late to re-apply. I said I wanted to "push the date back" as much as I could, but it appeared to be not very clear because she was confused.

Basically, what I wanted was to wait as long as possible before renewing my license so that I can "stretch" it as long as possible. But I dont know how to say it. Please help, thanks.

 

[dojibear]

I would say I wanted to wait as long as I could, and I knew I had 3 years. (I knew I could wait 3 years)

You talked about "pushing the date back" when there wasn't a date to be pushed. That is why she was confused.

If there is a scheduled event, and you want to change that event's scheduled date to a later scheduled date, you talk about "pushing the date back".

 

[Cenzontle]

I think there was a date to be pushed: the expiration date.
"I wanted to push the expiration date back." (Or are you pushing it forward? I have trouble with these spatial metaphors for time.)
Maybe "I wanted to extend the expiration date"?

 

[Egmont]

We can avoid the date question entirely by replying "I wanted it to be valid for as long as possible."

 

[Edinburgher]

"I wanted it to be valid for as long as possible."

That doesn't work, depending on what you mean by "valid". As I understand it, it was already invalid because it had expired three years earlier. What the holder wanted to delay was its renewal, thereby saving fee money in respect of a period when he didn't need the licence because he had no car. There was a three-year deadline after expiry for renewing it without needing to re-take the test.

 

[Myridon]

I think there was a date to be pushed: the expiration date.

There were two dates, the expiration date (August 2016) and the last date for renewal without tests (August 2019). Neither date was changed and it's still July 2019 (in the context) so the original second date hasn't even passed yet.

 

[panzerfaust0]

Thanks to all.