To add another couple data points: I am substantially younger, make exactly 100k/yr live within commuting distance of a grossly overpriced city full of people

To add another couple data points: I am substantially younger, make exactly 100k/yr live within commuting distance of a grossly overpriced city full of people I want nothing to do with (read: expensive urban area known for tech and medicine) and made 90k/yr when I bought my house. I live in an city, not a nearly rural suburb, but it's not a rich city (thank god) but it has everything I need. I'm paying a few hundred dollars a month on debt, have a similarly sized discretionary budget, am maxing out my 401k and slowly building savings. The schools aren't great but they aren't bad, not my problem yet anyway. My buddy who is a teacher makes substantially less and has approximately the same situation but in a different slightly wealthier city and has a slightly smaller house. The DB administrator at my last job who was in his late 20s and made about 100k had the same situation in yet a different city. 100k is not a crazy number in this area. If you are in a blue collar trade you can make 100k by putting in your years to get licensed (BS gate keeping requirements make it impossible to get licenses/certs in most trades in this state without working several years) you can commute into that rich overpriced city that shall remain nameless and make 100k. The house across the block from me is on the market for ~200k. 150k on up seems to be the going rate for a turnkey single family house around here depending on size and condition. These aren't crazy prices. They're just not a neighborhood your snooty coworkers will approve of. My house was 150k but needed 20k of siding (screw that, next time I'm taking the week off from work, buying the staging and doing it my damn self for a fraction of the price) on day 1 and has never been updated inside. If you want to own a home and are willing to work for it you can own a home. You just can't own one in a neighborhood where everyone is richer than you. >Live below your means, take advantage of where you live, and maintain a simple life. Good things come to those who wait. Fully agree here. Simple life is key. You can't drive a nice car and go out drinking all the time and all those other things that cost money. You can do a few of them but you've gotta choose.