Exactly. I was raised poor, as were my parents, and my grandparents on both sides before them. I learned a lot of bad financial habits from them which screwed m

Exactly. I was raised poor, as were my parents, and my grandparents on both sides before them. I learned a lot of bad financial habits from them which screwed me up in my 20s, but I've unlearned most of that and I'm on the right track now. One thing I learned from them that turned out to be beneficial is to think small; don't buy something I can't afford. Six years ago I made my first house purchase at the age of 32, and while it's not a McMansion in an upper-middle-class subdivision, it's a practical and affordable home. My mortgage payment including taxes and insurance fees is less than $400/month for a three-bedroom farmhouse on half an acre of land. I'm not in a subdivision so I'm not subject to my neighbors' whims about curtain colors and such, and in five years I'll have it paid off (and our vehicles are already paid off). My health isn't the best, and if I end up having to retire early it will be comforting to know that my family will have a paid-for home and cars, and we won't have to choose between making a house payment or buying groceries in a given month.