Last week I was talking to my older sister about how I wanted to buy my own house. She basically told me that it was a bad idea because I don't have a high income. I was furious that she would think I'd fail. She was furious because she thinks I have no idea what I'm doing. My sister and her husband have a household income of about $100,000. Last year I made $12,000 (not including bonuses which I get 4 times a year and my income tax return which I count as income since it goes straight into my savings account). Although money isn't tight for them, they are not rolling around in riches either. I can totally see why my sister doesn't think I could do it.

Here's the thing though. It's not about how much money you make. It's about how you spend it. My older sister bought her house for $2xx,000. The house I want is about 1/3rd of that price and it is actually a really, really nice house. Sometimes I read blogs on here and some people's monthly mortgage payments are higher than my monthly income! I'm like, man, I wish I had that amount of money. But that's the thing. I don't NEED a $2xx,000 house. My sister spends about $150 per week on groceries. I can easily spend less than $20 per week because I can make nutritious meals without buying expensive meats and I like to shop sales and use coupons. I can't remember the last time I bought something for myself that wasn't a necessity. My sister bought her husband a $1300 TV for Valentine's Day. They don't live paycheck to paycheck but if they lived as frugally as I did, they'd have thousands and thousands of dollars in savings! I went on a short vacation last month. I set a budget for myself. I bought a $2 box of cereal and a $1.59 quart of milk and that was my breakfast. I set a limit on how much I could spend eating out. I always got one of the cheapest things on the menu. Water to drink. If my sister and her husband had gone on the same vacation as I did, they would have spent 3 times what I spent on food alone.

I do know that unexpected expenses come up. But that's life. I'm not against using credit cards if I don't have the cash because I'm absolutely responsible. Am I not going to ever buy a house just because there is a chance an unexpected expense might come up? I have a friend who owes nearly $500,000 in medical expenses. She will be paying that off for the rest of her life. Should she never buy a house of her own because she has a serious illness? I'm going to take it day by day. I'll make some smart decisions. Dental insurance. Medical insurance. Hazard insurance on the house. If any other expenses come up, so be it. I'm not a millionaire and I never will be. I'm going to do the best I can.