Bingo! There are tons of things people waste money on now that they count as necessities we used to count as luxuries. Think about all of the entertainment subscriptions today that nobody would have thought about paying for. Buying bottled water instead of drinking from the faucet. We used to drive cars forever even if they looked old and weathered -- we weren't afraid of someone seeing us in it (I'm proud of my oldest daughter and youngest son following our example on that). Those of us who became of age to buy a home during a housing boom rented for a while until prices came down. Yes, buying when home prices are low often means higher interest rates, but high interest rates can be refinanced years later when rates go down -- unlike high mortgage balances. Then there's career planning vs college planning. Many of us who went to college back then did so after first doing career planning and seeing if college is even necessary for our choice career, or which colleges are good for it but cheap.
is living 3-5 singles or couples together still a thing to save money till you can peal off???