I am in a college town and it seems nearly every lease is August to August.

1. Start auto-saving immediately, even if it seems like you can't. 2. Emergency Fund, then higher yield vehicles, then brokerage account. 3. Job Hop if raises above 4% and promotions above 10% aren't coming every year. 4. Stay walk-away ready. Don't get stuck in a bad job. 5. Upskill in your craft. Trade schools, certifications, community college, etc. 6. Avoid unnecessary degrees. Doctor? cool. Anthropology? Only if you are a trust fund kid. 7. Consider matching your trade to the needs of real estate (contracting, realtor, property management, financing, etc) 8. Rent with roommates and think of housing as a tool, not a showcase. 9. House Hack your first buy.

@Jared York I’m guilty of stagnation as a Gen X’er. I didn’t MEAN to, but I got stuck and didn’t know how to get out. In hindsight I should have skipped university, stayed at the lumberyard, and house hacked in my mid 20s. Hindsight is 20/20. At the time it felt like I HAD to go to college to make something of myself, and now I realize I could have house hacked my way into not needing a job by 35, and then went to school full time without needing to “work my way” through school while not being able to save anything.

This has been a productive question for me. According to A.I. estimates with 20% down: $41/hour is the median requirement for Bloomington, Indiana. $31/hour is my neighborhood. If renting: $22/hour median $19/hour in my neighborhood. it's using Zillow, Redfin, Homes, and Apartments.com. EDIT to add: It's giving 28% of Gross income for buying. As someone meeting the required income for the neighborhood, and having bought below market, I would say the hourly wage needs to be higher to feel comfortable.

The ability to hold TWO TRUTHS at the same time! I can make a bad decision AND be a person that is making better decisions as I grow.

To build the next egg faster I would add value to the existing house hack and see if I could cut any less useful expenses. Like I switched from coffee shops to coffee beans to instant coffee over the years. I still like a good cup of coffee, but it's the difference between $2k a year, $200/year, and $20/year. I don't want to sacrifice my actual health, but subpar coffee feels like safe trade-off and it saves time and clean-up. I quit booze, I quit take-out food... I'm about out of things I can quit, though. Rehabbing half my house into a hack was the first real value add for me. I've got a carport that needs cleaned out, and I figure that will help justify an increase through the binder strategy. I could fence in the yard at some point. Rehabbing the kitchen/unit I'm in will eventually be a jump-off into a second hack. If I were more hands-off, maybe I would get back on the bike for commuting, but right now the car saves me time to get from work, to home, to gym, to hardware stores, etc.