From the author: Traps of the mind (about square meters) Having your own home is considered a generally accepted sign/measure of well-being in life, social success and financial stability. Is this really so? Or is it just that? a firmly rooted (and already quite outdated) myth that prevents us from objectively seeing/evaluating the realities of modern life? “Traps of our mind.” I will express a very unpopular point of view regarding the need to have “your own corner” and a “roof over your head”: 1) I agree, that this necessity used to be a condition for human survival (and we inherited from a protracted era of turmoil and economic instability). 2) But these difficult times are over. Today, a person no longer needs to desperately fight for his survival - nothing threatens him (except perhaps his own stupidity and inattention).3) Under the burden of the myth about “their own corner”, people are forced to buy housing that is affordable to them, and which, due this is usually located far on the outskirts, in a residential area. After which, every weekday they are forced to spend 1.5-2 hours on the road to work (and this is only one way). Isn’t this too high a price to pay for their own “roof over head"? Don’t you think this is a new form of struggle for survival? Every second person who comes to me for a consultation asks questions about buying real estate and complains about the exorbitant burden/severity of monthly mortgage payments. In response, I recommend calculating the numbers for different options, making simple comparative calculations in the Exel table: The numbers will honestly show you how much it will cost to buy your home (and subsequent repairs, purchase of furniture, taxes, etc. operating expenses). Add to this the time spent traveling to work and back, lost forever from life, lost nerves and health. Yes, you can buy an apartment. Or you can rent an apartment and live near work (or near a park, or wherever you like). This will allow you to have the same “roof over your head,” or even a much better and more comfortable one. Third option. Instead of purchasing an apartment, you put money on a deposit, and use the interest from it to rent an apartment in a place convenient for you. Calculate the numbers. Maybe in your case, renting an apartment would be a more reasonable solution? PS I was prompted to write this article by the comments I received to my articles on financial literacy, where I already touched on the topic of the obvious unreasonability of owning one’s own home. They very emotionally proved to me that owning one’s own apartment is convenient and it’s reliable that everyone lives like this, that this is a registration and a ticket to a kindergarten/school, that you can easily grow indoor flowers and pets there, that I don’t want to sleep on someone else’s sagging bed, that... (fill in your option). Yes, that’s all so...That is why in Russia it is still customary to invest money in square meters, and not in travel and enjoying life. In the West, it has long been customary to live in rented housing (besides, there are very high property taxes, which, however, soon threatens us). SUMMARY: Get rid of the psychology of survival (the world has long since changed and become more friendly); Create your own family capital and invest (this will allow your family to live anywhere, and not just where you have your “own corner”) If If you don’t know how to save money, then you will always live in a state of constant lack of money (train yourself to save part of the money you earn) PPS For convenience, I have made a selection of books on personal finance - they will help you “make friends” with your money and master financial literacy