Sacrificing the Budget on the Granite Countertop Altar

May 17, 2016
USA Today: To buy or not to buy a home? For many Millennials, that's the question.

"I'm not going to sacrifice budget at all," she says. "At the end of the day, our financial wellness is the most important, and if it doesn’t make financial sense, we’re not going to buy."

Smart.

Persistence paid off for the couple.

Congratulations! What have they won?

After months of searching they found a condo and negotiated the price down a few thousand dollars, to $477,375 — which was over their initial budget of $400,000 to $450,000. They decided to go for it because it had everything they were looking for, including two bedrooms, two baths, an open living space that would fit their furniture, the bonus of a completely updated kitchen, plus it was in a prime location they loved.

They're both 26 years old. As long as neither of them lose their jobs in the next 10 years or so, what's the worst that could possibly happen? It's only half a million dollars. Easy come, easy go.

As a side note, this new and improved economy never loses jobs. Want proof? I've backtested this theory over the past five years. That's right, all five of them! Thanks to our new and improved Fed, nothing bad ever happens again! What more proof do you need?