I sometimes feel the same way, OP. I went from a $1,100/month mortgage on a townhouse in Merrifield to a $2400/month mortgage on a SFH in Arlington. I can handle the payments and I can handle the maintenance - mostly - but sometimes I *really* miss that smaller mortgage payment (and smaller, less time-consuming yard) and wonder if I could have stuck it out.

I try to focus on the positives. I literally cut 50% off my commute, which had stretched to 3+ hours a day once daycare pickup/dropoff was figured in. I got a cute house in a neighborhood I love, with killer schools. i'm blessed. Sometimes I'm also stressed, but it helps to remind myself that I am blessed. (and that yes, worst case, i could sell for a small profit and rent if I *really* had to.) good luck.

I find it to be a choice- you chose to be house-poor.
My sister is about to become house-poor, but she finds it better than live in a condo or townhouse.
I chose to live in a condo in great school district with a 10 minute commute to work. For each their own.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was recently a thread on here about raises/bonuses, and the vast majority of people were getting large raises, were in the private sector and were getting bonuses.
But of course, if you suggest that in another thread, then everyone says, no, that's not happening.

So were people lying about their raises? I wish I could find the thread.

But the point was that the step increases are small and only come once every 3 years and then once every 5.

New poster here. With any DCUM threads, it is important to keep in mind that there is a bias towards responding if posters have positive news to report, with less posters willing to post negative news.

Examples - threads on HHI always draw high HHI posters, threads on personal finance always draw savers and those living below their means, threads on monthly mortgage payment rarely feature posters paying more than $2200 or so (including taxes and insurance).

+1