Just for comparison, my house was built in 1972 as part of a new estate. It's a "starter home" suitable for a young couple with a kid or two, three at a squeeze.

The smallest bedroom is 6 foot 2 square. I have a double bed, a desk and a chair in there as a guest room. I had to build the bed and desk to fit. There is just enough room left to open the door.

Starter homes are small. First time buyers can't usually afford a mansion. In fact, these days I couldn't even afford to buy my own house and I'm a long way past my 20s.

+1, Working as a doctor and I cannot afford enough of a deposit yet. The colleagues I know who own their own houses have either had help from parents or are a couple and hence can raise a larger deposit. I'm in neither situation at the moment, which makes it more difficult.

I did spend the first 25 years of my life saving up the deposit by living in the cheapest HIMO I could find and walking everywhere instead of taking the bus or getting a car, and eating nothing but economy beans. It was pretty hard even then. It's twice as hard now, if you're an honest hard-working person.

I live at home with parents, pay almost nothing towards bills and have only £20k saved up over two years. I've worked out it should be in the region of £50k by now. Feck nows where the cash has gone.

Most of my friends bought houses with only a £10-20k deposit, which is a complete PITA as most mortgage companies want double that as deposit.

Laptops, tritium watches etc.

Still doesn't explain the £30k deficit!

Set up a standing order from your current account to your savings account. If you set it for the day after pay day, you won't be able to spend the money you want to save.

I'm not sure you'd want a tritium watch - radioactive gas doesn't make a very good watch casing (it may be useful for the actual timekeeping).

No but it's very good for luminescence and is the replacement for radium.

I went to look at a house last year, semi-detached three bedroom jobbie, but looking at the lounge I wouldn't have been able to fit my (old) 3 seater sofa in. Family home? Yeah right.

For Dwarfs/little people?

Yeah, we saw one like that. I swear the sofa they had in there came from an office catalogue. A normal one would never have fitted.