A starter house this was not — not even a little bit. At $550,000, It had two floors, a backyard, and three bedrooms — to say nothing of the significantly higher mortgage. Even though it was $150,000 over our budget, Sandy had told me she had a good feeling about it, and I could see why. I could picture us here — could envision this as our forever home. I liked it so much I was terrified. If we took the plunge, we knew we’d have to shift our lifestyles. We’d leave behind vacations, going out to dinner, and buying new clothes. We’d have to abandon the possibility of renovating or rebuilding the kitchen. We'd need to drain our savings account completely, and take out the other 80% on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. But even with all the sacrifices looming over us, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this house was ours.