I was beginning to feel like a lone duck until I read Bath's reply and couldnt agree more. I think sometimes the more emphasis that is placed on money and material gains, the more important it becomes to you. Darren and I are lucky to share the same philosophy in life and while we do like having the latest things, its not the be all and end all. We have cheap family holidays (camping) make wonderful memories for the children with wonderful birthdays and parties and they want for nothing....all this with 4 children and my darling husband secretly hoping i will say yes to a 5th! I so believe in throwing out gratitude for the blessings we have, and we always seem to make do! So while your SIL might have a point, you arent jumping into anything naively, and I would probably resent the implication that you arent considering all your options....getting a homeloan is not the most important thing in the world.

Jo