Where have all the 20 something’s gone?

[Deleted User]

My partner and I are in the millennial camp and we bought our first home together last year, we were lucky that we could afford a 4-bed detached house. However, we saved for 10 years to afford it - were careful with our money (but still enjoyed life) and we accepted that we couldn't live in the exact place we wanted and get what we wanted for our budget and so we moved out by 25 miles and commuted to work but it meant that would could have the life we wanted for a minor compromise.
Plenty of our friends expect the massive house in the expensive area yet have cars on finance they can barely afford, go on multiple holidays and are always eating out at restaurants, there is no concept of managing money and working up anymore.
Equally, we know a 21 year old who bought a 3-bed house in Cheltenham as a first home on a single salary (nothing especially high) and they accept that they wont have a brand new Audi or loads of holidays. They saved the deposit and bought in a cheaper part of cheltenham, and managed their expectations of what they could realistically get.