Keyona

Keyona knows that good things come to those who wait. Thatﾒs why when she and her husband, Randy, got married last January, they agreed to skip the big traditional wedding and get married in the courthouse. "We'll have our reception in our new home, and it will be a reception and a housewarming all rolled into one," she says.

This attitude of joyfully cutting back spending to save for a home has influenced every member of their family. Their kids have given up eating out on Friday nights, and Randy unwinds at the end of the day at home instead of going to happy hour with his buddies. Keyona, however, still has to fight the temptation to spend. "The Citibank we go to is right next to a shoe store. So every month when I go, I'm looking at the store, but then my kids say, ﾑMom, donﾒt forget, we need to be in the house by December, so we can have Christmas in our own house."

To Keyona and Randy, owning their own home means permanence for their family and security into retirement. Growing up, neither Keyona's mother nor her grandmother owned their own home, so to her it's important that they buy a house as an example for the kids. It's also about stability: "If you own your home, no one can put you out - they can't say you have to leave as long as you're paying your mortgage.  It's yours, you've worked for it, so you have that sense of ownership. You can actually say this is my place, and you can see where your money goes."