<prompt> Human: Is there a rule of thumb for this? Or any advice? I want to buy a home for my family and have basically no clue how to start thinking about this. EDIT: Thank you all, replies have been very helpful.  <response>: Depends on your expenses and location. Make sure you have a 3-6 month emergency fund. You also should be saving at minimum 15 towards retirement, but it may make sense to decrease that temporarily when saving for a house. 