<prompt> Human: My wife and I make about 150k combined but we are forced in to paying down some debt so have been unable to save for a house. In our city, we feel strongly that we need to get a house in the next year or the market will creep away from us. We need about 10k for a down payment on a house to supplement the gifts, holiday money etc we have put away and not allowed to enter our debt cycle. My question for the community, is it a bad idea to ask family for the 10k, is there a certain etiquette? Are there other legitimate means of getting the cash that make sense for a couple aggressively paying down debt? Appreciate your feedback, thanks!  <response>: Dont ask your family for money. You make 150k combined, so once your debts are paid off, you can easily afford to buy a house. I know this probably sounds harsh, but its the truth.The market definitely wont get away from you on your combined 150k salary. Save hard, pay off your debts, wait a couple years, and get a decent house.If your debts are high-interest credit cards, for example, talk to some banks about the kind of interest rates you could get with a personal loan. Or look at credit cards that offer good deals on balance transfers and give you lower rates or some amount of interest-free time. 