<prompt> Human: A little background. Im 29, have a fiancé and 3 kids. We are a Single income family since the kids are so young. She stays at home, I work. Were starting to feel hopeless about saving for a down payment on a home. Every time I think we will be able to start saving for a home, a new bill comes up or we have to repair our car, etc. Im tired of renting and my family deserves a place to call our own. I am strongly considering dipping into my retirement to put a down payment on a home. I had to withdraw all of it about 5 years ago due to unemployment and medical bills, so Ive just started building it up again in the past few years. Is this a wise plan? Should I just stick it out and hope that I can start saving for a down payment? I have about 15k in my retirement at the moment. Is there a way I can do it without losing 20 off the top? Help me PF.  <response>: It sounds like a quick way to ruin your finances forever. There will always be unexpected bills and even more when you own a home. Your bank will not hesitate to take your house from you if you cant pay the mortgage. The fact that you havent been able to save up for a downpayment is a very good indicator that you cant afford to buy a house. 