<prompt> Human: You know the story. I live in the Bay Area where housing is insanely expensive even if you dont live in the SF proper. I am currently shelling 1500mo to split a 2br with a roommate in Oakland. I want to be able to buy a 2br condo here in the East Bay in 5 years. For that I need two things:1. Max down payment I can save2. Monthly mortgage payment I can affordAfter running the numbers, Ive set the initial target as 250K down payment for a 750K condo. It translates to 2K monthly payment, more than what I am spending on rent, but not too crazy. However, after 3 years of working and saving, my non-retirement savings are only about 50K. At this rate it wont be anywhere near 250K in 5 years. Do you see any way I can save 200K in 5 years 3333mo, other than getting a significant pay raise? Should I make my portfolio more aggressive? My age: 27 Income: 92Kyr Account type: TaxableSavings - Debt: Zero 401K contribution: 8 of paycheck IRA savings: About 500mo Monthly net take-home after taxes, 401K, and IRA: 3800Assistant: How people manage to live in the bay? If I were OP, I wouldnt be sure how long I can keep this up. Human: Im curious about this, too. I had a good education and now Im working more-than-full-time but things are still tight.  <response>: things are still tight. You saved 50k in 3 years. You contribute 8 to a 401k and you have another 6k a year in an IRA. Things are not tight. Youre simply not ridiculously wealthy. Find somewhere else to live. I totally dont mean to come off as a dick, though Im certain that is the effect, but things are far from tight. 