<prompt> Human: I am a 23 year old single guy, graduating college in May with a masters degree in Computer Science, and will be working in Boulder, CO with a 75kyear software engineering job. I currently have no debt, but no real savings either.According to I will take home just over 53,000year after taxes, which is about 4,417 per month.I am about to be making more money than Ive ever had in my life, and I am wondering what to do with it. I would appreciate any advice on the matter, and if you think my thought process is flawed, or that my estimations are off at all, please say something! Here are my expenses:I will most likely rent an apartment for somewhere between 700 and 1000month, which will be my largest expense. With utilities, groceries, gas, car insurance, entertainment, clothing, etc. I will probably spend about another 1000 per month. Ill be liberal and add another 200 per month for miscellaneous expenses. All told, I believe I could live in Boulder very comfortably for around 2200 per month. So with a take-home pay of 4,417 per month, Ill have roughly 2200 per month to save.Now on to the important part: what should I do with the 2200 per month I have to save? My ideas are as follows, but I would really appreciate suggestions, since Im very new to this.The first 209 per month will definitely go to my company-provided 401k, since they will match up to 2500year. I may contribute more if people here suggest it. So that leaves me with 2000 per month to save.I have definitely heard that creating an emergency fund is important, and that it should contain about 3-5 months worth of expenses, so my first 3 months of savings will most likely go into building that up. So at the end of my first 3 months of work, I should have 6000 saved in my emergency fund.At the end of the first 3 months, I will start saving for other purchases, and my thought right now is that I would like to buy a house as early as possible, so I can turn my monthly rent into equity. Why pay rent that you never get back when you can put that money towards a house?In general, I would like to know if buying a house is a good idea for someone as young as me, and if there are other things I should be saving for as well. If I put all my extra savings toward a down payment on a house, I could buy one within a couple of years, but I also have to consider the possibility that I may need a new car in the next year or two. Since Im currently 23 and debt-free, Id like to avoid going into debt just to buy a car. I also may want to travel, and I can set aside any extra money I have left in my budget, and my bonuses, for that purpose, but should I make this a higher priority?I know I will have to go into debt to buy a house, but the question is when? Should I save until I can make a 20 down payment to get the best possible loan interest, or should I buy one as quickly as possible by taking a loan with a smaller down payment but high interest rate?rpersonalfinance, I ask you these questions in the hopes that you can help me start off right, and so that I wont make any big errors with my money. Im young and inexperienced, but I really want to learn. Let me know what you can come up with! TL;DR: I will have about 2200month to save - what is the best use of this money? House, car, travel, etc.? What considerations should I make when thinking about buying a house?  <response>: 23 and thinking about buying a house? Man, everyone says they want to buy a house young to get equity. It sounds good an all, but it required a 20 down payment, the willingness to not want to move or upgrade for at least 5 years, furnishing, closing costs, maintenance, etc. You could rent a very nice place on your salary. Resort style apartment. Equity isnt everything when youre young. What if a new offer comes along in 2 years thats a 50 raise and a career move, but its 75-100 miles away or more? What if the growth at your company stagnates? Youve locked yourself into a house whereas if you rent for a couple years and save what you can, you can move for a new great opportunity. Youre young, your first job is probably not the job youll have for the next 10 years as you climb industry ranks. -23 year old renter. 