A woman who bought a £170,000 new-build house aged 23 has said people don't need to give up their social lives to do it.
Lydia Willetts bought a three-bedroom home in the West Midlands five years ago with partner Jamie Gifford.
They were both living with their respective families when they decided they wanted to move out and get a home of their own, reports BirminghamLive.
Lydia has decided to explain how she managed to get on the property ladder after comments made by expert TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp.
Kirstie, famous for shows like Location, Location, Location suggested people could put aside money towards a deposit by giving up things like Netflix and gym membership.
Lydia said: "We weren't too strict with our saving. We had both been saving separately before we even got together because we both wanted to move out on our own.
Lydia Willetts and her partner Jamie Gifford after they got the keys to their house
"I am terrible with money - as soon as I get it, it blows a hole in my pocket.
"I was putting away a couple of hundred pounds each month. I was in my first job after uni as a marketing assistant and was on £18,000 a year and commuting to Birmingham everyday, so a huge amount of my earnings was going on train travel.
"I didn't give up my social life or anything like that, I was just trying to put as much away as I could - it adds up quicker than you think it would.
"Suddenly I had over a grand and thought this is manageable."
Lydia had been paying around £200 a month in rent to her parents during this time, and her partner Jamie, who works in the motor trade, was living at home rent free.
"We were just getting together so didn't want to scrimp on things and not be able to enjoy our time together," she said.
"But I also did not want to change my lifestyle and knew that moving out is what I wanted to do."
When asked about Kirstie Allsopp's comments, Lydia said: "I get where she is coming from - making some changes will help.
"But I also don't think you should change your life completely. Then even if you move out, you won't be happy anyway.
"I get it but it also sounds ridiculous to say that giving up Netflix will help you buy a house. But buying lunch at work every day and things like that add up.
"You shouldn't make yourself miserable even if you're trying to save. Going out for a Starbucks with your friends might be the only thing you do.
"You just need to be sensible. I'm not on board with telling people things like to cancel their gym membership and go for a walk instead.
"But little changes can make a big difference."
Lydia put money away every month into an ISA in order to save.
"I was always in my overdraft but no one battered an eyelid which is potentially irresponsible of mortgage lenders but it was never questioned," she said.
"We bought off-plan so saved ourselves about £20,000 compared to people who bought the exact same type of house a year later.
"I'm glad we did it. I would never buy a new build again but they tend to be the most affordable option.
"We didn't have to worry about having money for jobs in the house as it was all sorted by the time we moved in.
"It has put us both in good stead and definitely was a good test for our relationship.
"We were signing the final paper work for the house on our first week away together."
Her advice for other homeowners is to shop around as much as possible.
She said: "Be smart and budget when you can. Set yourself a spending limit rather than not thinking about it.
"Don't be afraid to shop around with mortgages and have it for a longer time so you don't cripple yourself with bills."
