I like the idea of having enough saved to purchase one valuable item a month instead of ten valuable items a month by going into debt. My wife thinks with a new home comes new furniture. Many people buy new homes with empty rooms and furnish these rooms one piece at a time when they can afford it. I could have kicked myself though for passing up an opportunity to purchase an entirely furnished home for $195,000.00 in a nice area of NC. In Baltimore the same setup would be $550,000.00 or more.