I'm 26 and I own a condo in Calgary that I have 30% equity in. I'm very lucky in that I found an Oil and Gas job that I went to university for just before the downturn, but there was also some sacrifice involved there.
The biggest thing millenials can do to save money is stay home for school. I know that's not an option for everyone but if you live in Vancouver Edmonton Calgary or Winnipeg you have TWO choices for schools to go to in your city. A lot of people I know went away for school for the experience, which is fine, but there's a financial cost to doing so. I went to U of C, lived with my grandparents in brentwood, had less fun than I would have at U of A or UBC, but banked all my summer money. Upon graduating and getting a full time job I lived with my parents for two years to save more. I currently drive a 1998 Honda Accord that I've had since high school.
All this is to say, it's true that there's less opportunity and housing is more expensive now, but whining about it won't do anything. Save save save and invest any chance you get, so many people my age spent 7 years away at school with no direction, or bought a 60k car and are crying poor now. You can spend money on months long euopean escapades or a big fancy wedding but it'll hurt you down the line. There's a really disturbing trend among my friends to blame all their problems on generational disadvantages and they're overlooking their own poor financial decisions.
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