Money Talks: I am in my mid-thirties and don't think I will ever be able to buy a house

With outgoings at a premium, the only way for this reader to achieve her dream is by applying radical changes to her spending habits

'You have to make radical savings if you want to afford your own home,' says our financial agony aunt.

I am 35 and single. I work full time in a good job and I am well paid, but I am finding it next to impossible to save anything once my monthly outgoings flow out of my account. I am currently renting, and I am beginning to think that I will never own my own home which is really getting me down. Please help!

I am sorry to hear that you feel like this. Let’s look at what seems to be getting you down the most - buying your own home. The first thing you need to do is create a plan by determining a possible time frame for the purchase of the property. I know it may seem like an impossible dream now, but do you want to achieve it in one, five or ten years? Once you have done this, you will be able to figure out how long you have to save your initial deposit and then you can budget around this.