I can't really give you any advice. Everyone is different, so what works for us probably won't work for you. We're in the process of selling our house to move back to where I'm from to build on the 20 acres that I own and take care of my aging grandparents. She's under contract for work until next April, so we'll be apart until then, other than sporadic visits. I also do a lot of traveling for work for 6 months to a couple of years wherein I make enough money to support the both of us a few times over. We're both under 25, so our lifestyle is fine until we have kids. I have definitive plans to start buying rental properties and to open a few franchises within the next few years with a friend (LLC will be set up soon). My goals are to create a better life for her and our future children. We are at an understanding of what needs to be done to hopefully no need to be employed by someone else by age 40.