So agree! I always save until I can buy things. Dead is crippling and creates nothing but stress. We do have a mortgage, but I look at it as renting from the bank and that landlord doesn't look over my shoulder and tells me what I can or can't do.
We used to rent the house we then bought and are paying less (several hundred $) in mortgage than we were paying in rent. And So Cal is so expensive that we never could save enough buying outright.
I know, moving is an option and a lot of my friends have done that - but my kids are here. So, for me, that means I want to be here as well.