Editor:
If I have to listen to one more young person whine about the high cost of housing in Burnaby, I’m going to vomit.
I owned a house in Burnaby for 40 years before selling and retiring. Our wages were a lot lower back then and so while the house prices were also lower, it still felt really expensive.
My husband and I both worked and sacrificed on travelling and eating out and having a second car and other things, all in order to be able to afford a mortgage and raise children.
We cut out a lot of frivolous things because our priority was affording a house.
So many young people don’t want to work that hard, even though their wages are so much higher than when we were young. Yes, I know there’s inflation, but I don’t think the gap is as bad as they make it out to be. We also paid a lot more in interest from the bank compared to the rock-bottom rates that I see today.
But young people want to be able to eat out every night and drive fancy cars and then complain about how they can’t afford to buy. My grandkids have been able to buy homes because we taught them how to save and set their priorities.
It hasn’t been easy, but they’ve done it without help from their family because they sacrificed. Other young people should try it.
C. Reed, Burnaby
