One thing missed by this article - the house price boom over the last few years means that people who bought before the boom should have much lower outgoings for housing. A 30-something with much of their house paid off is in that respect in a better position to take risks than a 20-something paying rent and perhaps wondering if they ought to save for the downpayment/deposit on a house purchase. Another issue is that learning how to cook healthy food quickly and cheaply can take years to learn and your food costs can diminish with age.