I think if you delve deep, you will find that this is a common attribute for many of the older forumites.
As the saying goes, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Something that many of the latte sipping younger crowd don't understand is that if you want what 'we' (us oldies) have, you have to be prepared to do what we did. Not sit & moan! Not wish it was different! Not blame those that went before! Actually get out there & MAKE it happen.
Sure things are different now, some things are harder, some things are easier, some things cost more (relative to income), some things cost less, yes, there's more to spend your money on, but hey, there was plenty of distractions for us too, and you don't really NEED all that stuff do you?
It's not impossible to get ahead now, just like it wasn't back when we were young. There's plenty of others doing it. So.....if you can't afford to buy, then you really need to take a hard look at yourself, your lifestyle etc, and work out why. Work out what you can change to get what you want. If you are drowning in debt, well, you've only got yourself to blame, so get in there & FIX it.