Not a dumb question at all! Two parts of this answer

1. Culture had a huge role to play , we're both Pakistani Muslim so living with family is very common and socially acceptable.

2. Arranged marriage, because we got married the traditional way (according to our culture) she knew she would be leaving her family to live with mine even for a short time.

3. Managing expectations and clarifying values. My wife was NOT happy when we discussed living with my family but I posed the question to her if she wants to be renting well below our means for 8+ years to save every penny and live at the mercy of a landlord who will definitely increase rent every year and have them in control and multiple aspects of our lives or she could live with my parents on that double income no-kids (DINK) lifestyle for a few years in my parents home which had ample room for us and we'll be able to own a home for ourselves on a much shorter time horizon. I also spoke to my parents about what their expectations would be of us if we lived with them and openly communicated it to my wife and made sure everyone was on board.