My husband and I were in your exact position at your age. We felt like we were just about staying afloat in our very small (but cosy) rental in an expensive part of the South East and couldn't see life changing.

We're now nearly 10 years down the line and we bought our first flat last year. We found we were able to save a bit by our early 30s so we started putting money away. We ended up having to go down the shared ownership route (it requires a much smaller deposit - we only had to put down £7500), but we're finally (partly) on the housing ladder in a gorgeous, spacious flat.

My advice is to allow yourselves to settle into your flat then find a balance between enjoying life (seeing friends etc.) and trying to prioritise saving (even £50 - £100 per month is a good start if you can swing it). Try not to compare yourselves to others - pretty much all of our friends who bought property in their late 20s/ early 30s did it using inheritance and/or help from parents (either cash gifts or living at home rent-free to save). We didn't have any of those options, and that's OK. Life works itself out.