Haha I remember those. I remember running on a treadmill for a long time so I could go super saiyan.
This site is great. I think there should be more resources to help people understand the real cost of home ownership, and to balance it against other investment opportunities.
We decided to pay off our house. I know we could have probably made more in the stock market, but having two kids, we decided for the peace of mind that comes with it. Now we don't really worry about our job situation because no matter what happens, we don't have to worry about losing the house.
Save enough in case of an emergency (1000$ would be fine), car breaks down, house floods, or etc. Save for any incoming expected expenses weddings, house, rent increase, new baby and etc. If your company matches a 401k I contribute to my match.