Welcome to the narrative of how we ALMOST moved to our dream neighborhood. This story demonstrates the real-world example of how the pressures of being close to friends, being in an affluent neighborhood, and inviting in lifestyle creep can even happen to the avid budgeter. But as luck would have it, our off-market home purchase fell through, and we have stayed put in glorious Vancouver, Washington, as renters rather than moving to much more desirable Portland, Oregon. Here's the story. Around the tail end of the big housing boom in Portland in 2017, I moved there to begin my six-year training program in plastic surgery. Although I had planned to buy a home since my training was long, contrary to WCI advice , I was instead pulled into the busy schedule of a surgical resident while also attempting to soak up the last few years of my 20s. Renting seemed like the better idea, after all.…