Haha, I feel this pain deeply. When we first started looking, I made the rookie mistake of trusting those online calculators way too much.
I get your point about calculators, but I'd argue they're not entirely useless—just misunderstood. They're a decent starting point to give you a ballpark figure. The problem arises when people treat them as gospel without factoring in personal financial nuances. I personally found it helpful to use calculators first, then adjust downward by about 15-20% before talking to a lender. Saved me from some serious disappointment later on...
I see your logic, but honestly, even adjusting down by a percentage feels kinda arbitrary. Calculators are fine as a rough sketch, sure, but they don't factor in stuff like lifestyle expenses or unexpected costs that pop up (hello, emergency roof repairs...). I found it way more useful to track my actual monthly spending for a few months first—gave me a realistic baseline before even touching those calculators. Just my two cents though.
Totally get where you're coming from with tracking actual expenses first. Those calculators are handy, but they're definitely not the whole story. I remember when I first started house hunting, I relied way too much on those online affordability tools. Thought I had it all figured out until my car decided to die on me two months after closing... talk about timing.
Honestly, your approach of tracking real spending is smart—gives you a solid reality check before diving into something as huge as buying a home. Still, I'd say don't completely dismiss the calculators either. They're useful for getting a ballpark idea and can help you avoid falling in love with something that's way out of reach financially (been there, done that). It's all about balance and staying cautious. Sounds like you're already on the right track though, so props for being realistic and thinking ahead.
Tracking real expenses is definitely smart, but honestly, sometimes you just can't predict everything—even with careful budgeting. When I bought my first place, I was meticulous about tracking spending and thought I'd covered all bases. Then the roof started leaking after the first big storm... calculators didn't see that coming either. So yeah, tracking helps, but there's always gonna be surprises. Having a decent emergency fund might actually be more important than getting your monthly budget down to the penny.
Totally agree with you on the emergency fund point—it's a lifesaver. I've seen plenty of buyers who budgeted down to the last dollar, only to have something unexpected pop up (like your roof situation... ouch). Tracking expenses is great, but life's unpredictable. Having that cushion can really ease the stress when surprises hit. Glad you shared this—it's a good reminder for everyone diving into homeownership.
