Amen to this. I remember a few years ago realizing that many people in our ward moved out when their oldest kid hit 14 or 15. I was working with the young men at the time-so it obvious as we'd go from 20 deacons to 4 teachers. People were staying in the stake though-moving from 2,000-3,000 square feet to bigger houses (3,000-4,000) that were literally one neighborhood over. I figured id they'd bought their house at 33 and moved at 40, they were getting a new mortgage that wouldn't be laid off until they hit 70. If they stayed they'd be done at 63, and if they'd put the extra they were paying on the new mortgage toward their old house, they'd be done 5-10 years earlier. Then I realized they'd only "need" the bigger house for 4 years-then their oldest would move out, and 4 -6 years after that, they'd be empty nesters and need to downsize to retire. Made it easier to stay in a perfectly adequate house when I realized I could retire earlier or spend that extra money on trips. It really is all about finding balance.