The dream of owning a home is on the to-do list for most newly married couples. However, making that dream a reality can often prove to be quite a challenge. With some smart money management, though, you and your spouse can put together enough money to be able to afford a nice home that you can use to further build your wealth as you move forward.

1. Pay Off Debt

Spending money to pay off debt might not seem like the most logical step to help you save for a home. However, once you are debt-free, you’ll find that you have much more money to set aside toward a down payment and your savings will grow more quickly at this exponential rate. Plus, with no debt to your name, your credit score will likely improve to the point that you’re eligible for some attractive interest rates on your mortgage.

2. Find a Side Job

Having a full-time job is an important part of saving the kind of cash it takes to buy a home. However, if you want to get to the finish line faster, you can add a side job to the mix. Whether you deliver food, clean bathrooms, or write poems, every little bit of money helps in terms of the big picture. You might want to ask your friends and family members if they know of any side hustles you can do, particularly around the holiday season.

3. Understand the Goal

For some people, all that it takes to find success is a clearly defined goal. If you are one of those people, then talking to real estate agents about the costs of buying a home is a great place to start. By understanding the real numbers you need to shoot for, you’ll be able to track your progress to help motivate you to get there faster.

4. Reduce Expenses

When bringing two lives together, it can be easy for expenses to get out of control. After all, you and your spouse likely have two different ways of doing just about everything. Therefore, it’s important to put together a budget so that you can identify areas of overspending so that you can work together to reduce your cash burn as quickly as possible.

5. Sell Extra Items

After you’re married, you may realize that you and your spouse have duplicates of some items. Whether due to duplicated wedding gifts or a simple overlap of what you already owned before you got married, you can use these excess items to begin saving for a home. Just take some time to find the best methods for selling each individual item so that you can get the most bang for your buck.

When your friends are out spending their money, it can be easy to get sucked into being a consumer. However, living a consumer lifestyle will only delay the day when you can finally buy a home. Therefore, be aware of your spending and keep your eye on the goal of owning a home so that you continually put as much money as possible toward that goal.