Maybe I am connecting the dots wrong, but it seems that over the last decade or so the powers-that-be have been moving the majority of us to a "cashless" society.
It appears that we are supposed to be cashless,and more disturbingly,it is becoming more difficult for the majority of people to own real property. If the trend is not reversed, almost everyone will rent in future.
Everything is "easier" using a plastic card... and every time you use a "loyalty card" at a store a detailed list of everything you purchase is sold to data-mining companies. Oh, I know what they say.. to give us better "service". Personally, I do not want the power-holders knowing what brand of toilet paper I use, or how much. Nor is it anyone's business but mine if I purchase a home health test, wart remover, hair color, or anything else. Nor do I see where I am getting a discount for allowing this information to be sold by the store I do business with.. after all, they SELL this information to the data-miners.
The same thing goes for everything you purchase using a bank debit card or credit card.
Maybe it is not all that big a deal, but I DO believe that I have a RIGHT to privacy & not to be profiled.
The only thing I use a credit card for is to purchase gasoline & the card is paid off every month.
Plastic is easy to track.... where you are, where you have been.. & probably where you will be an hour from now.
In CASH I trust.
My grandmother came over on the boat when she was 18, in 1918.
Her experience taught her not to trust banks. I used to think it was funny that she kept cash between her mattresses... Until she told me about the Great Depression.
I saved for my first new car & piad cash - 1974 Chevy Nova;$3.174 out - the -door.
A month later my dad tells me my car payment is due... what the hell?! Then he shows me how much more $$$ i will have if i PAY MYSELF every month, so I do not need to borrow money to buy my next car! Oh, and the beauty of compound interest on invested money!
Did you know that when you put your money in the bank, it is no longer YOUR money? And if the bank fails, you will be last6 in line to recover - and only after all the other creditors have been paid? Yes, there is the FDIC insurance that covers your deposit up to $250k. But that does not prevent the government giving your deposit a "haircut" - a tax on your deposited funds- if they so decide.. as was done in Greece.
I am not a survivalist, or an end-timer. I just think that cash is better than the "Easy Credit, Buy now, Pay Later" game that we have been programmed to play along with. I call paying interest "Paying the Beast".
As Thomas Jefferson said: No man can be truly free, he who owes another.

Apartment rents have been rising since 2008 & will continue to rise for the next several years. The Millennials are not buying, which is a big sea-change, many people were forced out of their homes when Wall Street got bailed out (but not Main Street)... so that is a continuing upward pressure on rents.
There is a large demand for rentals & a limited supply & even with ongoing construction of more rental units, the supply will not catch up with demand for a few years.
Add to that is the fact that any "recovery" Main Street has seen has not improved the income for most people. So what if 130,000 jobs were added last month, how many Pizza Hut delivery drivers do we really need? Incomes for most people have been flat since the 70's & in fact there has been downward movement for the last 10 years.
It really depends on your personal situation. I am over 50, single, and I am fortunate to have gone through a divorce a few years ago & still was able to buy a home without a mortgage.. so I do not have to write a check for housing every month. I have the ability & the tools to maintain my home without the additional expense of contractors. Believe me, I am very aware of how fortunate I am!
At my age, if I had to obtain a mortgage to purchase a home, I would have to think long and hard before making that commitment. If you run the numbers,the mortgage interest deduction is not really the incentive to buy as it once was. Depending on your income/tax situation, you only realize about twenty-five cents for every dollar you pay in interest to Wall Street... they get the sweet-heart deal.
Say you buy a home for $200k. By the time the mortgage is paid off, you have spent at LEAST $400k.
The way I see it, if you own your home outright, with no mortgage, owing is the best utilization of your capital.
If your choice is between renting or purchasing using a mortgage, at least go into it with a very strong down payment.. at least 30% & with the shortest term you can find/afford.
I do not see a home as an investment, although many markets have seen a 17% or better appreciation over the last year in the $150k- $250k market. It also give me a fall-back position if I ever need long-term care... and if not, it goes into my estate for someone to benefit from when I am gone.
One last note about rental costs - the increase in the interest rates will lock-out many people from purchasing a home, thereby keeping upward pressure on rents for - in my opinion - years to come.