Deposit means saving. Have a loan, now about to come to an end, used to finance our wedding, buy furniture & cover costs of trying to buy before. Focused on paying that off first. Fell through at last minute as seller changed his mind, but not before we had incurred significant solicitors costs for searches etc. Also lived in a v expensive area for a long time - am tied to London because of work. Convinced my husband to move to a cheaper area about a year ago but still costs about the same once commuting costs are taken into account.