To Stay or Go

Sean and I, like most young people, live in an apartment. We moved here in September - we have a 1,000 sq foot, two bed-two bath basement apartment. It's not in the nicest part of town (read: there are nearly always cops patroling), but it's not the worst place I've lived in (there's no parties, and I've yet to hear gunshots). Right now, the biggest discussion on our minds is moving. Sean hates it here. He wants to buy (or at least rent) a house, and wants a yard for his own. He wants to live somewhere nicer. I've moved 4 times in the last 4 years, and frankly, I'd like to stay put. I'm tired of moving. I mean, we're not even completely unpacked here yet.

I've lived in an apartment for the past 4 years, and while I don't want to be in one for the rest of my life, apartment living doesn't bother me. It's easy, low-maintence, inexpensive. There's only two of us and a kitty, so we're not hurting for room. We want to move back to StP in a few years too, and an apartment doesn't have any responsibility. It's more liquid (which is ironic, because our apartment actually flooded last weekend). Like I said before, I'm tired of moving. I want to be more permanent.

Sean, on the other hand, has lived in a duplex for 6 months. He claims to have lived in an apartment for another 6 months while they were building their home, but to be honest, that was the summer he got sick (so he was what, 8?) - he was in the hospital/practically unconscious for at least 3 of those months.  He complains about the apartment ALL the time. About the kids running around, about hearing the neighbors vacuum, about hearing people outside. His duplex living was with his brother and friend, and they lived in a sh*thole - but mostly it was the fact that 3 college age guys were living together.

I know that Sean isn't a fan of where we live now, but I think it's more that he hates apartment living all together, rather than the place we're at. We were at a much nicer place first (paying $300 a month more), and he complained there too. We have a downpayment saved up, but we put it in a CD - it's untouchable until August of 2012. At that point, we'll only have a year of left of school. I don't want to buy a house and move 2 years later - we won't be able to afford that.

I just don't know how to get it through to him. I don't know what ways I can explain to him that we can't afford a house, that it's not the right choice for us yet, and that, however crappy it is, I'd rather stay here for a while. He's stubborn, and his eyes are too big for his (my?) wallet sometimes.

Erg.