Wow, husband and I saved for a 10% downpayment in a year on $10/hour and $12/hour, as a chef and a bank teller. We had the luxury of 2 incomes (which really anyone could do with a roommate, I suppose), a low cost of living area (our house was less than $100,000) and not swayed by stupid articles telling us it was impossible.
Even though I know not every situation is like ours, it's frustrating to see these articles that discourage people from even trying. A fellow bank teller I worked with whined they didn't make enough to buy a house but then just took out a car payment on a jeep when she lived 2 blocks from work.