makes dating and marriage seem pointless too. Can't even afford a place of my own how am I going to support a wife and maybe kids? Assuming she doesn't work which she would almost have to anyways.

You should date to enjoy someone’s company (or find someone who’s company you enjoy). That’s the point. It doesn’t have to have a larger point where anything not getting you closer to marriage and kids is a waste of time.

I don’t know about the point of marriage and kids, those have pretty personal motivations, but it would be a shame to let buying a house be the gatekeeper. You can have a very happy marriage in a rented flat. You can raise lovely children without owning a house or even having a great financial outlook. Sharing expenses with a significant other who has similar values can be a huge financial boost (on the flip side, marrying the wrong person can lead to financial ruin). Like don’t have 20 kids that you can’t afford to feed, but don’t feel like you have to be wealthy to have a family, if that’s what you really want out of life.