You go out to a restaurant with your friend and don't want to order much because you're saving money. You say this to explain that you're saving because you want to buy a house.
We're trying to save up so that we can afford a house.
save up
This means to save money and build it for a certain purpose, like buying a house or car.
(do something) so that (clause)
The structure "___ so that ___" explains your reasons for doing something.
I'm trying to be quiet so that the baby doesn't wake up.
In normal spoken English, you can drop "that":
I'm trying to be quiet so the baby doesn't wake up.
But it's not strange to leave "that" in, even in casual conversation, as long as you don't stress that word.
afford (something)
This means to have enough money to buy something:
We can't afford to send our kids to private school.
To "afford" something isn't an action like "run", "buy", or "think". It's a state, like "need" or "have".
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