What do you do to cut costs, when you have done all you can?

[wooddustmaker]

Looking for some ideas. The only things I can think of are to raise my own meat, and get a garden in, both of wich are hard to do when I am away from so much. I am only home for maybe 6 to 7 nights a month. It is not looking any better anytime soon. Just wondering who may have some ideas. Thanks.

 

[ksalvagno]

What have you done so far to cut costs?

Raising your own meat and veggies definitely wouldn't work if you aren't home.

 

[freemotion]

Wow, you sure aren't home much! Let's see....what do you do for meals? Do you eat your meals as take-out? You save a tremendous amount of money by making your own meals, even in a hotel room. We need more information in order to give you ideas. We are just full of ideas, btw.

 

[wooddustmaker]

I cook from scratch, haircut once or twice a year when it gets too hot, don't eat out hardly at all, shop the sales. Eat beans or spuds if thats all there is, wear my clothes till they are threads. Try not to make unessecary trips into town when I am home. Use a swamp cooler when I am home, heat turned down, but up enough to keep things from freezing when I am gone.... to name a few.

 

[tortoise]

What are your expenses?

6 - 7 nights a month? Is that permanent? Is the cost of the home / insurance / tax/ maintenance / heat / electricity / etc. high enough that it is worth it to 1) stay in cheap motel 2) rent a small apartment 3) crash with friends/family?

You can only cut *so* much. Sometimes it's time to looke for unexpected ways to earn money.

 

[wooddustmaker]

Expenses are minimal. I stay in my paid for camp trailer, that is towed by my paid for pickup. Power and water are paid for also. I love the house that I am hoping to have paid off some day. I hope that being gone is not permanant. I have been doing it for over a year now, and am getting tired of it. I have to do what I have to do though. A job somwhere is better than no job, thats for darn sure.

 

[FarmerChick]

Sounds like there isn't much more you can do other than make more money.

If you want to keep this home for your future then you will be paying this cost. You are working and being tired for a house. Is it worth it to you now to go thru this lifestyle to have something you are not enjoying? You know what I mean---you have to answer a ton of questions about what you really want from life and how hard you are willing to work for "it". Only you can truly fix your money and work troubles by making hard decisions on what you want from life and how you want to live it day to day.

It is hard. We know we have to work to survive and buy items that make us comfortable etc....but then we have to decide what we are willing to pay for it also.

best of luck finding your way thru ur tough times. sounds like ur bills are cut down to the max. Other than maybe renting out the home and just staying away for a while. Let others pay your mortgage while you work to save a little money? I don't know what more you can do at this point?????

 

[Wildsky]

Other than maybe renting out the home and just staying away for a while. Let others pay your mortgage while you work to save a little money? I don't know what more you can do at this point?????

Thats what I would do, rent the house out and find a cheaper place for those 6-7 nights you're in town, or take those 6-7 nights someplace totally different, home is where you hang your hat!

 

[xpc]

I also traveled extensively for 5 years, only home 2 weekends a month if lucky. Flying weekly to exotic farming communities all over our land as I repaired and installed automated dairy and cheese making equipment. The pace is quite tiresome and before quitting implemented a few money saving (making) strategies:

If you are on a Per Diem then you just eat and sleep as cheap as possible and pocket the rest. I was on a direct cost repayment which varied by area as some places are much more expensive to stay than others.

First I either bought food from grocery stores or cheap places, when Arby's had 5 roast beef for $5 I would heat them up later on the hotel room's coffee pot base. I would also mill around the restaurants finding receipts that people dropped that were more than what I just bought.

Hotels were always paid in full and we were allowed to stay in nicer ones like Holiday Inn, I would stay there 1 night to get the receipt then move to a cheap Motel 6 for the rest of the week saving me $50 a night. Changing the Holiday Inn receipt from 1 night to 7 nights netted me $300, Holiday Inn's almost always had free food in the bar and would save the bar tab as my food receipt as they were identical to their restaurant.

I worked with the Amish for almost a full year experimenting with state of the art computerized longhorn cheese formers, Shippshawana Indiana had no expensive hotels so many times I stayed at a KOA campground in one of their Kamping Kabins and saved thousands of dollars.

This was in the mid 90's and had all the computer equipment and knowledge to modify receipts, they were never scrutinized if the amount was reasonable for the area. Some may look at this practice as thievery or immoral but I did not see it that way (obviously) First the company was willing to pay the higher amount if I were to have actually incurred those expenses, second all my expenses were prepaid by the customer as a package deal and my services were rendered at $750 a day regardless where I stayed.

 

[Wildsky]

I also traveled extensively for 5 years, only home 2 weekends a month if lucky. Flying weekly to exotic farming communities all over our land as I repaired and installed automated dairy and cheese making equipment. The pace is quite tiresome and before quitting implemented a few money saving (making) strategies:

If you are on a Per Diem then you just eat and sleep as cheap as possible and pocket the rest. I was on a direct cost repayment which varied by area as some places are much more expensive to stay than others.

First I either bought food from grocery stores or cheap places, when Arby's had 5 roast beef for $5 I would heat them up later on the hotel room's coffee pot base. I would also mill around the restaurants finding receipts that people dropped that were more than what I just bought.

Hotels were always paid in full and we were allowed to stay in nicer ones like Holiday Inn, I would stay there 1 night to get the receipt then move to a cheap Motel 6 for the rest of the week saving me $50 a night. Changing the Holiday Inn receipt from 1 night to 7 nights netted me $300, Holiday Inn's almost always had free food in the bar and would save the bar tab as my food receipt as they were identical to their restaurant.

I worked with the Amish for almost a full year experimenting with state of the art computerized longhorn cheese formers, Shippshawana Indiana had no expensive hotels so many times I stayed at a KOA campground in one of their Kamping Kabins and saved thousands of dollars.

This was in the mid 90's and had all the computer equipment and knowledge to modify receipts, they were never scrutinized if the amount was reasonable for the area. Some may look at this practice as thievery or immoral but I did not see it that way (obviously) First the company was willing to pay the higher amount if I were to have actually incurred those expenses, second all my expenses were prepaid by the customer as a package deal and my services were rendered at $750 a day regardless where I stayed.

Why did you have to collect receipts if you were paid 750 regardless?

My last job, for almost 5 years was to catch people doing exactly that - LMAO. I was an expense administrator for a medical manuf. and service company.
I SO would have caught you!