Being on the road and saving money

Ditto.....

 

They suck big time but raman noodles is cheaper when ur at a terminal than the chinese delivery or pizza..
Then I hit a steak house once im on a 34

 

Raman is about as nutritious as a bag of chips. Seriously.

They are cheap however.

 

When you happen to drive by a Dollar General store with truck parking and have time, stop in and stock up on basics. Some DG's have better selection then others and most basic items at considerable savings over Walmart. What? Do I sound like trailer trash?

 

Couple things here...

You guys realize that there are lots of banks and even brokerage firms that offer ATM reimbursement, right? If you're still getting killed by the ATM, let me help you out. ING(Capital One), Ally, Charles Schwab, Vanguard, etc. If you're living in a truck, you've got no use for a brick n mortar bank. Look to the internet. Not only have I been reimbursed every ATM fee assessed, I've never paid a penny for any of my accounts. And I earn a little interest. That's 20 - 30 month into my savings account every month right there.

If you're spending $250 a week on food, you're doing it wrong. Or you eat like a giant hossa. I haven't ate a single meal out of my truck in at least two years and I might spend $100 a week. I'm not saying that buying groceries and cooking in the truck isn't a smart idea - it is - but eating out every meal isn't as bad as some would make it out to be. Just stay out of the restaurants. The entree might be reasonable but they gouge the hell out of you on drinks. Throw in a tip and you're at 16-18 out the door. Also, I eat once or at most twice a day. For reference, I budget $600 a month for 'trucker living', and even after picking my smoking habit back up, I'm within +/- 50 every month.

Budget! A few guys mentioned a legal paid. I tried that and it doesn't work for me. It's just too much work and tedium, not to mention how sloppy and disorganized it gets to be even after just a few days. I paid $60 for budgeting software and it's been worth every penny. It keeps everything neat and tidy and it automatically figures spending graphs monthly. I can see exactly what my monthly income is, all of my fixed expenses, how much I have left to budget (more on this later), what's been paid, and what's left to be paid and etc and etc. Basically, a few clicks and I can see exactly where my money is going every month. This is the only way to be honest with yourself and see where your money is going, and how best to cut back if needed. Guessing and ballparking is overrated.

To expound on your budget and get to the saving part(that's what this thread is about, right?). Work a month ahead. I'm paying this months expenses with September's income. This month's income will cover me in November and so on. Depending on your financial situation, this may take some time, but this should be your goal. As a truck driver, you're in the variable income club. How do put together an accurate budget when you don't even know what your income will be? Answer: You don't. Here's how I do it. Let's say my income for Sept. was $3500. Looking at my budget, I can see at a glance that I've budgeted $2200 for Oct. Every paycheck day, I log into my account and transfer my entire check into my savings account. Come the beginning of the month, I transfer $2200 into my checking and the rest stays in my savings account untouched. Congrats, you just saved $1300 without even trying and you aren't sweating because even if you do go over budget with some fun or an unexpected expense, you've got plenty in the bank to cover you just in case. And for the record, I do have an EF in a separate money market account in addition to my savings.

I've rambled on and probably got somewhat off topic. You weren't really asking how to budget, so much as cut costs out here. I suck at posting, but it might be there's some useful information in this post for you or others ( quit paying the banks to access your money!!) and I've typed too much to just delete this so whatever.

Also, plenty of fine flatbed companies out here that hire students. You'll have no problem getting on with one of them assuming you aren't a total #### up. Good luck dude.

 

Yeah but your heart will thank you to skip ALL THAT SODIUM!!!!

 

Sodium...... avoiding that crap is hard on the road sometimes.

 

Grab a couple of those ever so healthy hotdogs with fuel points, add them to your Ramen.....

 

Carls Jr has 3.00 2 biscuit specials, Mcd's has 2 egg/sausage muffins 3.00, Del Taco 2 1/2 bean burritos add eggs is at 3.00.

Do not buy drinks at resturants.

 

Sure is driver!!! But I try

 

I am in the same boat as you. I am saving up for a nice place to live. The biggest way to save money on the road is to STAY OUT OF TRUCK STOPS! Everything they have is overpriced. Ever wonder why a Dollar Menu McDonald's Hamburger costs $1.79 at truck stops? its the same with everything they sell. Use Wal Mart or Amazon.com for everything you buy.

Another way that I really save money is cooking almost all my meals on the truck. You go into a truckstop diner and the next thing you know you spend $20 on a meal after drink, tax, tip, etc. Of course for this to work you'll have to spend some money to save some money, but its still worth considering. Here are some of the things I bought to cook with:

First off, your going to need a good inverter. Here is a link to the one I have. You can get whichever one you want, but I liked this one because its cheap and powerful: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...N=B003R7M6CS&linkCode=as2&tag=lifofamodtru-20

Black and Decker mini-fridge: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...N=B003VVV6QC&linkCode=as2&tag=lifofamodtru-20
There are millions of options for fridges out there. This one is pretty compact and if you shop carefully you can fit a weeks worth of food in it.

Cheap Microwave: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...N=B007TIE1X8&linkCode=as2&tag=lifofamodtru-20
Any cheap microwave will work. Just remember to watch out for the wattage of the microwave versus the wattage of your inverter.

Crock Pot:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...N=B007K9OI9I&linkCode=as2&tag=lifofamodtru-20
One of the handiest items I have on my truck. Through food in it, set it on the floor, plug it in, when you pull over for the night, eat like a king.

George Forman grill: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...N=B001NXC65K&linkCode=as2&tag=lifofamodtru-20
great for frozen steaks, hamburgers, chicken breasts, just about anything really.

I also have a toaster oven that I picked up at walmart. it is super handy and saves me a bundle. a lot of walmarts have truck parking so that's where I buy my groceries and anything else I might need while I am on the road.

Living this way I am able to put $250-$500 per week into my savings account.