It doesn't seem like it at the time, but that extra $10-20 for whatever it is adds up to put me in a pinch.

My wife and I have been married for nearly 5 years, have a beautiful 11-mo old daughter and two chocolate labs.

And finally, eat two scoops of double chocolate fudge ice cream, book a flight to " . . . . . wherever" and take a sheet of paper and a pen and write down every idea that comes to mind.

I want her to not have to penny pinch in order to keep her IRA withdrawals low, but it's also difficult to watch a family home disappear.

As long as you keep decent reserves so you don't get in a major pinch in which you have to sell, I think you're alright.To that point, though, I guess the scenario should account for that.

Target size strip malls, or office space, or NNN, or Pads, or etc...Or are you talking about things like a stand alone building with a hair salon, or similar in it along side of a major road.[2] What can you afford to do Down-payment-wise, in an MMA maybe only a 7/11 strip mall, in a medium sized area maybe a larger bite of the chocolate bar than the 7/11 mall.[3] Do you want partners on deals, (same on all, different on some), must you have partners on deals (loan qualifications, personal weak spots, etc...)[4] How will you swing the bat at financing; do you qualify for the financing your deals will need, will you need others to help you qualify, do you now these people vs risking someone who will make your life miserable and you will hate working with (an unfortunate situation). [5] Do you want to work government handout money for fix up real estate, is there any that looks profitable right now.[6] How well do you know commercial real estate "Stuff"; such as can you identify a 400 amp service panel from an 800 amp service panel, can you identify an electrical transformer that you own from those owned by the utility, what is a plenum, does your building have them, what are those big red pipes with wheel handles on them, hidden behind the bushes (who do they belong to), how long does asphalt last in a commercial lot, and etc...Good Luck!

Lumber and steel are up and that's pinched my returns. 

SBA you have to go through a bank and qualify just like any other loan and with no verifiable income you would get denied.find a equity partner that's what you need.. get your bona fide's established then branch out from there.. this is how your going to do it.. and then pinch yourself you so lucky to play in a sand box were you can buy a house for less than most cars. and get into the industry.. out here on the west coast cost of entry is well north of 100k and in other parts of the west it could be 500k minimum to get started..

He helped me when I was in a pinch when my contractor walked off the job and this guy was a family friend who had done work for my dad and basically saved the day and was able to step in and finish a flip of mine because everybody else was booked out months in advance.  

My relatively high income has allowed me to get on a trajectory that will have me financially independent (and not the penny pinching kind) before I'm 30.