We eat very inexpensive foods i.e. rice  and homemade chili every day.

When the units are sub $1000 per month capex eats a bigger percentage.

Mathematically though, it makes more sense to put as much as I can toward the HELOC to reduce my interest as quickly as possible and then eat the tax bill when it comes. 

@Jay HinrichsYou are right on (as always) about the trip eating away your cash flow....

As you get closer to moving out and property values are going up you could hold on to and eat the negative cashflow.

They can eat up a lot of appreciation if selling after only a few years.

Hard Money Lenders can eat up all your profits and eat into your reserves if things don’t go planned.

I stopped drinking, eating sweets, and am now going to the gym 7 days a week.

Of course we ran out of money quickly and we began eating basically beans and rice, my wife drove no where that wasn't absolutely necessary, we cut every cost we could in order to keep every property.

It sound like right now you're happy with eating Ramen noodles and living in a shack.