I went through a long struggle to get my shop built on my farm. I bought the raw land in 2008 with 25% down on the land. I paid on the land for 2 years always paying extra each month. I got remarried and we bought a used 2003 double wide solitaire with 2600 sq ft for 60k. I did owner financing on the house till I could find a rate/place I liked to finance it. I put 10% down on it when I financed it. I basically made the house payments on the house till then. I forked over 3000.00 in cash to put the well on the land, 9+k cash to get electric to my land, 6k+ to get the septic system put in, 10k+ to get my house tore down, moved several miles and put back together. 2k in gravel to get the road into the house. Plus more money in Site work, foundation, etc...
Since then, I've repainted the interior of the house and installed about 80% new flooring in it. I've replaced all major appliances except for the ice box all paying cash. After 5 years of working outside in the weather, I decided it was time to build my shop.
I have 120 acres that I raise cattle on (paid for them with cash as well). I had not been able to build up a cash reserve with all this going on as I tend to take each payday with a supplies list to fill. I do have a 401k but I don't touch it.
My problem resides in that I have 120 acres that I live on, most banks won't finance that large a piece of real estate. I was also crippled because my house was a manufactured home and on a separate note. I ended up with the mobile home after the bank I had my land financed with screwed me over on building a house on the land after months of promises. They had said they could do the note for 4% interest all along up until I submitted the building plans for my house then the rate jumped up to 7.5% because of the number of acres which through the payments out of my budgeted range. I pay 1300.00 a month in child support, so that eats a large portion out of my monthly checks. I'd dealt with the same loan agent when I bought my land and all through this of getting the house built. He knew how many acres I had.
I tried getting a building loan through my credit union to build my shop/refinance the house and land. Got it all approved with them until they realized I had 120 acres. It was right there in the app, but they never looked at that part apparently.
Next I talked to who my wife banked with and they said they wouldn't have any problem doing a loan on that large of land and combining the two notes, etc... Needless to say, after 3 months of screwing around with them, they decided they couldn't do the loan but could do a commercial loan at 10% interest and wanted way too much in liens on stuff I owned free and clear for my liking. I walked from them. We no longer bank with them either.
My last hope was a small bank close to where I live working with the Farm Service Agency to get a guaranteed loan to combine the two notes, and finance the shop, since it was to be used for the farm. After reams and reams of paperwork being submitted, projections calculated, etc... I was able to get the loan done, (only took 6 months). I only borrowed enough to get the dirt work done, pole barn erected, insulation installed, concrete pad poured and the doors installed and pay off the two notes.
Is the building for my pleasure, sure. But I also use it for feed storage, working on my equipment, storing materials, will house a commercial kitchen at some point as well for some of our ideas for products produced here on the farm. I increased my debt by 60k, dropped my interest rate and raised my base payment by 120.00. After 9 months of payments, I have already dropped the payoff time from 20 years at the first of the year when I took the loan, to 17 years now by paying extra on the note. I have done everything else myself within the shop, including building the kitchen area, storage room, bathroom, lining the interior walls with steel, electrical work, etc... and paying cash as I go. This is my retirement that I'm investing in and is part of my farm. My kids all graduate in the next 2 years will eventually leave the nest. This will be our home till someone drags our corpses off of it.
I hated adding to my debt load, but I've watched the prices of building materials and labor far outpace what I will pay in added interest over the last 5 years.
No, I don't just go out and borrow money for things, I don't use Credit Cards, I do have one, but it's for large purchases that I don't want to use my bank card for. I have a couple of vehicle loans, they've been paid off several times since we bought the vehicles, but I can finance them for cheap with the credit union and the rates are significantly cheaper than ag equipment loans at 10 to 12% interest. I only buy used equipment.
Each person knows their pay and their situation and each solution will be different.