Unexpected changes in my plan this week

Sounds to me like you need to quit buying things with your credit card and using your mom as back up, and get your financial world in order.

I agree with what trackhead said here (much more succinctly than I can) although the words sound harsh. There is no reason for nurses to be so strapped for money (with allowances given for many staff nurses that work in the South), and even though you will likely make more as a travel nurse, it won't matter without proper financial discipline, it will all be gone. Habits and patterns of behavior are hard to change. I have a very good traveler friend who makes great money, but is burdened with $30,000 of credit card debt, and $9,000 of medical debt and still owes on his house and school debts. I'm working hard with him, but it is difficult to get him to change his his patterns. When he was married with two kids and a wife not working, he did fine and put two kids through college on less than half of what he makes now.

I wish I knew of a good motivation book to recommend. I've never read one because I was raised not to spend money and now it is totally ingrained. Grandfather clock you purchased knowing you were selling your house? Not a disciplined decision.

For the IRS stuff, there are lots of low risk ways to cheat the IRS. But why? We are not talking about enough money to matter, at least not if you have any financial responsibility. No matter what TravelTax says, the rent involved from your mom does not need to be market rent (in my opinion), and it is certainly allowed to take into account your prolonged absences. You make around $10,000 in savings annually from having a tax home (more than many poor people raise a family with) and can certainly afford to pay token rent, and you mom can afford to pay taxes on the extra income.

Sorry about the flack, that is a risk of posting on a forum. Hope it shakes you up a bit, in a good way.

Whoa, cool your jets!!! Funny how people can misconstrue things so easily. With that said, I am the last person who needs financial guidance. This girl here paid off 40k in student loans in 2 years. This girl here deserves a vacation after working so hard to pay off those loans....this girl here hasn't had a vacation on 20 years. This girl here slept on an air-mattress until 2 years ago. I *only* paid for my Vaca from a Credit Card because I wanted to keep a nice saving in my savings account. Could I have paid cash? Absolutely, but it was my decision to finance it interest free for 6 months, and get it paid off in the 6 month period. As far as the GF clock... I'm paying 50 bucks/month and the store is fine with this setup until it's paid off. Not breaking my bank at all. Mom is offering to help pay for these things from my "rent" because she does not want to take my money, esp since I won't be living there. Lucky me.

Great answer, sorry if we over reacted but you can read your original post to see why. Still, I don't see the point to trying to save a few tax dollars. Do it right and sleep well.

Paying of $40k in two years is impressive. Sorry, but your post read like you were spinning in circles financially. There seems to be a fair number of similar posts on this forum from people who are in financial dilemmas and looking for travel nursing to get them out of the hole.

Yes, my OP looks like I am careless with money. Far from it. I am not used to spending money on myself. My trip to Italy is actually a pretty sweet deal and all inclusive, but taking trips like this is not going to turn into a habit. I appreciate my mom's offering to do this for me. I have helped mom out a lot over the years without asking for payback, so in a sense, this is how she wants to repay me. I do not want any red flags tho if there is an audit.

You know, that is exactly one reason I don't agree with TravelTax's stance on market rates on tax home rentals. For one thing, if there is no family involved, what the heck is wrong with getting a bargain, even if it is below market? If there is family involved, I can see a deal being more questionable except for exactly what you mention, quid pro quo. There are also some intangibles involved that have real value, like your mom knowing she will see you more if her home is the center of your operations. Personally, I would set up a nominal rent per time actually spent there, make an agreement and leave it at that. You don't really want your mom involved in an audit where the investigator is asking questions like what she is doing for you. If you don't have any unwritten agreements about "favors" and she is not making payments for you, you can't get caught for evading legal taxes.

Thank u for your response. I've made my decision. Like u said earlier, is a 400/mo really worth it? So this is what mom and I came up with. She can keep the money, claim it at the end of the year, no worries. But when I decide to take time off - which will be every 6 months for 2 weeks at a times, I will crash at her place and not pay for groceries, etc and she will "treat" me to new uniforms or a new outfit now and then. Helps her and it helps me.

$400 is way too much in my opinion given what you have said. I would go for a more nominal $200 and only when you are residing. By the way, you need a dedicated bedroom at the least for a tax home. Crashing sounds like a couch surfer to these ears.