Opportunities for municipal land, experiences?

The commute to me is 24km 23min. For my wife 22-25min (varies) 32km,

I thought you were located next to each other, meaning your companies?!

Together, that adds up to additional costs of about €200+/month

It's commendable that you calculate everything well, but you get the mileage allowance of 35 cents, once for 24km and once for 32km. That amounts to €4,300 for 220 days for you both together, which you can claim as income-related expenses. If you sometimes travel together, you don’t consume nearly that much)

I would just take it easy. You shouldn’t eat where you sh*** anyway (or does that only apply to civil servants?)

Yes, we are basically next to each other, that's why I looked a bit confused when I gave the routes separately again. I am in the industrial area on one side of the highway and she is on the other. Because of that, she probably has a bit more to drive.

We can never drive together because I work shifts and even the early shift is completely different from hers.

Of course, we don't want to rent but maybe hope for a plot of land closer by.

I just see she could drive 25km instead of 32km but it takes 2 minutes longer. It’s faster for her via the highway, which Google doesn’t suggest to me at all.

I have to smile a little. The calculations have something of Loriot. So meticulous that it somehow no longer reflects reality.

I have to agree. Later on, sick days will be deducted. That’s not how you choose a plot of land! A plot has to be fun and exciting if you’re into it. It’s a gut feeling. You just know, when you turn into the street, that you always want it or can at least imagine it really nicely. The right plot inspires and already lets you mentally envision the house and the carport. You’re curious who else lives there and ask if you can have a picnic there sometime. With all this penny-pinching, you lose the desire. No question, you have to be able to afford it. But I don’t build just for the sake of being able to afford it.

A 10-minute time saving in travel alone is already extremely significant when it comes to costs; I would immediately prefer to pay an extra €50k for the property if given the choice. I also find the time savings impressive considering how it accumulates. With 40-hour jobs including 1 hour of unpaid break, you have to figure out where to get free time from. Currently, we have an 11-minute commute, which is super comfortable. Unfortunately, the extremely increased installment costs add up. ~€2200 installment or 10% more painfully affect us with a net income of €5500-5700.

We have given up on the dream house anyway. We want a garden and no direct neighbors next to, below, or above us.