do you shop when broke?

[lagavulin62]

I thought it would be fun to sort of take an informal survey of what you guys do when you are flat tapped out. this being close to Christmas and since many of us have already purchased personal Christmas gifts there just is nothing left for more guns, at least until we can pay down the expenses of the season. but as in most hobbies being a smart buyer/collector means keeping abreast of the market. you can watch items on the internet but locally you still have to make a few shows and certainly frequent the pawn shops and gunstores. as always this is the time you will see that chance of a lifetime, but no money, or worse yet the temptation to "what the hell, charge it". what to do??? is it better to just hang out and watch lousy football until funding improves or do we need to suck it up and work on those delayed gratification techniques, knowing full well we just may be putting ourselves in a non buying situation(a steal but I'm gonna pass) we will regret to eternity. what do yall think?

 

[Allen-frame]

I have not bought socks in at least 2 years. I sometimes have to wear 2 pair to make up the holes in each.
I probably make 1 or 2 deals a month on a Smith revolver.

Broke or not ,the quality of the collection gets improved upon with regularity.

Regardss ,Allen Frame

 

[jspick]

I always shop broke or not. Sometimes i find a screaming deal and find a way to buy it and then resell it to have some cash flow.
I had had sellers regret, but it isn't as bad as buyers regret.
There was this Randall Springfield model 1....................and the Remington 1889 Union Pacific coach gun that was mint.........................................................................

I wish I had bought those two so many times.

Oh well!?
John

 

[29aholic]

I find it doesnt matter how much is in my bank account I always find something that stretches its limits. If I have $200 I find a $300 steal...if I have a $1000...well you get the picture.

 

[fat tom]

I shop every day. Have for years. I see numerous "deals" every day. However,if it's not something I really want,it makes no difference how good of a buy it is. I'm not in the gun "business" and very rarely buy a gun with the thought of making money on it as my objective in obtaining it. Now,don't get me wrong:I LOVE a deal! A "steal" is another matter entirely,IF it is on a gun which is currently in demand and I know I can turn it into something that I WANT via trade or sale in a short amount of time. As to buying when I'm tapped out,it would have to be a deal on something that I've wanted for a very long time. That list is a very short one and deals on them are rarely seen.
f.t.

 

[Mickey D]

My vacations are at the gun shops.

 

[bravastar1]

I'm out of gun funds(at least my wife says I am) but I still shop daily. If I find a deal I somehow find a way to make the deal. Never stop looking...a good one might get away.

 

[s3dcor]

I hit the local shops once a week only. This is the best time of year to find unusual items being sold for Christmas cash. If I want it I will find some way to fund it but I am getting more selective.

 

[JSR III]

When times get lean, my first question to the seller is,
" Will you consider a lay-a-way?" I normally offer 1/3 down, 1/3 in 45 days and the final 1/3 in 90 days. I also suggest a 10% restocking fee if I fail to complete the transaction with the remaider returned to me. No penalty if I pay it off early. I have yet to find a seller unwilling to make a deal. I currently have 2 guns in process this way. Being self employed, my money comes in spurts. Some weeks I am busted and some I am flush. Hence the early pay off clause.

 

[Gun-runner]

Well this is one of the reasons I buy things I don't really need if the price is right. If you know what you are looking at there a times when you can run into a deal and later on double your money. I've done this a few times and the buyer still got a great deal and I get a fast sale so everyone was happy. I've done this to supply my smith addiction for quite a while now.
The problem is picking what I want to get rid of when I need the money for a new Smith. I could be on an episode of Hoarders! LOL

 

[frankynohankypanky]

Never forget.........., "He (or She) who dies with the most toys WINS!!!!"

Speaking as one who has denied myself so much in my nearly 62 years and has been seriously(!!!) broke a couple a couple of times I say that if you really want something, then go for it. A couple of months down the track you won't even miss the money.

I haven't had a wife for some time, but I have three very supportive adult children who encourage me to spend my money on S&W's, vintage motorcycles, old Fords etc. It helps that my two sons have taken over the business I struggled with for so long and have turned it into a real success. The money just seems to keep flowing now.

Frank S. SWCA2052.
_________________________________________________________
We can't stop growing old, but we can choose to remain immature.

 

[S-W4EVER]

Nope, I honestly can say I've never gone shopping when I was broke.

 

[Cruiser RN]

I am very lucky to have finnally gotten to the point of zero debt in my life.I love to shop and see all the nice guns out there but buying is another matter.Mrs CRN has declared " NO MORE GUNS" so Mr CRN has to listen.The one and only exception to her declaration was my instructor's Detective Special which she knew the sentimental value of.....All the best and Merry Christmas.....Mike

 

[TNDave]

It is always nice to look at stuff. Here I can put stuff on layaway at any of the pawnshops for a little of nothing and they don't care when I pay the rest. In fact the less I pay every month the better they like it since it keeps me coming in the door. No sense in letting something really good get away. I have let some heartbreakers go at times, but I sure try not too. I just picked up a crisp like new 2" round butt Model 10 yesterday from one of my pawn shops. I had been paying on it since July.

 

[WVfishguy]

I'm glad I found this thread. It makes me feel better about myself.

I'm about through buying guns (easy to say when you have everything you want) but I still look every week. Pawnshops, gun shops, gun shows and auctions.

Saw a Model 28-2 at a pawnshop yesterday. I have three, but was still tempted.

 

[brucev]

Even when money is low, I look/shop. Why? Because I like to look. And sometimes when I look, I see something I want to hold. And sometimes when I hold something that caught my eye, I end up wanting it enough to try to figure out how I can buy it. Sometimes I finance a new gun purchase by selling a gun that I no longer use or in which I have lost interest. This past year I sold a Remington 700 and a satin nickle finished COLT Ser. 70 .45 ACP pistol. I used the money to buy a new G-22 and a used excellent condition 625-2 and a as new but used Springfield Armory Mil-Spec. 1911-A1. The money remaining is now in the savings account, two firearms that I no longer wanted are gone and I now own a revolver and two pistols which which I am exceedingly pleased. So, when money is low, do I look/shop? Yes. Why? Because... well, we all know where this is going, don' we? Sincerely. brucev.

 

[Munsterf18]

This time of year, when I'm tempted, I go hunting.

I enjoy the woods, and it's a long way from the gunstore!

 

[maglvr]

"I have not bought socks in at least 2 years. I sometimes have to wear 2 pair to make up the holes in each."

Now, that's funny right there! I don't care who you are!

 

[N_itis]

I am always shopping. I am much, much more selective than I used to be. 99% of what I see does not tempt me, but I want to be ready for the 1% price/product combination that does tempt me.

Sometimes my "dedicated funds" run low, but I have always found a way to come up with cash for the right deal. I never use credit (ie. "financial slavery"). If I did, I would dread the prospect of being in the process of paying off one deal when an even better deal came along.

Of course, I also do not advertise my interests to every gun shop/pawn shop I frequent, as that is a good way to go broke and stay broke.

"The hunt" and the occasional "find" are gratifying enough for me.

 

[Iggy]

After 65 years of paying cash for everything I own, I don't owe anybody a dime.

So heck yes I go shopping. Like last week I spotted a Red Ryder BB gun like the one I dreamed of when I was a kid.

My wife looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said "Happy Birthday!"
So I whipped out the $35.00 and I even spent an extra $2.00 for 2400 BB's.

Yesterday morning, I found my wife had retrieved the BB gun from my closet.
She put a big bow on it, and set it next to a birthday card and notification that I would receive my first Social Security check next month on the kitchen table along with a plate full of waffles.

Purty durn good day if I do say so myself.