Ever Keep Funds Available For That Special Purchase?

TACC1

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...Except for that one time you Really Did Find that
Special gun? I Almost always keep funds available, just
in case. Like, maybe that Colt DS, that you'll run across
once in your lifetime? Or, maybe that Kit Gun?
I found just the gun I'd been looking for, and guess what?
A day late, and watched that honey waft off over the horizen.
Well, it'll Never happen again! Really, won't happen,...maybe.
Makes me feel real smart when I do stuff like that.
Just wish it didn'thappen so often. TACC1
 
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I usually have a slush fund for exactly that purpose (wife does the same,though not for guns). Just good planning. Of course,that was nearly impossible until the kids moved out. ;):D
f.t.
 
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Cash is king & I try to keep gun/ holster money on hand.
We need a hurricane fund here as well-cash worked wonders after
Hurricane Andrew.
Regards,
turnerriver
 
Absolutely! Guns or motorcycles.

I am ready to pounce like a hungry puma... on a hobo with a ham samich.
I think that's incorrect. It is usually just the hobo and the ham samich, right?

NO, I like it! Like a puma eating a hobo and his ham samich! More predatory.:D
 
Neh. If its at one of my 3 LGS's I'll just put it on layaway (same as cash). If its at a show or someplace I cant do layaway then I just walk away. Sure I want it but if I managed to live this long without it then I can keep going without it.
 
I have cash in hand and just waiting to actually touch and fondle the right SW1911. So, yes - I keep a stash reserved for that one toy I can't live without.
killingme.gif
 
I have a gun fund and i try to keep quite a bit of cash on hand just in case. But if something happens and that money is needed for something else without hesitation i will spend that money on the other thing.
 
I tried.....I really did!

In the last six weeks I have found:

1905 Colt Bisley in 41 Long Colt
1877 Colt Lightning, Sheriff's Model in 38 Long Colt.
1877 Colt Thunderer, in 41 Long Colt
1878 Colt Frontier Double Action in 45 Colt
S & W Baby Russian

Bought them all!

Anyone wish to buy some blood? Spare body parts?
 
Nope. All my life it seems I made just enough for that week. Yet I have owned many guns, motorcycles, several airplanes and many vehicles. Outside of a house payment and sometimes car payments years ago I have never borrowed a dime or seldom have used a credit card. I am 71 years old and only owned one new car and that after retirement, all others were used. I have to me, a nice collection of classic guns. But I bought them 30 to 50 years ago for a fraction of what they go for now.
 
Well, it just doesn't work.

About 20 or so years ago I was stumbling along the aisles of a gun show. There in front of me appeared a gun that was the holy grail. It was a Browning B78 in the black powder version. It had the very heavy octagonal barrel, with all the fancy levels and stuff on it. Better than that, it was priced very reasonably at $1100. The only problem being I only had $300 in my pocket. I tried to get the guy to hold it for me until the next morning, but he would have no part of that. But it was there as they were closing up for the day.

So I drove home begging my poor little wifey. She was a good sport about it and we took a drive, at each place getting as much cash as we could get (a couple of credit cards and some borrowing). It got me over the required $1100, but I felt for certain I could get the price down a little. So at the opening bell the next day, I was about 2nd or 3rd in line and hit the door at a dead run. Took a cut that would make most running backs proud and arrived at the table. No gun. He'd sold it to another vendor a few minutes earlier, before the riff-raff (general public) was allowed inside. So I drove the 50 miles back home, a defeated man.

But I swore I'd learned my lesson and just started building a stash. The problem with doing that is you come across a great gun a couple of times a year. Before you know it, you've sunk a real bundle in your guns. And its very hard to get that money back out. We're not talking profit, we're talking escaping with your hide. Its how you live and learn.

There are outstanding deals to be had at almost every gun show of any size (and the small ones are even better at times.) And in all fairness, its fun to attend a show with enough jack in your pocket to buy any gun you want. But after you do that for say, 20 years, and you visit a dozen shows a year, soon you own too many guns. So you enter a phase called "the sell-down". Where you just offload all the mistakes you made or the guns that no longer interest you.

Guns have gotten pretty darn expensive over the last few years. I'm guessing its because people don't trust the stock market and can't get any kind of interest on their savings. So they look to unconventional items, and guns are a good one. So as long as the roof doesn't leak, the kids are fed, and your wife is happy (how's that going to happen?), its not all that bad a place to lose a few percentage points a year. At least you feel warm and fuzzy if you bought well. But all that stash of hundreds does is tempt you to buy guns you've always wanted. And then you need to replenish it again so the cycle can continue. Be very wary, what really can happen is you buy more guns than you "need". :D :D :D
 
...But all that stash of hundreds does is tempt you to buy guns you've always wanted. And then you need to replenish it again so the cycle can continue.

Exactly, but I learned that too late! :D And I never had enough money hidden away, anyway. For some reason, if you have $1000 in your pocket, you will end up looking at $1200 and $1500 guns. So I gave up on the idea.

The flip-side of this is the "budget buyer." I know a guy who does this. He saves his money until he has x-number of dollars, and then he will just go on a spending spree that is limited by that figure, buying up whatever he sees that he takes a shine to. I don't understand that. :rolleyes:

Ultimately, money is money. It gets used for whatever comes along, and there are always plenty of things coming along.
 
Yeah, but once you retire you are limited. When I was working if I needed something I just lived at work longer. Fortunatly, it seemed tons of OT was always available. That part of life changes drasticly when you retire. Thats when you have to learn to budget!
What I have found is I have had a LOT of stuff that I worked long hours for and havent used a fraction of what I thought I would.
Take motor homes. The average 10 year old one probley might have 20,000 miles on! Thats a ton of money per mile! I want a new fancy side by side ATV. Priced it. $18,000s for the one I really want. Then I got figuering what my old one cost. Roughly $8,000s. I know I ride a lot more than the average person. Its only got about 4,000 miles on it. And thats in 7 years! I was laid up several of them. Okay, not counting taxs, maintance, gas each ride, a trailer, gas to get it out to the ride area etc, I might be able to get $2,000 out of it were I to sell or trade it. It cost me $6,000s to ride it 4,000 miles. Thats 66 cents a mile! Gas and other costs for the day etc runs me about $40s for the average 35 mile trail ride!
Today I looked at some toy haulers. The average runs $22,000s for one you can sleep in with a shower. The average working stiff would really use it how many week ends a year, 10? When we buy stuff like that we try to justify the figuers by probley lieing to ourselves by 5X!
The same with our guns.
 
Thanks! Theresa has a ton of them. I will have to start posting more. I bet on the average ride in a pretty area she might take 300 pictures! Thats her thing. If we ride with others in the club I think she aggervates our friends as she continuesly is slapping me along side the head to pull over for a shot. Awhile ago I wouldnt stop and she started to jump off!
 
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Developing a 'Gun Fund'

Within the last two months I have virtually rebuilt the Viking range and fixed the Washer among other chores. The wife said, "I can't believe how much money you have saved us by knowing how to do these things!" So, I'm creating an invoice. I figure I'll bill my services monthly at 2/3 of the going rate for a 'professional' and give a 10% discount based on 30 years of marital bliss.

The resulting payments go to the 'gun fund' for future purchases.

Wish the wife wasn't a lawyer! I just know she will find some way to dispute this.:mad:
 
Yeah, but once you retire you are limited. When I was working if I needed something I just lived at work longer. Fortunatly, it seemed tons of OT was always available. That part of life changes drasticly when you retire. Thats when you have to learn to budget!
What I have found is I have had a LOT of stuff that I worked long hours for and havent used a fraction of what I thought I would.
Take motor homes. The average 10 year old one probley might have 20,000 miles on! Thats a ton of money per mile! I want a new fancy side by side ATV. Priced it. $18,000s for the one I really want. Then I got figuering what my old one cost. Roughly $8,000s. I know I ride a lot more than the average person. Its only got about 4,000 miles on it. And thats in 7 years! I was laid up several of them. Okay, not counting taxs, maintance, gas each ride, a trailer, gas to get it out to the ride area etc, I might be able to get $2,000 out of it were I to sell or trade it. It cost me $6,000s to ride it 4,000 miles. Thats 66 cents a mile! Gas and other costs for the day etc runs me about $40s for the average 35 mile trail ride!
Today I looked at some toy haulers. The average runs $22,000s for one you can sleep in with a shower. The average working stiff would really use it how many week ends a year, 10? When we buy stuff like that we try to justify the figuers by probley lieing to ourselves by 5X!
The same with our guns.

Feral, my calculations put it at $1.50 per mile. However, based upon your photos, stories and good time spent with Theresa I think that is a bargain . You need to ride more to lower the cost per mile, tough duty, but I suspect you two would enjoy it.
 
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...Except for that one time you Really Did Find that
Special gun? I Almost always keep funds available, just
in case. Like, maybe that Colt DS, that you'll run across
once in your lifetime? Or, maybe that Kit Gun?
I found just the gun I'd been looking for, and guess what?
A day late, and watched that honey waft off over the horizen.
Well, it'll Never happen again! Really, won't happen,...maybe.
Makes me feel real smart when I do stuff like that.
Just wish it didn'thappen so often. TACC1

I starded a fund ~ 20 years ago. I put $100.00 a pay twice a month into it. It is my fix or buy fund. It was not started to buy guns, but I have used it that way on occasion.

It took a while to get use too!!! My wife and I know the money is there. The tempation to use the fund for other reasons is strong.

But fix or buy new is what it is for.

$200.00 a month X 12 = $2400.00 a year.

20 X $2400.00 = $48,000.00

That $48K cash allowed me to stay out of debt many times. Pay cash for many repairs, and buy a good deal from time to time. Cash is still king!!!

It has also helped keep the wife happy. Whenever her car has problems go get it fixed. Whenever something like a stove, microwave, refrig, washer, dryer, or anything else goes bad. Just tell her to go buy a new one. No budget strain.
It is hard to do so, but worth it!!!
JMHO
Guy22
 
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