How do you guys budget for guns & gear?

[SandFam3]

So I didn’t see any thread on this, and I thought it would be an interesting discussion - how do you budget for guns/ammo/gear? Obviously some life situations (single/retired/can pickup OT/etc.) allow for more income/spending flexibility than others.

I have some friends that pretty much buy whatever they want, when they want it, and others that save for years for a $500 pistol.

I have 2 little kids and we are single income, so funding training, ammo, guns, optics and other gear is a bit difficult and takes a lot of planning.

 

[scotty2hotty]

Sound like you are going to be saving for years for a 500.00 pistol

 

[silentnswift]

I wonder the same thing. Pretty much same situation, 3 children, wife stays at home with the youngest for now. It takes me a couple months to save up for anything more than $4-500

 

[MPrimo]

After ringing up huge revolving credit card bills I have decided that I need to have cash in hand before making a purchase. I was lucky enough to get out of CC debt thanks to selling an investment property but it is a mother f%#ker! Please don't go that route. Now I budget with a line item for toys (and ammo for said toys). I am a competitive sporting clays shooter so that includes travel as well.

 

[SandFam3]

Sound like you are going to be saving for years for a 500.00 pistol

Yep - I realized that so I have multiple small side hustles just to fund my gun budget. Pretty hard while working with a family though.

 

[roostercogburn98]

 

[theLBC]

i didn't start buying more firearms until my daughter's college was paid for already.
i rationalize my spending by not wasting money on other luxuries like dining out all the time.
good question though, to either cut down on beer or the kid's new gear...

 

[tomcatmv]

Where's the German to say "go be poor somewhere else"

 

[Carnifex]

 

[rtB]

Prioritize, budget. Get one good firearm, practice, stock ammo, parts. Get second good firearm, practice, stock ammo, parts.... Get 43rd good firearm etc etc

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Hamburger Helper is fine without any hamburger in it you know...

Sirhr

 

[FjallJager]

I was single until I was 35, excepting a 1 year practice marriage. When I retired from the military at 38 we had zero money and I remember buying a $600 rifle without talking about it and it got me in hot water.

That was 10 years ago, and I have killed myself to increase what I make and have tripled it. With that has come better toys.

When we got married and started having kids (and she quit working), It used to burn my ass to hear about people going on big hunts, buying expensive guns, and even new trucks. Especially as I paid off her college debt, while she stayed home with the kids.

I have a saying in my house, that every squirrel gets there nuts. If I want something I will eventually get it, but she better get something too.

Debt sucks, don't do debt.

The biggest suggestion I have is don't buy a something you aren't going to be happy with just to buy it. And don't compromise. If you want a Schmidt Bender save for one or buy a $1800 Nightforce and make it work. If you spend a ton of money on a shit scope you don't like you will be unhappy.

You can only shoot one gun at a time. So realistically you need like 5-8 guns. I have a kick ass 22LR auto rifle the kids can shoot, my EDC, wife's EDC, a Blaser R8 with a couple barrels and 4 American rifle company Nucleus bolt guns.

Everyone of them is a quality product. Pick a very limited number of guns you need and work toward that. If you aren't paying for a cape buffalo hunt you probably don't need three different 500 NE double rifles.

Buy what you can afford, don't buy a ton of stuff just buy what you'll actually need.

My father has about 40 rifles, and I used to be the same. But he might shoot 4 or 5. So my advise is to get 4 or 5 good ones.

 

[FjallJager]

Booze is another stupid passion I used to have. Booze is expensive, and just having a snifter of scotch and then collecting it got stupid expensive. Give up stupid expenses.

 

[Boon20]

I take $200 cash from every pay cheque and tuch it away in the safe for big purchases ($1000 and up). About once a year i buy 1000 rounds of 5.56/ 9mm/ 45acp i spread those out a few months. Any thing for my bolt guns are spread out all year because i use them the most( 2-400 every month or so)

 

[Doc68]

So I didn’t see any thread on this, and I thought it would be an interesting discussion - how do you budget for guns/ammo/gear? Obviously some life situations (single/retired/can pickup OT/etc.) allow for more income/spending flexibility than others.

I have some friends that pretty much buy whatever they want, when they want it, and others that save for years for a $500 pistol.

I have 2 little kids and we are single income, so funding training, ammo, guns, optics and other gear is a bit difficult and takes a lot of planning.

Bill's are paid...check, Money in savings...check, buys guns and shit...check.

 

[Jscb1b]

I save my allowance.

 

[Fig]

 

[Jscb1b]

I'm really poor.

 

[SandFam3]

This is obviously the easiest answer! I‘m a finance/accounting guy, so my gun spending definitely comes second to investing for the future.

 

[hollowoutadime]

This worked for me:
Work hard when you are young, educate yourself, work OT - then invest in the market. Make sure you understand finance(s). There is absolutely a tax on poor financial decisions, be it auto leases, high mortgage rates, or the latest iphone. Think of what you need to do to get to the next level. it gets easier as you get older. If you were re in a position where you had 350K in the market in fall 2016, it's worth 500K today, might well be 750K if Trump stays in. If you had a million in, you could buy all the AI rifles you wanted just with the last few week's gains. It's a longer process, but what you do (correct) today will absolutely make the future easier.

 

[LawnMM]

I budget $200 every paycheck I get toward toys.

I make a decent wage and find with a toy allowance I overspend less. Still happens occasionally but far less frequently when I have a reasonable budget to apply to my hobby.

Plus, $200 is the sweet spot for a LOT of stuff. An 8lber of powder, a case of primers, 1000+ projectiles for training, 500 projectiles for matches, 400pcs training brass, 200pcs match brass, steel can be had for less than 200, various parts.

Save two checks and $400 gets you a practice barrel, etc.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Eat more Ramen!

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Every damned pfennig I can get past SWMBO.

But she's good about it... Fifty years on the 25th.

(...As in..., her funks only last so long...)

$500 pistol? Buy something cheaper; gotta actually get started somewhere.

 

[blbennett1288]

Interesting subject at an interesting time for me.

I used to be able to buy whatever I wanted, within reason, whenever. I just took a 35% paycut (Thanks Chinese-Virus), pretty much overnight, and it has me thinking differently about how I bank roll my shooting addiction.

At this point in time cutting my companies stock purchase to 0% and funding kit/components to start reloading is priority #1.

 

[FS1]

Your kids are a better investment. Even if that means less for you right now. Accept it and save where you can. If you get the chance to make a few extra bucks once in a while, take it.

 

[Fig]

I'm actually of moderate means too. My wife is rich (not inherited but earned) so it just seems like I'm rich.

So, how are you exploiting your children to make them a good investment @FS1? Seriously, I'm looking for ideas here. Mine seem to be a black fucking hole, and I hear shit like this and can't help but think you're monetizing on youtube or something...?

 

[Threadcutter308]

Hamburger Helper is fine without any hamburger in it you know...

Sirhr

Stroganoff.......go uptown.

 

[MtnCreek]

I'm actually of moderate means too. My wife is rich (not inherited but earned) so it just seems like I'm rich.

So, how are you exploiting your children to make them a good investment @FS1? Seriously, I'm looking for ideas here. Mine seem to be a black fucking hole, and I hear shit like this and can't help but think you're monetizing on youtube or something...?

Mine put up about 1500 row ft of corn the last two days, so that's food put up that won't have to be bought. Slave labor FTW.

 

[SandFam3]

Your kids are a better investment. Even if that means less for you right now. Accept it and save where you can. If you get the chance to make a few extra bucks once in a while, take it.

Absolutely! I love my kids - best thing that’s ever happened to me. Wouldn’t change a thing, but they are expensive!

 

[...]

honestly, my past 10-15 guns have been bought on Buds lay-a-way program.

each paycheck ill pay $150-200....essentially the same as putting the money aside, except i dont have to worry about finding that gun a month or two later or worry about it being out of stock.

 

[acudaowner]

I was always told if you really want something then its up to you to figure out how to get it . I have a 4 notebook gun wish list Its far larger than what i can afford in this life time but I save in jars at home only took me 3 years enough to get my mdt , my 45 110 sharps still got its jar added to as I can its been a 4 year but but slowly its getting there , but that is my method I bought my first car years before I had a drivers license I started saving every time I got a dime adding it to the jar from cutting grass , trimming trees any dirty job I could find in my area you have to do what you got to do to get what you want . Saving sucks till you finally get what you wanted even if it dies a week later while racing a corvette home from the beach and has not run since its still mine lol

 

[Milo 2.5]

Getting where you are debt free really helps. This doesn't happen in your 20's and 30's, most young parents feel the crunch, it is real. Never look at your CC's as revolving loans, that shit can and will eat your lunch. Never try keep up with friends, find affordable hobbies your family likes and enjoys doing.
I have always had guns, and bought occasionally, but looking back I could have never juggled a gun budget while I was walleye fishing, would have been over the top.
That said, I spent over 10K on gun shit in July, I am 62. 2 Wilson Combat 9mm's, Winchester 1886 yellowboy replica in 38 special, V3 autotrickler, ammo, and extras.
I can't tell you how to budget, only what waylaid my progress, will say, once you hit 40, you will be more stable.

 

[Powder_Burns]

 

[EN2722]

My wife and I sit down and do our budget for the quarter. Every last penny is accounted for and it's put to an intended use not just left in the checking account for a rainy day.

My ability to purchase things is like the tide with an ebb and flow, depending on the month or time of year depends on what I have available to spend. Like a lot of members said, save the extra money and buy quality stuff the first time. That'll limit the amount of buying and selling that happens. Because we all know that you'll never get 100% resale out of anything, so you're losing money.

 

[Jscb1b]

Look for lightly used stuff. Check out the PX.

 

[...]

View attachment 7368760

dude, how many STDs were you getting?....damn man.

 

[Alphatreedog]

I get a substantial bonus at Christmas so every other or every couple a years I buy a toy . During the year I do spend on range memberships and reloading . They add up real quick . Just 9mm alone is around a thousand rounds a moth for steel challenge . .45 acp is about 2000 rounds a year , .223 for the ar is around 2000 a year and I just started shooting .308 again . I'd be surprised if the AR 10 308 was 500 rounds a year .
Thank God for ot .

 

[Matches Malone]

Very slowly.

 

[R0man]

You don't need all new gizmos. I understand the temptation, but better be the guy that have one firearm and knows very well how to use it. There are more important things in life.

 

[Rthur]

Find a local NRL22 match.
Many have loaner guns to use.
Little coin for the gun the ammo and the match.
Cheapest you can get by with and still get some trigger pulling.

R

 

[acudaowner]

you could

kids could fetch 80k each or sell your kidney think the going price is 120k but the operation is like over 250k not so much a win as a learning lesson pimp your self out to assisted retirement ladies you could rake in an easy 60k per year till you get caught or sick lol find a nice sugar mamma and your money problems could be a thing of the past old women need love to .

 

[MtnCreek]

Find a local NRL22 match.
Many have loaner guns to use.
Little coin for the gun the ammo and the match.
Cheapest you can get by with and still get some trigger pulling.

R

Bought a CZ457 a few months ago and put a scope that I had laying around on it. My first rimfire w/ a usable reticle/turrets. Sometimes I'll sit on the deck and shoot 150+ rds. No way I'd shoot that much centerfire, at least not without worrying about ammo cost and barrel. That was one of the better purchases I've made in a while.

 

[...]

You don't need all new gizmos. I understand the temptation, but better be the guy that have one firearm and knows very well how to use it. There are more important things in life.

....thats the kind of thing i hear the poors saying as i walk past them with my gold 1911 with ivory grips in my bald eagle leather holster ....

better to be the guy with one gun....pishaw peasant.....better to be the guy with lots of guns....and knows how to use them all.

 

[Raffy]

Buy stuff on sale if its what you would have wanted to buy anyway. Otherwise if you dont get what you wanted the first time it may not be a good price if you end up selling it later and buy the other thing you really wanted. I dont buy everything on sale, but get enough at a good price that it sure helps.

I am meticulous about what I want and rarely am displeased with my purchases. I save by getting what I want, but usually not when I want.

Don't buy stuff on credit unless your going to pay it off that month or reasonably soon. My wife and I share extra money from OT and extra shifts 50/50 after taxes for personal hobbies, but we make sure theres extra savings saved from our regular income and keep that all seperate from the personal hobby money. The regular savings goes towards stuff we want to both do together or have previously agreed upon like vacations, cars, etc...Communication is key. Keep a cushion for a rainy day. Works well enough so far.

 

[FS1]

I'm actually of moderate means too. My wife is rich (not inherited but earned) so it just seems like I'm rich.

So, how are you exploiting your children to make them a good investment @FS1? Seriously, I'm looking for ideas here. Mine seem to be a black fucking hole, and I hear shit like this and can't help but think you're monetizing on youtube or something...?

Raising your kids is the most important thing you will ever do. Everything else is really meaningless in comparison. JMHO

 

[chevy_man]

Get a better job!


I have 3 trucks, less than $15k spent on purchasing them over the last 15 years. I keep doing the maintenance and they keep going.

I do all my own mechanic work, saves $120/hr. when they do need work. I have 3 so I can always get to work. Mechanic time is also time to teach my boys how to fix stuff.

Haven't had a truck payment in years. That's easily $600/mo. Another $100+ for insurance savings that a newer truck would cost me.

My buddies ask me how I keep buying all these guns. I point to my truck and remind them it was only 1-3 truck payments for them.

 

[SandFam3]

Get a better job!


I have 3 trucks, less than $15k spent on purchasing them over the last 15 years. I keep doing the maintenance and they keep going.

I do all my own mechanic work, saves $120/hr. when they do need work. I have 3 so I can always get to work. Mechanic time is also time to teach my boys how to fix stuff.

Haven't had a truck payment in years. That's easily $600/mo. Another $100+ for insurance savings that a newer truck would cost me.

My buddies ask me how I keep buying all these guns. I point to my truck and remind them it was only 1-3 truck payments for them.

You are right - No payments is so freeing. My wife and I worked our tails off over the last 5 years with a tight budget in order to get debt free (aside from mortgage). Without that, I definitely couldn’t stand to be on this forum - too many awesome builds going on!

 

[davsco]

cut out restaurants and bars, booze and cigs. you'd be surprised how much that adds up.

 

[hunter1959]

try gun shows... if you know someone who can tell what a good buy is, take him... you can find good stuff cheap

 

[knuckleballz]

Make more money and don't waste money. There is a huge demand for people willing to work in the building trades. You should be making over 100k a year within 5 years when apprenticeship is complete. Only a high-school education and a work ethic is needed.