Suckers that waste their money on non-gun stuff...

[leadcounsel]

How many of you look around at the "consumer" purchases of other oblivious Americans and at how much hard earned money is wasted on pure GARBAGE when compared to money well spent on firearms...

I'll give you an example: A girlfriend was describing how her mom wastes money on purses, shoes and jewelry. Evidently she has dozens of Coach and other purses stored away in her closet that rarely see daylight. These retail for $400 or more, some $800 each! I mentioned that was the price of a good rifle and she pointed out that I think of everything in terms of "how many guns could I buy with that..."

When I look at the junk that people buy for exorbinant "sucker" retail prices, I just shake my head.... (think overpriced decorations, candles, shoes, purses, ornaments, knick-knacks, chrome car decorations, etc. much of which just ends up in a landfil in a few years).

Do any of you equate value in terms of guns, not dollars?

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

No of course not. I'm still ticked off that my mortgage company underestimated my escrow payments by almost a Glock 26 and my property taxes last year were a pair of Springfield custom 1911's, not to mention my tax return was only about an AK-47

 

[dracphelan]

I don't measure items value in how many guns. But, I get where you are coming from on the spending to much money on silly items. My wife and I, as a spur of the moment thing, stopped by the Salvation Army nearest the richest area in Dallas. She picked up a $600 purse for $10. It doesn't even look used. It has often floored me how much people are willing to pay for some items. Especially when I can shop around and get the same thing for much less, if I don't shop at the high end stores and malls.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

I figure it this way: a $175 S&W Model 10 bought at a pawnshop today can be sold for at least $175 tomorrow, next week, and next year.

Said revolver could also be packed in a carefully prepared box for a century and probably be just as good then as now.

$175 of consumer electronics? $175 of fashionable shoes?

-MV

 

[Tory]

I don't tolerate people lecturing to me about

how I spend my money and I don't lecture them in return.

What people do with their disposable income is THEIR business.

 

[Dionysusigma]

There's such a thing as disposable income?

I've got several guns to keep fed! And so many more without homes!

 

[Atticus]

I would agree that the smart money is spent on something that generally holds it value or appreciates...but the ammo part kinda falls through the cracks. That $400.00 purse doesn't burn $1000.00 worth of ammo...so it's a wash at best.

 

[mmike87]

My wife has two Louis Vuitton purses. She LOVES them to death. Were they worth it? To me - hell no. To her, well they make her happy and she enjoys them. Who's to say what something is worth to someone else?

 

[pedaldude]

yeah when ammo is factored in firearms aren't really that good of a buy, a CD at the bank or a mutual fund does beat expensive purses and the like, unless you just like to look at your guns. I just got a revolver and have already spent 1/4 of it's value on ammo 1st trip to the range with it. Don't even get me started on the money I've spent on shells for my shotgun. But if people need to justify owning firearms in monetary terms so be it.

 

[TallPine]

yeah, it's a shame to waste money on stuff like mortgage payments, utilities, and groceries when you could buy guns and ammo instead

 

[torpid]

I budget my gun money and designer purse money separately, but to be honest, they both end up gathering dust in the same safe.

Unlike my designer shoes.


.

 

[carterbeauford]

Plenty of people think we're suckers who waste our money on gun stuff.

That said, I hear you about the purses. My girl has 20+ designer purses. When I offered to build her a wooden rack to keep them from being strewn across her room, she said she'd rather buy one

I could have every gun on my wish list right now, including an M1 Garand and a couple 1911s, if I had what she has in purses.

 

[Rembrandt]

I'd rather keep some of my tax money and put it into guns....in exchange I'll drive on lumpy roads, get mail 3 days a week, and teach my own kids.

 

[LiquidTension]

The people that buy retail goods probably think the same thing about us crazy gun owners.

"You could have gotten 5 pairs of Gucci shoes for what you spent on that gun, are you nuts?"

 

[goon]

I also think this way.
I have recently become interested in swords but a good sword still costs as much as a decent gun.
Or a case of 5.56 ammo and some AR mags.
Or two 980 round cans of 7.62x51 ammo.
Hard to justify.

Right now I don't even own a TV.
My next purchases are going to look something like this:
Rock River midlength
Quantity of C-Products AR mags
Some good 5.56 ammo
TV
DVD Player

 

[Outlaws]

So I am to believe that no one in this thread except me has spent $200+ on a nice comfortable pair of boots?



(and $75 on a cobra skin bellycut wallet?)

 

[progunner1957]

Let the "S" hit the "F" and then see how much those designer purses, shoes and suits are worth vs. your guns and ammo.

When things go bad, guns & ammo are literally worth their weight in gold.

BTW, today I put 1/2 of a Coach purse worth of ball ammo through my Ted Yost 1* 1911...

 

[bedlamite]

Even though I have more invested in guns than my Suzuki, I've been known to think of things in terms of motorcycle tires. It's very similar to ammo for the guns.

 

[Outlaws]

...and when the "S" hits the "F" you will only be able to carry so many guns.

...that is unless you wasted money on a F350 Diesel and a 5th wheel.

 

[#shooter]

LOL. My wife accuses me of thinking of everything in terms of guns instead of dollars.

It is not just the guns but the gun related accessories that get ya such as the belts, holsters, ammo, safe, scopes, cleaning equipment, bench rest, targets, a truck to load the guns into, a trailer to carry the ammo, $20 in gas to get to the range, tree stand, camo, safety equipment….or is this all just me.

I for one will never ever tell my wife to justify a purchase. I see no reason to provide her an opportunity to question why I need more than one rifle one shotgun, one smokepole, or one pistol. The way I see it I spend way more on patterning turkey ammo than she does on her scrapbooking for the whole year. Comparatively, I am the HIGH maintenance person in this marriage and I am ok with that.

 

[dracphelan]

So I am to believe that no one in this thread except me has spent $200+ on a nice comfortable pair of boots?

On 2 different pairs. One is 10 years old and still going strong and the other is 6 years old and still going strong. And, I routinely wear these boots. I don't find it objectionable to spend large amounts of money on durable and useful goods. I admit that I've gone the cheap route and regretted it. I spent $30 for a dvd player and it died in 18 months. When I buy a new one, I will spend more money for a good one.
I think part of the problem with modern/mainstream US society is that we accept shoddy products in order to obtain false value. (To make this more firearms related) Generally speaking, firarms are durable goods. They last. As such, (especially used/milsurp) firearms retain their value. I wish cars retained their value as well as firearms do.

 

[Krauser]

What someone spends their money on is irrelevant. It's one's own opinion. Just as someone else might think you're incredibly retarded for spending all your money on guns.

 

[carterbeauford]

I think part of the problem with modern/mainstream US society is that we accept shoddy products in order to obtain false value. (To make this more firearms related) Generally speaking, firarms are durable goods. They last. As such, (especially used/milsurp) firearms retain their value. I wish cars retained their value as well as firearms do.

I agree, I think also we sacrafice quality for convenience, to be able to buy everything under one roof at a big box retailer.

If I can walk into a store so big it curves over the horizon and walk out with a showerhead, gallon of milk, chain saw, 12 gauge, pair of shoes, cordless drill, new set of tires, ipod and a box of wheaties, something is wrong. Mossberg/Remington/Savage/Marlin firearms might be the only durable goods Walmart sells and some of them are even doing away with that.

The quality of mass marketed consumer goods has become deplorable, at least in the last what, 10 years? I am 24, if my theory exceeds 10 years feel free to say so. It is so bad that things that were once considered durable goods are now disposable. Still, I have never bought or shot a gun that I thought was inferior quality. Elitists sometimes scoff at my budget-minded decision to buy a Taurus pistol and revolver. They didn't offer to donate change for a Glock or 1911 so to hell with them.

Look towards the future and compare it with the significant changes in the last 10 or more years. Do you think firearms, in general, will ever be lowered to Walmart quality? That would be a sad day. Some gun accessories are already at that level. NCstar anyone?

Yes I am returning this pistol.
Do you have your receipt?
No.
Anything wrong with it?
Yes, the frame cracked.
(clerk tags pistol and throws it in a bin)
Here is a shopping card with $105.99 on it. Have a nice day.
Thanks
(proceed to buy a different $99.99 pistol)

 

[bogie]

I have about a thousand dollars in the speakers in my living room.

Buy the best, and cry once. Granted, for a thousand bucks, these ain't "the" best, but I really like the sound.

I own three rifles that clock in together at 10x that.

 

[American By Blood]

As others have said, how people spend their money is up to them. If being fashionable is so important to a person that they're willing to drop $600 dollars on a purse I won't be stopping them. I will, however, openly admit that I don't want them voting. This sort of dedication to fashion (an inherently transitory thing) does not reflect well on how a person thinks. Especially when that kind of mentality manifests itself in a man. A democracy where the bulk of the electorate is not dedicated to fixed principles and prefers the new to the traditional will not be a democracy for long. Each election cycle is a testament to this fact. We seem to be doing a great job of voting ourselves out of power. And all the while we spout ideologically fashionable drivel with nothing solid backing it up.

As for spending though, I recently realized that I hadn't bought a CD, DVD, or record in a good while. Close to a year, actually. When I did a mental check of where my money has been going I was pleasantly surprised to realize that all of my funds have been going toward necessities (food, housing, etc), little things to keep the girlfriend happy (perhaps this should be lumped in with necessities ), my dogs, savings, books, and guns. The girlfriend is whip-smart, frugal, pro-gun, free thinking, and pretty to boot. Definitely want to keep her around. The dogs are, well... dogs. I love them to death. Savings are great and need not be explained. Guns and books are useful and things to pass on to my future children. It feels good to no longer spend my earnings like a teenager with a summer job.