monthly gun budget

[fotheringill]

#18 has the right answer "...Whatever you can afford comfortably...."

Discretionary spending is at the bottom of the money list.

If one earns 1M/year and has $100K left over for goodies, no problem. If the numbers are much lower, you need to make decisions based upon priorities and consequences.

 

[JFtheGR8]

I started driving a school bus on some Saturdays to cover my gun addiction. I said no more than $100 a month because that's about what I make after taxes for a trip with one of the school sports teams. Most of the time I am driving one of my daughter's teams and getting paid to watch her play. That keeps the wife off my back too. I've sold stuff on eBay that has been forgotten and no longer used as well. You do what you gotta do to feed the addiction but just don't let it control you. [emoji5]

 

[fallout mike]

Not as much as it used to be!

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

You walk in to gun store. You see it, you like, if you have the $ you buy it. Then tell the wife how much it will appreciate. Just like money in the bank!

 

[jlr1962]

I have seen friends with their priorities change overnight when the reality of the amount of money they spend or have spent is discovered by their spouse.

I have seen friends hold fast to their excessive spending on toys, happy hour... or whatever floats their boat, wind up broke and alone. But hey, they're havin fun.

 

[aarondhgraham]

It just making a budget,,,

It just making a budget plan,,,
And then sticking to it.

It's not rocket science,,,
But most adults I know can't seem to do it.

If you itemize all of your expenses,,,
Then you can allocate the appropriate money for them.

Anything left over is now discretionary.

I am single and don't make a ton of money,,,
But since I put my spending under intelligent control,,,
All of my bills get paid on time and I have money socked back for small emergencies.

I bring home about 2,400.00 a month,,,
I immediately allocate amounts to cover certain bills.

For instance I always put 100 in a spreadsheet column for OG&E Electricity,,,
I always put $100.00 in a spreadsheet column for water-sewer-trash,,,
I always put $100.00 in a spreadsheet column for insurances,,,
I always put $300.00 in a spreadsheet column for groceries,,,
I always put $250.00 in a spreadsheet column for gasoline,,,
I always put $50.00 in a spreadsheet column for clothes,,,
I always put $120.00 in a spreadsheet column for meds.

I have more columns I put money into,,,
If I need to spend money for a category of expense,,,
I put the money back for it before I actually have a need for it.

The point I'm trying to make is to define each and every single thing you must spend money on.

Immediately subtract that money from your take-home pay every paycheck.

What's left over is yours to do whatever you want with it,,,
No matter how small it is you now know how much you can spend each day.

I call this my allowance,,,
In my case it's about $18.00 a day,,,
That doesn't sound like much but it's all mine.

It's my walk-around money,,,
It's my after work beer money,,,
If I want to go shooting it's my ammo money.

Now here's the real kicker,,,
I always put a bit more back than is needed,,,
And when my electric bill is $83.00 instead of the $100 I put back,,,
I leave that $17.00 surplus sitting in that column like rolling over your cell phone minutes.

In a year you will be surprised how much your columns will accumulate.

After my gasoline column had $1,000.00 built up,,,
I figure that amount will cover any minor emergency on my car.

So now if I don't spend the allocated $250.00 for gasoline,,,
I shift the overage into a "new gun" account.

It took three years but I'm now a full year ahead of all of my bills,,,
I simply used my knowledge of 6th grade arithmetic,,,
And put my spending under intelligent control.

I was describing my system to an undergrad who I work with,,,
She told me about this financial advisor, Dave Ramsey.

I had never heard of him before,,,
But I read about his system on the web,,,
I think I should sue him because he copied my methodology.

It takes a bit of work to set this up,,,
Then the self-discipline to abide by your rules.

But that's how I afford to buy guns and ammo for them.

Aarond

.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

I get paid monthly, and of that monthly paycheck, my wife and I each get $140 of "blow money". The point is I can spend on what I want, no questions asked. Likewise for her - if she wants to buy a 374th shirt that she will wear 2 times and then want to replace, whatever, its her money . Most of mine goes to guns, ammo, and accessories.

With any unexpected income - bonus, inheritance, etc, we use the bulk of the money for financial priorities - pay down mortgage, add to investments, contribute to son's 529, etc. Then we have fun with whats left after that - usually around 10-20%.

 

[PantherHead]

Wow I must have a serious buying problem. I'm surprised most of the answers given so far are that low. I'm not bragging by any means but yeah I'm really surprised.

I just keep telling myself just one more, that cycle has been repeating for a while now.

 

[chicharrones]

My monthly gun expenditures have come in waves over the years. Peaks and valleys happen. Right now I've scaled back into a valley as just about the entire Obama presidency took me into the longest peak I've ever been on.

I used to have a lot more hobbies than only shooting guns. Oh how I have forgot that over the last several years. Once the kids are grown, I'm going to see what hobbies besides shooting guns are left in the world.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

Yeah. 800 a year wouldn't cut it. Ill shoot up at least twice that in ammo. My gun budget is whatever I want to buy when I want to buy it. I feel like, aside from ammo, I haven't really spent any money on guns because of the buy sell and trade around here. I do have a membership to a private gun club, and do spend lots of money on holsters for whatever my carry gun is at that point. But meh, I wouldn't limit myself to a budget.

 

[TIMC]

Never really put aside any money for a "Gun fund", if I decide I want something new and I have disposable funds I get it. That approach has worked very well for me over the years, of course I use that approach towards everything I get.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Pretty sure if I spent 50% of my monthly income on firearms and accessories, I would find myself no longer married to the most wonderful woman I've ever met.

Otherwise it's about budgeting and priorities. If you want something enough and are patient and plan, you'd be surprised what you can do. I picked up a very nice carbon fiber road bike about 3 years ago, when I was making about 60% of what I currently do. Yes, it took 3 years of saving to do, but by that point I was also pretty sure I wasn't going to lose interest in the hobby either.

And to borrow from the cycling world: the ideal number of guns to own is n+1, where n is the number you currently own, plus one, or s-1, where s is the number that would result in separation and divorce.

(I have a 1 in/1 out policy to keep my accumulating tendency from overwhelming the carrying capacity of storage, logistics supply and the relationship. Right now I'm working on a "trim down", but that's because I want one expensive pistol in place of several less expensive examples.)

 

[guyfromohio]

If I find it, can I afford it? If I want it, can I save enough for it?

 

[HKGuns]

It all depends on how much you make, how much debt you have and how much you're saving for retirement.

50% is an insane number, unless you're 19 and making minimum wage, flippin burgers at McDonalds.

 

[primalmu]

Luckily, in addition to making a good salary ($72,000, before taxes of course), I get 22% commission once my production reaches a certain point. Every quarter I get a bonus. Right now I'm saving up a down payment for a house, and I'm expecting about an $8,000 (pretax) bonus, so figure about $6000 take home. I'll be allocating $4000 to house savings, and the rest to my "fun fund." This works exceedingly well for me because I formulate my budget based off my salary, and bonus is just that, "free" money that has no budgetary obligations. Once I buy a house much of that will be going towards extra payments, but I'll still have plenty of guilt-free fun money to spend on my hobbies (guns, guitars, and motorcycles).

 

[WestKentucky]

I blew this month's budget tonight...700 primers. 200 large pistol magnum, 500 small pistol standard. I'm set for...a couple weeks. I still need to buy a bunch of stuff from MBC but money is never there.

 

[Cee Zee]

Budget? Guns? Come on. You surely aren't serious are you? Those two words can't be used in the same sentence can they?

Leaving me with just ammo costs--which shouldn't be that much at all in the big picture.

That's a good one. I love a good joke. Ammo is by far the biggest expense involved in shooting. I probably spend double on ammo compared to guns even since the shortage began. Before that... Shhhhh! My wife might read this.

 

[Propforce]

When I was single, I could afford to spend $10 - $15K per year on my hobbies. Now I am married with two mortgages, I've cut that way down. I now limit myself to buy only 2 guns a year. My latest acquisition was the Ruger Alaskan 454 Casull.

It is a matter of priorities in life.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

All year long, I put all my silver pocket change in a jar. This is my annual donation to the family reunion on my Dad's side.

Every time I buy something with cash, any bills less than $20 goes into a bank envelope. When it reaches $100, it gets sealed up and tossed into a box. This is vacation money or whatever else I want to use it for at the end of the year.

Some things I creatively budget for...that creativity is part of what makes it work. Like any overtime I get goes towards paying off a specific bill. Currently, that's my credit card. When that card is paid off, the monthly payment I would normally have been making goes straight into savings so I'll be far less likely to carry a balance on the card in the future.

Pick something and make it work for you. Keep track of the mileage on your car and put away a nickel for every mile you drive. Do something that works for YOU.

 

[czhen]

Let me try,
Two full time jobs, bi-weekly pay. One job pays the mortage plus principal. The other one helps to repair the house (homedepot materials etc.), kidds school, gym for the girl (11), clothing, HOA fee, gas, taxes, credit cards, unexpected car repairs, etc.. May be $90 per week.

CZhen,
FL

 

[browningguy]

I probably average $100-150 a month in ammo and reloading supplies, $50-100 in range fees if the daughter shoots with me. Usually $3-5000 a year for actual guns and optics.

I've been married 39 years and our don't ask don't tell policy is working pretty well.

 

[FROGO207]

The tide rises and falls going through life. Being single and successful is a help. For many years I was a member of the "gun of the month club". Some minor health issues have taken a chunk of that "spare" cash for now. I will be back to full steam soon. I have not cut back on the reloading/casting though----priorities you know.

 

[gondorian]

Assuming I'm not saving for a specific gun, $50/month

 

[Catpop]

WOW! I never knew it was so complicated!
Catpop

 

[theotherwaldo]

I'm over budget this month... sort of.

I had been allowing myself $100 per month for guns and gear, but I got a $550 per month raise as of my last pay period. I also paid off a debt that had been costing me $300 per month.

So I celebrated a bit.

First I put a SMLE Mark III (no asterisk) on lay-away at a local pawn shop. $388 over 3 months
Then I put a Smith-Corona 03A3 away at a LGS. $770 over 3 months.

All original and matching.

Then I wandered into the last gun show before the next hunting season and picked up a mid-war Model 99 Arisaka that had been duffle-bag cut for $100.

So - $1158.00 over three months is still under $400 per month, which still leaves me ahead of where I was.

I'm happy.