creating knife funds! how do you save up?

You wont be able to do this until you're 18, but selling blood plasma is a pretty easy way to pick up an extra $200 a month
 
Buy a few custom knives...that has drastically curtailed my purchasing of production knives and I actually spend less. YMMV but I have become so picky that it is pretty rare that I buy a knife anymore...but when I do, it costs a bit more;)
 
Magnaminous_G said:
To the OP,

It's wonderful that you are thinking positively and keeping your mind on important things like personal finance, so I applaud you. Would it be correct to assume that you live at home and don't have to pay for rent or health insurance (or food if you eat at home)? If so, that means you can definitely afford to spend any free cash you've got on your hobbies. Whether you should or not is another question.

I’d be interested to know more about this firefighting program you are in. I did a little internet research, and in Michigan a starting firefighter probably makes around $30,000. That’s okay, but the real advantage of being a firefighter is that it’s a union job with great benefits and good retirement. Have you gone to your local fire department and talked to real firefighters about what it really takes to get in? The firefighters at your local fire department would tell you the accurate truth. It might be harder than you think. From what I know, fire department jobs are very competitive, and some even require college classes and EMT training to even be considered.

As for your financial goals, sooner or later it is 100% guaranteed that you are going to need more cash for something (a big car repair, moving into a new place, paying for trade school or college, buying new clothes/shoes, buying a suit for a job interview, etc.). Before you splurge on luxuries, make sure you have money saved up to pay for those other things. Those things sneak up on you.

You mentioned that you want to fund your retirement. If you get into a fire department (and that is no guarantee), that’s a good start, but there are still catches: it doesn’t pay *that* well. It pays okay… but it’s not actually that good, especially not at the beginning. And even though most fire departments still have strong union representation and full pensions for 20 years of work, you only have to look at the current political landscape in America to see that that could change soon. They’re trying to destroy unions, and in 10 years who knows what it will be like? Firefighters might have their unions broken and their pensions eliminated. And then it just becomes a normal job… only more dangerous. To fully fund a retirement, you need to max out your retirement funds. That means $17,000 a year into a 401(k) and $5,000 a year into a Roth IRA. That’s impossible on $30,000 a year.

That said, firefighters will probably continue to get pensions in most states and continue to have strong unions, sure. But the salaries will probably be frozen and advancements will come slower. To live a comfortable life on a middle-class salary in American in the 21st century means living BELOW your means in everything you do: everything from which neighborhood you live in to what car you drive to what knife you EDC. It sounds like you really enjoy living ABOVE your means, admittedly buying more car than you needed and thinking about buying more knife than you need.

Some things that raised red flags for me: "i have $175-$225 to spend on all hobbie's," How much of that do you plan to save for your required classes and EMT training? ...or is it all going to hobbies? "if i would have bought an older truck i could have paid for almost all of my firefighter classes for my first year. so now im looking at some small student loans." You are basically admitting that you are willing to accept debt in order to live a lifestyle above your means? ...


picard-facepalm.jpg



That’s a very dangerous path to start going down… and it's a bigger problem than figuring out how to save a dollar here and there in order to buy a Sebenza, my friend.
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this will be a long one!

as hesitant as i am i will just drop some locations. i live in grand ledge, michigan. our local department is part of a program throughout the nation called fire explorers. it is a program for kids from the ages of 15-21 to help them get firmilar with life at the department. students or "explorers" meet on wednesdays after school from 3:30-5:00 pm. ( i show up and stay from about 2:50-6:30 ).explorers are issued gear including boots, bunker pants, bunker jacket, fire and safety gloves, safety vests and our own helmets. explorers learn the location of every tool or piece of gear on our trucks, how to use equipment such as scba's, we learn how to safely climb ladders in gear and how to climb the arial ladder truck, how to run hoses from hydrants into fires and have competions for who can do it fastest. and even using cutters and splitters also known as "the jaws of life" after you have passed the " probationary" phase you will be a level 1. you can go on all call's other than fatal car crash's and we never go into structure fires. a level 1 must be able to set up all equipment and prep it for use at a call. if you are very good you can become a level 2 which is where you can run all equipment and your tasks at a call grow. because level 1 explores are basicly set up gear and fetch gear for the firefighters. i do know everybody who works there on a first name basis because im there atleast 1 time a week. after we move on from the class and get our certifications to be real firefighters/ emt's we are automatically volly firefighters for grand ledge if we dont find any probationary jobs at a department. it is an amazing class and i recomend it for all kids who want to be a firefighter. i would also like to say and make it loud and clear. i am not a firefighter and do not claim to be.i am simply apart of this training program and have gaind alot of knowledge about working as a firefighter/emt. ( most guys at our department make about $50,000 year and you should also consider that they work 2 full days a week!

as for my personal finances. i am a very safe person. i did spend more on a newer truck because it had less wear and tear and i could drive it for more years without replacing every darn part or the truck jus shutting down because of age and wear and tear. i make all of my payments and have debt on nothing. yes i will take out student loans but you also should remember that they are not the same as a 4 year uni. i will be able to pay them back and it is not huge burdon on my family.

im a kid and i need to live a little bit. i should not put every single dollar into a bank program or some of that nature. i should enjoy my self for a few more years. i never did say i spent $200 a month on hobbies. some of that money is saved. my finances are far above other kids my age and if i spend that cash i dont see myself as setting myself up for a life of debt. most firefighters i know work at least 2 jobs and all of them do very well!!!! the captain in charge of explorers teaches classes for firefighting as well for example. between the 2 jobs and working 5 days a week i know alot of the guys make $75,000 and the captain's will make over $90,000 a year. so dont worry about me


here is a picture of grand ledge explorers using cutters and splitters as a training excersise. explorers have black helmets, and almost anybody with bunker gear on except the guy from delhi township is an explorer. the full timers are wearing street clothes other than the kid with the grand ledge fire sweatshirt on with the yellow helmet. if i count right i see 5 explorers ( most of the shorter people)

http://eastmanmediaservices.smugmug...i-4tNkxkD/0/L/031912EMT-BExtrication238-L.jpg

bryan,
have a nice day

(next time lets keep it focused more on the knives hahaha)
 
THIS THREAD WAS STARTED TO ASK BLADE FORUM MEMBER'S WHAT YOU DO TO SCRAPE UP THOSE EXTRA DOLLAR'S THROUGHOUT THE MONTH TO PAY FOR A NEW KNIFE OR OTHER HOBBIES

IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO ASK FOR LONG TERM FININCIAL HELP!!!!!! JUST TELL US SOME THINGS YOU DO LIKE THE EXAMPLES I STATED ON THE ORIGONAL POST!!!!!!:mad:

(sorry for the yeling but this is about getting together a few bucks for an extra knife here or there. and nobody gets the point or they choose not to answer the question and tell other people how to run their lives when they know about 5% of the story
 
In my case I have a pretty good job and don't have a wife or kids. I live considerably below my means so I have plenty of extra $ laying around. I'm super frugal with everything in my life except knives. They are the one guilty pleasure that I have. If I ever get remarried I expect that my knife buying will slow down considerably and I will have to figure out a new way to fund my hobby.
 
I'm married with 2 small kids, house and cars etc. It is hard at times to scrape up enough for the high end stuff. Usually I ask for money for Christmas and B-days and then I add to those for higher-end knives. Other than that I try to curtail my knife buying to about 1 a month at around $100. I do find it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
 
Just try to earn more money. Working an extra shift trumps all of the items that you mentioned (provided that its done frequently enough.)

If an extra shift (or some analog) is unavailable then become entrepreneurial. Figure out a good small business idea and go for it. No risk, no champagne (or in this case, higher end knives.)

imbryan715 said:
i know alot of you guys will say just hit buy or pull out your wallett but i would love to know what some younger guys or guys with a tighter budget do to get that new knife

im a young guy but i got a taste for the good stuff like usa made spidies, ZT'S, benchmade , leatherman and even a chris reeve or two. so i find my self needing to save for atleast a few weeks if not a month or two for that nice new knife.

being 16 i need to pay for gas, truck and some of my food on a SMALL !paycheck so that does not leave a bunch of cash for knives and hobbies and other fun stuff so i have come up with these.

1. take every $1 bill out of your wallet at the end of the day and put it away in a jar or container

2. return your cans and bottles

3. pick up change. ( i have turned in over $120 in coins in that where around my house.)

4. sharpen my buddies $5 hardwear store knives that take a shaving edge in about 3 min. haha

5. save and sell firearm brass

6. stop buying $3 energy drinks and junk food ( IT ADDS UP! )

at the end of an average month i will have almost 175 - 225 bucks

you guys need to try this out. ( small paycheck or not ) and what are some things you guys do?

( i dont trade much at all so i tend to pay for 99% of my knives)
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since you interested in knives something else to consider is paracord lanyards and bracelets

Not sure how much para bracelets go for in the states, but in SA the bracelets of 3M (about 9 to 10 ft) of paracord with a clasp (ready made) cost the same as a 30M roll of paracord
If you learn how to make them well you can charge cheaper and make some decent profit.

However I do agree fully with Magnaminous_G. Don't get used to spending and/or focus too much on your hobbies from an early age
Trust me, I messed up big time in that area. It can get you into serious financial difficulties when you get older and it's hell to get out
 
Sorry that you think I'm trying to tell you how to live your life. I'm not. I'm just warning you that developing a taste for the finer things in life and trying to arrange your financial situation around your tastes is a path to disaster. It should be the other way around: arrange your tastes around your financial situation. Yes, everything you said about firefighters is true. But you cannot count on that lifestyle or salary until you've actually got a job offer. And be very cautious about that because it's no guarantee that you will get the job; you know what they say about counting chickens before they hatch.

Okay, enough of that. You wanted concrete advice on how to make more money. If you are savvy, you might try e-bay/craigslist sales, such as taking old stuff around the house or from garage sales and selling it. But at 16 years of age, the surest path to extra money is extra work for wages: my advice on that point is to get a job waiting tables at a sit-down restaurant. Waiting tables is the best way to make money at your age. You can make $15/hr in tips at a good restaurant. If you work both shifts on the weekend, that can mean an extra $250 every weekend. But it's hard work. Waiters run around a lot, have to keep lots of things in memory (orders, being nice to customers, etc.), and are always tired. But the money is good.

Another way to make good money at your age is to work on a farm on the weekends. Local dairy farms and ranches usually can always use help cleaning stalls, cleaning feed/water troughs, etc. They might pay you $8/hr or so, and might even pay you cash. For 20 hours of work on the weekends, that's $160 in your pocket every weekend. But it's good, honest work for wages.

In both cases, the best thing to do is to just go to your local restaurants and farms/ranches and talk to the owner and see if they need a little weekend help. Someone is sure to bite. I did both when I was a teenager, and I highly enjoyed them and made good money to put in my pocket. :D


EDIT: Okay, I can't help myself. Two more bits of "telling you how to run your life":

1. When you get student loans for your courses, see if there are any grants or federal/state guaranteed loans first. You always want those if they are available, and almost everybody qualifies for some kind of federal or state aid/loan. Private education loans have ruined many lives and such loans should be avoided like dirty perverts in back alleys. Talk to the school's financial aid counselor early (before you enroll) and tell them you want to apply for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and you do not want to take out private education loans. You can learn more about FAFSA here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAFSA.

2. After you've got your first real job and have a few pay stubs to show (after a month or two), go open an account at a local credit union (not bank... credit union), and get the best credit card they will offer you. It looks like you've got a credit union in Grand Ledge: Case Credit Union https://www.casecu.org/webfederal.asp. The limit will probably be low. Start paying for things with the credit card, but never carry a balance. What that means: always make sure that there is enough money in your checking account to pay off the full balance of the credit card on the due date every month. You want to rack up charges for stuff during the month (food, rent, etc.), and pay it all off before the due date. That's how you get a good credit score as early as possible, which means you will get better deals on a home loan.

Notice I did not say an auto loan. That's because you should never put yourself in debt over a car. You should only put yourself in debt (i.e., take out loans) for things that will potentially give you more money later, i.e. investments. A car is not an investment; it's a money dump. Property is an investment. Education is an investment. Mutual funds are an investment. Investments appreciate (gain value over time). Money dumps depreciate (lose value over time). You know...like a Sebenza. Some folks here will try to convince you that high-end knives are a good investment. They are not. They don't gain value. At best, they retain most of their value, but they still lose value. So they are more like a savings account: one that doesn't pay interest and can easily be lost or stolen...
 
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I usually end up working overtime a few hours every pay period. I sell the knives that I don't want anymore, nd that usually frees up enough to get something good.
 
imbryan715 said:
THIS THREAD WAS STARTED TO ASK BLADE FORUM MEMBER'S WHAT YOU DO TO SCRAPE UP THOSE EXTRA DOLLAR'S THROUGHOUT THE MONTH TO PAY FOR A NEW KNIFE OR OTHER HOBBIES

IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO ASK FOR LONG TERM FININCIAL HELP!!!!!! JUST TELL US SOME THINGS YOU DO LIKE THE EXAMPLES I STATED ON THE ORIGONAL POST!!!!!!:mad:

(sorry for the yeling but this is about getting together a few bucks for an extra knife here or there. and nobody gets the point or they choose not to answer the question and tell other people how to run their lives when they know about 5% of the story
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bryan,

I cannot argue the fact that you are getting some good advice in this thread. However, I understand that some of the advice you're getting is not what this thread is about.

I know it was me that started this thread off in the wrong direction. I apologize for that. I should have emailed you or something like that if I wanted to offer off topic advice.

Back on topic: I can usually afford the knives I want so most of the time I don't have to really save up for a knife. Sometimes I do buy a knife and then replace the money with my next paycheck but I usually have the money available to begin with. If I have a custom knife on order the saving up comes naturally because there is usually a long waiting period anyway.

I do however, have a large jar that I keep all of my loose change in. It takes me about 10 months to fill it up but then it's time for a free knife or two.:) It really isn't free but it seems like it because I never miss the change. I still have about 7 months to go before the jar is filled up this time around.
 
Railsplitter said:
bryan,

I cannot argue the fact that you are getting some good advice in this thread. However, I understand that some of the advice you're getting is not what this thread is about.

I know it was me that started this thread off in the wrong direction. I apologize for that. I should have emailed you or something like that if I wanted to offer off topic advice.

Back on topic: I can usually afford the knives I want so most of the time I don't have to really save up for a knife. Sometimes I do buy a knife and then replace the money with my next paycheck but I usually have the money available to begin with. If I have a custom knife on order the saving up comes naturally because there is usually a long waiting period anyway.

I do however, have a large jar that I keep all of my loose change in. It takes me about 10 months to fill it up but then it's time for a free knife or two.:) It really isn't free but it seems like it because I never miss the change. I still have about 7 months to go before the jar is filled up this time around.
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no big deal hahaha..... i just wanted that message to pop when people where reading. i dont care about a little advice but more people where talking about long term financial goals than knives haha
bryan,
have a nice day
 
i'm a young guy to and I picked up a few fairly expensive knives for dirt cheap then sold them for a profit. Check your local knife shows alot of vendors at them will let knives go for pretty low prices. Also i'm sure you have neighbors so go do yard work for them.
 
married, one kid in private school, house and car mortgage. but the school tuition has been kept manageable, just two years left with both house and car. i'm about to retire from my present work and start a new one. so there. it's only now that i can really splurge (like yesterday i bought two knives at ebay.)

my point is, i see hobbies (like knives) as a way to reward myself for all that hard work and saving.
 
I'm a cheap bastard! Wife & I coupon shop for just about everything possible. I have a 4'x4'x8' rubbermaid dumpster out behind my house, that I use to save my cans & turn them in when I get a truckload. I also hand out 8oz. cans of soda to pts at work but they aren't allowed the can & work don't recycle so sometimes I take 'em home & add to my own. I keep my change separated by denomination, so when I decide it's time to roll it, it's just easier to do. I always ask for cash for bdays & Christmas as it's just more convenient. I also try to pay myself a little each month (state employees here get paid monthly) that gets put into the safe for my "gun fund" which is basicaly mad money. I also work ot whenever possible. Another point not mentioned is here we have a grocery store called Bilos. It has what's called fuel perks. For every x amount spent there you get a nickel off the price per gallon of gas up to 20 gallons. this also applies to gift cards & sometimes they double x amount for the value of a gift card. So a $50 card gets $100 worth (usually .20 cents) off a gallon. This resets every 3 months. If the wife & I wanna go out to a restaurant to eat, we'll stop in & get a giftcard for the meal & get the fuel perks too. Right now, I've got $2.95 off per gallon for 20 gallons. We'll probably pick up a lowe's hardware card & get another .40 cents off a gallon beofre I cash this 3 month period out. That'll be $2.00 I spend on 20 gallons of gas... At current pricing...
 
Save the change above as mentioned above, stay away from fast food places if you go more than once every 2 weeks, starbucks is great but you can make coffee at home, and make your lunches for work. I find when I just want to grab a quick bite, fast food and convenient stores may have it, but you pay more and your weight starts to climb as you get older (no, your pants aren't getting smaller because of the dryer!! ). One of the things I noticed recently is right here on the forums, check out the blades in the for sale sections, sometimes you can get a bargain. Lastly, make sure you have thought out if you really want this knife, study it from all angles, do you have any already smililar in your collection or does if fill a gap in it, what makes the knife unique, and avoid buying on impulse. Finally, if you have a big collection, don't forget to bring back out some of the oldies you bought, play with them, and see if that will satisfy your craving for a new knife by learning how to really use them and enjoy them. At some point you will have to say no and be strong about it (yes, that is hard when we all have knife-sickness), but sometimes the craving will go away and you can get great enjoyment about reading what others collect and show here on the forums.
 
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