Curmudgeon before my time?

[Peregrin]

No fightin or i'll poke you with my cane

:thumbup:

 

[pmew]

This was the only pocket knife my father carried or owned for the best part of 50 years. He now uses a Victorinox something or other because he knows I have always coveted it and he gave it to me (I think he really carries it because my mother likes the scissors and he likes the magnifying glass)

 

[kamagong]

I like knives and I'll buy one just because I want it. No further explanation or justification needed. How's that for curmudgeonly?

- Christian

 

[jackknife]

Okay, that's it!

From now on, I'm gonna use only a Northwoods stockman and nothing else! :grumpy:

Hows that for curmudgeonly behavior?

At least for the next 24 hours, anyways.

 

[knarfeng]

I went for over a decade carrying the same pocket knife everyday. It covered my needs and I did not have excess money to buy others.

Nowadays, the kids are grown. I have a bit of extra money. So now I have more than one knife. And I like it.

 

[leghog]

This was the only pocket knife my father carried or owned for the best part of 50 years. He now uses a Victorinox something or other because he knows I have always coveted it and he gave it to me (I think he really carries it because my mother likes the scissors and he likes the magnifying glass)

My grandfather carried but a single pocket knife and owned no other while he had this.

I went for over a decade carrying the same pocket knife everyday. It covered my needs and I did not have excess money to buy others.

Nowadays, the kids are grown. I have a bit of extra money. So now I have more than one knife. And I like it.

I carried only this Boker daily for a decade.

 

[Lemmy Caution]

Yeah I think each answers this from tier own perspective. I don't think there's anything intrinsically problematic about collecting knives for show or for use or for whatever. For instance I don't think there's anything morally wrong with drinking but for me personally it's just not an option moral or otherwise. It's my addictive personality that's the problem not the booze or the knives or anything else. So if I sense that I'm relating to knives like a drunk at a bar, throwing away money that's needed elsewhere or buying to fill some never fillable void then I need to take pause. But yeah I'm sort of a hybrid collector user. I use everything I collect. So at the very least I'm directed toward collecting things I'll actually want to carry and use.

 

[Markesharp]

I went for over a decade carrying the same pocket knife everyday. It covered my needs and I did not have excess money to buy others.

Nowadays, the kids are grown. I have a bit of extra money. So now I have more than one knife. And I like it.

+1 :thumbup:

 

[Semper Praesidio]

I think it is more of a knife enthusiasts forum.

+1 - I'd like to think that anyone who was excited about knives, whether they own 1 or 100, or 1,000 could find like-minded enthusiasts on this virtual front porch to swap stories and give advice. Pull up a chair and grab a whittlin' stick - glad you're here.

 

[jerryd6818]

Heck, saving up the loose change in your pocket at the end of the day will do it. A new knife a few times a year.

Odd you should mention that. Probably 20 years ago, while I was still working, I picked up a metal paint bucket at Lowes and sat it on my dresser. Each day when I emptied my pockets after work, I would dump the spare change into that bucket. Until I retired, that bucket would fill up and accumulate about $175-$200+ per year.

 

[knarfeng]

Odd you should mention that. Probably 20 years ago, while I was still working, I picked up a metal paint bucket at Lowes and sat it on my dresser. Each day when I emptied my pockets after work, I would dump the spare change into that bucket. Until I retired, that bucket would fill up and accumulate about $175-$200+ per year.

BDC

Before Debit Cards

 

[rma100]

I've got an old traditional Blue Glass Mason Jar, which I also collect, for my change.

 

[jc57]

I put my change in a ceramic bowl on my desk at the end of the day, along with my Victorinox Alox Cadet, pictured below with another knife that I am currently not carrying, and several other pocket tools that don't belong in this forum.



I put my change back in my pocket the next day, and use it when I buy things instead of accumulating more pocket change.

I also have learned to only buy those things I can afford and not be envious of other people who can buy nicer things than I can afford.

 

[Sayoc01]

Jackknife,
Ain't no way!! I've seen you go thru the peanut stage,the Swiss Army stage, the Buck stage ,the Italian stage,the Opie stage,back to the peanut stage!! Give up TRYING to go with only ONE knife!! You mean well......but...it ain't gonna happen! SIMPLY PUT......"YOU"are & have always been a knife guy......hence you will go from knife to knife thru out your life!! Sounds like a Greek tragedy doesn't it! Hee-Hee!
Jim

 

[Rsmith_77]

Jackknife,
Ain't no way!! I've seen you go thru the peanut stage,the Swiss Army stage, the Buck stage ,the Italian stage,the Opie stage,back to the peanut stage!! Give up TRYING to go with only ONE knife!! You mean well......but...it ain't gonna happen! SIMPLY PUT......"YOU"are & have always been a knife guy......hence you will go from knife to knife thru out your life!! Sounds like a Greek tragedy doesn't it! Hee-Hee!
Jim

Dont forget his sodbuster stage!

 

[Rsmith_77]

Hey, its me, Ryan, you know the opening poster

A big part of the reason i posted this is, i knew what was coming. Yesterday I posted my two weeks notice at my job. Lets just say that my wife and I agree that its time for me to move on. I do not have a job lined up, i don't know what to expect from the future. My wife makes very good money (more than me) and we have decided that for the time being, i will stay home, take care of the dogs and the house and i'm even going to take up cooking lol.

But its all very scary. We will be taking an immediate hard look and what expenses we can cut back on, and of course discretionary knife spending is flat out gone for the time being. So i better learn to appreciate what i have and stop pining for what i cannot afford and this thread was me verbalizing (err writing out?) my feelings.

I dunno, hope that clarifies somewhat the reasoning behind the post.

Ryan

 

[jackknife]

Ryan, I do knowhow ya feel, and it is a bit scary. In 1997 the company I worked for figured out they could get the work done in Mexico a lot cheaper, so they laid all of us in the machine shop, sheet metal shop, assembly section, off. I'd been there 20 years, some of my co-workers had been there longer. But they told us the people down at the unemployment officer was expecting us, so Hasta la vista, see ya later, don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out. It was a scary time to go looking for a job with the economy then was in a slump. I ended up in a crummy job shop working for half the pay on crummy machines. Finally could retire and become an impoverished fixed income senior citizen in 2002.

My spending that I had just got used to in the 1990's because the kids were grown and out, the house was finally paid for, and I could buy knives, some guns, all came to a crashing halt. Ended up selling a lot of stuff off when I released not only did I not need it all, but being retired let me spend way more time with the kids and grandkids. I had time to do errands for family members who didn't have the time because they were working. It had a silver lining, but it was a little tarnished and I had to polish things a bit.

Things are not important, but the people in our lives are priceless.

 

[arizonaranchman]

I'd call myself more of a pocket knife enthusiast perhaps. I enjoy them and appreciate them for the fine tools they are, but I don't wish or desire to have hundreds of them. The 15 or so I do have bring me much enjoyment. This site is a fantastic place to learn about them, share thoughts on them and interact with others with a similar passion for them. To me the joy comes from carrying and using them, not from possessing them.

We all have different ways that we go about enjoying our pocket knives. It all works out in the end as this is a great site with great people. So whether you're content with 5 or 500, that's the beauty of it. :thumbup:

Two favorites that are very special to me from friends here on the forum.

 

[arizonaranchman]

Well times of change in life are sometimes hard Ryan, but usually they are because something lies ahead for you and it ends up being better in the long run. These things keep it interesting, otherwise life would become wearisome if nothing ever changed. Sometimes we stagnate if change doesn't spur us on to something else. Even seemingly negative events can bring positive results.

Your Texas Jack and SI will get you through, rest assured! We'll even let you stop in and harass us in the Peanut gallery more often since you're obviously fascinated with us. We'll help you through this time of transition.

Pioneer and Case XX #6232 for your enjoyment...

 

[5K Qs]

Hey, its me, Ryan, you know the opening poster

A big part of the reason i posted this is, i knew what was coming. Yesterday I posted my two weeks notice at my job. Lets just say that my wife and I agree that its time for me to move on. I do not have a job lined up, i don't know what to expect from the future. My wife makes very good money (more than me) and we have decided that for the time being, i will stay home, take care of the dogs and the house and i'm even going to take up cooking lol.

But its all very scary. We will be taking an immediate hard look and what expenses we can cut back on, and of course discretionary knife spending is flat out gone for the time being. So i better learn to appreciate what i have and stop pining for what i cannot afford and this thread was me verbalizing (err writing out?) my feelings.

I dunno, hope that clarifies somewhat the reasoning behind the post.

Ryan

Ryan, when I saw your original post, I was a little bit surprised by it. I thought something like, "Rsmith_77 frequently posts stuff that makes me laugh. But he 'threw me a curve ball' here with all this deep philosophizing." But I think that this is an excellent and thought-provoking thread; I've benefitted from reading and thinking about the opinions of everyone who's posted here. For what it's worth, I don't worry too much about the financial aspect of my knife hobby; I've set a relatively meager monthly budget for myself that I'm able to stick to (T. Erdelyi and leghog are my new heroes because they're successfully achieving the goal I have of finding, and using, reasonably sound old knives that I can pick up for under $20 each), and I don't resent not being able to afford many of the attractive knives often posted here. But I DO worry that my knife hobby might be taking up more of my TIME than it should; reading posts, enjoying photos, and looking for knives at yard sales, flea markets, pawn shops, knife shows, and online can really be a time-sink if I'm not careful.

Thanks also for sharing your motivation for your original post! I can believe that the future is looking scary right now, especially because it looks different from your former plans. But a guy with a Texas jack in his pocket has little to fear, right? Best wishes as you move forward and face the challenges of a major change in life circumstances.

- GT