Financial accountability and the knife collector

There are apparently 12 step programs for people with financial problems - worth a try if the problem is bad enough.

Good luck!
 
Hi David,

I read a few posts by someone on BF with regards to doing your homework and purchasing the very best knife for the money that you can get.

As well considering the knife/makers desirability in the after market.

:D
 
It's funny, when I put on my financial glasses, I realize I have lost at least as much money not buying than I have buying. I.e., I have let some great pieces escape my grasp at a time when $1,000 was out of question for me on a knife. To be specific, one of the most beautiful bowie I ever saw was a Don Fogg stag carver bowie with hamon which he had on his site up for sale for several days at $950... :rolleyes: :grumpy:
 
When I couldn't afford to spend money on knives... I didn't.

Pay your bills first, then you can have money for hobbies.

Always remember Will Ferrell's advice. "Don't buy stuff you can't afford." It's a simple one-step process to financial stability.
 
sell the house, live on the streets, but at least you'll have your knives.
 
2knife,

I can relate to your dilemma. In one year I managed to amass huge credit card debt and it was really haunting me: it would have taken at least a couple of years to pay off on my regular salary (with 0 money left in the budget). So with no other options I got a weekend job and have been working 7 days a week since the end of 2007, but all with the hopes of being free in less than a year.

I was well on track and even managed to squirrel away some money for Blade (probably my one vacation this year), but then I bought a knife here about a month ago and had to start from scratch. I’ve managed to put together a bit more money for the show, but now my eyes are getting bigger than my budget and if I’m not careful I may end up right back to where I was over 4 months ago.

I don’t want to keep up this work schedule up any longer than I have to, but it’s going to be tough to resist the temptation at the show. :(

Good luck, it ain’t an easy battle.
 
Fortunately, I have been able to control my impulses to over indulge in buying knives or other collectibles. I consider it entertainment and if I can't pay in full and NOT miss the money, I don't spent it.

I consider it the same 'disposable income' that I would use to go to a bar, out to dinner etc.

UNfortunately, lately I have not had the surplus to satisfy my collectible cravings.

I guess each person must recognize what THEY need to do to stay dept free. It is difficult considering the cost to live these days.

Of course if I had financial independence....my collecting would probably be out of control:D

Good luck with your debt,
Peter
 
My advice is that no knife is worth going into debt to those lowlife credit companies.
 
David, i identify with what you say and for many in BF, the compulsive aspect of knife collecting is overwhelming. i have seen posts in other BF sub-forums stating the same but replies are often flippant and dismissive.
i have spent perhaps as much as $50,000 in the last 15 months on knives. (i don't know the real figure because i refuse to face reality and add it up.)
can i afford this ? no ! i am spending my retirement savings plan and at this rate it will run out long before i do.
when the power goes out (at least 2x per month) and i cannot get to BF or ebay, i become anxious and very restless, until the power is back on.
i spend so much time at my computer (always looking at knives or reading here), that necessary jobs on my large rural property go undone and are now beyond my ability to get them all done. the place is gradually getting run down.
at least 100 times, i have justified a knife purchase by telling myself "o.k., after this one, no more for awhile", only to buy more knives the next day.
i have a lovely 2 1/2 year old daughter, who often i ignore, being driven to do more "computer knifin' ".
prior to beginning to use a computer, which soon led me to BF and ebay, i was 100% financially responsible, always did jobs as they arose and never ignored my daughter.
i recognize these symptoms. the name for my state is: addicted . i am an addict. i am addicted to reading about and buying knives.
this is not a state of health. i am not alone here as evidenced by posts by others. still more have this addiction, but are incapable of seeing it or being honest with themselves. this is called denial, a hallmark of addiction.
if reading this makes you uncomfortable in any way, i suggest you honestly examine your own knife buying history.
what am i going to do about this ? i don't know. Spring marches on. the garden remains unplanted. the house needs cleaning. i have at least 50 knives on my work bench which need proper examination and lubrication for storage. yet here i sit, posting in BF again.
it's not a joke and you are not alone. roland
 
It's not even worth it if you're indebted to one of the classier credit companies.

Hoping you'll find a sensible solution to your worries, David.

Madcap_magician,

When you mentioned Ferrell, the quote that immediately popped to mind was "If you don't chew Big Red..."

Roland,

Log out right now and take your daughter to the park! You will not get this time back and no knife or other object of addiction will ease the guilt of missing out.
 
Anyone who has such a serious problem with spending money that they don't have really should be seeking help outside of this 'virtual' community. Real help.
Filling voids in one's life with commodities is not the way to confront what is lacking.
 
In my real life, I am a financial planner. I have been in this area for 29 years and have seen lots of this type of addictive shopping behavior and "stuff" attachment in many forms over that time. IN fact, probably all of us have some kind of similar temptation to one degree or another. You are not alone.

Take my word: prayer and real severe self-discipline are the only ways to successfully deal with the problem.

Here is my professional advice: Get out of debt and stay out of debt. If you don't have the free cash, after all your family needs, including savings, DON"T BUY ANYTHING!

IN fact, SELL THE KNIVES if you have to in order to pay off those ^%**#& credit cards.

YES you heard me right, SELL THE KNIVES. Having debt makes you a slave of the finance company. LIVE FREE, even if it means owning less "stuff". Living free always requires some type of sacriface, in this case, your attachment to the knives, or computer time. Just deny yourself. It has always been called good-ole-fashioned-discipline.

Put your family first. Living up to your duty to provide for them will give you a far better feeling than owning a pretty piece of "stuff" in a safe somewhere that you can't take with you anyway. If someone askes how to determine if they "need" a knife, here is a question to ask yourself: if I have a good knife in my pocket, one on my belt, and my wife has what she needs in the kitchen: do I really "need" more than that?? Not really.

One thing that will help is to think of the consequences if you continue to live like this. You may loose your property, your family etc. Is that really worth it?? Take my word, I have seen it too many times.

God Bless you, and know that YOU CAN DO IT! And, you will be very glad that you did.

Raymond, CFP
 
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Well David at least you have bought knives that are easily sold and probably at a PROFIT. So you could have MUCH WORST obsessions.

Good luck to you friend.
 
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i just could'nt bring myself to buy alot of knives, just special ones i planned on using, when my tastes got so high, i tried my hand at making knives instead of buying them. it made me alot less impulsive feeling, i really knew at that point what i really wanted. so now when i see a custom i really like most of the time, it has something to do with the makers attitude or true untapped talent, u just see it. Sell a few pieces and get some steel and some tools, all i wanted was to make enough on a few knives to buy my first Randall. u might surprise yourself. i know u will gain more of an appreciation for buying just what u want, not everything u see. just my opinion, thanks, jeremy
 
Well, ya can't start this process with a ton of debt, but if you work at it, it can work well without the debt load - sometime down the road, in the future, or maybe in your next life...

Echoing Les here - do your homework, know your knives, buy and sell fairly with a little profit in mind....and you'll probably do just fine.

With regards to knife addiction, I guess I know as much about that as anyone here - we buy or sell a Randall knife on an almost daily basis now, and I spend several hours a day, each and every day, uncovering new knives to buy...

The following worked well for us, and it may work for you - try to make a few bucks on each knife sold, sell a dozen, keep one for yourself, start over....do this daily for five or ten years and you'll likely find that you've amassed a nice collection for little other than the effort...

Then, when you get really addicted, you can start writing magazine articles, reference guides, books, etc...of course, all the upfront publishing money will have to come from selling your knives - then all the money made from selling your book gets rolled back into buying knives...lol

Remember tho', family comes first. You can go without food, but if you have no family then you'll have no one to feed ya ;)

Good luck, it never ends, there is no cure...
 
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Hey Melvin,

The following worked well for us, and it may work for you - try to make a few bucks on each knife sold, sell a dozen, keep one for yourself, start over....do this daily for five or ten years and you'll likely find that you've amassed a nice collection for little other than the effort...
Click to expand...

Sounds like exactly what I did. Except the knives I bought turned into inventory

Im very proud of the fact that I have bought and sold millions of dollars of custom knives and never took out a loan. Also, never missed a payment on anything.

One of the best parts of my job is that for the last 13 years I worked out of the house and got to spend all the time I wanted with my family. More times than not I was the only Dad at my kids school events (during the day).

The worst addict becomes a dealer. :D
 
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