How do you afford it all?

I originally got into this hobby because it's cheaper to buy a knife than a firearm (in some cases) and I can enjoy knives on a day to day basis, whereas with firearms I would have to wait once a month or so. Initially, I went crazy buying knives, I spent well over $2000 last year on blades. Now I've slowed down and focused more on sharpening (which is an expensive endeavor on its own), but I feel I get more enjoyment out of eeking out a bit more performance on a blade I already own than chasing down the unicorn that is "the perfect knife".

As far as paying for it, I move a small amount of money to a savings account with each pay check and when that adds up to a knife I want, I buy it. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it doesn't take as long. I am considering selling down some of my collection to pay for others that I feel I would use more often. I have several that got opened a few times and then put in a safe, I felt were too nice to carry on a day to day basis, or knives that I thought would strike a chord but fell a bit flat.
 
powernoodle said:
1 - graduate from HS
2 - get a job
3 - don't get arrested
4 - get married
5 - have kids
6 - in that order
7 - spend less than you earn, while paying off all debt and fully funding retirement and college funds; tithe on your gross income, and give generously to those who are less fortunate through no fault of their own, then
8 - spend the excess on knives

Seriously, if you want to succeed in life, hold off on the knife hoarding until you get things done in order. Otherwise, you'll never make it to step #7.

kn7.jpg

The fruits of delayed gratification.
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Is that a spyderco w an axis lock with the black plastic handle on top towards the right? What is that?
 
Wife and I both have master degrees and work in a corporate environment. Not rich by any means but we both do well. Only debt is a 15 year mortgage and car notes (GMC truck and Mazda SUV). Set aside play money and only use that to pay for guns, knives, etc. Never spend money we don't have. We just had our first child and the nanny will be eating up all of my play money for a little while so I am now selling knives I don't use in order to pay for new ones.
 
BenchCo Spydermade said:
Is that a spyderco w an axis lock with the black plastic handle on top towards the right? What is that?
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That is a Spyderco D'Allara Drop Point. It was available back in about 2005/2006 give or take. There is also a rescue version of that knife. It is the early version of Spyderco's ball bearing lock (non-caged). Great knife.....just somewhat heavy.
 
David Lowry said:
That is a Spyderco D'Allara Drop Point. It was available back in about 2005/2006 give or take. There is also a rescue version of that knife. It is the early version of Spyderco's ball bearing lock (non-caged). Great knife.....just somewhat heavy.
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Ah, BBL, duh. I forgot they didn't have a cage before the manix...
 
Knives hold their value well. Once you have the initial investment, it becomes a balance of buy and sell.
 
I'm not rich not by any means.

Wife and I both work and we have a daughter now. When it was just us I spent a lot on knives and other gear. When my daughter was born I stopped buying knIves because my knife fund or extra money went to my daughter.

Now days vs 4-5 years ago wife and I make a little more money than we used to and we no longer have a mortgage or car payments.

I did build up a pretty nice collection of knives from round one and I'm just getting back onto knives. If I want something new I'll sell one of my older ones.

Also linking your paypal or Google wallet whatever to your bank account. When you have some extra cash after the bills are paid and my little girl has what she needs I may put some cash into my paypal and just let it sit there and or build up.

Hardest thing for me though is having money put back in my paypal that we keep just for are personal funds and seeing something I know my daughter would love. I've spent my "me funds" a few times on kids toys...Not complaining and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Just funny how things change
 
I'm a painter at a car dealership... Pay is full of peaks and valleys since I get payed by how many cars I can get painted and how big of a job it is, and my wife is in the medical field

Children's needs and bills come first, now I've gone from super expensive knives to a steel I like and a blade shape that will work well at work like my g10 s110v manix (I love it)....... This has cut my spending down a lot
 
I've been single for almost 3 years to the day. I have a minimum of debt and don't go out nearly as often as I used to. My full time job pays the bills and puts money in the savings.. my side job/hobby fuels the knife obsession and any other toys I may want.
 
oxman198 said:
Work a day of overtime at the plant. Plenty to go around, and one day equals a Sebenza if I wanted to drop that money on one, which I dont. I also try to sell one to buy one, or at least bring the cost down. But I only buy maybe 3-4 knives a year, most being under a hundred since my two main brands are Cold Steel and Spyderco.
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This ^ if production is good we are usually on time and half come Thursday . Normal work week for me is 3/4 Saturdays a month . They let us work half a day Sundays one double time.

Basically at my job your going to work 50 hours a week minimum. Last couple of years though those 50 hour weeks are rarer and rarer and 60 is more common. Im grateful to have a job that you can literally work as much as you want. Spoiling my daughter has taken priority right now though..
 
Like some others here, I am getting into the hobby a little later in life. I always had a fine appreciation for a good pocketknife, something my dad instilled in me. But only recently have I thought of my accumulated knives as a collection. I am enjoying seeing what the knife world is offering now and I love carrying the new knives I have recently purchased.

I set aside a small amount from each paycheck for my interests, whether knives, ammo, trips to the range, etc. My wife is retired, so we live off my income, but we are frugal and debt-free. We help others less fortunate where we can and generally have no money worries at all, so we are abundantly blessed.

I would caution anyone collecting anything, be it knives, guns, cigars, watches, etc. Don't let yourself get so caught up in wanting to have that next piece that you charge it or go into debt to have it. I have seen collecting obsessions crush people's lives and destroy marriages. I've seen friends charge things that they just had to have, then have the item shipped to their job so the wife wouldn't know about it. I've seen people use credit cards their wife never knew they had, then rack up debt that simply cannot be paid, all to satisfy that lust for collecting. It can be a dangerous game, so avoid it from the start and don't become a debt slave just to own some more knives.

The peace that comes from being debt-free cannot be over-stated. While I may want another knife, I know that if I never again purchased a new one, I would still have a fine collection to carry and enjoy. And, I would still have that appreciation for them that my dad taught me so long ago.
 
Ratbert said:
I would caution anyone collecting anything, be it knives, guns, cigars, watches, etc. Don't let yourself get so caught up in wanting to have that next piece that you charge it or go into debt to have it. I have seen collecting obsessions crush people's lives and destroy marriages.
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Amen. Plus the simple fact of collecting <whatever> gone wild can result in having so much "stuff" that one's home is unliveable. That's called hoarding. But short of hoarding you become very restricted in your mobility for moving to a different location or a better house and whatnot.

I've always made good money and we've always spent well below our means. And some of our hobbies are actually items and skills that will have value (even if reduced) when the money collapses. But we're immobile. If I died it would take her 2 years to deal with my stuff. If she dies first it'll take me 2 or more years to deal with her stuff. If you own stuff, it owns you back.
 
I use the travel expenses I get from work for all of my knife and handgun purchases. I can get away with this because I have a Subaru that I can do all but the hardest work on, should I need to. I save a ton of cash doing all of the work myself, and find the parts online.
 
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Frugality (driving the same Nissan I purchased new in 1990 - still with many miles to go); savings; wise investments (mutual funds/stocks/other collectables, including knives -they damn near all increase in value if you buy smart!)...and time. At age 63 I can afford to indulge in some of the finer things in life. Hate to preach, (yes, I do), but be smart, young people. This society is set up for you to increase your wealth. If you don't, you are either foolish or incredibly bad-luck snake-bit. Good luck, Jim.
 
I invested in some stupid rainbow colored fruit company in the early 80's




just kidding...:D
 
Debt. :)
Debt and not giving a crap about what the future might bring. :thumbup:

(besides, at any moment of any day of the week, you might just keel over dead...think of that next time the urge to be "responsible" hits you ;))
 
I am a teacher and I set aside the money I would spend on happy hour with the other teachers. I would rather come home and spend time with my family.
 
Actually it's only once you are debt free that you can really feel free and you'll get the most out of your money as well. Servicing your debt only causes you to spend even more money for something that could have cost you less.
 
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