The hobby budget. . .

I am single and so i can buy models, but i make mostly a limit ( no kit more expensive than 20 Euro = 20 Bucks ).
for Shinano : The B-1 Lancer Kit is good, but the joints between fuselage and wings are poor, so you will need a bit of putty and some steel wire or something else to to build a construction for hoding the mighty wings. The rest of the kit is excellent

I have a seperate account (from many years ago) that I transfer some money into from each pay cheque. Sometimes it gets spent on other things (like the power bill...), but I never spend more than what's there. Actually, lately I'm finding that there's not a whole lot that I'm interested in buying. I was able to buy a dig. cam recently, but other than that, I've got more kits and tools than I can handle right now.

Murray

I've taken to start selling some of my older kits on Ebay. Kit's that I've lost interest in over some new kits that have or will come out. That reminds me I've got to post a couple kits out there tonight.

Between Christmas and Father's Day presents, the only items I really need to buy myself lately are paints, glue and any other odds and ends that are needed to finish the models. I guess that's why I still have so many kits in boxes (a resin 1/700 USS Virginia (CGN-38), another PT-109, 3 Shermans, an F8 Crusader, an M151A1 MUTT, a '48 Ford Woody and a '69 Catalina). One of these days I'll have to get around to picking up what I need so I can get busy. Which will probably be some time after my grandson starts school. He's only two now and spends a lot of time with grandpa, so it will probably be a few years.

Rick


So much time, so little to do with it.

Rick you sound like a well rounded modeler. You build a little of everything. Enjoy your grandson, I have a 5yr. old and spend more time with him than building. He is starting to build now so there goes part of my model budget. It's gonna be worth it.

100 bucks for that show that comes around once per year.
50 to 60 bucks a couple times per year(mail order stuff).
5 or 10 at the local hobby shop every few weeks.
5 or 10 bucks at the local club meetings(when ever they have something that I want).

When I've earned some extra money (I have that opportunity from time to time), I spend a part of them for my new models (if I have no money, my friends in hobby shop give me a little credit !). And as I've mentioned it already I have no problems with my wife - sometimes I get birthday or Christmas gift from her (of course after wise advice from my friends from hobby shop !). From my side - I try to help her with bonsai tree. Aleksander

Overtime Baby, Work alot of overtime:-)

I do garage sales, goodwill. S. army. That how i score a 1/16 RC M4 Sherman (Major parts there) few simples parts. COST $10.00
Score a 1/48 scale F/A-18 at Goodwill for $1.00 (missing sidewinder and instructions) but was able to complete the kit anyway.
Score a 1/72 F-117A at goodwill for $1.00 Complete Kit.
Mostly off of ebay

My wife is very supportive of our hobby and enjoys my finished products and those of others. To tell the truth most of the times we go shopping she'll ask me if I want to pick up a kit while we're in town.

Somewhat related, I have found that I haven't been spending as much dough on model kits lately because I've reached an 'equilibrium' in my kit stash where I know there's plenty there to build. I switched to buying 'tools' for a while, but lately I buy a few paints and some magazines (FSM!) and that's about it. As I mentioned above, I give myself a small 'budget' for the hobby and I decided many many months ago that I wanted to buy a digital cam. So, I let the fund build and saved my loonies and toonies as much as I could. Well, today I'm the proud owner of a new Canon A70 and I really like it. Just wish I could figure out all the gizmos and thing-a-ma-jigs it has!!

I've found that the 'boundaries' of this hobby and it's related 'budget' are quite wide reaching.

Murray

This hobby is like any other - You are going to spend money on it just like any other hobby. Hopefully not as much as you will with other hobbies (have you priced a decent bass boat and trailor combination or a good fly rod and reel lately?) The first few years of our marriage my wife and I had an occasional spat over how much I spent on modeling - I soon learned that I could still get what I needed to enjoy myself without spending so much - I found out that I didn't need the latest and greatest (and most expensive) Tamigawa product to be productive. I have learned to buy thinner by the gallon (dupont has worked with every model enamel i use), liquid cement by the quart (Pleximent found at Cadillac Plastics - $4.95, lasts about a year to 2 years) - bought a used paint booth @ the hobby shop for $50 - buy the bigger per centage of my kits on E-Bay (only rules are: a. will the cost plus shipping be less than what I would spend in driving to the hobby shop (60 miles one way) buying it and driving home or b. I really want this kit and it is no longer available) - Lastly I think too many people in this hobby are like too many people in our society - they are busy trying to impress other people with how much they have and how much they have spent to get it.

Have you seen that commercial "Get it on EEEEEbay ! " they didnt mention my model addiction? I get kits on there pretty cheap, and when the big show comes to town, I usually look for the really great bargains and stock up. But, my money comes from building for others, figures mostly. And then I starve myself , dont buy cloths and pawn the car title for all the aftermarket stuff. j/k ...just plan on what you need, buy here and there and it doesnt seem like you spend as much

Work on a monthly budget, must admit that I completely blew the budget when purchasing the lastest kit and then ordering the Leopold Railway Gun. Be living on bread and butter sandwiches for the rest of the year.

Wayne

Both my wife and I work so, we really don't budget for our personal spending. If she see's something she really wants, I tell her to go ahead and get it. I, on the otherhand, don't hesitate.

I do get about 70% of my kits from eBay. I've been lucky the past 2 months to add quite a few to my collection. As for my paints and supplies, I am one for stocking up all in one shot.

As for keeping track of the money spent......NO WAY! It's a sickness the way it is, I don't want to put myself in deep depression too

I used to do quite a bit of drag racing. The money went as fast as the car did and the car was competitive. Now that I dont have the car anymore, the kids are grown, the wife works full time. My modeling spending is very sane. If I want to build a drag car, I can do it for less than $40.00 with the aftermarket parts.

SInce I got back into the hobby while out work due to a car wreck recently, I don't have a large stash. I have one kit at a time and whatever supplies to finish it with. Some has to do with funds the other is no extra room since whatever I am working sits on top of the fridge where the kids can't get it. One day my worshop will be done and can have room to stack kits.

Well, I usually scratch build so I don't have a stock of unbuilt kits, but I do have a box full of assorted styrene, another one of brass, aluminum, you get the drift. I pick things like that up here and there and they usually aren't expensive, except for the sheet plastic.

Most of my money goes on references and tools. Before I start a build I'll search out published materials, archives, whatever, so there are costs associated with that. My wife is exceptionally supportive regarding the tools ... last year I went to a friend's house to use his jointer and lo and behold, without anything being said, there was a jointer under the Christmas tree (a good one too!) This year I think I have to go borrow time on a buddy's bandsaw ... The tradeoff is I have to put the models aside periodically to build her some furniture or something.
Bruce

(to the tune of "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...")

It's beginning to look a lot like Plas-tic, la da, da da da.....

Then again, if I went completely by that route, I would already have that $80 Motorcycle model :D

All I have to say is thanks ebay. I can't find many Aurora kits at yard sales. Over the past two years its been $20.00- $50.00 a month. if I dont have have it then it's put on hold. I find spending over what you can is not good for you and your family. I'm now looking at the high end kits form the 60's. I will just save each week till I get the $300-$500 for mint in the box.
Thanks Dale

hehehehhe, guess i am one of the lucky few. my wife also enjoys modeling, and has helped on one of the kits i have done (U.S.S. Constitution) so she doesnt say anything as long as i get her a kit too, and of coarse the bills are paid. As for the time, we have a one year old son, so it takes a little time to finish one, so that keeps the cost down a little. but i think that will go up when he starts building himself

jim

i tend to spend in splurges. i might not buy anything for two months, then all of a sudden im out a hundred dollars? recently i have found my hobby cash has been drained by my 13 y.o. sons new addiction to plastic, like father like son!!!!

Fixed monthly budget.

£50, or about $70.

My wife scrapbooks, and has the same budget, so no arguments.

With a 1/72 fighter costing less than a fiver, you really don't have to be a big spender to enjoy this hobby.

i'm just starting modeling so right now its getting a bit expensive getting all the stuff i need (probably spent about 400$-500$ in the last month on tools, paint, airbrush, 3 kits etc) but i figure once i got all that stuff it should be realy cheap compared to my other hobby (computer gameing , ever had a look at how expensive high end performace computers parts are? not to mention you prety much have to start over every 2 years because they become obsolete)

i just took that money out of my computer budget , a new video card can wait a few more months

I don't really stock up on kits. I usually buy and build one at a time. There were only a few instances where I buy a new kit while another one still lies unfinished. As I have previously mentioned here, I spend roughly about 25 dollars a month on the hobby but this is about to change as the construction of my own house begins. Cashflow would be diverted to this priority project. I may just concentrate on doing scratchbuilt dios for my completed kits until the cash is available.

I feel that even 20$ per month is reasonable. A friend of mine spends 200$ for cigarretes (around 40-50 packets a month.....!!!!!!), so i guess it is ok.

Just recieved another kit into my inventory today. The unbuilt inventory value just passed $5000.00. Deep sigh!

Payday, every payday means a trip to Phillip's hobby shop. I used to work down the street from the place, that was dangerous. Also it is right next to an In N Out, so while I worked close by I got fat and poor. Now I can't manage to hit the shop more than once a week, I save a ton of $$ that way.

My boss used to work at a small shop that bought Overstock kits.

The Owner got himself into a drug problem and lost the business.
Since he was owed Several months back wages, he was given his choice of Stock as Compinsation.
He has 100's of kits stored in his house, some from as far back as the early 60's.
He just keeps feeding my habit.

My only cost is paint, glue and any AM items I may wish to use.

Budget
Geesh sounds like something my wife would say!
Seriously I try not to over do it. I do have coffee cups of my own in all 3 of the LHS's and one at the hobbytown over in Mobile LOL!
I've got a secret stash...piled away I add to occasionally. I was into shooting sports pretty heavily and have sold most of my optics and customs(with a few exceptions). Modeling isnt nearly as costly(I think my wife was glad to see that pursuit slowly dwindle!). So Ive got a stash from those sales(what I didnt stash either went into my business as working capital or into my house). I also keep adding to the stash every month a lil at a time. When I sold my boat I was planning on hiding some of the money away...3 months with no boat made me go buy a new one! LOL
Im a hoarder not a big spender....Ive got more money hoarded for the hobby than I actually have spent.
On average being totally realistic I probably spend $10/wk=$520/yr...But I have about 6x that amount put away "just in case"! LOL
But dont feel sorry for my wife LOL shes just as bad....I found her stash the other day by accident(now Im really glad I didnt throw that ol ugly purse in the trash) she's now got a lockbox!

Too many hobbies to lil time!
Chris