How Do You Budget/Prioritize For Tooling Expense?

Budgets are made to be BUSTED ! ( just ask the gobernment ! ) LOL . Simple answer here is buy what ya need now and the wanted pieces come later on down the road .
 
I had most of the measuring tools and such from my work toolbox so I prioritized by buying cutting tools, and workholding type stuff. As jobs and projects came up I bought tools needed to do them. If your careful in what you plan you can justify darn near anything you might want to buy. Don't forget to watch sales, auctions and Craigslist/EBay for opportunistic tool acquisitions as well. Most of all enjoy your tools and one last thing, If you have not figured it out yet for many things a "cheap one to get started" ends up being more expensive. Don't get me wrong cheap import paint brushes work just fine for chips but when edging around a wood door frame or window, not so much.
 
I generally use a project as an excuse to buy a new tool or two.

Boy, isn't that the truth. Being a homeowner in the same house for over 30 years, I look through the gadgets and special one time projects that required tool. The money over time is amazing.
I can justify replacing a Chinese tap with a quality tap once a month or so. (example)
 
The short answer.

Buy only the tools required for a given job, no more and no less, in due time you will have tooling that you will never use again.

The only possible method that ensures you will have what is needed for a future unknown job is to buy one of everything available, this will surely cost more then 15K (-:
 
I have found over the years it's best to make a list of the machines and tooling I would eventually like to own. I prioritize the list into A, B, and C levels. The A's are the most necessary, and those that would get used nearly every day. The B's are those I would use regularly, but can get by making do with what I currently have, and the C's are the nice to have, but expensive, or items that won't get used on a regular basis.

I always keep my eyes opened and ears to the ground as far as acquiring "new to me machines" and tooling, but I've also learned to be patient. There are many good tools on the market, but they generally go for a fair amount of money. Being patient I have managed to get some exceptionally good deals on machines from local shops, schools, and used machine dealers. In most cases the people wanting to sell the machines came to me because they knew I would be interested.

I'm to the stage now where there are almost no excuses when the wife asks "can you make this for me"? About the only thing that should hold me back would be the lack of skills or ambition. There will always be a need for more tooling since by nature it's consumable. About the only large scale machine on the " would like to have" (C) list is a jig bore machine. I've seen a few in excellent condition up for sale, but either the prices are more than I want to pay, or there is little or no tooling. Tooling for a jig bore can get expensive. Unlike most machines where the tooling can equal the price of the machine, in the case of a jig bore the tooling can easily be double or triple the initial cost of the machine. I guess I'll continue to be patient. If one does happen to come my way I'll be an exceptionally happy camper. If it doesn't I'll certainly get along without it.
 
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