Selling the initial investment.....

starr256

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With all hobbies, aspiring hobbyists have had the conversation with a significant other where the tension gets above normal with the question "You want to spend how much? And what are you going to make with this dohicky?". I was wondering what novel answers have been proffered to the later question, since we all know that the honest answer to the first to be "A lot."
 
The problem with that question is it stacked against you. I have found that the only and best answer is to buy it and then show them how useful it is to repair or make things for them. It is no different than any other tool in your shop. Anything you say at this point is only going to be met with skepticism. Also, you'll find that once you have the machine you'll find things to use it for you had no way of knowing until it is sitting in your shop. Best of luck on your quest. :encourage:
 
I'm lucky that my wife and I are supportive of each other's hobbies, but someone once gave me a hard time
about how I could justify the equipment I have bought. Like I have to make an economic case for why I have machines
that I like to use for my hobby. This same guy thinks nothing of spending money playing golf, which, unless you're
winning tournaments, isn't providing any return on investment... :)
 
I have been very lucky that my wife liked boats i.e. cabin cruisers as much as I did so over the first years of our life we spent all summer on our small cruiser. As we aged we discussed motor homes. Wow she was all for it, so we are now on our 3rd Class A and she loves every second of it, as do I. So-o-o-o when I contemplate buying a hobby tool she actually encourages me if I am hesitant, and of course I encourage her hobbies.

I guess what I am saying is that we (I) have invested so much in her and collectively our outdoor summer enjoyment that it pales in comparison to any tools or equipment I could buy for my hobby.

As they say "a Happy Wife is a Happy Life". In our case so true.

David
 
It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to get permission. Beside honing your machining skills, you must also work on your "wordsmith" skills. For example: never refer to this pastime as a "hobby", that sounds expensive and frivolous. Always refer to this as an "occupation"....it sounds more important and meaningful. Besides that, it will keep you occupied and out of her hair. At some time you will have to justify some expense, so when she asks "Why do you need that?" You just say, "Because I don't have one....";)
 
We both just buy what we want. Neither of us are big spenders, and she realizes how much I do, and save us financially by doing virtually everything myself, that most people pay someone big $ to do. Mike
 
That can be a tough one. It helps me that my kids are old enough to learn and so she gets to see them excited about making things with me on the lathe. So when a mill came up locally it was a bit easier to sell her on it.

Our sister in law recently got a classic Mustang, though I don't know the exact vintage. She was skeptical until her husband mentioned that it could be used to make parts for her car that are difficult to find. Then she was all for it. :)
 
I keep books on all my expenses and hobbies are no exception; it's the best way for me to keep tabs on my spending and to remember what was spent on an item in the past. I budget a monthly allowance for hobbies, same as we do for food, mortgage, utilities, etc. All hobby expenses wait until funds are available in my "hobby account" and that gets divided up among all my hobbies. A big purchase for one hobby robs the others and as a result I'm sometimes squeezed for resources, but it does help cut down on frivilous expenses and encourages me to make purchases which are useful for multiple hobbies. Since the money in my hobby account is intended as disposable income, I don't need to justify expenses to anyone but myself.

Sometimes purchases of tooling comes from other accounts, such as the homestead account or automotive accounts, when the purchase of tooling allows a repair for less than it would cost when the job is contracted out. Frequently automotive tools, woodworking tools, etc fall in this category. If it's cheaper to let someone else do it, I let them, but it rarely is.

It's worked well for my household and as a bonus, I can query my accounts for data and trends going back years. I'm sure it sounds like a complex mess, but once it's an established habit, it takes litterally only minutes every month to keep the books current.
 
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