Im on a mission - Can you help me?

[Ford Fairlane]

Hi Guys,

Just sitting here watching some footy and realise i have to achieve 2 things this year. FIRST is stop smoking. Have made an appointment with doctor on monday and he'll put me on a newish drug called champex so besides the health concern, this also helps in accomplishing the second mission... SECOND is to own 5 pins by the end of the year (only have 2 for now)

Especially after seeing the cc going for 15K (well done Mark!!!), i need to save some money at least 6k but most likely more.

So guys, i need some tips on how to save some money besides stop smoking. Without getting too personal, how do you guys find money to spend on pins. Its driving me nuts as im trawling ebay and yet to see Markc and keep seeing pins i'd love but cant get the money together.

All advice is appreciated!!!

Thanks guys!

[tonyt]

A suggestion is to do a list of all your expenses and write down what you are spending on a weekly/monthly basis compared to what you are bringing in. Once you do this, you will be able to see the areas that you are spending money on and where you could save - do a budget. Maybe get some of your pay each week put straight into a different account that you don't touch.

Also with interest rates being low, ensure that you have the best home loan and whether it would pay to consolidate debts, if relevant

[Strangeways]

The $64 million dollar question  

Smoking - Stop buying them. Period. Same as a diet - STOP your elbow from moving, and keep your mouth shut. Play pinball - find a project game.. oh - that would be question #2.

MOST collectors I know that have amassed impeccable collections have three of four common denominators ;

1 - Don't Smoke
2 - Don't gamble
3 - Don't drink
4 - Give up any other "hobbies"
5 - Pay PLENTY of attention to your wife / kids - be a good husband / Father as you can (brownie points when you HAVE TO HAVE that game !)

I personally LOVE a drop every now and again. But in moderation (hic).

SAVE your money and wait for bargains. Buy cheap projects and teach yourself to restore them - PATIENTLY.
TELL people your hobby is PINBALL. That's how pinballs find YOU - You don't need to look.
KNOW the values of the machines you want
SELL the machines you don't want
TELL your "favorite" Dealer what games you are looking for - works wonders  

Every single machine I have WAS a project or "as is" container game - except Medusa and Street fighter II.

So keep working on the games and sell them after you have repaired / reconditioned or restored them.
This frees up $$$ to spend on projects
The cycle will continue

One piece of advice I can give you - ENJOY the journey. If is is not fun anymore, then look for a new hobby !

Best of luck with your goals - Work hard at cutting your expenses, and instead of the 5 minute smoko - play pinball. Best of luck with your attempt at giving up smoking.

[ajlaird]

Saving money tips:

Don't buy your lunch, make it at home and take it to work. This can save around $20 - $25 per week quite easily.

Drink water instead of soft drink.

Walk rather than drive if the destination is close enough.


Making money tip:

Contact your local newspaper distributor; distributing junk mail and the local newspaper earns me around $50 a week and $70 or more around Christmas time. You will need around 4 - 5 hours spare time a week, two hours or so to sort the junk mail and a couple of hours to deliver. I am lucky enough to have a round within walking distance.

[Extra Ball]

Single income family here, and pinballs are a low priority as far as the budget goes. But the wife realises that pins make me happy, and are a very innocent addiction. So when tax time comes around I manage to convince that a few hundred be tucked away for my next pin. I also find that sticking 10 bucks a week in one of my machines is easy to do, and its not missed.

I have been funding machine purchases by selling pins as well...........but f**k that, I want to grow a collection and am liking the games I own anyway.

Dont smoke, dont spend $$$ giving-up either. Just go cold turkey! I did it, so anyone can.
Dont buy take-away food, it makes you fat, and thats $$$ that can be used for a pin.

[Creech]

Agreed about the cold turkey thing. It might sound a bit smug but it really is quite easy if you put your mind to it. The secret is to find the right time though. Do it when you know nothing stressful is around the corner (hard to guess I know) but avoid times like Christmas, New Years, big bills etc. I tried a few times using Nicobate gum without success but the 4th or 5th time (can't quite remember) I said f**k it, I'm just quitting...and I did. Haven't had one for 6 years now. I would say it's the proudest moment of my life next to the birth of my kids. When you get the urge, don't try to find a substitute as that will cost money in the end as well i.e. booze, food etc. Just ride out the urge and you will find after a few days the urge will subside dramatically. It doesn't take long believe me. I don't even think about smokes anymore. The smell of smoke is still something I find pleasing to the senses but I have no desire at all to have a puff. Just remember, you can do it!

[Ford Fairlane]

Some excellent suggestions there and no matter how simple some of them are, i am guilty of nearly all of them... Make my own lunch.. of course i should, im pissing away money on lunch (and sometimes breakfast) which must cost me $40 a week. Water instead of soft drink ... damn i drink litres of coke zero every week. Sometime it just needs someone (you guys) to state the obvious. Brilliant!!!

As to quitting smoking... i have tried many a time with the cold turkey and i've got to admit it hasnt worked for me. I work in IT and i find that i "need" to walk away from my pc every now and then and a smoke lets me do that... Weak i know but i really think i need help in a drug form.

[Creech]

Look into hypnosis. I heard it does help "stubborn" quitters.

[felixthadog]

I was absolutely hopeless at saving money, I tried and tried but the urge to spend all the money in my account was too great and by the end of the fortnight/month I was hanging out for pay day again. I bought alot of shit that I didn't need and I was definitely an impulse buyer. Finally, I thought f**k this, I'm going to do something about it. I spoke to my wife and said that the only way I could think of to solve the problem is to not have access to the money - my pay would be immediately transferred to a Savings account and I would be left with some play money for the week. You might think what a wuss to have a Minister of Finance appointed to "protect" our savings, but I have to admit it has worked really well for me. I still get an allowance which covers all of my outgoings, but I am much more careful about what I spend now, and if there is something I really want, the Finance department has yet to decline my application 

Matthew

[markc]

one way to try


now we had 3 of these going

get one of big coke or beer cans money boxes .  i put all my coins and spare $5.00 notes  in one and the kids had a couple too .

we called one the holiday  spending money , as we are going away  shortly for a week we smahed it open  and you wont believe me  it had 1300.00 in it , now from just putting all my coins in it , really my 3 year came upto me and loves putting them in , she also put alot in her one too . I never noticed it that much   but to quickly find 1300  or more   i would .


tim and I had one here to for the drink fridges  we had   but poor tim  he killed  it one night .....


if really if there is a pin you chasing   most of us  will let you pay it off and there are no fees for this .  I have a couple here that have been 6 months   but they pay me each week or month or come in and drink my coffee,  as long as you talk and keep in contact  I am sure most like me would be happy

if I can help drop me a line

lay-by  is for showroom sales not ebay  though , all sales on ebay i ask for payment in full


thanks

mark

[ddstoys]

Hey Rob
              Good luck with the smoking but a nice simple way to save it to take your pins off freeplay????  All those twentys or ones or both add up real quick and its an extra challenge to your game when your paying to play em.  My Jukebox takes $1 and $2 coins so ill just put any coins i have in whatever machine takes whatever coin and just forget that its there. Unless i need another bottle of scotch i soon find the Jukebox keys then.

[ajlaird]

if really if there is a pin you chasing   most of us  will let you pay it off and there are no fees for this .  I have a couple here that have been 6 months   but they pay me each week or month or come in and drink my coffee,  as long as you talk and keep in contact  I am sure most like me would be happy

if I can help drop me a line

lay-by  is for showroom sales not ebay  though , all sales on ebay i ask for payment in full


thanks

mark

That is a great offer - and certainly one way of ensuring 'savings'. I think you can guess which pin I am after next.

[Strangeways]

I was absolutely hopeless at saving money, I tried and tried but the urge to spend all the money in my account was too great and by the end of the fortnight/month I was hanging out for pay day again. I bought alot of shit that I didn't need and I was definitely an impulse buyer. Finally, I thought f**k this, I'm going to do something about it. I spoke to my wife and said that the only way I could think of to solve the problem is to not have access to the money - my pay would be immediately transferred to a Savings account and I would be left with some play money for the week. You might think what a wuss to have a Minister of Finance appointed to "protect" our savings, but I have to admit it has worked really well for me. I still get an allowance which covers all of my outgoings, but I am much more careful about what I spend now, and if there is something I really want, the Finance department has yet to decline my application 

Matthew

Great idea - I use a similar system. I halve any cash from a pinball sale and half goes to my wife for family expenses, and the other half is used to buy project machines and parts. That way, I keep the wife happy and I can buy machines - when the $$ is there and I have the room !

[Extra Ball]

Must be the a sign of the times, or our increasing age because I have in the last 2 weeks stopped buying takeaway, hardly ever drink softdrinks (used to do 4-6 cans per day), and started exercising. I am feeling great, no headaches, and much less stressed.
It hasnt got me another pin, but I may live longer to grow a better collection.
 

[Retropin]

LOL- interesting dilemma,
Giving up the fags - oh ive done it several times and am attempting to do it again. I can give up for 2 years etc then go back on them. Cause of EVERY relapse has been a woman. If they didnt taste great, feel great, look great, smell great id be off the fags like a shot. Never met a woman yet that didnt have firm opinions and wasnt willing to shove em down my throat.

OK - cost saving tips..

No women
No women
 No women
 Give up the fags.
Buy wrecks of machines - fix em up and sell em on - put the money away to accumulate funds
No women.

4 of the above i find difficult to stick to.....but good luck to ya!