Saving money

Kr1sh

Member
I guess most of us have at some point faced this problem. Thing is, for teenage drummers like me, it's hard to save money. Especially if you have a lot of other things where you have to put money into.

And, you know, it wouldn't be right to ask parents money all the time for my drum stuff. Have you had the same thing happen?

P.S. I know that the obvious is to just save money, but maybe you had some secret weapons to do it faster?
 
I guess most of us have at some point faced this problem. Thing is, for teenage drummers like me, it's hard to save money. Especially if you have a lot of other things where you have to put money into.

And, you know, it wouldn't be right to ask parents money all the time for my drum stuff. Have you had the same thing happen?

P.S. I know that the obvious is to just save money, but maybe you had some secret weapons to do it faster?

If you really, really want something you'll find a way to save for it. If it's important, than be willing to give up something else...movies with friends, or whatever and put that money towards what you really want. There is no "Secret weapon". It's just learning to budget and save for what is really important.
 
Wow I must be an idiot because I buy tons of stuff for my kid. Although he isn't getting the $27,000 set if timpani he'd really like. Ha Although if he makes it into a certain school he wants to get into I'll probably get him a custom marimba.
 
My Dad was a drummer and provided me with a set of old drums when I was a teenager. Eventually the hardware no longer worked and most of the cymbals cracked due to my improper playing.

My folks would not provide me with any other gear or money to purchase it (perhaps some sticks or a busted head from time to time) but did support my lessons. That's about all they could afford.

Anything I wanted I had to earn in some form of paid work. Back then it was cutting grass, shoveling snow, cleaning other people's garages, painting and anything else I could do before I turned 16.

Once I turned 16, at the large sum of 3.05/per hour, I got my first real job and saved enough cash to purchase a 7 piece Tama Swingstar set brand new. My parents were never more proud of me for doing that and they let me know it up until the day they passed away.

I remember the days where I literally had rocks from the backyard holding up my cymbal stands. Taped broken drum heads up so I could hit something. Used masking tape to hold the rattles on my snare drum because I couldn't find string to make do. Played cracked cymbals until there was nothing left to them. I made do with anything in order to practice and play.

I saved any gift money until enough was pooled to buy a cymbal.

Get the point???

It's frustrating especially in this day and time of immediate gratification. But the reality is you'll do what you must to make it happen if you want it bad enough.

You also have one very large advantage that I didn't have. You have much more ease getting used gear for a much larger bang for your buck than I did. I had word of mouth and a local classified newspaper which didn't have much. You have Craigslist and so many other used gear buying opportunities that should provide a plethora of used gear.

Additionally, starter kits and mid-line kits are much better today than they were in the 1970's. So for much less money you can have some tremendous stuff.
 
think like a businessman. be aware of your potential ROI (return on investment) and target dates for breaking even. put it together as a plan - showing this thoughtful outline to parents and grannies etc will maybe inspire them to dig into their pockets or give you odd jobs for cash.
whenever i buy something gear wise i calculate how many weekends worth of gigs it will take to pay off. i tell my wife and she gives me the nod. try show how you will earn money with your kit. start teaching local kids or relatives, join a covers band, busk. write all your earnings into a balance sheet. my first gig kit was el cheapo - paid of within a couple of months of gigs, then after a year of gigs i sold it and bought something better and so on.
j
 
Thing is, for teenage drummers like me, it's hard to save money. Especially if you have a lot of other things where you have to put money into.

Man, wait til you're an adult with bills and mortgages and kids to clothe, feed and school.

Get a job, a teenager has very few overheads. If you can't squirrel away the bulk of what you earn, something is wrong.
 
My first set of drums and all since have been paid for by the sweat of my brow. If it means that much to you, you'll do it too. If not, you don't care enough.

Here endeth the lesson!
 
I would just get a job. When I was in school I worked about 36 hours a week minimum and that payed for 2 packs of smokes a day, about an oz a week of dope, all the beer I could drink, Every video game system I wanted, any music gear I wanted and pretty much anything else I wanted.

Between work and school still seemed I had plenty of time to practice music, sit on may ass and smoke dope and play video games and spending the weekends partying and trying to get some chicks.

Look on the labor section of your local craigslist. You can pick up day labor jobs making 10 dollars an hour and a lot of times you'll learn something picking up that type of work.
 
You have to become responsible for your own actions.Your own financial situation. So .... get a notebook .... and every time you spend money .... write it down. How much money you spent, and for what. If it's a Hot Wheel Car, a can of soda, a quarter into a video game, a candy bar, whatever. Any time you spend money, make a note. In just a few days, to a week, you'll have a real good idea of where your money goes. From there, you need to assess your spending habits. And if drums are your big priority, then every other "secondary" expense, take the axe to it, if you have to.​
Now, getting a job. Not as "easy" today, to get work, as it was, when I was a teen. So ... don't let that stop you. You might not be able to work for the city (like I did) or "stock shelves" at the local grocery, but .... can you push a lawn mower? Push a broom? Take out the trash? Know a senior citizen who needs help shopping, cleaning house, etc.? Maids make $5 - $10 an hour. Dust furniture, wash/mop floors, clean windows. People pay to have their dogs walked. And washed. Learn how to paint. Become a painters assistant. Or a gardeners helper. Or a handymans step-and-fetch helper.​
And then, the final step. Don't spend more money than you make. Something a lot of adults haven't figured out, yet. Living paycheck to paycheck will never get you ahead. Spending more than you make, will only get you in debt. Saving a percentage of what you make, that's the goal.​
 
When I was a teenager I was soo bad with saving. I got all the gear that I have now before I was 19. And for a part time job/student, I got alot of gear. lol

Right now I have a TFS at my bank which allows me to set dates when I want $$ to be put into it. I got it taking $250.00 out two times a month and I cant touch the $$ in the TFS unless I get a meeting together with a bank teller, so that helps me there, only hard part is that if I take out money from my normal account to were its less than 250, then it wont take the money and put it into the TFS. lol. What makes it extra hard ontop is that since I was 19 ive really taken up guitar too and, like my dad, I am a gear heard with my amps and whatnot.

So its just a habit to get into to give yourself a cash diet each payday. I want a $3000.00 Egnater Tourmaster Head and 4x12 cab.......I could get it if i emptied my TFS, but that is were wisdom comes in....cause I wanna go to school, and that costs. But if I get a good job outa my schooling, then CHA-CHING.....here comes a nice new amp for Steven. lol

Steve.
 
The hardest part about saving money isn't saving the whole amount... it's saving the first half of what you need. So the trick is to get to the halfway point as quick as you can.

You still live at home? If so, here's my suggestion:

1) Put half of everything you get away. Get $10-20 for allowance? Put half away. $15 for cutting grandma's lawn? Put half away. Paycheck from your job at the tasty-freeze? Put half away. Just start putting half of every dime you get away.

2) Stop buying food and drink - ANY food and drink - pack yourself something for lunch everyday, even if it's just a ham sandwich and a ziplok full of chips. And don't buy soda or red bull or any of that stuff at the store. Grab one from home. BONUS: If your parents give you $5 a day for lunch or something, put that away with the cash from suggestion 1.

3) Stop driving, stop buying video games, stop buying clothes, stop going to the movies... just stop everything extra-curricular. Walk to school, get a Gamefly account, take better care of your threads, watch stuff on-demand (or get a Netflix account). Anything you can do to save cash. Then put the extra (you guessed it) away.

Do this, just until you get half-way to where you need to be. So if you need $500, live like a pauper until you get to $250. You'l' find that once you get the first half taken care of, the second half is gravy.
 
Well, I thought it would be a stupid question, nevermind. Still, thought I could give it a try

It wasn't a stupid question at all.

At your age, you really don't know much. I know I didn't. I was always looking for some guidance but didn't have the balls to ask people anything.

I never really learned to save money but I did learn that, the more I earned, the easier it was not to spend it all.



Another thing, it takes most people a LONG time to get past the "need" for material wealth and the desire for stuff.

The funny thing is, once you acquire all the stuff you stop wanting it. I was always a car guy and I finally got my first new car, a Porsche. It was awesome for a few years, now I couldn't care less what I drive. I use my work truck as a daily driver and am happy as heck that it starts and stops when it should :)

OK...I got off track a bit but, earn more money somehow and you will find it easier to save more. Get a couple crappy jobs and double your income. Also, you won't spend money while you are at work . It's a win/win.



Also....GP has GREAT suggestions above.
 
The secret is: Don't spend it.
 
Man, wait til you're an adult with bills and mortgages and kids to clothe, feed and school.

Get a job, a teenager has very few overheads. If you can't squirrel away the bulk of what you earn, something is wrong.

THIS!

Yeah, get a job if you can. If not, start looking around your neighborhood for odd jobs like lawn-mowing or babysitting or gutter-cleaning or whatever you can muster. Knock on neighbors' doors, giving them a piece of paper (or business card) with your name and number, letting them know you're available to do (or help out with) various household jobs.

What kind of drum stuff are you looking for, anyways? Don't start collecting/hoarding gear until you can support yourself. Seriously. You may hear about several of us talking about our multiple sets of cymbals, several snare drums, even multiple kits, but that's because we've taken care of the most important things first--mortgage, bills, food, clothing, family. It might be a good move to take a personal finance class, maybe at the local community college or something. They'll teach you how money works, how to budget, how to save for retirement, how to know what money is "discretionary income" (money you'll use to buy drum gear)...
 
Thanks for all of your answers

I was a bit winded up when I posted this one, I had just spent all of my savings on our band's website (which in my opinion wasn't necessary) and so on...

Actually, did work on summer and also do house chores now, but do not ask money for it, in my opinion a bit wrong to ask money from parents, when what you do at home you do to make your living comfortable and enjoyable for yourself (hope you get the idea)

Drum stuff I'm looking for is heads and sticks mostly, because they come and go. Of course parents sponsor me sticks sometimes, but that's about it. Also sometimes the urge to have many things comes up and then I'm like "oh, I need this and that", kind of annoying.
 
Thanks for all of your answers

I was a bit winded up when I posted this one, I had just spent all of my savings on our band's website (which in my opinion wasn't necessary) and so on...

Actually, did work on summer and also do house chores now, but do not ask money for it, in my opinion a bit wrong to ask money from parents, when what you do at home you do to make your living comfortable and enjoyable for yourself (hope you get the idea)

Drum stuff I'm looking for is heads and sticks mostly, because they come and go. Of course parents sponsor me sticks sometimes, but that's about it. Also sometimes the urge to have many things comes up and then I'm like "oh, I need this and that", kind of annoying.

You sound very level-headed. Here is my take on it:

Of course you do chores at home for no pay. It's a part of being a contributing member of your family. If you get paid for jobs or an allowance, that's between you and your parents.

When looking for "jobs" (which are more than just a summer thing...spring time is when people need help planting, summertime is when people maintain their yards and work on their houses, fall is when people do most of their raking, etc...you can find work any time of year, not just summer!), ask your neighbors. Especially people who are further along in their years. They need the most help, will be the most willing to ask for help, and usually have the most means with which to pay you, and they're glad to.

YOU paid for your band's website? Live and learn. EVERYONE in the band should chip in. At this point, while you're in school, you don't need a website unless you are actively promoting your group and getting gigs. Even so, if the other members don't want to contribute to the band fund or website costs, then it's not important enough to them, and you should either let it slide or get new members in your group who have the same vision as you.

About the saving money thing, you should get into the habit of stashing away money now while you're young. Don't live at the edge of your means, or spend all of your extra money. Get in the habit of saving now. It will be an asset to you later on in life. I'm teaching my young kids right now that they need to stash/save at least 30% of the money they get. When you get $10, don't think of it as, "Yay! I have $10!" Think of it more along the lines of, "Yay! I have $5 to spend, $2 to put towards drum equipment, and $3 to save long-term for college/car/house payment/retirement/whatever."

Lastly, if you're really passionate about drumming, and your parents are supportive, I would see no reason why they wouldn't spring for the occasional new heads or sticks, especially if you're keeping up at school and around the house. It's one thing to be all like, "Hey, mom and pop, can I have ANOTHER new set of cymbals? The set you bought me last month are boring me now, and so is that Black Beauty snare...I need something new, and I need it now, now, now, waaaaah!". And, it's another thing to approach your parents about how your tom heads are wearing out, or the coating on your snare head doesn't allow you to practice brushes effectively, and so forth.

...there's my $0.02, pushed in your face. Take it or leave it.
 
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