I realized the other night...

Jeremy Bender

Platinum Member
People choose to spend their expendable income the way they please. For example a carton of smokes purchased each week = $3576.00 annually in my locality.
That's quite a nice start to an instrument collection. We choose our own vices. Mine happen to be snare drums.
I also have to remind myself to be patient to wait maybe an extra year to save up for that special one I'm really lusting after.
 
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I'm old, and have come to terms with the cost of my musical avocation. I simply budget $3k a year for my personal ambitions. After all of my other bullshit, I typically end up with ~$1700 for musical gear. A fair chunk of this is eaten by consumables (heads, strings, sticks, picks), and the remaining $1500 gets banked for instruments.

I end up with a lot of fine gear this way, and not just instruments....

Stuff like:
Real leather guitar straps with real wool padding.
Mogami cables with Switchcraft ends.
A 27" iMac dedicated to recording.

I also keep a list of stuff I want...

Stuff like:
An interface with >2 phantom power channels
Two more nice LDC's
A 5x7' drum rug that isn't a Target clearance item.
Non-bargain level mic boom stands.

Year after year, the situation improves.
 
There are tons of things one could spend money on. What I find most interesting though is expenditure on destructive things and especially by those who claim they require more resources.

Cartons of smokes for a year as in your example vs. a decent mountain bike. Both may cost you the same. One will make you feel great about yourself and your health. Assuming you are able to ride anyway.

I’ve known people who shell out $1000 a month for a fancy car, yet live in a dump and claim they have no funds to improve their lifestyle.

We certainly do spend anyway we please, but rarely as we should.

On a related note, there are certainly worse things to spend our cash on than drum gear...assuming of course it’s truly expendable income!
 
People choose to spend their expendable income the way they please. For example a carton of smokes purchased each week = $3576.00 annually in my locality.

Not exactly in the "anyway they please category...like a snare drum or a bass boat. Lol

As a former smoker, let me say-if you ain't had that monkey on your back best to go a little easy on those who do.

Trust me when I say I didn't spend that money because it 'pleased' me....just ask my wife and kids who had to endure the Jykll and Hyde behavior while I fought to quit.

Other than that, I'm with you.

;)
 
People choose to spend their expendable income the way they please. For example a carton of smokes purchased each week = $3576.00 annually in my locality.
That's quite a nice start to an instrument collection. We choose our own vices. Mine happen to be snare drums.
I also have to remind myself to be patient to wait maybe an extra year to save up for that special one I'm really lusting after.

Not to mention a great vacation
 
As a former smoker, let me say-if you ain't had that monkey on your back best to go a little easy on those who do.

As a former smoker (from age 14 to thirtysomething) I second this motion.

Paice!
 
Every time I put money aside for something I need or want, something else breaks.

Gear wise I have a few wants, nothing much. I really would like a Trick driveshaft, but it isn't necessary yet. I would also like a 16" crash to offset the 14 and 18. Otherwise, I'm good with gear.

I buy lots of car parts. They aren't cheap by any means. It isn't necessarily because I want to, but I am a very paranoid driver and have a phobia of the car breaking and me dying in a firey crash. Mine and my families safety comes first over anything else, so I can justify the expense. Plus, mine and my wife's car both have 200,000+ miles and run like tops.

As for smoking, we traded in cancer sticks for Vapes a long time ago. It still costs money, but the cost is significantly less and there is definitely an increase in how we both feel.

People just need to learn how to budget. It isn't hard to live within your means if you don't have a 'look at me' complex.
 
My original thought wasn't an attack on smokers per se, I didn't mean to come off as preaching. Just the simple idea that if I can mange to find a way to put about $5.00 a day away somewhere specifically for gear, it adds up over time. The tough part ( for me) is the discipline not to touch it when something else in life pops up!
 
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My original thought wasn't an attack on smokers per se, I didn't mean to come off as preaching. Just the simple the idea that if I can mange to find a way to put about $5.00 a day away somewhere specifically for gear, it adds up over time. The tough part ( for me) is the discipline not to touch it when something else in life pops up!

Understood-no harm, no foul....all good man....

And, yes, by all means, put that Starbucks money into a jar on the dresser and reap the benefits!

That's one reason I drive ten year old (more actually) cars and pay cash for them.

;)
 
I also have to remind myself to be patient to wait maybe an extra year to save up for that special one I'm really lusting after.

And with a different perspective on waiting... sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes the waiting diminishes the 'want' ... a bit.
You may find your desire for that object fade or change.

I only say this because I find myself on occasion looking around at my stuff and see several objects I really, really wanted at the time... and now, don't even think about it.
 
And with a different perspective on waiting... sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes the waiting diminishes the 'want' ... a bit.
You may find your desire for that object fade or change.

I only say this because I find myself on occasion looking around at my stuff and see several objects I really, really wanted at the time... and now, don't even think about it.

An excellent point.
I recently saw a Mapex Saturn III in Laser Black Sparkle with massive bass drum mounted Toms the other day and spent days wondering how to justify a second kit or whether selling my Saturn V in more “sensible” sizes was an idea worth pursuing. The passage of time has suggested that maybe it’s a deal best left alone. Unfortunately I’ve now seen a Saturn V Tour Edition at an incredibly reasonable price and selling my current kit to fund it is a trickier conundrum to navigate.
 
And with a different perspective on waiting... sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes the waiting diminishes the 'want' ... a bit.
You may find your desire for that object fade or change.

I only say this because I find myself on occasion looking around at my stuff and see several objects I really, really wanted at the time... and now, don't even think about it.

Haha, I know some hoarders and this is how they operate. Just gotta have stuff they will never use. I'm not suggesting you are a hoarder, this sentiment just rang a bell.
 
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