Hunt Financing?

[project mayhem]

I'm saving up for a Widow.  I quit drinking completely, and all the money that would go to the sauce now gets dumped into that, along with scrounging pennies off the ground, friends and families car floorboards, recycling, selling crap you don't use, ect.  I'm the only working parent in a young family with two young children so splurging on a new bow isn't in the cards.  Pennies make dollars!  You want something bad enough, you'll make it happen!  JW

[Arwin]

Congrats Project Mayhem on the quiting! I was wrapped up in all sorts of bad stuff before God, my family and traditional bowhunting stepped in. You will be surprised on how many WAY COOLER things you can do with the money you would have normally used for the other. When I write the State Representatives and Senators every time a hunting issue comes up, I always tell them that hunting saved my life.      

[photog]

An old grocery store here in town used to have printed on their bags "Watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves"

The owner of these stores followed his own advise and had a ton of money and land when he died, his family is still living off what he did 3 generations later.

[Longdraw]

One year I cut split and sold 15 cords of red oak to local restaurants for their live oak cookin'.

At $175 a cord there was plenty of money for my Montana trip and some cool gear.  The side benefit was that the work was great conditioning too.

- Vic

[mbbushman]

My lifestyle is probably different from most of you in that I'm young (26) and single, but this is what I do. I'm a fishing guide all summer, and all my tip money is for my "toy fund". This pays for gear, hunting trips, etc. The paychecks are for living expenses only. Last year this made me $2500 for that fund. This summer I'm at a different lodge and expect to make closer to $6000 in tips, enough to pay for my caribou hunt, and hopefully do the Wensel's Cabin Fever hunt next winter.

[Mark U]

I'll second the idea of credit card miles.  I use a card in my business that racks up at least 150,000 miles a year, and that equates to about 6 tickets around the 48 states, two overseas tickets, or three to Alaska.  I find that getting the airline tickets for free makes taking two or three extra hunting trips a year a no brainer.

You do need to pay the card off fully every month, otherwise the value is diminished.

[Walt Francis]

Like Mark said,
if you have a business, run all possible business costs through the card.  I do not care for credit cards but my debit card works same as a visa.

[wifishkiller]

I've always had a second job or worked overtime to go on trips.  Anything I make on the side goes to hunting

[Steve O]

1.  No cable TV--most of the hunting shows are crap peddling products anyway--$100/month to the hunting account.

2.  Quit drinking coffee at work--$10/week or $500 for the year to the hunting account.  As a side note, hot water gives you the same benefits as the coffee in the a.m. without the caffiene drug...

3.  Brown bag it for lunch at work--AT LEAST $25/week or over $1200 per year to the hunting fund.

So that is at least $2900 per year to the hunting fund...add in anything else you cut out or work extra and you are in pretty good shape.

Then I put all the household expenses on the Cabela's card for points towards equipment and all business expenses on the Northwest card for airline miles.

You just have to be disciplined to actually put the money you are saving on the stuff IN the hunting account    

Since I got married and started that system, I have hunted stone sheep, moose, grizzly, black bear, caribou, elk, antelope, mule deer, sitka blacktails, and whitetails all over.  Goats are coming soon...it works!

[mgompf]

This is why this site is so good, everyone gives great, well thoughtout advice!

[Talondale]

Another thing you can do is learn to use online auctions.  Not only for buying stuff but for selling!  Figure out one area you know something about and start researching how much it sells for online.  I once sold a chess set I paid $5 at a yard sale in AK for $175 online!  A game of LIFE for $100!  Just start looking at stuff you have in your attic and do a search for how much it may have sold for online.  Great way to make big bucks for junk you have to keep dealing with everytime you move.  Once you know what sells you can start hitting thrift stores and flea markets for deals you can post online.

[IndianaBowman]

Tax refunds!

[bowdude]

My overtime.  Got fed up with it years ago going for house stuff.  Told the wife the house had to live on the 40 hr week budget, I've been taking all my overtime for what I want since.

[razorsharptokill]

Originally posted by gobbler10ga:
Give up beer?????????????????????????????    :eek:        

My thoughts exactly!  

[Doug S]

One thing I will do is the air mile card as stated above. Free flights. Mines with ameriacan because they give the best international for the lowest miles. Also I started not getting trophys mounted and put the money toward a new tag somewhere. Sometimes I will sell a gun or bow. But the biggest thing I did was under buy a house instead of going for what I could afford.
You could stand at the end of an off ramp with a sign saying "need to hunt please donate". I couldn't stand that, I would have to donate.

[Stone Knife]

Side jobs are a good way to put away some cash. I have a part time job brings in about $60 a week i use that for toy and such.

[KSdan]

One thing I learned was to use Cabela points for hunting licenses rather than gear.  I found I can generally purchase the gear elsewhere cheaper.  If you think about it, you are getting more for your money trading points for licenses.

[Aaron Proffitt 2]

My hunting budget is basically why I remain in the Navy Reserve.That is my hunt money.We don't figure it into the household budget, and the money earned from weekend drills,annual training,and this past year I got to use my re-enlistment bonus as well. KA-CHING !!

[huntfish25]

i put in a saving acount $200 a pay. it started with only $5 and evenr year i raised it $5. i also do side work from working on cars and other thing. i put half in my hunt acount. i also save cans and save my coins. i have a water bottle that i put in, you will not beleave how much coins i save in a year. the only problem is my wife find out how much is in my hunting fund it gone

[Biggie Hoffman]

I had my wife take a job..........