vax6335

Don't mean to pry, just curious, but what is everyone's monthly RC budget? I'm in the middle of buying my first house now, and I realize that I'm really going to take a BIG cut in money for my favorite hobby, now that I'm gonna be a homeowner. How do you survive like this!?!?

firemanbill

First off let me say Congrats on home ownership!

This should be an interesting thread so I'm going to jump right in.

There were many years where I struggled and just dreamed of doing things. Please don't take this as bragging but I've worked hard for a lot of years, got into debt, and got out of debt. (except for the house and the Van).

I retired form the Air Force a few years back in Oct 2001. Since then I went back to work civil service and now get a VA disability as well. So I'm triple dipping I guess you could say...

I get the wife what she wants, $1700 worth of flooring for the Kitchen and dining room this week. (man my knees are hurting... ) so when I want something I go get it.

I am not extravagant by any means though. I try to limit myself to about $50 a month sometimes more sometimes less.

I guess the moral is be patient and spread it out. I know some folks would look at my stuff and say wow. on the other hand I look at other guys stuff and say WOW!

opquickie

being a teenager i only get around $500-600 a month and proably a third of that goes to rc. but trust me if i had more to spend, i would probably have LESS...if that makes sense.

edit: ^^wow you posted like 2 seconds before me!

firemanbill

quick draw McGraw...

Don Sims

I get a weekly allowance of about $40 for all my hobbies. But we've been married for over 20 years and it took 10 to get my last raise...

vax6335

Thanks!
I enlisted in the Air National Guard in December of '01. Just last summer I finally got a full time AGR (Active Guard and Reserve) position out at the base I work at. Being active duty in the Guard is the best way to go in my opinion. Indiana has such a low cost of living, that I'm still amazed I can be a single, Senior Airman homeowner. However I am getting promoted to Staff Sergeant in June....

firemanbill

Well double congrats Sarge! You'll have to change your userid now

zappedalaskan

After all the monthly bills, the Mrs. and I sit down and see what we have left over. We split this amount three ways.. A third goes to savings, a third goes to her for cloths and such and I get a third. Most of my third goes into rc. We have been doing this for over 10 years now and it works great. My wife is very supportive of my rc addiction. There are no 12 step programs, so she gave up years ago.
Cool Thread!
Jay

rca

First off, congratulations on the home, another step in the American dream. Second, a big thanks to both of you (and all our service men and women) for serving your country, you have my gratitude.

I've been recycling my RC stuff as of late to finance the hobby. I was into cars and trucks for the last few years before getting bit by the flying bug, so I have been slowly selling off my ground forces to finance the air fleet. I also do some web programming work on the side that is good for about $50 a month and my wife lets me spend this on my addiction.

Enjoy.

ron

firemanbill

sounds like the real world rca... selling off the army stuff so's the AF can get stuff... hehe. Then the frist lady approves the budget.

Oh and your welcome by the way...

skiman762

umm never really kept track
I'm sure it runs 50-100 a month
once I got all the building and testing type stuff
I just kinda piece it here and there
sell some stuff buy some stuff
My wife thinks I'm trying to own one of everything before I die..lol

giflyrc

I quit smoking 18 years ago when my habit cost about $15 per week and my wife agreed to redirecting the money to hobby. Todays prices for cigs would cost me easily $35 to $50 per week .

I too buy and sell and spend about $1500 per yr.. I think that it still adds up to less than what would have gone up in smoke.

Roger aka GIFLYRC

firemanbill

And your body thanks you as well!.

I quit smoking about 20 years ago because my lovely wife said she wouldn't marry me if I didn't. Two of the best moves I ever made

Never really looked at it money wise, it would cost a fortune to smoke nowadays...

Jason T

I don't really have money alloted for RC but I end up recycling RC gear to buy new stuff. However, the problem I am starting to run into is that I don't have much left to sell to fund new projects. Otherwise, I end up waiting for birthday or Christmas $.

firemanbill

My birthday's coming up!!! hmmmmmmmmmm I'd Better start dropping some hints.

losi24

happy early birthday firemanbill! i would say my budget is about $20-50 a month, depending on how much work i have lined up with my cousin....yes, thats right, i finally found a job!!! it used to be about $20 every month for chores, but now that i have a job, i get more.

qban_flyer

Some months I am very, very good and spend nothing in the hobby.

Then there are the ones when I loose control and the sky is the limit (within my wallet capabilities, that is) when it comes to spending on R/C.

redgiki

I'm lucky to also have a wife who fully supports this hobby. In her own words, she'd rather I be spending money on "toy planes" than on "strippers and booze".




Anyway...

I have a full-time job, and my wife and I each get $100 "allowance" per month from that pay. So what I do to finance my RC hobby is to work side jobs. Usually, on these jobs I'll make a decent rate ($40-$85/hour, before taxes). After Uncle Sam takes his share (about 40%, ouch!), I generally use the rest for R/C. I get maybe 2-10 hours worth of gigs every month.

I just did a quick tally of everything I have purchased in the last year, and it came out to between $100 and $200 a month. It may be time that I actually start tracking the numbers "for real" in a spreadsheet or something, though, because I'm planning on a couple of planes with $1000 power systems. That is going to take some savings. I also have a high-school reunion to attend this summer, 3000 miles away, which is going to take a big bite out of my RC budget!

But anyway, the number is definitely not very consistent. Some months I spend nothing, and others I blow $500.

Don Sims

Red, you don't want to know what you spend per month! You a military brat having a reunion that far away?? I'm a Heidelburg American High School Alum.

firemanbill

A good rule of thumb is never add up your invoices This holds true in any hobby I suppose...

losi24

I agree with firemanbill 100% i've probably spend about $600 in the 2 years in the hobby.

rclark

$100 a month is budgeted. Sometimes more if a little extra comes in.

Wow, my teenager kids get $10 every two weeks for allowance..... That's $20 a month + lunch money for school.... You must be working part time I imagine....

jakjr

No amount in particular, I just get whatever I want when I have the money.

I do try to keep R/C spendings to a minumum though. Right now I'm actually selling off alot of my stuff and only buying things that I really need (IE replacement parts).

redgiki

Naw, I'm just a Maryland boy who fell in love with an Idaho girl. Three guesses who won the "where are we going to live?" discussion.

Four kids later, we're pretty firmly established in Utah

Ron

Spend as it's needed,not much really, I make most of my own stuff such as gearboxes, props and speed controls...Generally I'll buy about 4 rolls of covering, and 100 dollars worth of Balsa per year...oh and a bottle or two of carpenter's glue.money comes mostly from a model or models that I sell. My shop is small, so I have to sell one in order to have the room to build one, and I like making things, so I try to make it all myself....basically I'm frugal/cheap on the modeling budget, probably average about 30 to 40 dollars a month.