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In lugnet.build.military, Dave Lander wrote:
> Ya know, I've been into Lego for a while myself. I haven't had the time or money
> I'd have liked to have for it over the last few years, but I do still love
> Lego.
> I've been coming to this site for a while now, and I just have one question for
> everyone. How do all of you pull it off? Everything I've seen on this site so
> far just blows away anything I've ever even come close to attempting. Even the
> things that you people say you need to work on are far ahead of anything I've
> ever done.
>
> Anyway, I'm hoping to get some time together to dust off the ol' bricks, and if
> I can, get some cash for some new bricks too. If I ever get a chance to make
> any posts feel free to ask whatever questions, and give whatever advice. Above
> all, everybody keep up the great building.
Many excellent suggestions have been given to you so far. They are all good
ideas.
As for getting more Lego to build with, you don't have to consider buying more
Lego to be a major purchase. If your cash flow is small, just buy Lego in small
batches. A small or medium set once a month and a large Lego set twice a year
may be a good goal for you for now.
Don't go skipping meals to buy Lego, but if you cut back on less important
spending, you may find you can afford to spend more cash on Lego. For example,
if you go to the movies once every two weeks, switch to video rentals to watch
at home and use the leftover cash to buy a bucket of bricks or a new set. You
can watch the videos while building with Lego.
If you like to buy your lunch every day at work, cut back some and bring a lunch
from home a few times a week. Your grocery bill will go up a bit, but your
total food bill will be less--restaurant food costs more per meal than a brown
bagged lunch. Take the cash you just saved and buy Lego.
Trips to vending machines get expensive. Buy larger quantities of drinks and
snacks at grocery stores for far less money per serving and then limit your
consumption to portion sizes similar to vended products. I never will
understand why some people put money into vending machines on a daily basis--I
guess they just do not value their money as much as I do.
For me, I used to drink a lot of alcohol. But when I realized it had seriously
cut into my Lego buying budget, I cut back and eventually stopped going to bars
and even drinking much at all. Spending $20 a night out drinking does not have
any lasting effects but spending $20 on Lego lasts many years. I now have much
more relaxed evenings at home in the Lego room than I ever had at any tavern.
You can view Lego purchases as rewards for things you have accomplished. For
example, if you are not late to work for a whole month, you can reward yourself
with a nice new Lego set.
As was suggested, do no forget about BrickLink.com
Just about any item ever made my Lego is available there. You can spend as much
or as little as you like. The best thing about BrickLink is the ability to buy
just exactly what parts you think you will need for a project without having to
buy any parts you do not find useful.
Bottom line is that buying Lego does not have to be a burden on finances.
Simply take stock of what other things you can reduce spending on so that you
can spend more cash on Lego. And remember that smaller purchases over time may
be much more rewarding than a few big purchases.
__Kevin Salm__
buyer of Lego for over 25 years
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In lugnet.build.military, Kevin Salm wrote:
Some excellent followup thoughts and money saving tips! ... But one or two I
gotta riff on... :-)
> Trips to vending machines get expensive. Buy larger quantities of drinks and
> snacks at grocery stores for far less money per serving and then limit your
> consumption to portion sizes similar to vended products. I never will
> understand why some people put money into vending machines on a daily
> basis--I
> guess they just do not value their money as much as I do.
Am I misremembering or didn't you formerly have something to do with vending
machines??? :-)
If so you're talking yourself out of income!
> For me, I used to drink a lot of alcohol. But when I realized it had seriously
> cut into my Lego buying budget, I cut back and eventually stopped going to bars
> and even drinking much at all. Spending $20 a night out drinking does not have
> any lasting effects
Other than on your liver...
> but spending $20 on Lego lasts many years. I now have much
> more relaxed evenings at home in the Lego room than I ever had at any tavern.
Another thing to consider is (if you smoke) to give up or reduce smoking... at
4ish a pack, it too can be a source of significant funds (if diverted) for the
LEGO habit... :-)
++Lar
The FUTs were all over the map, I see Kev trimmed them down nicely, I think
maybe plain old .build is even better suited...
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In lugnet.build.military, Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> In lugnet.build.military, Kevin Salm wrote:
>
> Some excellent followup thoughts and money saving tips! ... But one or two I
> gotta riff on... :-)
Okay, smart Guy......
Oh, before I start my reply I would like to say I find this thread also great
fun. Even if Larry pokes at me :)
>
>
> > Trips to vending machines get expensive. Buy larger quantities of drinks
> > and snacks at grocery stores for far less money per serving and then limit
> > your consumption to portion sizes similar to vended products. I never will
> > understand why some people put money into vending machines on a daily
> > basis--I guess they just do not value their money as much as I do.
>
> Am I misremembering or didn't you formerly have something to do with vending
> machines??? :-)
> If so you're talking yourself out of income!
Yes, I used to fill vending machines and I would guess that about 40% of my
income was due to everyday vending machine customers. But if I drank 2 sodas at
work every day, I would bring them from home. That is just my way.
Since I drink about a liter of milk at work everyday, I do bring that from home
as well as my lunch. I spend less than $15.00 per week on my lunches and I only
go into restaurants about once a month. I prefer to buy Lego than pay for
expensive food.
>
> > For me, I used to drink a lot of alcohol. But when I realized it had
> > seriously cut into my Lego buying budget, I cut back and eventually stopped
> > going to bars and even drinking much at all. Spending $20 a night out
> > drinking does not have any lasting effects
>
> Other than on your liver...
True. I was going to add qualifiers to that statement, but figured I was
generalizing enough that no one would take issue with it. (grin)
> Another thing to consider is (if you smoke) to give up or reduce smoking...
> at 4ish a pack, it too can be a source of significant funds (if diverted) for
> the LEGO habit... :-)
Yeah, smart guy, you got me on that one. :)
I do spend a lot of cash on cigarettes, but I utilize manufacturers coupons and
buy where the cost is the least. My last trip into North Carolina cost me a lot
in cigarettes at a cigarette outlet store, but saved me almost $20 per carton
off smokes had I purchased in my home state of New York.
I used to have my cigarettes shipped to me by a firm in Kentucky, but thanks to
the wise legislators in New York, it is now illegal for common carriers to ship
cigarettes into or within New York directly to consumers.
Instead of forcing native american tobacco sales enterprises from paying state
taxes, the state legislature decided to cut off consumers best avenue for saving
money on smokes who prefer NOT to patronize the Indians. Now, instead of my
money going out of state to avoid paying sales and excise taxes,[1] my money
goes to the Indians who reap gross profits by circmventing the tax codes and
still manage to undersell taxpaying business owners. Either way, the state of
New York still does not get any tax benefits from my taobacco purchases.
Instead, now the state is faced with Indian nations whose finacial resources
continue to balloon and who now have the power to "buy" politicians as well as
force their own hands in other ways.
Obviously, the easy way for ME to get out from under this mess would be simply
to stop smoking. I should be smart enough to do that......but I just don't want
to as I smoke because I enjoy it.
While on the subject--the definition of
Cigarette = fire on one end, fool on the other
____
[1] Officially, I do believe that non-indians who patronize indian businesses
are personally responsible for remitting sales tax to the state. I have never
known anyone who had done such a thing, however.
PS. Why does Lugnet not have an off-topic.off-topic or off-topic.general?? I
don't really want this to go to .debate but there is no place else. I guess the
Lugnet plan was not to support off-topic discussions, but to make a place for
them since they are inevitable. Or something like that. I better go read the
Lugnet plan again to find out for sure....
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Kevin Salm wrote:
> In lugnet.build.military, Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> > Another thing to consider is (if you smoke) to give up or reduce smoking...
> > at 4ish a pack, it too can be a source of significant funds (if diverted) for
> > the LEGO habit... :-)
>
> Yeah, smart guy, you got me on that one. :)
Inadvertantly!!!!...
I seriously forgot that you smoked... it's not something I pay much attention to
(except when I get a load of bricks from Europe and it starts reeking up the
house as soon as I slice into the first layer of packing tape, but I digress)
++Lar
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Kevin Salm wrote:
> > In lugnet.build.military, Larry Pieniazek wrote:
>
> > > Another thing to consider is (if you smoke) to give up or reduce smoking...
> > > at 4ish a pack, it too can be a source of significant funds (if diverted) for
> > > the LEGO habit... :-)
> >
> > Yeah, smart guy, you got me on that one. :)
>
> Inadvertantly!!!!...
>
> I seriously forgot that you smoked... it's not something I pay much attention
> to (except when I get a load of bricks from Europe and it starts reeking up
> > the house as soon as I slice into the first layer of packing tape, but I
> digress)
>
> ++Lar
It is not something I advertise.
Smoking is not something I am proud of and I do try to smoke in ways that do not
interfere with non-smokers right to clear air.
____
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In lugnet.build.military, Kevin Salm wrote:
> In lugnet.build.military, Dave Lander wrote:
> > Ya know, I've been into Lego for a while myself. I haven't had the time or money
> > I'd have liked to have for it over the last few years, but I do still love
> > Lego.
> > I've been coming to this site for a while now, and I just have one question for
> > everyone. How do all of you pull it off? Everything I've seen on this site so
> > far just blows away anything I've ever even come close to attempting. Even the
> > things that you people say you need to work on are far ahead of anything I've
> > ever done.
> >
> > Anyway, I'm hoping to get some time together to dust off the ol' bricks, and if
> > I can, get some cash for some new bricks too. If I ever get a chance to make
> > any posts feel free to ask whatever questions, and give whatever advice. Above
> > all, everybody keep up the great building.
-Major Snippage-
>
> Bottom line is that buying Lego does not have to be a burden on finances.
> Simply take stock of what other things you can reduce spending on so that you
> can spend more cash on Lego. And remember that smaller purchases over time may
> be much more rewarding than a few big purchases.
>
> __Kevin Salm__
> buyer of Lego for over 25 years
To further what Larry P. mentioned in a previos post, as well as Kevin Salm's
above...
I've had the experience of placing my own 32 foot long cable-stayed suspension
bridge of 33,000 LEGO pieces in the front window of a Zainy Brainy toy store.
Upon viewing my creation/display from the outside for the first time I heard a
passerby make the comment "It must be nice to have no budget". What made it
interesting was immediately following that comment this person flicked down
their cigarette butt to the ground. It then dawned on me that this bridge
occupying the window would be the equivalent of a pack a day for a year. So yes
it's just a matter of priorities.
Patrick S. O'Donnell
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