Your habit?

6 month interest free at Long and McQuade in the summer!

 

I'm just good at spending moneys...

I work construction, sometimes on site, more often than not in the factory- it pays ok, but by no means great, and it's not an ideal job for me... I like to be more... Mmmm!

Anyways over the last few months I have been spending my pay cheques on...

Fender American Jazz Bass $1800AUD
Eminence Delta 12LFA $230AUD (imported)
Gallien Krueger 800RB $850AUD (Second hand) (imported)
Ampeg SVT410He $1000 (Second hand, needs a new speaker)
Essex P/J Bass $200AUD (eBay)

I'm looking at selling the Ampeg cab, and getting an Eden 212XLT the Ampeg just isnt for me... That's it for a while, I need to start saving moneys for moving interstate / buying a house next year

 

No offense to any TB members this may apply to....

But if you smoke a pack a day, it probably costs you $1300-$1800 per year, depending on where you live.

That can be a MONSTROUS rig. The bass player in my band is all suffering trying to save up a rig... and then $30+ goes towards his smokes every single week.

So... if people try to get you to quit smoking, but you dont believe in the health risks.... then friggon do it for your rig, brotha!

 

My bass rig = No starbucks. 3$ every day adds up pretty quick.

I bought my rig from playing in my band and interning!

 

Yup, the amount smokers pay is mental, especially over here, almost £5 a pack, thats almost $9 a pack, one pack a day is over $3000!

Anyway, thier problem, not really mine!

I work in a bar/pub part time and most of my gear has been bought with my student loan, so i will have to pay it back eventually!!

 

I am a student and I work my butt off in the summer 7-10 hours a day. I dont work when im in college.

You can get nice gear if you cut corners on stuff you do everyday. Smoking is a big one, dont do it. You'll save a lot of money. Dont eat out a lot. Buy a filter instead of bottled water. I used to buy the monterous cases of aquafina. Filter is as good and cheaper.

 

Heres what not to do:

Get GAS, buy gear with credit card or spend all of savings, then figure out how to pay the bills or survive on what left in the bank.

 

Fender MIM Jazz-Free, gift when i was 12 yrs old
Acoustic 100w 2x15 stack- Free from bassist in dads band
Acoustic 4x12 cab-Free from someone who thought i should have it
1976 Gibson Tbird bicentennial edition-free as graduation present
Behringer BX3000 head-$200
Warwick Corvette SE- 21st bday present

I dont get GAS, and i am very content with the gear and sound i have now.

I suck, dont i?

 

Any time spare money comes in that isn't part of the general budget (such as over-payment on income tax and some royalties I have) it goes in a simple savings account that I keep for just that purpose. When there is something I need/want and I have the money in the account I buy it.

I also take the change out of my pocket when I come home every day and throw it in a quart milk bottle. The bottle will hold about $100 in change. When it fills up I put it in the account. Since I try to collect change every day it adds up pretty fast.

 

I can buy anything I want. I'm not married.

 

my regular day job pays the bills, and i'm in the national guard which finances my habits...tattoos, bass gear, etc.

 

Side jobs/consulting. 3 hours of side work puts lots of coin in my pocket. But I don't just spend it on bass gear, I spend it on many trips to Las Vegas as well.

 

One of my paychecks covers the bills, the other goes to "fun" stuff. I take 30% of the "fun stuff" check and put it into it's own account. The other 70% goes to keeping the wife and kids happy. I add any gig money and part time job money to the G.A.S. account to support my "habit"

Matter of fact, July and December are 3 paycheck months for me so I had extra fun!!!

 

All gear pruchased has been the result of earned income from onstage performances.

 

I buy cheap stuff.. and ask my mom&pop send me few bucks for macaroni and cheese afterwards

This summer's work has got me a Epiphone EB-0. Strung it with Roto flats, now it's quite a nasty banger for $200 - rest of the cash went into a Nikon D70 and a Apple iBook.

 

I've paid for all my stuff by gigging of some type. Either as a bass player or soundman/roadie or as a sound/lighting contractor. And then selling gear I no longer want or need.

And like a few others have said, I've been doing that for a loooooong time!

None of the GAS money for new stuff comes out of my weekly paycheck.




dcr