Bandit Runner

So my question is mainly for you married guys with kids. It looks as though some of you spend a lot of money on your rigs. How do you manage it? It seems that every time I am getting ready to buy a large ticket item for my rig, something else comes up: house repairs, school bills, medical bills, braces, etc. Maybe you guys are all just really rich.

My wife was apprehensive at first about all the mods I was doing to the 4Runner, (especially when we had just started making payments on it) but now she's liking the way it looks more and more.

She and I have kind of come to an understanding. That is, every spring when we get our tax return back, I get to purchase one big ticket item ($600-$800) for the truck. This year it was tires. Next will be OME suspension. Ocassionally I can get smaller things (up to $100) for birthdays, father's day, Christmas, etc.

I have a 6 year plan for our tax refunds:

2006 = down payment on truck
2007 = new 32" tires
2008 = OME suspension
2009 = TJM T-15 bumper
2010 = 16 x 8 rims
2011 = 33" tires (hope the 32's last this long)

So how do you plan to pay for your obsession?

Red3.slow

When I was in highschool I worked about 35 hours a week and still lived with my parents. My funding has just about come to an end my dad gave me an apartment and most of my money is going in to it. how ever their are a few small things i'm going to do to my truck with extra money i have.

So basicly work my butt off and save

offroad4x4yota

LOL Anyway I can. I try to keep money coming in by doing extra stuff sometimes and by buying and selling stuff. Plus me and my wife clean office bulidings after hours and it pays great to.

Mattabilly

Bandit Runner, I know how you feel, have a son and house. Paid my rig off last year so about every other month I feel justified putting a little back into the 4Runner. My tax return for next year is going to OME as well!

norcalsvx

i sell used tires (300-400) per month to fund my truck and car hobbies

eric-the-red

My wife makes lots of money, I just spend hers. If I had another wife like her I could probably retire and wheel all day

And if she reads this I'll be sleeping in the truck

the_gunslinger

i make crystal meth. funds my toys nicely

j/k

Hasbeen

I've been doing stuff around the house, this fires my wife up enough to give up some of our savings from time to time.

Hmm maybe I'll have to test my traction across the lawn to make more chores for myself. I'll have to blame it on "damn kids" though.

Joe's Toy

Haha don't get caught!

Trustyrusty

Well my exhaust was free, I'm in highschool and my dads friend owns a junk yard, so I do misc. ☺☺☺☺ for him for parts... Like I got my exhaust done for free cause I'd done some work for him, I just had to supply the muffler which was also free. And I get like 20$ every once in a while fo' gas, But I'm applying for jobs at pizza joints everywhere so I can get a nice lift and tires.

Avsfreak1234

Im in high school and work 30 hours a week durring the school year and about 60 in the summer. but I still have no $$

magicninja

I'm still in high school, working about 25 hours a week, if I saved my money I would have a much nicer truck.

crolison

I think i have it pretty easy. I live, eat and sleep at home, ie all free (during the summer), all i have to do is mow the lawn, etc, etc.

I am a junior at UTK in civil engineering. I have a sweet summer job, in civil engineering, i am making roughly 33,000 a year. Which all i have to pay is for gas, and repairs.

Bandit Runner

Yeah, sucking up to the wife by doing things around the house is always helpful. The other thing I forgot to mention in my first post was that I always make sure she gets something she wants right before I ask for something I want.

She got a new sofa - I got new tires.
She's getting a new deck - I'm getting OME.

Works pretty well.

crolison

Ah the joys of being single

91muddog

*currently looking for a better job*

AxleIke

How to pay for truck:

1. Work Full time.

2. Not married

3. No kids

4. Older model truck - no payments, lower insurance, (its a toyota, so no repairs ususally)

Sum total= plenty of money for all sorts of things.

I think a bunch of you got lost somewhere around number 2

jfreisner

Just graduated high school. I ONLY buy gas. I used to spend my money on stupid stuff like going out to eat, but the money starts to pile up if you are extremely frugal.

Avsfreak1234

I hear ya there. I pay insurance, gas, and one other hobby and that is about it!

ewong

Married with kid (soon to be kids)

Number 1 - STOP GETTING TAX REFUNDS.
If you are getting a big refund its because your W2 witholding is wrong.
Change the witholding. There is an IRS calculator that tells you how to set it so that there is a minimal refund at the end of the year.
Keep the extra money each paycheck. Put it aside and earn interest on it - whatever. Unless you really do want to give Unlce Sam in interest free loan.

Rule #2 - Pay yourself FIRST
-- 401K if you have it - at least to the match point
-- IRA - even if its not deductable
-- 401K to the limit (interest compounds tax deferred)
-- 529 (for the kids education)

Then start thinking about truck toys.

Fund the truck toys with a self supporting hobby (aka part out trucks, assist friends with repairs etc)

Think looooong range. Im getting to Phase III of my mod plans... (its a 1989 4Runner bought new in 1989...)

Use Quicken or something similar - track your expenses.
Find out how much "cars" cost of your budget.
Make sure you cont everything
-- payments
-- insurance
-- gas
-- maintence
Think HARD about that amount. Is it really necessary?

In the early days I funded TOOLS out of the maintence budget - if I had a repair item (for example repack wheel bearings) I would price out the "shop" cost and that would be my targer total cost for the reapir. I could buy tools and parts up to the limit. After about oh 8+ years of this, repairs started being really cheap (parts only). Its THIS "savings" that could be put towards paying myself as per above) and then and later - car toys.

DO NOT look at what some of us older folks are buying and think that you can afford that too. I couldnt when I was your age...