This is why when I had money I determine the hobby should become self sufficient. My strategy is to get stuff free. When I find a really good deal on a locomotive or something, I don’t buy just the one or two I want, I buy them all. Then I sell off the surplus. For example, most recently I found a bunch of locomotives with sound for $89 and $99 each. Instead of getting the two (one of each number) that I wanted, I bought 12. I sold 10 of them for $120 each (still a good deal for a QSI sound equipped unit), which made the two I kept basically free. I’ve also found I can often negotiate even a better deal if I offer to buy “them all”. One hobby store was clearing out all its detail parts for $1 a bag. I offered $35 for the whole lot. They jumped at it. After I sorted it all out there was $600 worth of parts. I sold them off slowly for a couple years, and then sold all that was left of the diesel parts for $50, and all the steam for another $50. I still make mistakes in purchases (anyone need cheap Atlas True-Track turnouts?), and occasionally have to add details, assemble kits, or repaint things to get them to sell. Overall my net spending is on model railroad stuff if very small.
Why don’t you build layouts for people to make some money on the side?
I too am disabled with 2 compression fractures and disk problems in my back at the age of 53, it doesn’t help much for Workman’s Comp to pay a partial salary for a permanent injury, and when your wife is already disabled, it is hard, you have to look for bargains, you may have to settle for some horn-hook couplers sometimes, but you can still have fun…
You know maybe we ought to set up a way to trade stuff, since I have gone fine scale I have lots of less than fine scale stuff to get rid off and some of you may have no money but are skilled and have time and someone who has a lot of kits but no time could trade kits for building, John Allen got a lot of help on his layout and he gave back just as much in other ways! Hope this is not against the rules, not trying to sell anything!
I know this is sort of off-topic, but from reading through some of the stories on this post I wanted to mention the existence of disability insurance. It’s not something that most people think about until it’s too late. I didn’t have any coverage until a good friend of mine told me to look into it. His father was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and since it’s hereditary, he was obviously thinking about what he would do if worst came to worst. Anyway, you can purchase a disability policy at a ~50:1 ratio (by this I mean that $1 in monthly premiums buys you a $50 a month income stream; if you pay with after tax dollars your benefits are also untaxed). This is something that everyone should look into.
PS: For the record, I’m not an insurance salesman.
I thought Disbility Insurance was great, paid for it for years, but when you get hurt on the job, get fired, the company has beat the disability Insurance angle. It’s too bad they are so crooked.
I’m keeping my eye on this forum just to see the responses, I admire the attitude of the writers,even though times are tough, it’s sort of like the poor in Ireland, you can take away everything from them but they still retain their dignity, I know it doesn’t balance the inequities of the North American system of “I made my million-so can you” I’m waiting for responses to this column from the the 'Haves" I still get tremendous satisfaction from building a trestle or building out of styrene and detailing it for a cost of $1.35. Hang in there guys.
Jeffrey,I am medically retired and live on a fix income…However…I was working in a Union shop when I had a major heart attack and lost the use of my right hand and was medically retired and even on my company/union pension plan I need to budget my hobby dollars and thanks to the on line hobby shops I can still buy what I need and want but,not as many as I did when I was working.No big deal.
Now,I would have lost my sanity by now wasn’t for the hobby…Btw…I have regain limited use of my right hand.
As a passing thought I have read several topics where modelers quit the hobby because they fell on hard times.Funny…Hard times pass and good times return but,living on fix income is a constant way of life.
Thats when you hire a attorney to fight for YOUR LEGAL rights…
I did the Attorney, He got me the workmans comp, only after litigation, and I don’t mean to snibble, but the State Law here protects businesses by requiring them to have workman’s compensation insurance, which is a pittance of what I used to earn. These are my legal rights in my state, it is unfortunately an employer-interest state so as to attract new business at the expense of the people. Sad situation, but I am making the best of it.
I agree Brakie, I have kept myself busy after working 30+ years in my profession, I lean on my hobby to keep my mind active and it even allows me to use my creative abilities as I was an Illustrator and Graphic Desiner, so this lends itself to modeling.
im in the same boat with NS2591. im in my sophmore year of high school with no job(yet–hopefully i can get a job sweeping up around the local body shop)and ZERO income. the only $ i can get is what my family and my few friends send me during the holidays and my birthday. my parents, seeing my frustration with not having supplies to make progress on this huge mess along the back wall of the living room, have helped me pay for some benchwork supplies and stuff like that. we dont have much disposable income, but at least its something between finding [2c] in couch cushions.time isnt really a problem. i have the weekends and after school to work on the layout, but sometimes im just in no mood. stress and (i fear)depression over some pretty deep problems in my life have been on my mind, and kept my mind off the layout.
good luck to everyone who has finacial problems, just keep going and youll pull thru. rember an empty wallet isnt the worst thing in the world. an empty heart does come close, tho. [V]
GEARHEAD426
hi jeff.i retired in 1997when i was 54 yrs old,after 28 yrs in the bakery.got a good job at the casino and was doing well.health problems started cropping up and before i knew it i couldn’t work any more.i survived for a long time financially but the time came when the wife and i ended up having to sell all my trains.the only thing left was the layout lumber and the track.other things were sold also such as electronics,etc,etc.to make a long story shorter,had a heart attack,open heart quad surgery,have diabetes and neuropathy(nerve damage) and living in chronic pain.finally got my disability after two yrs but it was rough as you and other’s know.it really hurt going over to the train room and only having a 0-4-0 steamer and a bachman gp40 to run as well as having only five car’s to boot.during our long stretch of misfortunes i wasn’t able to buy anything trainwise.i couldn’t even go to the train show’s and that hurt[:(] better off financially now, but i hope no one has to go through what we and other’s have gone through[:)]terry…
When I started this thread I had no idea that there were this many members in the same boat I’m in. We all have had to make decisions and sacrifices to get what we want. On my side, I do without some things that may make my life easier. On the other hand, I love model railroading and I make whatever sacrifices I need to, short of endangering my health. It’s amazing what can be done on a limited budget when you put your mind to it.