Do You tend to hold off;


Larry

Larry

Long Winded Old Fart
Buying anything or making a decision to do large improvements on your layout when the Recession is going downhill?
I had to make a decision about 2 months ago to not add the new large section to my layout because I'm on Social security & not knowing if the Recession was going to have a big effect on my finances. So, I decided to work on projects that I've been procrastinating on for the last 3 years. These projects don't require hardly any money to finish.
What are your Thoughts?;)
 
If anything I've gone the other way! After deciding to get back into the hobby recently with my brother, we each went out and spent about $600 on a train, power cab, some rolling stock, track and a few other bits & bobs. This was right after tax time though, so we had both just gotten about a grand back from our tax returns. Since then I've bought another Dash-8 to go with my original and ordered a set of three F45s. :eek: Because the AU$ is so strong compared to the US$ right now, I can order trains online for less than I would pay locally (even after the extreme postage costs), plus I get the bonus of a massive range to choose from.
 
I have everything I need & have enough projects for a few years. That being said, I couldn't pass up a mint HO Spectrum 4-8-2 for $25 and a mint Lionel Freedom Train 4-8-4 for $15 at a show last weekend. In fact I am clearing out many items that I will probably never use.
 
With the wife out of work for over a year I have scaled back spending. Not stopped it, but I'm more careful these days. Fortunately I have plenty of projects to work on, so it really hasn't effected my enjoyment of the hobby.
 
I'm keeping a tighter fist on spending in general but fortunately I have a lot of stuff yet to be used that I bought ages ago. These days money spent on the RR goes mostly for supplies and scenery materials and whenever a New Haven item pops up. So for me at least it isn't so much a matter of money, it's a matter of not really needing very much to keep myself busy and the RR progressing.
 
I've been spending like a mad man this past almost two years that I've been building my new layout. I basically started off with nothing.

Even though I was out of work 2 separate occasions, I did work on some things that didn't cost me anything. Kit's I already had.

Obviously finances affects the hobby for individuals, because it's considered a luxury item.
 
I'm only 18 and have a part time Job. I'm saving up money to go to trade school next year but if I get holiday pay or some over time I use some of that to get something on ebay to work on down the road. Or what I've been doing lately is selling stuff from my layout and use that money to buy locomotives. I realized that spending my hard earned money on trees and little people right now isn't right, when I could be building my locomotive fleet instead. I don't have a layout anymore but I never used it anyway because I didn't feel like buying scenery. That'll change of course, but later on!
 
If money is tight, that's one concrete factor that ought to play by hardball rules when it comes to hobbies. On the other hand, we can go our whole lives never starting or completing projects of any value to us if we always demure because we are worrying over intrusions of all sorts...a house sale, sick kids, a car breaking down, loss of job. Many in the older generation, especially those who had some growing up during The Great Depression, are highly risk averse when it comes to money. My own father won't spend a red cent unless he absolutely must...for his health, to keep a car in good condition, or to keep the house in good repair. He gets hard estimates for anything costing more than $100.

But, a lot of water can go under one's bridge waiting for a calamity or some life-changing event. Meanwhile, we need to build a story, a life, of our own.
 
Larry said:
Buying anything or making a decision to do large improvements on your layout when the Recession is going downhill?
I had to make a decision about 2 months ago to not add the new large section to my layout because I'm on Social security & not knowing if the Recession was going to have a big effect on my finances. So, I decided to work on projects that I've been procrastinating on for the last 3 years. These projects don't require hardly any money to finish.
What are your Thoughts?;)
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Since my layout is up and running, this year has been for buying just the items to correct the track laying mistakes I made. Laid curves for 4 axle diesels and then went and bought six 6 axle ones. :eek: So every few months I spent some money to get the replacement track and switches needed. I just ordered what I hope is the last for a long time.:)
 
I should probably not be spending any money on trains, but then I'd go crazy.:) I don't have very many hobbies so trains get any "extra" I can spare. There have been times in the past three years where the money just wasn't there. I've had enough projects to work on in those times until the money was there. It's sort of an ebb and flow with funding around here. My wife finally got a good paying job after two years of scraps so I guess this should be a flow situation!:) I don't think she agrees with me.
 
I've been trying to have a garage sale every other month to raise money for my trains, but, lately it's been going for doctor bills. Then there's the problem that I'm running out of things to sell. Over the past 2 years I've sold over a grand in used tools & I had a garage sale 2 weeks ago & only sold $150.00 worth of tools in 2 days. To be able to have another tool sale the 1st 2 days of Nov. I'm going to have to really thin out my tool collection this time to have anything to sell. I need about a thousand bucks to make the layout bigger & I've probably raised about $500 since May, but $450 of it went to the hospital for bills. Gotta stop getting sick or getting food poison from McDonalds. LOL
 
Jeez things are bad when a guy has to sell the tools he has, but then again if you're like myself most of the heavy stuff you'll never use again anyway.
For the new layout I trust it will built with all the salvaged parts and pieces from the previous layout. I have one thing in mind to purchase and that is an NCE SB3a booster. As for the rest I'll make do with what I have now.
How bad do you fellows think this is going to be?
Willis
 
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Willis, This won't be a new layout other than to add onto what I have now. I have to close in part of the way under my Stilt House. The tracks will go from my present layout to the outside for about 75 ft. & then under my house. That section will be 12ft wide & about 18ft long. So, I have to buy a case of code 100 track(100 pcs.) before I can start on the new section. The new part will be about 2 layers of over & under mountain area w/lots of tunnels & bridges. Something that I don't have on the present layout now is hills w/trains running up & down grades. I've been planning this new section for about 2 years. The plans are in my head & I can't get them out. LOL
 
Ebay must not think we are going into a Recession because their prices are almost the same price or a little more than HobbyShop prices for the starting bid. I notice no one is bidding on anything. The buyer must be holding off as I am. I notice that people are still making high bids on an item that you can get in a store for almost half the price. What's wrong here. People must not know the retail price on an item when they are bidding.
I'm not planning on buying anything on EBay, but, I do watch the bidding occassionely(sp).
Usually when the economy starts sliding the prices on EBay start dropping, but that's not the case this time. If the Post Office stops overnite shipping, closes on Saturdays & closes all of their satelite branches where will the shipping prices go, Higher? EBay sellers are already charging 30 to 40% more for shipping than they were 6 months ago. What Gives? I bought a passenger car about a month ago for $10.00 & he wanted $16.00 shipping. I balked at that & he lowered it to $10.00 for parcel post. That's still tooo much.
That's enough of my Ranting about the Economy.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::eek:
 
Not to get too off topic, but in response to the part about ppl not knowing the retail price of items I have a great example. My sister used to buy sets of exercise videos, I'm talking on cassettes, not dvds, and pay retail for them, usually around $10 or $15. She would turn around and sell them on ebay for $30, $40, sometimes $50! :eek: She actually made a huge profit doing this. That was, of course, when you could still find a VCR to play tapes in (some younger forum members may want to go "what is a VCR?") and people just bought them up. It was CRAZY that someone would pay $50 + shipping for an item they could get in the store for $15. Ebay does NOT necessarily equate to a good deal!
 
Larry said:
Ebay must not think we are going into a Recession because their prices are almost the same price or a little more than HobbyShop prices for the starting bid. I notice no one is bidding on anything. The buyer must be holding off as I am. I notice that people are still making high bids on an item that you can get in a store for almost half the price. What's wrong here. People must not know the retail price on an item when they are bidding.
I'm not planning on buying anything on EBay, but, I do watch the bidding occassionely(sp).
Usually when the economy starts sliding the prices on EBay start dropping, but that's not the case this time. If the Post Office stops overnite shipping, closes on Saturdays & closes all of their satelite branches where will the shipping prices go, Higher? EBay sellers are already charging 30 to 40% more for shipping than they were 6 months ago. What Gives? I bought a passenger car about a month ago for $10.00 & he wanted $16.00 shipping. I balked at that & he lowered it to $10.00 for parcel post. That's still tooo much.
That's enough of my Ranting about the Economy.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::eek:
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For ebay, many of those listings are from stores, not individuals. Also, I always find out what the exact shipping will be before I send an invoice...not that I use ebay all that much, their seller fees are a bit high.
 
I have not spent a dime on MRR stuff this calendar year.

We {My Other Half {who is into trains too]and I} spent more than we should have last Christmas on trains, and used the cash gifts to buy more.

This year faced with major auto repair bills, a roof re-do and a new furnace, there is NO money for the hobby.
I also want to tear down {and started all that is left is track on the layout} my layout and build a newer larger one.....*sigh*

It will have to wait till we get out of this trailer home and into a house home with dry basement!
 
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I quit smoking cigarettes and decided to get a cookie jar and labeled it trainfunds. The amount of money I was smoking away has gone into that jar. Sure its a constant battle of wanting to smoke but all I have to do is look at that jar and that's motivating. :D
 
Well I've been fortunate the recession was barely glanced me so far, in fact I'm probably in better shape financially then I've ever been. Which makes me far from rich but doing alright.
That said, I've haven't been buying much since I realized I have to finish all these projects I've got half done. So no I've not been buying, but not due to the economy or even my personnel finances.
 
I have really spent very little on the hobby this year. The only exception was I picked up a Spectrum 4-4-0, painted for the SRR. It is a REAL close match to the loco it was numbered for, and that is good for me.

The main reason I've spent so little is equipment wise I have just about all I need for the layout I'm building, and have really only needed to spend for construction. So far that has amounted to less than $300 for the year.
 
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