creative machine funding ideas

B

bosephus

Registered
Registered
Joined
Jun 25, 2014
Messages
450
i want a milling machine ,no that is wrong i need a milling machine . yep i just have to have one . not a single doubt in my mind i can no longer live without a milling machine.
but alas i have the same problem so many others here have , i look in my wallet and by george those dollar bills just refuse to multiply on their own .
or in other words my currant net worth is zero , zilch , nada ... broke . ok so things are not quite that bad , but i do live on a fixed income and while not having those pesky mortgage ,car, and credit card payments allows me to live rather comfortably . my means are still limited and the extra funds i do have are going to be spoken for for quite awhile as i need to buy a car and a few other things in the coming year .

so how to fund a major purchase ,... give me your ideas . i am afraid i lack the creativity needed to come up with a viable plan .

physical limitations prevent me from doing the things i'd have done before to earn the cash .. such as getting a job , cutting firewood and such normal things i used to do to fund my addictions .

so yea ... ideas good and bad are welcome ... i do have a goal in mind . $2000 ... that should be enough to get me the g0704 size mill i want and enough basic tooling to make some chips . ....
 
A couple of suggestions:

1. Raise the money through a part time job, overtime at your work, or sell other stuff that you have. NO LOANS!!!
2. Buy a milling machine in a bundle. Sell off the other stuff that you bought in your bundle at a profit. The milling machine is left over, with you, very cheap.

I've done both to finance my "vices". It works.



Happy Trails!
 
the part time job idea ... that tough , while i am perfectly capable of working within some limitations i cant sit or stand for long periods at once , 2 hours at a time is about my limit for either.
unless i plan to spend the next three days laid up .
an 8 hour day takes me 12-14 hours to accomplish ... not complaining here , its just how it is .

over time would be nice ... if i had an actual job .... i get my income from an annuity , derived from investing a natural gas lease windfall and 20 years of saving while i was working .

selling stuff .... gasp .. the horror the horror . .. truthfully though most of the stuff i have accumulated over the years is stuff i need , i have lead a fairly minimalist lifestyle and never had a ton of the "toys" that most would consider disposable .
this was one of the first ideas to cross my mind , sadly i just dont have stuff to sell that i wouldnt just have to replace at one time or other . and the few toys i do have are irreplaceable to me and selling them just wont happen

buying a machine in a bundle .. that works great if you have the cash to finance it .... i freely admit to being a poor money manager . my currant nest egg is otherwise spoken for unfortunately .

i do agree on the no loans or credit cards ... once i finally decided that it was time to stop working the first thing that happened was i cut up the credit cards and haven't looked back .
 
I'm of the opinion that "where there's a will, there's a way!" If you really want a mill, you'll figure it out.

The first thing to do is to start looking in places like craigs list or your local "trader" publication. Sure, you can't afford one now, but it amazes me that when I actually start looking at deals, a) it gives me a running knowledge of what it takes to get it, and, b)it fires up the creative juices in me to figure out how I can manage to acquire one., and c) that deal of a lifetime might just land on your lap. You aint gonna get it wishing for it, you gotta want it and actively seek it. The means magically appears when all the stars line up. That's been my experience. :))
 
My wife and I have had an agreement for many, many years: If I quit smoking, I can use what would have been cigarette money for getting my machines and shop set up.

I quit smoking almost six years ago now. Wanna take a guess as to when I started buying my equipment? It also pays for a nice vacation each year.

I don't know if you smoke or not, and it doesn't matter, I am just pointing out what I did. I figure that I've saved somewhere around $12,000 since I quit and used it for more enjoyable purposes. It doesn't take long for the money to add up at over $7 per pack!
 
It helps if you have a wife who shares your passion for metal working. For instance, for Christmas I got a new bench lathe for my wife. To be truthful, she really wasn't all that thrilled about it, but I thought it was a pretty good swap. :biggrin:

Tom
 
No easy answers...couple of ideas...do you have cable tv? Get rid of it. Stop at the coffee shop for a latte? Cut back. Every time you get change throw it in a jar. Watch craigslist or garage sales for something you know you can resell at a profit. I would suggest not paying for your internet as a savings but that is going too far! :lmao:

Good luck in getting that much needed mill.
Darrell
 
I was on the same boat. I only had a lathe & wanted a mill bad. So with the lathe I made gadgets to sell until I was able to fund the mill purchase.
 
I hit the weekend garage/estate sales. Takes a little time to know what is easily" flipped".
Every once in awhile I ll find something that I will keep
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top