Solving the problem of hunting expenses...

Yukon Mike

Yukon Mike

Well-known member
I don't know about you, but I feel my family pays enough for my affliction without having to actually pay for it in dollars. I really try to pay my own hunting expenses which is difficult when you give 100% of your paycheck to cover family stuff; there's just not much left for dad's allowance. So, I sell a few decoys to pay for new gear and shells. I know a lot of you have sidelines and lemonade stands to help put something in your fun money jar. But by far the biggest help I've found is a bit of creative accounting. Check it out...

Remember that year I went fly in sheep hunting ($800) and I was hoping to get a sheep not too big so I could sell the hide ($750) to pay for it? But I got a really good one so that trip went from $50 to $800 plus another $800 for the mount, plus I got a bear that cost me another $1200 or so to get rugged, then I bought a "new" Auto 5 and some GHG goose decoys, and... you see where this is heading.

I've been painstakingly keeping track of my decoy sales since then, and chipping away at this debt to the family. REcently it occurred to me that perhaps I should be balancing Jane's fun money expenditures against mine and use them as deductions from MY debt. Without the actual receipts one can't be exact, BUT according to my new calculations, I only owe $5.

Problem solved.

Mike


PS. This style of accounting will in no way keep you under budget, especially if you are married to someone who thinks a line of credit is the same as a savings account, but at least you won't worry about it as much.
 
We can relate to that Mike.That "line of credit" thing is in the female DNA.Like ,as long as there are blank checks,it's ok to write them.Run out of checks,use the plastic.I like the way you solved you hunting budget.lol
 
I consider myself fortunate that my wife has a horse. Of course the horse needs to live at a farm with an indoor riding arena, so we have to pay room and board. Since she wants to go to the shows and ride on the beach, we have to have a truck and trailer, Ford f350 with V10 and gooseneck trailer with dressing room. Then there's the farrier and the vet, not to mention the massage therapist and (I am not lying) the horse shrink. No matter what I do for hobbies I can never keep up with the horse. I'll consider myself fortunate all the way to the poor house.
 
Bill,as one who has had horses and buggies,you need say no more.A vet friend once told me that the buy price of a horse ,is only the down payment.T once figured it up that I spent more money to get the horses shod,over a few years time,than I spent on my shoes for a lifetime.Shrink?I believe it.We had an acupuncturist.If my wife rode and showed,I wouldn't have made it.lol
 
Mike,

When my kids came along the wife started bugging about spending more time at home or at least with them. At the time I was a full blown whitetail-aholic. Spent about 100 days a year in stand in several states. So, I buy a TDB14 and decide to hunt ducks in New Jersey where the in-laws live so she could come along for the weekend and bring the kids with.

Long story short... I'm headed to the in-laws tonight (alone) to hunt the last day of the season tommorow and catching heat at home for going hunting because she "doesn't feel like going along".

I should have known THAT PLAN was too good to be true. But since my four year old has started tagging along weather permitting she is seeing the up side of it (in good weather). He drives her CRAZY when I'm out hunting without him.

My wife knits and would like to get a few sheep for wool. We have the land and the barn. I'll live with a negative balance if that's what it takes to balance the debt though. I'd LOVE to hunt sheep. But raising them really doesn't interest me!

Best wishes,
Gene
 
Gene, from a "retired" farmer, buy the wool, not the sheep. Stupid, Stupid animals and with the cost of feed and clean up, you're far better off buying the wool.
 
To funny. You have to learn the 3 price rule: 1. The price you pay, 2. The price you tell your wife you paid, and 3. The price you pay when your wife finds out the price you paid.

Hopefully you never get to #3.

The pleasure hunting gives me and now my 11 year old son si worth whatever the habit costs. It provides me with a release from the grinds of daily life. One can never pay too much for this.

Mark W
 
Smiling about the horse...

I have tried to administer my "fun" budget for a lot of years adhering to a few simple practices...

Try not to spend money on water, rocks or worms and NEVER buy anything that eats food by the bale.


When my kids were little they asked for an aquarium with fish like their friend had. I set up the tank then surprised them with a "much better" fish...a 3 or 4" bluegill from the pond out back. That fish lived for about 8 years (with help from a reincarnation or two from the pond) and they still talk about "Old Blue" fifteen years later.
 
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Andrew,

You might have missed the point here. Getting sheep to make wool for her to knit clothes for Gene and his son will give HER satisfaction and take up so much time that she won't be bugging him for going hunting all the time -at least it sounds like a good plan to me.

Worst case, you eat mutton for a month.

Pete
 
I just "trade." My wife is amazed by the deals I can get.

Hey Mike--remember the time I traded you that envelope with a little piece of paper for a decoy?

Rick
 
You guys are way ahead of me. Joe you brought up a good one. I can't believe the money people spend on horses around here. A square bale is $8 because it is imported from Alberta. Some people actually ship their horses down to Alberta to board for the winter because it is cheaper than feeding them here. There is no grazing here unless you clear it, plant it, and irrigate it. Plus its cold.


10-4 on the fish thing. I did the same thing with grayling. We had gold fish too but they went in the rain barrel every summer.

DSCF3609.jpg

Someone should publish a pamphlet of all these tips for the younger fellers. I would have saved me a lot of explaining.

Mike
 
Gene, from a "retired" farmer, buy the wool, not the sheep. Stupid, Stupid animals and with the cost of feed and clean up, you're far better off buying the wool.
Click to expand...

One, small, upside is they will eat down a pasture you would otherwise how to mow or put up with wife's nagging to mow. You could get Alpaca's. Their wool is finer than sheep wool. Of course, the animals cost just a little more!

Tom
 
Mike,
Not sure how Canadian tax law works but I sure hope you're running your decoys through a personal business. Down here everything that would be used towards the production of those decoys would be tax deductible. Tools, building, your new Jacuzzi test tank(just make sure it's located right out side the door to the carving shed). Then you tell Jen, hey these aren't hunting trips they're reference gathering expeditions, TAH DAH!

And if the tax man comes knocking at your door you can run off to Canada.HAHAHAHAHAHA
 
You know Mark I've never set myself up as a business and I have no idea what that would entail. I only make about $3000/yr off decoys, so would I really be able to deduct much? If I had to hire an acct. at $200 to do it for me and it only saved me $100 in taxes it wouldn't be worth it, but ...

Where would I start to find out?

Mike
 
Mike, I'd be happy to give you $5 for one of those oldsquaws of yours to help you be completely debt free.
 
Mike... you are forgetting the critical intangible here... you and Mac disappearing for a few days every once in a while is heaven for all wives... ; )

See, the guilt is suddenly gone.
 
Yeah....start a business and you are automatically a millionaire. Your phone will be ringing off the hook for donations and the government asking where your weekly/monthly tax deposit, and filing forms and fee's are. Yes sir..start a business so all your income can be taxed "fairly" so the ones who won't work can keep not working. Hire employee's, that will be a big write off for you. My wife gets the bills for whatever I do....I am deaf in one ear and can't hear out of the other. Sheep...ahhh yes...sheep.....
 
Just thought I'd chime in with respect to setting up a business... DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!! I have a side business managing ponds that actually pays for a lot of goodies like waders, coats, bibs, even boats and 4 wheelers... a lot of stuff. But, with all the stuff... (and I love having stuff!!!) comes resonsibilies that suck. I was just getting ready to cut checks to me and my business partner for our year end split when the stupid truck insurance bill that I forgot about came in - $2750 for 2008. That spells out $1375 that didn't make it into my pocket. I was just about ready to go to the shop and send that truck off into the canal just get back at the insurance company.

Keep it simple in my humble opinion.

BTW... I'm liking your accounting style - but my wife hardly buys anything, so I'm stuck feeling guilty all the time. I'll get over it.
 
My buddy Charlie and I have a unique system too. We keep all our collective water related hunting gear at my house and all the field hunting gear at his house. That way if the wife questions anything or swears the pile of decoys grew I just say "Yea Ive had those for a while.... I brought them home from Charlies garage"

My wife too is simply amazed by the "trades" I pull off.
 
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