What are you doing when $$$ is tight?????

[Big Blzn]

Alright, fellas. Here is sorta the dilema that I'm in right now as many of you are probably in too.

I am in sales in the construction industry and for the past year or so my commissions which are about 2/3's of my salary have been reduced by about 40%. Where my dilema comes in is that I have loads of upgrades to do on my '72 K5. The future for my blazer consists of 3/4 ton swap (14bff w/rear disc conversion) and will be buying a D44 8 lug from bp71k5 in the next month or so. New rims for the swap, fab front and rear bumpers with tire carrier, New lift springs with DIY flip to get me to 6" total ride height, more bracing added to cage, extend front and rear drivelines, figure out OBA (have nice York in garage on bracket already), and many other smaller things to do to the above upgrades to make it all work but still cant do until I am ready to do said improvements.

So, here's the question. What are you guys doing to better your rig when all your money is going to the mortgage, household bills, child care, and other living expenses. I know most of you don't know my rig or what small chit needs to be done but what have you guys been doing that costs small amounts of $$$ that still allows you to tinker and upgrade. Your ideas and current rig activities may give me and others some ideas to keep busy when money is tight. What say you?
Hoby

 

[4X4HIGH]

When times are tight the mortgage and bills get paid and no fun stuff happens. It sucks but that's the way it is.

 

[lectric80]

I don't have tons of cash, don't get me wrong I make very good money, but I also have three kids and my wife that always come first.

There are times that I spend a bit of money on simple things, like I just got done replacing front turn signal lenses, and have a new windshield weatherstrip to go in when the windshield is replaced this Tuesday.

I also slowly buy parts, and my pile is growing. Since I plan to have my truck looking nearly factory fresh, I am slowly cleaning up the parts I have. My new 10b front is currently being torn down for new balljoints and to get painted. I can't afford the balljoints I want right now, so I am just tearing it down until I can buy the new joints.

I am also working on a small wiring project, just to get ready for trailer hauling this spring. By doing this part of the wiring I only spend a bit to buy my wire, then I can put it all in when I am ready.

You have to look for the little things you can do, and the ones you can do for the least amount of money, or you slowly buy what you need.

 

[Flamin' Fast]

when the cash flow is low i always try to find things that require more labor than money. that way you still see progress but dont go broke. right now im gettin ready to part out one truck and im transfering the parts to my k20. then i might try the rustoleum roller paint. and a bunch of little stupid things that just get me out of the house and into the garage

 

[tRustyK5]

Elbow grease jobs...or none at all. Frankly I've hardly looked at my Crew Cab in the last three months. If the weather was better (open carport) I'd be doing some stripping body parts, building the custom short box, or even just finishing taking it down to the bare frame. None require a lot of money, and working only 24 hours a week now I certainly have the time.

Still, in times like these the priority is bills and family before anything else.

When I get back to fulltime I'll think about the toys again.

Rene

 

[colbystephens]

if fabrication stuff needs to be done, i use the scrap steel yard these days. it's .60/lb right now - so you might consider building beefier crossmembers or build some cage gussets or...

fabrication is relatively cheap when materials are had for .60/lb.

 

[Kota4bye]

One year deployment to Iraq. No taxes and extra pay. Buy parts, give the guys back home a little on the side to wrench.

I know that doesn't help you, but it is what I'm doing right now.


ETA: The pick n pull near me costs $40 for what ever you can carry across the scale on Saturday's. About once a month, I used to go parts shopping. If I couldn't use it, some buddy else could.

 

[StevoandaRedK5]

Elbow grease jobs...

x2

I just do work that requires little or no $$$ and a lot of labor. Yesterday I finished up my center console with some leftover sandpaper and a couple of 98cent cans of spray paint. Just add elbow grease:

 

[70jimmy]

Yep just do little projects that don't require a lot of parts, maintenance that I have the fluids/parts on hand, a lot of cleaning up of stuff and if I do go wheeling its close and not too hardcore so I don't make my truck sit in the garage until I can afford to get more stuff.

Just scale things back a bit but still enjoy it.

 

[bp71k5]

You need to get a job at AIG, those guys get huge bonuses.

Seriously though, one thing my wife and I started doing lately is to have separate "allowance" money set aside each paycheck separate from all the bills. I keep that in cash and is used to cover my gas, lunch money, and some miscellaneous "extras" I always seem to need for the month. What's nice is that if I can find ways to spend a little less, like driving less, buying less coffee, eat lunch at Taco bell, I get to keep the extra and use it for truck stuff or anything else I'd like. I find I spend less money if I can see the cash leaving my pocket and what's left in my wallet.

On top of that, we dropped cable TV and now have over the air digital TV to save about $65/month. I now have more free time to DIY since I'm not sitting on the couch watching 400 channels of TV and I got a little extra fun money to save for truck parts.

 

[Big Blzn]

Ya, I did/do a lot of the things yo guys mentioned. Dropped the long distance on the home phone which was about $95/ month and Cable Highspeed internet that we haven't used in 6 months because our PC burnt up which save a bunch of money too monthly. The biggest thing is to quit the skoal habit which is about $7/day and put that money into a blazer fund jar which the wifey would really like so I don't have my face fall off. (as I type this with a dip in my lip). I need to do something like hopefully get the promotion I'm in the middle of interviewing for. Thanks for all the great advice guys.
Hoby

 

[viperrgh2]

Swap meets and craigslist I use for parts, simply can't afford new stuff for the most part...

 

[bp71k5]

skoal habit which is about $7/day

$7/day = $49/week
$49/week = $212.33/month
212.33 x 12 months = $2547/year

That could buy a lot of stuff!

I have to get rid of my $7/day starbucks habit...

 

[Fabrimacator21]

$7/day = $49/week
$49/week = $212.33/month
212.33 x 12 months = $2547/year

That could buy a lot of stuff!

I have to get rid of my $7/day starbucks habit...

Tell me about it cigarettes just went up... some of them will be hitting $7.00 a pack.

It's easy to add all that up but when it's 7 bucks a day it's hard to save anything up. Kind of like getting paid weekly instead of monthly.

When I was working I could smoke while working and I was up to a pack a day. Hard to quit when you can smoke at work.

 

[Big Blzn]

$7/day = $49/week
$49/week = $212.33/month
212.33 x 12 months = $2547/year

That could buy a lot of stuff!

I have to get rid of my $7/day starbucks habit...

Holy Crap! I knew it was costly on a weekly basis but just really didn't ever want to figure out the yearly costs. The whole denial thing. Had no idea it was that mucn a year. Thanks Brian, I think.......

 

[eagle mark]

Drive your truck and enjoy it while gas prices are low.

 

[bp71k5]

Thanks Brian, I think.......

Yea, I had the same reaction when I added up my multiple coffee drinks per day. It makes the money I spend on the k5 seem like nothing! I guess we all have our guilty pleasures in life.

 

[Kota4bye]

Yea, I had the same reaction when I added up my multiple coffee drinks per day. It makes the money I spend on the k5 seem like nothing! I guess we all have our guilty pleasures in life.

Coffee, black, made at home, in thermos for the day!

 

[craigske]

now's the time to be buying other people's projects or stuff that they can't afford anymore. Trick is to never ever borrow money to play.

Just my personal opinion.

I totally agree with losing the cable and the starbucks. It's unbelievable what you can spend on coffee and don't get me started on lunch. For a while there my lunch and coffee budget exceeded 15 bucks a day....

to those of you who have that "personal discipline" thing

 

[Greg72]

For the "Might As Well" build, I'm avoiding all of the high-capital expense items for as long as possible.

Example: The Bowtie Overdrives 4L80E transmission with CompuShift controller is going to be something like $3200... I need the transmission to finish the crossmember and shifter mock-ups, but I don't want to tie up that much cash. Especially since it will be another year before this truck even moves under it's own power; kind of a waste of money to spend it now. Solution: I found a $75 4L80E core off eBay, and will use that instead. It allows me to make progress, but doesn't take nearly as much cash as buying the one I ultimately need.

I am also putting off the purchase of the engine EFI system, the coilovers and the SpiderTrax axle housings.... those are all big-ticket items that don't really add much value to my stationary project.

Rust repair and fabrication are pretty "low buck" projects for me these days, though that's mostly because I've already spent all the money to get the tools, and materials I need. Realistically, what I really need to do is start cleaning out the garage and taking some nice photographs of all the "extra" parts I have and put them in the FOR SALE forums..... if I can sell even a fraction of my surplus stuff, I can probably afford to buy some of the things that I've been putting off.

Of course, the ultimate fantasy is to have enough spare time that I can do fabrication work for other people and get paid to do it....that money can get dumped right back into the "K5 Fund"...