I came in from the garage last night where I was tumbling some brass. While standing at the kitchen sink, my wife looked over at me and said those words I have dreaded for a long time...

"I hope you are enjoying what you are doing, because you are not saving any money with all that reloading junk. You do know that you are not saving any money, don't you?"

I did the only thing I could think of. I looked at her like she was stupid.

I am pretty confident that it didn't work. She has me figured out.

I better call home and make sure my wife is still there and not living in Texas!

You blew it!

There are many different replies:

"Well, honey, at least you know where I am at night, and I'm not spending $150 a night on hookers."

"Well, dear, it cheaper than buying rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar every night."

"Sure I'm saving money. I'm not thinking about buying that new Ferrari anymore."

"Oh, it's going to save me a lot of money, especially after the divorce if you don't keep your mouth shut."

Man trouble, sounds like you need to spend an hour or 2 drinking a few beers on the internet, round up prices for all that crap, to include what you have spent over how long you have been reloading. Break that down to a cost per round, and how many you have loaded. Then find the most expensive factory ammo(cause you are reloading PREMIUM ammo, not jabroney stuff, right?), and add that up to the same quantity of ammo, let her see the two prices, then say "WOMAN! Get in the kitchen and make me some DAMN PIE!!"

Yeah, but it doesn't sound like she was too upset. My wife is really great about it. One year she, having an MBA in Finance, calculated the cost per pound of the deer I brought home from the trip. She just laughed and said some of the same things Steve said, except hers was not a Ferrari, but a Nissan Titan (ouch).

If you spend as much time with her as you do reloading, she will be fine. OR, when you come home from a hunting trip, take her out to a really nice dinner (or whatever she likes to do) and make her feel special. She will eventually associate your hunting trips with the "after party".

quote:

Originally posted by ricciardelli:
You blew it!

There are many different replies:

"Oh, it's going to save me a lot of money, especially after the divorce if you don't keep your mouth shut."

Your Italian is showing, Steve. roger

Buy her a .223 12bvss-s and take her shooting. Problem solved. I had a 38special rifle built for my wife on a Ruger #3 with a 16.5" bull barrel. Fun tastic till she found her own hobby. Now everthing is just fine. roger

Best response is to just ask her why she is worrying about it instead of worring about what she is making you for dinner.

My wife never worried about the reloading equipment as much as she did about the number of guns that I was buying. I used to tell her that they were for my son but he is grown now so I don't know what I'll tell her now, Maybe I can use the granddaughters.
Larry

you sound like another guy that has only seconds left to live.....

That's why God made his, hers, and ours checking accounts and gave men the ability to not tell the wife everything.

My wife figured that out a while ago. But she appreciates that I "roll my own".

She has mentioned that I must be addicted to the smell of fresh powder

It is way cheaper than mind controlling meds and therapy. I tell my wife the more time I mess with guns the less time I bug her to put out.

NE Jack
Smells better thatn channel #5.

Blueprinted
When I was younger everytime I went to give my wife a spanking I would get her dress up I would forget what I started to do but now I believe I could hand out a good spanking.

Larry

Its cheaper than going to the bar every night! My wife would never say anything like that to me! Its my hobby!

Hey Trouble, If I haven't said it before, I'm sure glad you joined this Board. It seems every time I open one of your posts, I need to make sure the Tea is on the table first.

Thanks for the grins from all you folks.

Since she is the smart one in the family and since I am the one who "married up", I will keep the "get my dinner" comments to myself.

Love is grand.... Divorce is 50 grand...

There is no way I am going to show her the savings. I know better than to add it up. Hell, I don't even want to know how much it costs.

Have a "Poker Night" with all of your special friends, Start early so no one has a chance to shower. Start with tequilla shooters.

She'll be begging you to reload!

Only $150 a night for hookers?

Where??

quote:

Originally posted by Rich Cale:
That's why God made his, hers, and ours checking accounts and gave men the ability to not tell the wife everything.

Hey Rich,

Have ya ever considered that the wive's don't tell us everything..?

Ya - I don't want to know how much those shoes cost.

How to handle buying a new gun with your wife.

Go ahead and buy the gun and take your ass chewing. The ass chewing will fade with time and you will still have the gun.

Actually my wife supports my mental illness when it comes to guns, shes great!!!

Remember its your story and your sticking to it!!!
Craven

One time I was going to get another hunting dog, but was worried about living in the dog house myself. A guy I hunted with at the time helped me out a lot with these words,

"It's easier to get forgivness than it is to get permission!"

With that I left a note on the table that said I'd gone to visit a friend and came home around midnight with my springer.

I'm doing real well with my wife. I heard her on the phone with one of her friends Sunday talking about spending and money. She told her friend that I had just come back from a trip all the way to Texas just to kill hogs which seemed like a waste of money, but then she said "I guess though, if that's what he likes, oh well". I made dinner and scrubbed floors after that, God love her.

My wife is a "horse collector". Needless to say, the subject of gun expenses never comes up.



As for "Love is Grand, Divorce is 50 Grand"; I wish. The first one was many times that in land alone. (320 acres of "old growth" Doug Fir...gone.)

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
My wife is a "horse collector". Needless to say, the subject of gun expenses never comes up.

I bought one too many guns last year. She walked in just as I pulled out my new 1903 sporter. She didn't recognize it, and I told the truth. Within a week we had a horse.

8 months later, she's going to sell the horse and buy another. She bought it for $1500 and is selling for $2500. Since it was my money, I think we need another $1500 horse and a $1000 gun. She thinks we need a $5000 horse. Why does she time these things for income tax refund season?

Don't compete with your wife. In the long run, you can't outspend her.

quote:

Originally posted by bja105:

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
My wife is a "horse collector". Needless to say, the subject of gun expenses never comes up.

I bought one too many guns last year. She walked in just as I pulled out my new 1903 sporter. She didn't recognize it, and I told the truth. Within a week we had a horse.

8 months later, she's going to sell the horse and buy another. She bought it for $1500 and is selling for $2500. Since it was my money, I think we need another $1500 horse and a $1000 gun. She thinks we need a $5000 horse..

Yeh, and guns don't eat. Horses not only eat, but there's the farrier every few weeks, the 1/3 of a Vet you buy over the long haul for each horse you have, the cost of the barn, the arena, the saddles, other tack, blankets, horse trailers, trips to Palm Springs, West Palm Beach, and Vegas for horse "clinics/seminars" and the World Cup, and it goes on and on.


[QUOTE]Why does she time these things for income tax refund season?[QUOTE]

Because she can.

Best try to change the sequence while YOU can. Encourage her with nice comments about her riding, and all the stuff related to it. Then let her buy whatever she wants whenever she wants. BUT, immediately afterward, say something like..."I've been thinking about putting in for antelope in Wyoming..."

When she says"We can't afford that!", then you come back with, "Well, you just paid $x,xxx for a blah-blah-blah, ...it'd come out just about square. But, if we're really that short on cash, I've been looking at a nice little used rifle that's pnly half that. I suppose I could cut back to cover YOUR horse expenses just this once...seeing as how the horse stuff gives you so much fun....."

Who knows, you might not get just a gun, but a little extra home-lovin'on the side for being so thoughtful!

You're supposed to answer, you're right honey, not only haven't I saved any money, I'm spending even more on shooting now that I reload. It's a really enjoyable hobby and keeps me out of trouble.

Yes, you got busted...but it was going to happen unless you had married a mental midget.

I consider myself lucky...for my birthday last July (also our anniversary), Karli got me a Speer reloading manual, a box of .41 Magnum ammo to play with since she knew my dies for my Model 57 had not arrived and I was "die'n" to shoot my new toy. She also got me a couple gun magazines including "Handloading".

My bride likes to shoot, but most of all she likes having me hang around an have fun.

I bet you bride is darn glad to have you hang'n around too and when she "does the math" she'll be very satisfied with your hobby.

Bob

Hey Rich,

Have ya ever considered that the wive's don't tell us everything..? [/QUOTE]

Yeah, I can see how many shoes she has in her closet. I've adopted Bill's "don't ask/ don't tell policy" on her purchases.
I kinda got busted Saturday. I worked on a remodeling project in the morning until I figured out it was 60 deg. outside. So I went out and started working on the range I have been planning. My wife asked me what I was working on when she was getting ready to go for a run. When I told her she said, "Great, now the weather is going to get nice and I won't get anything done inside the house!" I said, "Don't worry we live in Wisconsin, there's plenty of crappy days in our future." She rolled her eyes and jogged off.
BTW, I've tried the "I could be sitting in a bar..." thing. She sometimes thinks it would be cheaper.

Back when I loaded all my ammo (.30/'06 only back then) with a Lyman 310 tool. using 4895 I bought from Hodgdon in brown paper sacks for $1.00/pound, and used M2 ball bullets bought from the DCM for peanuts, I did save money. back then, the idea was to be able to shoot a lot more.

Now, the idea is to try new things - guns, tools, calibers, bullets, powders, etc. etc., and NO, I am NOT saving money.

But there are other pursuits that are at least as expensive - cameras, cars, airplanes, Harleys, you name it. You can poop off money on lots and lots of things which are no more fun than shooting & reloading! And the wives know where we are-either in the reloading room or at the range.......

Being divorced is awesome, just awesome.
No one to bitch about anything and everything that doesn't meet her fancy. I smile every time I buy a new rifle.
Don

I think my wife is relieved that I say, "I'm going into the basement to work in my gun room", rather than, "I'm going out with the boys tonight for a few beers." She knows where I am (in the basement), who I am with (nobody), and that I am only a yell away from helping her or my sons with something. She doesn't ask how much it cost, I don't tell her. She trusts me not to jeopordize the family finances for my reloading and gun accumulating hobbies. It works out well for us.

Fast Ed

quote:

Originally posted by Trouble:
I came in from the garage last night where I was tumbling some brass. While standing at the kitchen sink, my wife looked over at me and said those words I have dreaded for a long time...

"I hope you are enjoying what you are doing, because you are not saving any money with all that reloading junk. You do know that you are not saving any money, don't you?"

I did the only thing I could think of. I looked at her like she was stupid.

I am pretty confident that it didn't work. She has me figured out.

I only had to show my wife the price on factory ammo at Sportsman's Warehouse.

The latest example was ammo for the 41 mag. I have 140 dollars invested in 500 rds of completed 41 magnum ammo loaded with the 210 gr Berry's plated bullet and a light load of Unique. And have enough powder left in the can for another 500 rounds.

This of course does not count the cost of the brass, which should last darn near forever with a load this light.

My wife supports my reloading habit whole heartedly, for all of the reasons listed in this and previous posts.

Every time I get a new load to test with one of my rifles, my wife wants to go and shoot pistols. That's okay, we get to spend some time together and I get to tell her why I need "this" or it would be a lot better if I had one of "these". HOWEVER, she likes shooting the pistols (my 45 or 44 mag) and she shoots very nice groups with them also. She dosen't like shooting my 30-06, it "kick's too bad." She noticed that the 22-250 and the 221 "didn't seem to kick as bad as the 30-06." I had to lie to her and tell her that they don't kick quite as bad but they do have a little thump to them. If she ever fiqures it out, I'll be the one sitting on the tailgate, bored, watching her shoot. If you wonder why I lied, fellows I have three daughters (13,15 and 19) and a wife. You can imagine what conversations are like at my house. There is no escape, when I get out of their sight, they track me down with a nose any blood hound would be proud of. If i take them with me to shoot, the first words out of their mouth is I have to pee. There is toilet paper in the truck, but Nooooo, that's not good enough. I keep theatning to move to Montana with no forwarding address, but deep down in my heart, I know they will find me.

Once heard a comedian say that women were the only people who could save money by buying things. Just tell her you bought it on ON SALE!!!

I left a picture of a Blackhawk Hunter on the counter last week and a note that I needed it. She drew a smiley on it with a big O.K. ! I didn't buy it but opted instead for far less in reloading equipment/accessories. Threw a fit! Think I will go get the SBH Hunter!

quote:

Originally posted by brassb:
Once heard a comedian say that women were the only people who could save money by buying things. Just tell her you bought it on ON SALE!!!

My wife had a garage sale last year and was excited to tell me she made $200. I pointed out that if you pay $5000 for something and sell it for $200 you didn't "make" anything. I suggested that maybe she could make it up with a higher volume.

quote:

Originally posted by Rich Cale:
My wife had a garage sale last year and was excited to tell me she made $200. I pointed out that if you pay $5000 for something and sell it for $200 you didn't "make" anything. I suggested that maybe she could make it up with a higher volume.

Sounds like mine. She buys stuff on sale with "our" money. Then she sells it on Ebay, where it becomes "her" money. It doesn't matter how much it sells for, because its all profit. I think thats called "money laundering."

quote:

Originally posted by bja105:
Sounds like mine. She buys stuff on sale with "our" money. Then she sells it on Ebay, where it becomes "her" money. It doesn't matter how much it sells for, because its all profit. I think thats called "money laundering."

Exactly! Thank God my wife hasn't figured out E-Bay.