Dealing with expensiveness

Hey all,

I didn't know whether or not this thread would be suitable for any other category for this forum, so I put it in the bucket. As many many of you know, this is a very expensive hobby to be in. I have paid for much of my corals with trade in's and store credit's. But regardless there are some out of pocket expenses that are necessary, actually the majority of our tanks are out of pocket. So with that said, let's continue. With the current state of our economy and the current state of many people's financial situations, How do we deal with the growing expenses of maintaining a tank?

And not get reamed by our parents/spouses for spending so much?

This is more of an opinion thread, what do you all think!?

 

I wish there was a solution. I sit here and get stressed out about my crappy light situation, one tank with a bad skimmer and ghetto fuges. Can't wait till I get my tax return!

 

i know what you mean!! It's crazy how much this hobby can affect your life

 

I try to do my stuff my self mostly diy stuff. It does save but then again I just try to wait and maintain untill I have more money.

 

ask for as much stuff as you can for Christmas, b-days etc! any ol'excuse lol thats what i have done.

 

I'm thinking about putting a frag rack in .. Sell some frags to offset cost. There's a lot of wasted energy if something isn't growing.

 

Many hobbys are expensive, golf for example can cost upwards to a few hundred dollars to play a great course. We have one by us that was layed out by Nicolas and costs like $150 or so to play 18 holes. Think about that at least a $150 coral can grow and produce more or a skimmer will last you years unlike a game of golf...

And think of it this way you could be a drug/alcohol addict and fritter you money away on vices!!

Happy REEFING!!

 

There are ways to cut back in other areas. It costs my husband and me over $30 to go to the movies & have popcorn & a drink. It's much cheaper to rent a DVD & make our own popcorn. We can also make our own drinks at home.

 

I agree with Juliew, I have just cut back in other areas. Haven't bought new clothes in a while, haven't gone out to the bars or out to eat that much. I just budget and by cutting back in other areas I am able to have more money for my tank.

 

Go to work for your LFS! That's what I did. I walked in with a sign that said, "Will work for corals!" I've also stopped buying shoes, I haven't bought a pair of shoes since March and I used to have a pair a week (unless it was a Bogo) habit.

DIY cannot be underestimated either. I built a sump from a used 29 gallon tank, paid $25 for the tank and materials. Buy used...join a reef club that has an active membership, learn what you actually need and what is "nice to have".

I have a really nice 80 gallon and I think I have about $1500 in it. Not bad at all...

Ginny