Quitters thread.

As far as me trying to quit something, I have lessened my knife purchases exponentially. I still make purchases, but very rarely. Normally, when I feel the itch to get a new one, I'll hold off for a month or two (or three). Most of the time, by then I don't want it anymore. And mostly I use the change accumulated in a large change jar. You'd be amazed how much change accumulates. I take rolls of quarters and dimes and deposit them into the bank, or use them to pay off my credit card at the bank. I don't use my credit card for normal shopping in stores, buying gas or etc.

Jim

WAY TO GO JIM!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Delaying purchases temporarily is a great tactic for saving money. I've done it and it works. If you delay for a while, you question if you really need that new knife/gun/watch, whatever. I use cash to pay for stuff, and my credit card is for emergency. I find that counting out the cash at time of purchase makes me realize that I'm actually spending money compared to 'plastic' money to be paid at a later date.

I've had the practice of saving change and when it builds up, use it for a night out for the better half and I, or a bonus luxury grocery trip.

And of course not buying any new knives saves a ton of dough.
 
You all may not realise it but a lot of people some of which you may not even be aware of depend on you to be right.

You are needed.
 
"You're a braver man than I, Gunga Din!"

I ration myself to one cocktail a night. Last night the better half and I had one Vodka Tonic and that was it.
I never really had a big desire to drink a lot. I go in spurts as far as drinking anything alcoholic goes... I can't remember drinking more than one beer or mixed drink in a long time. Just no desire.

Almost 11 years sober. I had family who picked me up and moved 100 miles away from where I was. I got a fresh start. I'm very thankful for that.

My two biggest fights recently have been weight gain and kicking the pop/soda habit. Kicking the pop/soda habit is going well. I switched to diet soda (I know, still not healthy) and since I hate the taste, my pop/soda consumption is waaay down. That will help me with the weight loss.

Thankfully I never went down the coffee or cig road.
I don't know if coffee is a bad thing. Make a pot of coffee almost every morning (8 cup which equates to three mugs over a couple hours) and will generally leave some get cold. Sugar consumption was mentioned and I drink my coffee black with no sugar; my tea without any sugar, and try to keep the sugar soft drinks to one a day although there are times I will drink two or three. I very much like Coke. Diet soft drinks really suck. I would rather just consume fewer sugar drinks. But I am not diabetic. I keep my fingers crossed in this regard. I don't know what triggers diabetes (genetics mostly I think).

Weight..... been a stressful year and I dropped about 20 pounds in a couple months and with my typical weight being 200 > 205 lbs for years. Heavier and I really don't like myself. Anyway, I just didn't feel much like eating which obviously is a symptom of depression. I think I'm past that, but new habits are hard to break and I generally only eat one meal a day.

Added: As far as eating goes, pay attention to your bathroom habits. It is a fairly good barometer on your overall eating habits, how you feel, and what you eat or like to eat. I know that eating one meal a day is not necessarily a good thing, but I pay attention to my body. It seems to tell me if it needs something.

I do smoke a pipe and more often than I should. But I do not inhale ever intentionally. I have a air filter thing in my office where I smoke the most to reduce the secondary smoke inhalation and travel around the rest of the house. There is the money thing in this regard; it costs. No cigars.... too much nicotine too quickly..... plus the smoke really stinks after it gets old.

I have been fortunate in many ways with regards to cravings. Most aren't things that are ingested. I still buy knives and knives I know I likely will seldom use or never use. But I find this to be fun. I am cutting back a good bit however. Have not purchased a new firearm in about 10 years but was severely tempted when a local gun shop got an as-new Kimber of Oregon 22 rifle (actually two) with really nice wood. 22's are my favorites and always have been. I suspect the rifles came from somebody just like myself who is trying to cut down the collection.
 
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Well....I'm doing great on the no alcohol front. The no knife buying......not so much. BUT! At least I am sticking to my one in one out rule. I've capped myself at 3 or 4 and that includes a Vic Classic. I've been exercising more and feel really good without the drinking. Plus I'm enjoying not having the financial drain of buying the stuff.
 
Good on you, Gurdy! I was spending easily $200 per week on alcohol. I don't spend that in a month on knives... usually... In any case, having the extra money is just icing on the cake. I found that my outlook on life improved dramatically. Can't put a price on that.
 
Well....I'm doing great on the no alcohol front. The no knife buying......not so much. BUT! At least I am sticking to my one in one out rule. I've capped myself at 3 or 4 and that includes a Vic Classic. I've been exercising more and feel really good without the drinking. Plus I'm enjoying not having the financial drain of buying the stuff.
I would have a hard time limiting my knife accumulation to three or four. Just can't do the one-in one-out thing. Good for you on the alcohol front.
 
A few years ago, I had a friend that told me she was in the process of quitting smoking. She said the secret was to substitute one habit for another everytime the urge hits. I asked her what she was using as a substitute. She said, "A shot of alcohol." Really. She wasn't joking. I thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. (or perhaps the saddest.)
 
Hopefully the urge didn't striker her too often. She could have made it half or a third of a shot.
 
Well....I'm doing great on the no alcohol front. The no knife buying......not so much. BUT! At least I am sticking to my one in one out rule. I've capped myself at 3 or 4 and that includes a Vic Classic. I've been exercising more and feel really good without the drinking. Plus I'm enjoying not having the financial drain of buying the stuff.

I've been good at the one drink a night rule. This it, except for occasional family gatherings where I may have a second. My total pocket knife accumulation is 5. That includes a SAK classic and executive. I have the one well used Buck Woodsman if I need a fixed blade for fishing and camping.

Its really amazing that every time I've downsized, its been a huge liberating experience. Like another weight has been removed from my life. I'm down to just three handguns from a dozen years ago, and I LOVE it. It seems like the lessI own, and the more I use it, the more it means to me, not to mention I get better at it.

My only deep regret is, that it took me most of a lifetime to realize that less, really is more.
 
I've been good at the one drink a night rule. This it, except for occasional family gatherings where I may have a second. My total pocket knife accumulation is 5. That includes a SAK classic and executive. I have the one well used Buck Woodsman if I need a fixed blade for fishing and camping.

Its really amazing that every time I've downsized, its been a huge liberating experience. Like another weight has been removed from my life. I'm down to just three handguns from a dozen years ago, and I LOVE it. It seems like the lessI own, and the more I use it, the more it means to me, not to mention I get better at it.

My only deep regret is, that it took me most of a lifetime to realize that less, really is more.
Consider how you would feel if you owned several hundred collector grade firearms....;) That is a "weigh" that nags you as you get older if you don't have anyone to give them to who would appreciate them for something other than what they're worth.

Do what suits you in terms of "things". It changes over time from one extreme to another. It would be nice to just be comfortable with 5 knives.
 
Jackknife,i think that woodsman by buck and few knives in that series are some 9f best fixed blades for any task,along with moras,that i use for everything,and beat on them with hammers and other construction uses,they hold up well,just sharpen it up later.I stopped buying knives too,and am trying to get rid of 99perc of my collection,especially of fancy m9dern expensive tactical stuff.
 
Anyone trying to quit something that's not good for you or successfully done quit already post here for motivation.
Yes.
I've quit talking to people who have that fad / annoying habit of asking a question and then talking right over the top of some one trying to answer them. I just stop talking and give them one chance to get a clue. If they do it again I just walk away.
 
It’s funny my dad used to say: “winners never quit and quitters never win.”

(In this thread the key is to not quit quitting. I wonder if my dad ever thought of that!)
 
21 years without a drink this past August 13th. Quitting was hell. It does get easier, and it does get better.
As for the knife fund, I've always been one to put away a set amount per week into the slush/knife/toy fund. I stopped buying the newspaper, coffee and donut in the morning and that came to about $20 a week. So that's what went into an envelope. Only purchased when I could cover the cost.

For all you guys just starting out, you can do it.
For me, alcohol was harder than Red Man chew.... but both were damn tough in the early days.
Stay tough, don't cave. One day at a time.
 
Consider how you would feel if you owned several hundred collector grade firearms....;) That is a "weigh" that nags you as you get older if you don't have anyone to give them to who would appreciate them for something other than what they're worth.

Do what suits you in terms of "things". It changes over time from one extreme to another. It would be nice to just be comfortable with 5 knives.

I think if I owned several hundred collector grade firearms, I'd find collectors that want to buy them and then go live it up off the money. I'd go back to London and visit the British Museum again, go to Ireland to tour the tomb at New Grange, and if theres money left over go to Rome and see the colosseum. Drink some nice wine, eat some good cheese, and enjoy the Italian sun.
 
I think if I owned several hundred collector grade firearms, I'd find collectors that want to buy them and then go live it up off the money. I'd go back to London and visit the British Museum again, go to Ireland to tour the tomb at New Grange, and if theres money left over go to Rome and see the colosseum. Drink some nice wine, eat some good cheese, and enjoy the Italian sun.
It seems that a lot of older folks get into collecting guns as they have the time to devote to the hobby/interest, regular shooting, and most importantly they have the money, and they see life as finite at this point. For gifts with older folks, I tend to go with consumable items these days versus something that they probably don't need but makes a nice present. For me to do what you suggested with money from collector grade firearms, I would have to sell them all at once to even approach such a vacation use of funds.

We're all different and that makes life interesting. You are and have been in a downsizing period. That's fine and I in fact am in the same situation. I'm just doing it slowly.
 
Damn it. I've quit or never started most of the big ones. I buy maybe 2 or three knives per year. Just get the sudden urge to snoop around Arizona Custom Knives. I certainly have limits. I prefer "previously owned" and i don't think i've ever broken the $500 barrier.

Two things I do have trouble with are tools and sugar. I just bought a $40 dollar claw hammer because it looked cool and somebody stole my favorite framing hammer. However, I rarely use hammer and nails. It's all deck screws and impact drivers these days. So maybe I have a Makita tool addiction.

I have one beer per day whether i need it or not. It's my signal that I'm done working for the day. The problem is that if there is ice cream in the freezer I'm going to have a bowl before bed.

I'm also addicted to horses and dogs. Lordy Lordy that's an expensive habit. However, my daughter gives my horses away every chance she gets. I'm down to 4 purebred caspian geldings, one caspian Hanoverian cross gelding, and my Quarter horse mare that is growing old with me. Down to one German Shepard bitch and one Jack Russel puppy in the house and one absolutely worthless hound in the yard. The hound sought refuge in the Church Barn last Thanksgiving. Who could refuse that request for food and shelter? He's the epitome of "that dog don't hunt." Nearly a year here and he still doesn't come when called.
 
Good on you for giving that hound a home, sounds like a spiritual gift to me.

Only thing more expensive than a horse hobby is a boat hobby.
 
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