Financing This Fascinating Hobby Of Ours?

I use creative financing. Every month when the paychecks come in I have the 401 deduction come out automatically, then I subtract out of the checking account all of the expenses that I know are coming (student loan, mortgage, insurances, etc). I pretend I don't have the money and let auto payment do its thing. Then I pay the credit card down to 0 and put some in each kid's savings account. Hopefully the checking balance has a little left for the rest of the month. However, the trick is that I subtract more than each item actually is. As an example, my life insurance costs something like $18 a month, but I subtract $20 from checking. If I do that with all of the bills, rounding them all up, there is a supply of "secret" money sitting in the account. Though $2 doesn't seem like much, it adds up when I round the mortgage and student loan up to the nearest hundred. This money is a "secret" from my wife and I use it as I see fit. Sometimes unexpected expenses come up and I can pay them this way (fixing leaking ceilings!). Sometimes (oftentimes) I use this secret money for coins. The trick is to have a spouse that is REALLY bad at math and would NEVER check the account.

Good idea! FWIW, my mother-in-law uses this trick. A few years back, she managed to go for a while without an "emergency" to deplete it; she ended up using it to have the basement finished into a guest suite and additional living area.

Jays-Dad,
I'm the wife and a science/math teacher and my husband is a computer programmer. I can't hide anything; we are both good at Math.

Soooooo I have to hide my 'extra' in cash.

But, I have wondered how to get the hobby to pay for itself. After all, we are our hobby is collecting money.

Maybe someone that works with gold and silver could give us hints.?

Beg,Borrow,Steal,Hijack ? !

You would be amazed at what that may end up being. My son graduated from college as a computer major and an art minor. He specialized in computer animation. During college for extra money he started mowing lawns, then trimming bushes, edging lawns, etc. Then fertilizing and monitoring gardens. After graduation he tried about a million different jobs, got married, moved to Tennessee. Started up a lanscaping buisness. Now owns a thriving company with about 10 employees, is busy 7 days a week. Makes more money than most of his friends from college including one that continued and got a Doctorate.
Unfortunately he does not care for coins at all.

Oh back to the means of aquiring money to purchase coins. It's really simple. I rob banks. If there are to many banks being robbed, I just go rob those Brinks trucks.
In reality, I'm now retired and not liking it to much. Saved enough while working to be able to buy coins when I want. Even after many operations and chemo for cancer I've learned that it's time to just have fun and blow money on anything I want.
Takes something like Cancer to make some people realize that the thing to do is enjoy life while you can.

Too true just carl. I have lost a couple of friends in tragic circumstances in the last few years, both under 35, and it really changes your priorities. People say life is short, but it isn't, it is the longest thing you will ever do. It can feel short if you don't live your life the way it is meant to be. Waiting until tomorrow to start "living" may be too late. Live everyday as if tomorrow everyone and everything you love is gone.

I use the "TRIAD" method of spreading my assets.
1) Rare coins and precious metals
2) Cash/CDs/high-yield MMA
3) Stocks/mutual funds

So even though coin collecting is a hobby, I consider it an important part of my total investment picture.