Financing This Fascinating Hobby Of Ours?

Well I don't quite have a 401k or anything of the sort, I just work part time at a local convenient store.

I have an envelope which I labeled "coins" and each time I save money or pick up a couple extra bucks by doing yard work I put it in the "coin" envelope. Considering your 25, I doubt your parents will give you 5 bucks to cut the grass =P

But I was just in the mood to enlighten you as to the way I do it =)

Teuk did you try posting and selling your coins on here?

Saving in a 401K or an IRA or a savings account should be everyones priority. Then there are bills, everyday living items, gas for your car etc. My advice is if you can afford to do so, put a little money aside either in a separate account or a secure location at home for coins (I have a foot powder can in my bathroom that screws off on the bottom that is a safe behind every other bathroom item). Even if it is $10 per paycheck. Eventually, you will see that coin you want, and you will most likely have the $$ to buy it. It's amazing how fast you can save. Just takes a little diligence and patience.

I mowed lawns as well. Great way to make some extra coin money!

I had to pace myself on my spending because I was going to the shop and buying off this forum way too much. Gas money started to be hard to come by.

But now with school and after being promoted to manager and having a motorcycle I'm trying to get street legal and running I'm slowing down pretty fast. But I stil make it here on the forums every day. I'm waiting till the end of the month when I go to my coin club meeting where they have auctions. Cool!

Most of my coins have come from searching change, rolls, etc. I have "fun money" as well that I can use for the things I cannot just "find" like key dates, proofs, supplies, etc. I budget myself, take my time, and enjoy the ride.

A modest amount from each paycheck goes to my "coin fund." This has to cover coin purchases, supplies, periodicals, etc.

If I were to ever sell a coin, that money would also go into this fund.

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.