Scott Suleski said:
My wife is the best - When people comment about the cost of all the trains she says, “At least he’s not out at a bar drinking our money away and when he dies I can sell it all.” I love my wife…
and you should. your wife got the ideal point of view for a modelling husband.
Isn’t it a great thing how we can all rationalize the cost of our hobby and convince our significant others that it is all for the greater good.
Maybe we should be in politics !?
My wife always knows where I am.
Steve, a GPS chip implant doesn’t count for the purpose of this thread. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
My mom takes a similar viewpoint, in that she knows I am not out drinking or “sleeping around”. I am home replacing wheels and couplers on train cars, even though she has no idea why.
David Maynard said:
Steve, a GPS chip implant doesn’t count for the purpose of this thread. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
My mom takes a similar viewpoint, in that she knows I am not out drinking or “sleeping around”. I am home replacing wheels and couplers on train cars, even though she has no idea why.
That’s what I meant. Yeah… yeah that’s what I meant.
My wife has her hobbies, I have mine…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Best response:
“You’ve spent a lot of money on trains…”
“Nowhere near as much money as I’ve spent on you, my dear.” Quickly followed by an invitation to her favorite restaurant.
It tends to dampen the mood a bit if you ask if you could stop at the LHS on the way, though…
Robert
Good one Robert! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Todd, Just ask her if she would rather you take up fishing as a hobby?
If she thinks trains are expensive, fishing is much more costlier. If she says yes on the fishing, Then just start down the road of costs… The Boat ( fiberglass hole in the water you throw money into.) oh yah then there is the yearly license cost, and the yearly insurance cost on the boat, and fuel, and oil, and etc. maint. You need a trailer to haul it on, and the yearly license cost, and the yearly insurance cost on the trailer. And a Pick Up truck to haul it around with, and the yearly license cost, and the yearly insurance cost on the truck, and the fuel, and oil, and maint. Now add on all the Coast Guards required safety stuff, life vests, radios, horn, and etc. Now about time to go fishing, priced rod and reels lately? Lures, baits, Ice chests, nets, etc. And you need a trolling motor, and two special (expensive) batteries for it, and a charger for them. That fish finder is a must if you are to catch any thing at all. A marine GPS so you can find your way back to the dock so you can pay your dock fee. And the latest Software download ($$) to keep it current so you don’t wreck the boat on some unknown rocks.
At the end of the tail of fishing, she will just tell you to go run your trains.
Dave
Todd lives on Cape Cod … he could already be set up … (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
I am hooked up Sean with a boat and gear for fresh and salt water fishing and water sports like kneeboarding. I also have kayaks, bikes, a replica of a 65 Cobra and all the gear for another expensive hobby that I haven’t indulged in for many years, shooting.
She is a very understanding woman. LOL Boys and their Toys.
I am still involved in the expensive hobby of shooting and reloading. I shoot at least two matches at my gun club a month. One of them I run. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
Todd Haskins said:
I am hooked up Sean with a boat and gear for fresh and salt water fishing and water sports like kneeboarding. I also have kayaks, bikes, a replica of a 65 Cobra and all the gear for another expensive hobby that I haven’t indulged in for many years, shooting.
She is a very understanding woman. LOL Boys and their Toys.
Some of the bachelors here might want to know if she has an unwed sister! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Lou Luczu said:
- “I could be doing worse things.”
- “I think I should thin out some.” Then sell a couple of things.
- “A lot of these are for parts.”
- “Look at all of my uncompleted projects.”
- “It won’t look like so much once I straighten up.”
- “I’m looking for a worthy cause to donate to so we can do a tax deduction.”
- “There is a big gap between what I think it is worth and what I can sell it for.”
- “They bring back such good memories.”
That’s hilarious Lou! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
I’ll try to add a couple more:
Todd, my wife also has concerns sometimes over my collection, but I assure her that (most of) my stuff is second-hand, bought at on-line auction. Which is (mostly) the case. She knows it ain’t cheap though, so equalizes things by investing more in her yarn stash. Don’t know what a yarn stash is? Consider yourself fortunate! I think she also has an eye on another spinning wheel, wow they ain’t cheap either. My big fear is the computer-controlled knitting machine… If she gets that, I’ll be taking out a second mortgage and go live steam!
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
Cliff Jennings said:
Lou Luczu said:
- “I could be doing worse things.”
- “I think I should thin out some.” Then sell a couple of things.
- “A lot of these are for parts.”
- “Look at all of my uncompleted projects.”
- “It won’t look like so much once I straighten up.”
- “I’m looking for a worthy cause to donate to so we can do a tax deduction.”
- “There is a big gap between what I think it is worth and what I can sell it for.”
- “They bring back such good memories.”
That’s hilarious Lou! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
I’ll try to add a couple more:
- “Remember Honey, this is instead of my long term alcoholism and firearms project.”
- “You must be confusing these with live steam trains. I’ve saved us all that expense by staying with electric (sniff).”
- “See all these freight cars? They’re not even powered.”
- “The great-grandkids will be so happy we saved these for them.”
My wife also has concerns sometimes over my collection as well, but I assure her that (most of) my stuff is second-hand, bought at on-line auction. Which is (mostly) the case. She knows it ain’t cheap though, so equalizes things by investing more in her yarn stash. Don’t know what a yarn stash is? Consider yourself fortunate! I think she also has an eye on another spinning wheel, wow they ain’t cheap either. My big fear is the computer-controlled knitting machine… If she gets that, I’ll be taking out a second mortgage and go live steam!
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
Those are Great comebacks guys!
On occasion I will show my wife a video on youtube of some huge ridiculous RR empire and I will say “now that guy is crazy! I have such a small RR and I don’t have any plans on expanding (wink) just look at all that equipment! That one engine goes for thousands of dollars! I might be obsessed but I’m not crazy!”
If she gets going on the collection I start to point out the ones that I built for nothing but time.
Also when Garden Railways buys an article from me I always show her the check and tell her it s going into the train fund. The hobby practically pays for itself sweetypie!
If she really gets going I point out how much pleasure and usage I get out of my trains compared to some expensive things she has bought and hardly used.
The best justification is that I could be in the pub drinking at least with trains I could always resell them. Buying booze is such a waste of money dear!
All this reminds me of a chat I had at a train store one day. The owner was telling me that he has had customers who would buy say a $400 engine then have him make a tag for it for $100 in case the wife sees it then years later the buyer passes on, the wife brings the trains back to the shop and the owner works a deal from the low priced tag on the box ! What a racket!
Ugh,
Fishing, Hunting (to include shooting and reloading on a minor level), trains, wood working. . . school. Yeah I am an expensive boy. And yet she still doesn’t complain. She is a good woman.
She’s even Irish! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
My lovely bride is convinced that I don’t know what I have. Wrong. Like a father knows his children, I know my stuff, in each of three gauges.
It may take me twenty minutes to find THAT car, but, on the other hand, my son is in Okinawa, too.
With a lot of wife’s, the argument “Its either this or an sports car” would be met with “fine, get the sports car” but mine knows exactly how I drive, and that if I ever get something with actual horsepower she wont have a clean set of underwear in the house, so she tolerates my hobbies.
Still want a project car. but this has in the long run been waaaaaay cheaper than a project car.
For the longest time, the wife had this sitting on the mantle, till I took it up to Fred’s one time to run it.
Now it’s a shelf queen in the man cave…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
