Jeremy P said

MidwestCrisis said
After all bar fights that happened over a barrels length, or the front sight being .76 from the muzzle, or the length of a fore end….   We won’t see anything from Cody until those involved want to speak of it publicly. 
  

I believe Pauline Muerrle published a book on this. Shouldn't be too much of an argument over this.

JWA said

mrcvs said

Question:
How does cash flow work when retired?  I’m not retired yet but am getting there.
I have very little time to attend these shows.  When I’m retired, I’ll have much more TIME, but attending shows a great distance away means it’s costly (hotels & transportation) to just “window shop”.  Conversely, if one purchases something nice at these shows, it really cuts into one’s finite retirement funds.  Please elaborate…
  

Everyone has their own retirement plan.  In my case, I have been required to travel almost every week for work somewhere in the world for the last 44 years.  I have amassed a huge amount of frequent flier air miles and hotel points to fly Delta and stay for free at Marriott for at least the next 10-15 years.  So, the travel is not a financial issue.  The logistics of getting firearms to/from shows is only slightly harder, as a lifetime Delta Diamond I am allowed 3 free bags of 70lbs each plus 2 carry-ons.  I use the 210 lb checked bag limit to transport firearms and the carry-ons to contain my clothes.  That is one of the reasons you see me in black T-shirts, they do not take up much space in a carry-on suitcase.
Again, my case is unique so I can't offer you much other financial advice.  I have been saving my travel points for years, knowing that I would use them in retirement.  It is one of the few things that made all that travelling around the world for work worth it.
Best Regards, 
  

What was your job?  That’s something I tried to do when I got out of college on that awful early 1990s recession.

That makes sense now.  In my head, I reasoned that travel and expenses before purchasing any “souvenirs” could easily be $40-$50k for what you have planned.  That’s a huge chunk of a fixed income.

Louis Luttrell said
Hi Ian-
I'm a(n impoverished) retiree for sure!!!
I went to the Cody Show for the second time this year...  Travel/lodging costs for me (from VA) were north of $4K in part b/c I wanted to "experience" staying at the Irma and b/c I stayed an extra couple days to talk to folks at CFM and McCracken Library about my writing "project"...  Could have been much cheaper. 
I had no thought that I'd find a gun to buy, let alone a "bargain"...  I didn't... But I was able to pay for a neat little gun Win61 had that my Son (a WACA Member from Utah) bought...
I don't think of it in a transactional way...  It was my "annual vacation"...  IMHO it beat the Heck out of a week of "free" Daiquiris in Fiji...  If I were planning to hit multiple gun shows a year with the intent of turning a profit I'd have to rethink my equation.  My reason for going was/is meeting the interesting (and sometimes odd) people who make up the Heart of this organization. 
Not naming names, Bert, Mike, et al.... 
Lou
  

It would be interesting to meet some of the folks on this forum, for sure!

$4,000, one would think, is an immense sum for a few day trip, except everything is so expensive now, it actually isn’t…

I negotiated a $3,000 allowance for Continuing Education that I attend in Nashville annually, thinking this was a lot.  I blew through all of it and then some!  And this was doing things modestly as was possible. Try finding an affordable hotel in Nashville!  I even experienced the $6 recession special meal at Robert’s.😄. 

But that sure beats “begging” hotels to accept the ridiculous government rate when I was employed by Uncle Sam.  I’m sure you recall that.  That was nothing short of embarrassing and degrading.  Some would just laugh and hang up.

DEEREHART said

 He kind of made that look today when I told him I was going to need to recalibrate the Dialithium crystals in the muffler bearings after I pieced the old truck back together with some left over Yugo parts I had lying around.
 Doug
  

At least that is a better story than the fiction you made up last time the old Dodge was in your shop, "radiator cracked", hah!.... 😉

Ben said
I have to admit that the “social” aspect of the Cody show has become my favorite part!  Hearing Elliot tell “Tall Texas” yarns while Jeff & Doug take it all in…. I could just hang out with these people all the time…. Even that old Seadog Bert can spin some fun tails… I learned that he enjoys going by the name of “Mom” with his grandkids… and they learned new uses for Velcro too!  What a fun group!
  

Ben 

 That has to be the all time best picture of Bert. I will steal that and put it on my phone when he calls and needs assistance with the old Dodge. He kind of made that look today when I told him I was going to need to recalibrate the Dialithium crystals in the muffler bearings after I pieced the old truck back together with some left over Yugo parts I had lying around.

 Doug

I too treat the annual Cody show as a "vacation" trip, and yes, there are a lot of "odd' characters that show up each year... but they are all welcomed equally!

Bert

I'm a(n impoverished) retiree for sure!!!

I went to the Cody Show for the second time this year...  Travel/lodging costs for me (from VA) were north of $4K in part b/c I wanted to "experience" staying at the Irma and b/c I stayed an extra couple days to talk to folks at CFM and McCracken Library about my writing "project"...  Could have been much cheaper. 

I had no thought that I'd find a gun to buy, let alone a "bargain"...  I didn't... But I was able to pay for a neat little gun Win61 had that my Son (a WACA Member from Utah) bought...

I don't think of it in a transactional way...  It was my "annual vacation"...  IMHO it beat the Heck out of a week of "free" Daiquiris in Fiji...  If I were planning to hit multiple gun shows a year with the intent of turning a profit I'd have to rethink my equation.  My reason for going was/is meeting the interesting (and sometimes odd) people who make up the Heart of this organization. 

Not naming names, Bert, Mike, et al.... 

Lou

mrcvs said

Question:
How does cash flow work when retired?  I’m not retired yet but am getting there.
I have very little time to attend these shows.  When I’m retired, I’ll have much more TIME, but attending shows a great distance away means it’s costly (hotels & transportation) to just “window shop”.  Conversely, if one purchases something nice at these shows, it really cuts into one’s finite retirement funds.  Please elaborate…
  

Everyone has their own retirement plan.  In my case, I have been required to travel almost every week for work somewhere in the world for the last 44 years.  I have amassed a huge amount of frequent flier air miles and hotel points to fly Delta and stay for free at Marriott for at least the next 10-15 years.  So, the travel is not a financial issue.  The logistics of getting firearms to/from shows is only slightly harder, as a lifetime Delta Diamond I am allowed 3 free bags of 70lbs each plus 2 carry-ons.  I use the 210 lb checked bag limit to transport firearms and the carry-ons to contain my clothes.  That is one of the reasons you see me in black T-shirts, they do not take up much space in a carry-on suitcase.

Again, my case is unique so I can't offer you much other financial advice.  I have been saving my travel points for years, knowing that I would use them in retirement.  It is one of the few things that made all that travelling around the world for work worth it.

Best Regards, 

JWA said

Mike, it will likely be the October show since my retired calendar is almost full for April already.
Hope to see you there!
Jeff
  

Glad to hear you'll make it down here! Hopefully you can make it out to one of our houses for a cold one....weather should be more tolerable! 

JWA said
Hi Steve,
It is so!
Or, I should say semi-retired / quasi-retired since I promised I would help out next spring when the team got busy again.  Also, they are still using some of my professional licensees so I am still in the work loop but there are no jobs on my horizon until next February!
I am already planning to attend the following shows;
OGCA Wellington 2026
Las Vegas (2027)
Tulsa (April) 2027
Greely (2027)
OGCA (several 2027)
Denton, TX (2027)
Big Reno (2027)
Cody (2027)
KC Show (2027)
Louisville (2027)
 
Wow, now that I look at it written down, that is a lot of travelling! I only have 203,000 on my Dodge Cummins though, it will give me an opportunity to catch up to Bert's 400,000+ on his.
Best Regards,
  

Question:

How does cash flow work when retired?  I’m not retired yet but am getting there.

I have very little time to attend these shows.  When I’m retired, I’ll have much more TIME, but attending shows a great distance away means it’s costly (hotels & transportation) to just “window shop”.  Conversely, if one purchases something nice at these shows, it really cuts into one’s finite retirement funds.  Please elaborate…

TXGunNut said

Welcome to the ORF (Old Retired Fart) club, Jeff! Which Denton show(s) are on your calendar? TGCA has one in April and one in October.
 
Mike
  

Mike, it will likely be the October show since my retired calendar is almost full for April already.

Hope to see you there!

Jeff

JWA said
Hi Steve,
It is so!
Or, I should say semi-retired / quasi-retired since I promised I would help out next spring when the team got busy again.  Also, they are still using some of my professional licensees so I am still in the work loop but there are no jobs on my horizon until next February!
I am already planning to attend the following shows;
OGCA Wellington 2026
Las Vegas (2027)
Tulsa (April) 2027
Greely (2027)
OGCA (several 2027)
Denton, TX (2027)
Big Reno (2027)
Cody (2027)
KC Show (2027)
Louisville (2027)
 
Wow, now that I look at it written down, that is a lot of travelling! I only have 203,000 on my Dodge Cummins though, it will give me an opportunity to catch up to Bert's 400,000+ on his.
Best Regards,
  

That is indeed a busy schedule...

On my trip to Astoria OR a few days ago, the water pump in my old Dodge decided to crap out on me... I just spent the last several hours at Doug's shop in Kelso having him replace the pump, all of the hoses, the serpentine belt, tensioner, and a flush of the coolant system... I am now ready for the next few hundred thousand miles! 

Yes, some of my grandkids all me "MOM" (short for Mean Old Man), especially when I make them don a Velcro suit so I can stick them to the wall when they get too wild.

Bert