# How do you pay for "big ticket" reptile purchases?



## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Just curious how people actually pay for big purchases (and yes, I know for some of you that's £80 - and for others, it's £8000) - in part because I'm thinking of buying something that's a "big one" for us... and want to know if I'm being silly.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

I have never spent a fortune on snakes, but I never like to borrow unless its totally nessesary, its all too easy to borrow money then have to worry about paying it back, I like to save up first for things I want, I have spent about £1000 rececently but saved up and got bits as I went along.


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

I will either do payment plans that aren't above my means even allowing for a - £250 for emergencies every month or I will save and buy.


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## Deans On Toast (Jul 2, 2007)

Straight on the debit card and worry whether i've gone overdrawn later!

I am the worlds worst with money!


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## CBR1100XX (Feb 19, 2006)

If I couldn't afford to pay for the animal with cash then I wouldn't buy. I would never consider getting a loan to by a pet.


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## kennedykrew (Jul 31, 2006)

My biggest 'single' purchase was £170 for a corn, i bought that through my wage.
Unfortunately my next 'single' expensive purchase will be through inheritance.
I'll spend wisely though ..... maybe.
My other big 'multi' buy was about £800 which was part funded by a loan :blush:


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## tombraider (May 6, 2006)

I clicked , dont buy expensive animals, but if I decided I wanted more than the usual gecko then I would probably save up or ask the seller to take a deposit and let me pay when i have the cash.


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## argentine_boa (Feb 10, 2007)

A long time saving up. I do take out loans if there is a snake I see last minute which I like the look of, other than that I would plan months ahead and start saving.


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## WeThePeople (Jul 8, 2007)

I chose other because i buy with what i have, dont use credit of any kind and dont tend to save cash. All my expensive purchases have been with many ive had rather than saved for.


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## Akua_Ko_Nalu (Feb 15, 2007)

I selected other, as month by month I actually put away extra money for reptile emergencies such as vets fees etc, but in turn when I have enough in there I can splash out on new purchases! 

If you want something, Save for it, its more rewarding than just having it now because you can but leaving yourself short!


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## Barry.M (May 19, 2006)

'other' for me too,I decide what Im after and save for it if its an expensive species.


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## Paul Chase (Mar 7, 2007)

I wait till i have sold enough baby snakes to buy any thing for my hobby, regaurdless to weather its a new snake , heat mats, shed, any thing. So if i have had a good year after i have bought all my feeder mice i then decided weather i can aford my dream snakes for that year. I never get loans for any thing not even cars ect if i cant aford any thing straight off i dont buy.


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## sami (Oct 23, 2006)

i've just had a student loan. 

hence spending a ridiculous amount on 'investment' snakes this month. 

hopefully it'll all pay off well enough to pay the loan off early, and to invest some more in the future. 

aiming to start earning enough to support me, so i can do it full time while mason's working. 

we wouldn't normally get a loan out for stuff like this, we've just decided that's what we want to invest it in...

sami


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2007)

i sold a few things then bought a few things 

and if you want to buy a high priced item just do it :2thumb:

you only live once !!!


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## madaboutreptiles (Jun 5, 2007)

I always save up for them....false economy to borrow cash


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I have one large business loan that I am trying to pay off asap - I wouldn't go adding to that with more purchases, I don't even have a personal credit card - if it's not in the bank already, I don't get to have it. I try to "save" by cutting back on things that other people might consider just a normal part of life, we don't eat out, we don't go to the movies, we don't drink, don't use a car much, etc. etc... it saves a fair bit of money, and there's still plenty of things to do for free 

I do buy and sell a fair bit though, if there's something I really want, I'll see if I can cut back on something else in my collection to raise the funds.


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

other - i worked for 2 years and saved EVERYTHING didnt spend any of it, it was for uni, then i got in to reptiles... and it goes on from there. lol


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Athravan said:


> I have one large business loan that I am trying to pay off asap - I wouldn't go adding to that with more purchases, I don't even have a personal credit card - if it's not in the bank already, I don't get to have it. I try to "save" by cutting back on things that other people might consider just a normal part of life, we don't eat out, we don't go to the movies, we don't drink, don't use a car much, etc. etc... it saves a fair bit of money, and there's still plenty of things to do for free


Good advice, Athravan (though we're already doing a lot of that - we don't own a car, so we don't go to the movies much - bus service on an evening is abysmal - and we don't drink either.... the only thing we do is have takeaways maybe three times a month.) It probably isn't a good idea to raise more debt and hope that we'll make it back before, say, the interest-free time on the card runs out.



> I do buy and sell a fair bit though, if there's something I really want, I'll see if I can cut back on something else in my collection to raise the funds.


Thing is, everything in our house is "named pets" and we'd find it very difficult to sell on very much of it at all (and what we might consider shifting really, really wouldn't pay for the purchase I'm considering - what I'm looking at would easily cost more than MOST of our collection if I bought it now). 

I've had some very good advice this evening off of someone whose opinions I trust, mind... that I should wait for what I want until next year, when the prices are liable to drop for very sensible reasons. And then what would have been a DIFFICULT purchase will probably be a reasonable one (and I can get the pair I want instead of getting just a male). 

Since what I want to DO with it isn't "make a living"... it'd be nice if they can pay back their purchase price and maybe my snake food bills each year. I think they can do that, and I don't think I need to rush into getting one RIGHT NOW even though I WANT one right now


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## crafty (Aug 13, 2007)

*other*

im always putting money aside for my next buy so iv always got a stash to fall back on if i decide i want something 
best way to do it you dont miss the money if its a regular thing and it always there if you do need it


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## PSGeckos (Jul 15, 2007)

Ssthisto said:


> Since what I want to DO with it isn't "make a living"... it'd be nice if they can pay back their purchase price


Yep thats all we wanna do, and the last two big purchases have gone on Sarah's credit card!!


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Most of my reps have been low end purchases so I have put a little aside for a couple of weeks.

My recent buy was actually funded by the "bed, steal or borrow" method which involved LOTS of nagging at the hubby for the most expensive birthdya present (aside from the handbags) since we have been together.

This only came about becaus eit really was a now or never situationf or me - my husband had sold a small seciton of his business and things in our lives are just perfect right now and I knew, if this didn't hapen it likely never owuld.

Luckily, he is soft as a soft thing and I had a couple of good friends willing to hang onto our new arrival for me until I could make plans to go downt ot hem  

I say, Ssithsto go for it. You only live once and while you could ponder forever, the moe you ponder the more reason you will find to maybe pass up a chance you may not get again (would help if you gave us a clue as to what the said purchase may be though )


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## cornmorphs (Jan 28, 2005)

i used to use plastic mainly, but recently use cash for most buys.


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## robd999 (Oct 31, 2007)

"Other" - because for many years I have financed all my purchases by selling my own CB young (I'm surprised that this wasn't one of the options in the poll). I used to keep a book way back in the days when I first bred Cali Kings, Orange Rats and Corns - then Boa Constrictors, through various Colubrids onto the rarer Lampropeltis. Each time I bought a new pair of animals it was paid for by sales of young of my previous stock. Don't need the book any more.......


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## Othnelia (Jul 21, 2007)

I blew an entire months bonus on my rock monitor and set up.

Best £900 ever spent.

And because i payed by debit card and not cash it didn't feel like i was handing any money over at the time!! haha


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## serpentkid100 (Mar 7, 2006)

i clicked i don buy and i saved up for it, as i don buy exp yet, but if i did i would save up: victory:


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

brittone05 said:


> I say, Ssithsto go for it. You only live once and while you could ponder forever, the moe you ponder the more reason you will find to maybe pass up a chance you may not get again (would help if you gave us a clue as to what the said purchase may be though )


I'd be tempted - but for what it is, I think it's probably a good idea for me to see what the prices are going to be like next year for what I'm thinking of - because it'd be a bit of a disappointment if I bought a Lesser Platinum royal male this year for £1300 and found out I could pick up a male next year for £800, for example (Not that I KNOW what the market price of Lessers is going to be next year - but I do know that codominant morphs have a way of dropping in price dramatically from one year to the next from watching the prices of Mack Snows plummet). Granted, I'd be a year up on getting breeding size, but I'm not sure that would be worth the extra money.

That said, I might put down some money for something ELSE that will probably hold its price for next year... not yet sure what, though!


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

well i have two snakes that i would consider to be very expensive and for each of them i simply worked hard and saved my wages, its hard working for bugger all for a couple of months but its more than worth it in the end i think........


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## vicky1804 (Dec 12, 2006)

I voted save for it.My parents bought me up with the lesson if you havnt got the money you cant have it,till you have.I dont have an over draft, credit card or anything.I only have one store card and never spend more than I can clear the next month.
I dont go out much and live at home so I always have reasonable savings to spend.
Just booked myself a two week half board holiday to North Africa next yr lol.
Plus if you can wait and get more for your money and be just as happy id say wait.


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## brian (Oct 22, 2005)

I don't have credit or owt like that but do have a skill of building great Viv's so sometimes i can do a deal that way plus cash from me or I sell a few made to measures and save up a bit hoping the rep has not been sold........


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## Daredevil (Jul 10, 2007)

I save up. Once you get into debt, it's hard to get out! What snake are you thinking of buying then Ssthisto? The most i spent on a snake was £55; i don't see the point in spending loads!:lol2:


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

Well I kinda use money ? What else if there :?


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## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

i save up beforehand then buy what i want , i wouldnt go into debt for anything , been there never again


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Ssthisto said:


> I'd be tempted - but for what it is, I think it's probably a good idea for me to see what the prices are going to be like next year for what I'm thinking of - because it'd be a bit of a disappointment if I bought a Lesser Platinum royal male this year for £1300 and found out I could pick up a male next year for £800, for example (Not that I KNOW what the market price of Lessers is going to be next year - but I do know that codominant morphs have a way of dropping in price dramatically from one year to the next from watching the prices of Mack Snows plummet).


Just wandering through old posts, and happened to notice this one.

It indeed WAS a good thing we waited until July 2008 to buy our Lesser Platinum... because the prices had dropped by a staggering £800 from the price we had been looking at, and we got our Lesser boy for £500.

Anyone who thinks codominant royal morphs are a "get rich quick" deal... isn't thinking about the umpty-hundred other people with EXACTLY the same idea.

We still save up for stuff we want, and trading babies we've bred for what we want works nicely too.


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## amyloveys (Jan 12, 2008)

i voted other as i either save or do payment plans if ive already just spent what i saved


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## MSL (Jul 30, 2007)

I have recently been selling stuff ....not just for reps but t have a little bit aside for whatever really....I realised I had a house ful of crap that needed to be cleared.....I put stuff aside...then rather that do a car boot sale myself, I sell it as a 'lot'...i get the cash without the work!...I have made quite a bit recently and still have the garage and the loft to clear!...obviously this will run out but it's a good way of decluttering and making some money on your old tut!


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