Jeremy is TTAG's Deputy Editor, working mostly behind the scenes but, when he attempts to write, he focuses on comprehensive gun & gear reviews. Jeremy strives to collect objective data whenever possible, and looks to write accurate reviews that reflect the true user experience. He lives outside of Austin, TX.
$30? Not that expensive…if I can wear it hunting.
You wouldn’t believe the stuff I’ve gotten cheap🤓
Are we talking about gear or dating ?
Mostly leftover issued gear or camping equipment I have had for decades reloading equipment on the other hand……………
Most of my cold weather gear I got at thrift stores. I like wool and am too cheap to pay new prices.
I’d always heard that silk was warm. Thumbing through the racks at a thrift store I found a really nice dress shirt that was all silk. It cost 3 bucks so I thought, why not? It did a good job and I got two seasons out of it.
I normally buy used vehicles and have bought quite a few used guns. No shame in getting gently used for a bargain.
Well I’m an antique antique dealer jwm. am. I’ve used the buy cheap plan for a lotta years. About to throw on a perfect very nice leather coat I paid $25 for at half price day at Restoration thrift store🙂
I was raised with the adage “if you’re going to keep it for life, pay good money for good quality…everything else it’s okay to buy used”.
That goes for all my tools, whether garage, automotive, yard, or pew pew.
Jwm,
Definitely I picked up a jacket I wear a lot for $4 in thrift store. Cargo pants I eventually wore out were $4 brand new.
A couple of rifles new and a lot used. One that was supposed to be shot out was moa after two days cleaning.
I have 2 Goodwill suit stories, both true and opposite sides of a coin. A friend years ago during his poor college years bought a funeral suit at a thrift store. He was surprised at how well it fit, because he was a muscular guy who normally couldn’t wear much off-the-rack dress stuff, and this one seemed like it was tailored just for him. Got it for cheap, and didn’t find out until later that it had no pocket liners (pocket slits just stitched together). He took it to a tailor to have them added, and was told that it likely really was a “funeral suit” that didn’t make it into the casket. Got a few years of laughs out of that. My younger brother was looking for some used clothes to wear for work, and stumbled across a really nice suit that fit him. First thing was to check for pockets (remembering) and it was all there. Took it home, and noticed a crinkling feel in part of the jacket. He checked, and found that it had a couple C-notes stitched inside the lining.
You pays your nickel and you takes your chance.
“I normally buy used vehicles and have bought quite a few used guns. ”
Used guns, as in old Winchesters, Remingtons, Colts, S&Ws, etc. are about all I’m interested in, so I guess most are/have been used. Ditto boats, picked up a Hydrostream Valero a few years back- incredible. And right now, I’m searching (mostly in vain) for a good ’03-’05 Park Avenue as a daily driver. I’ve owned 5 of them and can perform just about any maintennance short of dropping the cradle. I have 285K on the current one, still runs but getting a bit ragged. All the old dudes in the ‘homes are croaking and ’05 was the last year of production…
As for the “Goodwill” suits, look for Hart, Schaffner and Marx. Easy to spot from a distance on the rack due to the cloth quality. Many were rarely worn.
I do buy new guns when I find one I like. But I’m a history buff and I’ve owned and used a lot of older guns. At one point I had upwards of 20 milsurps.
Being frugal means I can buy just about any gun at any time. I like that freedom.
Other than my ex-wife, I want to know who said you can’t wear a hunting jacket out to dinner if the weather is cold and the jacket is convenient on the way out the door?
Ex, says all that needs said. When it gets colder than an ex’s heart outside both myself and my wife put on our M65 field jackets for a night out. Bought at Mickey’s surplus store many years ago in KCK.
Much of my hunting gear is decades old and was of good quality when I purchased it. Some is military surplus, Never have been big on the latest greatest camo pattern or fancy new insulation. Wool and flannel to keep warm. Poncho to stay dry. The last $30 shirt I can remember buying was at a Pink Floyd concert back in the 90s. Only once have I spent more than 1K on a firearm. I suppose ammo would be the largest investment I’ve made. Sum for fun, some for an investment and some for SHTF. I too shop in thrift stores and estate sales for clothes and other goodies. If you buy quality first and take care of it. It will last a lifetime. I still use the waders I bought back in the 80s for duck hunting and fishing.
I have an insulated coverall I bought in 1973ish at Walmart that is still my favorite for early spring and fall. I can go through the winter with it with more underlayers but woodland camo doesn’t work all that well without the right background. Sometimes I’ll wear it in winter if I’m planning to hunt a stand of holly though. Matching hat & gloves and the deer just don’t see me until it’s too late. IIRC, it cost me about $20.
I did a rough calculation in Winn Dixie parking lot – the dog-hunter parked next to me was paying *at least* $3500/lb for venison – assuming he got his limit on opening day.
4×4 F250 diesel, dogbox, 2 dogs, CB, 1200$ rifle, Polaris 4-wheeler, etc, etc, etc, …
Shopping for clothing…one of my recurring nightmares….I order the same style pants whenever I need pants. I order patriotic themed t- shirts when I see something I like and I think it is OK to spend the money. I still go to the shoe store because my flat feet are very particular. As for jackets, I have not purchased one in the past 8 years. It is getting near time, though.
I hate browsing through clothing racks. I hate trying on clothing. Above, JWM plays it smart by browsing the thrift stores. I do not have that patience. So I pay more.
The good news is that I have an overabundance of dress shirts and ties from when I was a road warrior. All in good shape. Will never need to purchase such again. No dress slacks, though. They are all worn through. Instead, everything pairs with my dress 511 tactical pants. Even for weddings, funerals, and holidays.
I can however, lose time exploring tools at Home Depot Serious time.
It helps that I’m retired. My wife is and she likes to hit the thrift stores. Between the two of us we can cover a lot of ground.
And living in the Bay Area we have a lot of thrift stores.
Guilty as charged. Several of the firearms in my collection are worth serious coin. And were not cheap to acquire. My entire wardrobe could be replaced for less than the cost of many new firearms today. With the exception of my boots. I buy high quality well fitted and constructed footwear. Nothing fancy, just good quality stuff.
Not above buying at secondhand stores for work clothes. Due to my size and build, dress clothes are usually tailored. While I seldom wear a suit, there is no reason to look like several of our politicians I see in the news. Baggy, ill fitting, cheap suits are not a good look for anyone wanting to be taken seriously.
I have ONE suit. I call it my WFI suit.
Weddings, Funerals, Interviews.
All my shirts were $3 at the thrift store. Most were almost brand new -some even had the factory tags on them and were never worn. The same with my shorts and pants. The only clothing items I buy new are shoes, socks, and underwear.
I’ve got a lot of better things to spend that $30 on. If I buy 10 $3 shirts in a year rather than 10 $30 shirts I have $270 extra to buy ammo instead.
“If I buy 10 $3 shirts in a year rather than 10 $30 shirts I have $270 extra to buy ammo instead”.
Now that’s the kind of math we should be teaching our children!
My feet destroy shoes no matter how much they cost in several months. The only long term survivors were a pair of steel caps at 7 years and a custom pair of boots I had to do a lot of measuring for (20 years).
Most of the time I buy $15-20 shoes from our equivalent of Walmart.
I bought a $10 pair of sneakers from Walmart to wear fishing. What a waste of money, they stink when wet and the soles are wearing out, I’d guess I’ve probably got 25 miles on them. Made in China now is lacking what little quality it had.
So far the best pair of boots(deceased wife had) were made in Hungary. Regrettably they outlasted her. They were a very well made boot fabricated out of quality products.
“Made in China now is lacking what little quality it had.”
LOL, that’s a great line, possum.
Walmart used to be proud of their “Made In USA” tags, and I remember when you suddenly didn’t see them any more. Probably had something to do with the family taking the reins from the old man.
I wear a weird size shoe and have very wide feet with high arches. I destroy footwear in about 6 months too, but cheap shoes destroy my feet causing foot, ankle, knee and hip issues. Saving cash on footwear is bad economy in my case. Almost nobody carries my size so I need to special order and I will never find shoes that for me used. Finding and wearing shoes or boots in a larger size to fit my width and arch is not hard but the huge open space in front of my toes causes the gait and health issues I mentioned above. It’s just not worth it.
The shoes fit fine but with sneakers I wear through the sole within 3 months. With weekend activities and near daily dog working, as well as work wear (all up about 15-20 miles per week), the soles wear through to the inner sole quickly.
At $15 per pair, I just buy 2-3 pairs at a time in my size.
I have two pairs of New Balance sneakers that are 20 years old, one pair of boots that I bought on 1995 and another from 2000 all my footwear presents as new, I never wear shoes at home, and I have the healthiest 74 year old feet on the planet…
I destroy the insides of shoes in a hurry. My shoes always look good on the outside but the insides are a cratered mess. I have one pair of fairly cheap, I think 70 dollars. hunting boots that have lasted me for nearly a decade. And they are still going. But that is rare.
Man i have that problem too. I wear shoes out about as often as i need a haircut it seems
Fig leaves if you dont have fur.
Clothes make a man.
Do they really?
Your the same person whether you wear a $5000 suit or a .25cent thrift shop.
And on that note a $15,000 rifle wont make you any of a better shot then a $500 rifle if you dont practice.
You cant just buy yourself into accuracy.
I personally do not like fancy clothes, I look real nice until I get drunk and puke on my suit while I’m laying in the gutter. If your just wearing rags, laying in the gutter with puke in your lap dont look all that bad. And being human, it’s all about the Looks, right.
Never wear colored underwear. If you get arrested and throwed in jail they wont let you have colored underwear, just whites. Free balling in an orange jump suit 🙂
Language skills are actually what makes the man. When someone doesn’t know the difference between your/you’re or to/too/two and other common homophones and constantly uses these words incorrectly in their writing they pretty much look like the uneducated moron they really are when online.
Don’t get me wrong Possum, your broken ramblings here are funny as hell and I enjoy laughing at you and your slow and steady wit. But the fact remains that you’re a hillbilly poet who obviously doesn’t read nearly as much as he “writes” (for a given value of “writing”) People who read a whole lot tend to figure out these things with written language like which words mean what things through long repetition. People who don’t read much don’t tend to know much about the world around them except for the tiny bit they occupy physically and experience firsthand by only speaking with others verbally.
People who don’t read much can be easily identified by reading what and how they write and how they express themselves through the limited written language they have acquired.
Judgement much?
Your right. It happens to the best of us all two often.
Life is judging -every day and every minute. Those who can’t discern between things are victims and suckers of those who can easily take advantage of them.
Seeing the world as it is and giving things their true names is controlling your own destiny.
Those who can’t discern between things are victims and suckers
OR they just don’t give a fuck what some sanctimonious asshole thinks.
No doubt that sounded a wee on the harsh side
On the other hand, erudition can be masked. Language skills, like clothing, can take many forms and serve many purposes.
Not wanting to get into a tiff NT. But I believe that possum deliberately dumbs down his ramblings here.
I believe he is a whole lot better read and educated than he wants to appear.
And he is just about the funniest thing on ttag.
Not just about. He IS the funniest (and frequently most accurate) commenter here.
I believe that possum deliberately dumbs down his ramblings here.
Ya think?
Although I think he’s consumed a bit too much Jack in the Black at times when he comments. LOL
“Language skills are actually what makes the man.”
Maybe in your world, in mine someone who can reliably show up for work on time are far more valuable.
Crimson Pirate is right, he IS the funniest (and frequently most accurate) commenter here in TTAG.
Don’t change a damn thing, ‘Marsupial One’, you’re fine just the way you are… 🙂
Totally agreed!
A serious question for you, Nikita.
What do you estimate my level of ‘ed-u-ctaion’ is, from reading me here?
“I look real nice until I get drunk and puke on my suit while I’m laying in the gutter. If your just wearing rags, laying in the gutter with puke in your lap dont look all that bad.”
I hates it when that happens… 😉
Omg ive gone without a new underwear rotation for probably 7 or 8 yrs. Lol the crotches are blown out of about half of them. But I’ll spend hundreds on reloading components at the drop of a hat.
Evidently the crotch is the weak link in the underwear system
Underwear wears out at the fly area where the holster wedge wears against it constantly every hour of the day pants or shorts are worn.
“Underwear wears out at the fly area…”
Not mine, my lethal farts create holes in the rear…
Carl Menger explained in the late 1800s that all value is subjective.
JB Say and other French economists explained it much earlier but the Austrians were not aware of them.
I figure I have the guns and the gear anyway so the whole elk only cost $1.35. Rationalization is fun, right?
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