Has anyone else plowed through their brew budget

[petep1980]

I simply cannot afford any more widgets or gadgets for this hobby.

I'm sure I'm pushing $500 on equipment alone for the past 5 or 6 months. $200 to get stuff for the free kegger I landed. Extra corny keg, 24 qt pot, 30 qt pot, cooling coil, mash tun, an innumerable amount of sparge bags and screens, one-way valve for corny, carboy after carboy, floating thermometers and the list goes on.

Of course now I need a lagering dedicated fridge so I can simply serve from kegger, a bigger boiling pot for nice full rolling boils, my own mill, and the list goes on....

 

[MMW]

$200 to get stuff for the free kegger I landed.

I feel ya, but that's funny right there :cross:

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

I just got my initial setup about 3 weeks ago... I had budgeted for about $150-$175 on equip. and first brew..... I actually blew though closer to $300

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Budget? Ha!

All a budget is, is how much you can get the wife to agree to let you spend "this time". And when she doesn't agree, you spend twice that much anyway.

 

[petep1980]

I love the trip to the LHBS and I need to get 2lbs of malt for a recipe. Why buy 2 when you can buy 5? Going through the hop bin thinking to yourself "hmm, what if there is an emergency in the middle of night someday and I simply NEED some Perle hops?"

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

Yeah but not too easy to explain when it was the rent money, lol.........

 

[carnevoodoo]

What's a budget?

 

[marubozo]

I don't have a budget. I just buy things through my business account so SWMBO has no idea what is going on

 

[barracudamagoo]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAA!! He said, "Budget"!

 

[Dwain]

Well, my SWMBO never says anything about how much much money I spend. However, I am much more critical of my own frivolous spending than she is. BUT:
all grain set up - kegs, burners, stand construction (bottle of tri-mix, wire, numerous stainless fittings), temp probes, pumps, tubing
ale chamber - air conditioner
lager chamber - refrigerator, materials to expand chamber
extra kegs......
All in the last 3 months. I've spent more on my "hobby" in the last 3 months than I did in the ~24 years before! I know she has to be thinking I've gone over the edge. I told her my goal is to never buy another beer. She just smiled and said "Riiiiiight". Man, I love her. - Dwain

However,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAA!! He said, "Budget"!

nails it

 

[Boar Beer]

Yep I am with you buddy

I wish I had only spent $500 in last few months.

But you know this is the only Hobby that I have that goes on year round
So my new stuff gets used more. Now take that new shotgun mmmm…. nice one
But I use it only the months of September and October. That 20 gallon boil kettle gets used almost every weekend.

 

[arturo7]

(To be sung to the melody of Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On")

And the list goes on,
And the list goes on.

The money just keeps flowing out the door,
Every time I cruise the homebrew store.

Now I need a tap,
Now I need a gauge.

A free keg just cost me two hundred more!

 

[foxual]

I just got my initial setup about 3 weeks ago... I had budgeted for about $150-$175 on equip. and first brew..... I actually blew though closer to $300

I was in the same boat, I said "$175 and I'm all set!"

$400 (for 3 batches) later...

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Budget? I don't need no stinkin budget. However, this hobby is the most expensive way I've found to get cheep beer.

 

[SavageSteve]

Budget? Pfffft.

I'm currently in the middle of a bit of a spending spree on equipment. New equipment will make my beer better, right?

Let's see, just recently bought:

- Barley Crusher
- 2nd Better Bottle with racking adapter and spigot
- 2000 ml Erlenmeyer flask and magnetic stir plate

Nearly ready to pull the trigger on:

- 10 gal. Boilermaker
- Propane burner
- 2.5 gal. keg (they're so cool looking!)

And of course, a bunch of ingredients for 3 or 4 upcoming brews.

Meh... the credit card bill won't arrive for another month.

-Steve

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I am always on a budget. That is the best way to get a nice system and never have your wife or anyone else mad at you. I get my spending budget and spend it. Sure I may have to save a bit to get a big purchase. But I can buy anything I want without hearing anything from my wife. I get about $110 a month for my brewing upgrades.

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

i think i'm gonna pick up another brew kit so that i can have multiple brews going at once.....

 

[Zen_Brew]

Budget? I don't need no stinkin budget. However, this hobby is the most expensive way I've found to get cheep beer.

LOL. Yeah, budget......plowed through it like a freight train. I decided to avoid all the bottling hassles and go straight to kegging. With that and all the other goodies and pots and measuring devices, and stirrers etc etc. Let's just say my inititial set-up cap of 6 or 700 dollars was in the rear view mirror rather quickly.

Now, I'm trying to step up my consumption level to make up the cost.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Yeah, i pretty much took my budget, lit it on fire then stomped on it and then pissed all over it!

But as hobbies go, it's a pretty inexpensive one so far especially if you consider the savings in the cost of beer. I know many people that spend $10-50K on fishing and ski boats, and thousands a year on tackle, equipment, gas, lifevests, skis, boards, etc. And they don't learn a whole lot versus a homebrewer. If you keep it under $2k per year I think that's money well spent!

 

[schweaty]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAA!! He said, "Budget"!

Yeah, apparently he didn't know that being a homebrewer was worse than being a crack addict?

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

i wish i could get some of that $800 billion to my brewing equipment. I'd share with all of you guys.... Homebrewers are about as good with a budget as congress and Obama......

 

[bob1852]

the way I look at it, every piece of equipment I buy I need anyways; and once it's bought the money's gone, so I'm pretty much even

 

[bad coffee]

I had a spreadsheet going, keeping track of every brewing purchase. About 3 months in I was over $1k and figured I should stop.

Stop keeping the spreadsheet updated, that is.

B

 

[bob1852]

I had a spreadsheet going, keeping track of every brewing purchase. About 3 months in I was over $1k and figured I should stop.

Stop keeping the spreadsheet updated, that is.

B

exactly - a few friends have asked me how much I've spent (just on equipment, not on ingredients); and my response is "I honestly don't know. I could probably add it up and get close, but it doesn't bother me."

 

[BADS197]

What's a budget?

That's what the fine State of California is trying to figure out.

Apparently noone told them there was one and they thought money grew on trees.

 

[petep1980]

Now I feel better.

SWMBO never bothers me about the spending, just the time consumption and having to listen to me talk about it. We were giving our 6 month old a bath last night and I referred to putting her in the water as our "mash in".

 

[r3dn3ckstyl3z]

Now I feel better.

SWMBO never bothers me about the spending, just the time consumption and having to listen to me talk about it. We were giving our 6 month old a bath last night and I referred to putting her in the water as our "mash in".

that's nothing..... my swmbo looked at me like i at dirt last night. My daughter is potty training. She peed finally in the potty last night. I looked at her and said "Brookelynn we're gonna get you house broke yet." My wife just said "You know she's not a dog right." I said "Yeah, i know, b/c this would be alot easier." I thought she was gonna smack me.....

 

[Zen_Brew]

Now I feel better.
We were giving our 6 month old a bath last night and I referred to putting her in the water as our "mash in".

Nice. I think it's a completely reasonable term.

 

[pnj]

I wanted to buy a six pack today but figured if I saved the 8 bucks, that's nearly half way to a batch of Edworts Haus Ale and I'd rather make beer and have five gallons then git drunk tonight.....

I just put two ESB's in the fridge from my dwindling stash in the closet...:/

 

[ODP]

That just made me think of something!

If each time I were about to go to the store for a 12 pack, I put that money in a jar in the fridge for homebrew goodies, things wouldn't be so bad!

I haven't started brewing yet, so I'm still having to buy beer at the store so that dough would go a long way for ingredients.