Unthinkable (selling guns to pay bills)

[Old Jalopy]

It hurt, but I had to do the unthinkable a couple of months back and sell a few firearms, and some parts. A snafu with insurance and a big medical bill can make us do the unthinkable. A renewal letter got lost, and no quarter was granted.
I had blocked these terrible memories from my brain until I came across some pictures on a thumb drive I was clearing for the wife.

 

[FRANKIE]

It hurt, but I had to do the unthinkable a couple of months back and sell a few firearms, and some parts. A snafu with insurance and a big medical bill can make us do the unthinkable. A renewal letter got lost, and no quarter was granted.
I had blocked these terrible memories from my brain until I came across some pictures on a thumb drive I was clearing for the wife.

Sad to hear.
But it can happen to any of us.
Another positive of ownership.
In a different sense,
They were there when you needed them
When things start going smooth,
Absolutely replace them.

 

[Depick]

I’ve let a few go in the past. Sad but necessary to stay afloat.

 

[FP1201]

It hurt, but I had to do the unthinkable a couple of months back and sell a few firearms, and some parts. A snafu with insurance and a big medical bill can make us do the unthinkable. A renewal letter got lost, and no quarter was granted.
I had blocked these terrible memories from my brain until I came across some pictures on a thumb drive I was clearing for the wife.

I dare say all of us have "been there-done that" and we got through it and things got better, and we wish the same for you.

 

[kev74]

Sad. But on the other hand, you had the resources you needed when you needed them.

 

[Hochulsucks1234]

I have been fortunate enough to not have this happen. I have plenty of toys I would sell if things got rough. The guns would be the absolute last thing I would part with. If I get to that point I would have nothing else left.

 

[Old Jalopy]

Sad. But on the other hand, you had the resources you needed when you needed them.

That's how I looked at it. Still have a few, and I'm still here, so.

I have been fortunate enough to not have this happen. I have plenty of toys I would sell if things got rough. The guns would be the absolute last thing I would part with. If I get to that point I would have nothing else left.

I don't own much of value. Aside from hunting, my other hobbies don't require anything expensive.




For the record, this wasn't meant as a poor me thing. It was just something that had to be done, and I figured some had been there, so I posted about it.

 

[Koz]

Did you consider selling a kidney instead?
That's a sad situation, but like it's been said, we've all had to make such decisions. Hopefully you only have tail winds from now on.

 

[OwnTheRide]

Couple of ways to look at it. Obviously sucks that you had to sell guns. But the first thought that came to my mind was when my wife was doing home visits for inner city schools. All these people on many forms of welfare, all of them with TVs bigger than mine, cell phones newer than mine, etc. All I could think of was "I'd sell the phone, and the TV, and everything else before I went on welfare."

Indirectly, you just demonstrated that same attitude. Life threw you a curveball, you picked yourself up by your own bootstraps and handled it. Reflects well on you, sir.

 

[JaguarJaguarGolf]

We all do it. When I was a much younger father I could only afford one hunting rifle, one hunting shotgun and one pistol. The rifle put 3 deer a year on the table. The shot gun fed us a lot of pheasant. Thank God I never had to use the pistol.

In the New Year I’m going to sell a few guns in order to give my eldest daughter some money towards a minivan.
Life goes on. Best of Luck

 

[dsdmmat]

I have sold guns in the past to pay for things like a snow blower, paintball equipment, buy my daughter her first handgun, buy a different gun and so on. Nothing wrong with using your assets to make your life easier, get things you need, try something new, or get through a rough patch. It is much better than going deeper into debt.

I have very few guns that would never be sold while I am alive. I would sell blood plasma before going there. The rest are money in the form of metal objects which I enjoy.

When I was younger my dad pawned some of his guns to make ends meet. Having 4 kids in the 70s was rough. I learned a valuable lesson, guns will allow you to put food on the table one way or another.

 

[Doc8404]

It hurt, but I had to do the unthinkable a couple of months back and sell a few firearms, and some parts. A snafu with insurance and a big medical bill can make us do the unthinkable. A renewal letter got lost, and no quarter was granted.
I had blocked these terrible memories from my brain until I came across some pictures on a thumb drive I was clearing for the wife.

Sorry to hear that. But in NY, the last bills to pay are medical. There are consumer and patient protections in place.

 

[Old Jalopy]

Sorry to hear that. But in NY, the last bills to pay are medical. There are consumer and patient protections in place.

The issue is, now unpaid medical bills that go into collections go against your credit score. Interest rates are wretched as it is. Low credit scores, and you're doomed, especially in NY where taxes are ridiculous. I may replace a coupe of the lowers in a couple of years if funds allow. I still have enough to allow me to hunt and plink once in a while.

 

[Bustedknees]

Always pay them something, never zero.
They have programs and funding in place and will take pennies on the dollar as long as you are paying. A new year around the corner should be the best time to talk with any hospital you are into debt with.

 

[Saltwater60]

Crap happens. I’m at the most expensive point in my life with two kids in college and me just finishing college. Instead of selling things I’m getting a second job and my wife has been doing the same thing. I said I wouldn’t do this for my kids but things are so expensive if they get saddled with debt now they will never get out. The inflation is killing us and we make a good buck together.
The biggest problem is my oldest his college is so disorganized he really can’t work except maybe Saturday because his classes and labs are all over the place. He will have something at 9:30am and go until noon then have to be back at 3pm until 7:30pm. This next semester he could only get one class for his major so now he will go an extra semester and have two minors. Not to mention the kids can’t get loans to even cover the cost of college these days because they can only get $6,000 per year without a parent co-signing.
Life these days is tough even if you do make good money so I feel for you brother. I also do not have much on credit. I have $10,000 left on a car loan and $110,000 left on my mortgage. I may pay the car off after I start my part time job because I have the cash sitting there to do it. It’s only 3.5% interest and if I do I fear my wife will want a different car because she hates it.

 

[Robin]

If I listed some of the guns I have sold off over the years it would bring tears to your eyes by proxy.
Robin

 

[FP1201]

Always pay them something, never zero.
They have programs and funding in place and will take pennies on the dollar as long as you are paying. A new year around the corner should be the best time to talk with any hospital you are into debt with.

They absolutely will!
Our youngest Son's cancer returned after five years...Doctors put him out of Work, so no income, He went to the Hospital's Billing/Patient Advocacy with the minimal documentation they asked for and wrote off ALL of his part. He did have insurance (that's a whole other fiasco)
Believe it or not, some actually realize you cannot make payments if you have no source of income, but you've got to take it to them and not ignore it as though it'll go away...He already had a Mortgage, Car Payment, and all the other trimmings that normal life assumes and His Mother and I have kept everything current, but few are that fortunate when a devastating disease invades your life.

 

[Old Jalopy]

They absolutely will!
Our youngest Son's cancer returned after five years...Doctors put him out of Work, so no income, He went to the Hospital's Billing/Patient Advocacy with the minimal documentation they asked for and wrote off ALL of his part. He did have insurance (that's a whole other fiasco)
Believe it or not, some actually realize you cannot make payments if you have no source of income, but you've got to take it to them and not ignore it as though it'll go away...He already had a Mortgage, Car Payment, and all the other trimmings that normal life assumes and His Mother and I have kept everything current, but few are that fortunate when a devastating disease invades your life.

I am very sorry to hear about your son. I hope they get it under remission, and it never returns.

 

[Doc8404]

The issue is, now unpaid medical bills that go into collections go against your credit score. Interest rates are wretched as it is. Low credit scores, and you're doomed, especially in NY where taxes are ridiculous. I may replace a coupe of the lowers in a couple of years if funds allow. I still have enough to allow me to hunt and plink once in a while.

Governor Hochul Signs Four New Laws to Protect Consumers from Price Gouging, Medical Debt and Unfair Business Practices

Governor Hochul signed legislation to protect New York consumers from medicine price-gouging and ongoing financial consequences related to medical debt.

www.governor.ny.gov

 

[Doc8404]

Sorry to hear that.

They absolutely will!
Our youngest Son's cancer returned after five years...Doctors put him out of Work, so no income, He went to the Hospital's Billing/Patient Advocacy with the minimal documentation they asked for and wrote off ALL of his part. He did have insurance (that's a whole other fiasco)
Believe it or not, some actually realize you cannot make payments if you have no source of income, but you've got to take it to them and not ignore it as though it'll go away...He already had a Mortgage, Car Payment, and all the other trimmings that normal life assumes and His Mother and I have kept everything current, but few are that fortunate when a devastating disease invades your life.

 

[Grimscale]

Governor Hochul Signs Four New Laws to Protect Consumers from Price Gouging, Medical Debt and Unfair Business Practices

Governor Hochul signed legislation to protect New York consumers from medicine price-gouging and ongoing financial consequences related to medical debt.

www.governor.ny.gov

How about one that protects us from NYS price gouging!
Why should the property tax be equal to, or greater, than the mortgage payment?
Why do I have to pay school taxes if I never had a kid in school?

 

[Robin]

More socialist government dumbfuckery!
Robin

 

[repete]

They absolutely will!
Our youngest Son's cancer returned after five years...Doctors put him out of Work, so no income, He went to the Hospital's Billing/Patient Advocacy with the minimal documentation they asked for and wrote off ALL of his part. He did have insurance (that's a whole other fiasco)
Believe it or not, some actually realize you cannot make payments if you have no source of income, but you've got to take it to them and not ignore it as though it'll go away...He already had a Mortgage, Car Payment, and all the other trimmings that normal life assumes and His Mother and I have kept everything current, but few are that fortunate when a devastating disease invades your life.

I love your comment, not about your son's cancer of course ( I hope for the best for him), but the rest of the it. I've had a LOT of hospital bills in the last few years and was very grateful for bill forgiveness programs. I was concerned about my 401K and figured I'd have to empty that before I'd be broke enough to qualify, NOPE! They were just concerned about actual income and what other bills I had, they took 50% off what the Insurance didn't pay. Things like this can make a lifelong impact.

 

[FP1201]

How about one that protects us from NYS price gouging!
Why should the property tax be equal to, or greater, than the mortgage payment?
Why do I have to pay school taxes if I never had a kid in school?

Our kids are long since out of school, and while we have no mortgage payments, we still have to figure $500 a month for Taxes on a 1600 square foot home, and don't forget Home Owners Insurance which is good for at least a hundred a month.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

 

[Gunright]

I've been fortunate enough that I've never had to sell a gun. I have bought some from older friends who had decided they were too old to shoot them). I bought my first over/under (Browning Citori) this way.

In some ways it is a good thing for them - even though they realized they were too old/feeble to do skeet/sporting clays, they at least knew that someone would be giving a good home (hopefully) to the gun.

Of all the shotguns I own (have five), that old old Browning is in a lot of ways my favorite.

 

[FP1201]

I've been fortunate enough that I've never had to sell a gun. I have bought some from older friends who had decided they were too old to shoot them). I bought my first over/under (Browning Citori) this way.

In some ways it is a good thing for them - even though they realized they were too old/feeble to do skeet/sporting clays, they at least knew that someone would be giving a good home (hopefully) to the gun.

Of all the shotguns I own (have five), that old old Browning is in a lot of ways my favorite.

Advise from someone who's been there and done that: When someone wants to give you a possession of theirs, do so then and there with a grateful heart, most of us are humble and honorable enough to at least initially refuse, but in accepting a "gift" or even a chance to buy at a heavy discount allows that person the joy of giving and satisfaction of knowing it'll be appreciated and hopefully used as they had, this business of "Oh, I'll get it later" offers little satisfaction, and also opens a window where things "disappear" or are given to someone outside the former owners intention...Waiting until they're gone denies them the pleasure of seeing your happiness, and opens the window for someone else to decide if you receive what was promised at all, believe me it happens all the time.