Northwest Fishing Reports

Hopefully you all can help me gain new ideas because I know that I am not the only person who has to find creative ways to purchase gear without throwing off the wifes radar. I am getting back into fishing and thanks to Dilbert am getting ready to start spending to support my habit. My wife can sometimes want to go 1 for 1 with big purchases, ie. "You spent XXX on that? When do I get to spend my XXX!" SO I have devised a great way to make purchases without having to mark this down in the checkbook. I have been spending my spare change!!!

As I am writing this I have just returned from Safeway. I took all of the spare change from my small collection in my nightstand and turned it in to $50 worth of Bass Pro Shops gift cards. I may have even pushed my purchases over the even dollar mark once or three times to receive the maximum $.99 cents change. The change counting machine there collects 8.9% on the dollar and you can turn your receipt in to any cashier for a $25 or $50 gift card. They have Cabellas also.

Now I was advised by Dilbert that if you cash in at a coinstar in Albertsons you can do a 100% exchange for a Cabellas E-Certificate that is redeemable online for purchase. The best part about that is the online store wil not charge you tax as they are a seperate entity from the actual store.

Anyway you look at it, my wife has no real idea how much any of my stuff costs. So if I can tell her that I only spent $100 from the account, she thinks that I got a swinging deal. Hope that this helps. Don't get me wrong, I believe in honesty, but all is fair in love and fishing.

That is a good plan I think I might try that one. Thanks for the tip

Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter accusations. If that doesn't work...hide the gear for a few days, act completely surprised while stating..."Wow! I completely forgot I had this!".


Chad

2000subaru wrote: "You spent XXX on that? When do I get to spend my XXX!"

That's why the wife drives the better car. "You already spent yours... it's in the driveway!"

Besides, the fishing gear isn’t just for you, it’s for the kids too.

Seriously though, I prefer to think of it as creative financing rather than hiding. I have a crown royal bag overflowing with change just waiting to be converted into an e-certificate. The only thing holding me back is the main items I want from Cabela's are on backorder. So for now I wait…collecting…counting…dreaming of warmer mornings.

Now, as far as the acquisition of change, cash purchases are definitely the key. In the age of debit cards and e-banking this is definitely my weak point. Remember the three Cs to change collecting]http://locator.coinstar.com/[/url]

Thanks for tip I never knew coinstar offered great services like that.Oh Yeah.It's time to go play ''Secret Squirell''next time the OL' Lady goes shopping at the Albertsons.

its a good thing that my wife likes to fish, but i do have to get her better ($) equipement to use. she knows whats good and whats not. but i still try to get certain things. i've done all the stuff that has been stated here in my earlier years. now that theres EBAY i can get sum stuff at a reasonable price. or i can say oooops i just bidded on some stuff accidentally or i didn't mean to buy that. don't know how long i can keep that up, yard sales are great to but it still comes down to finding the ($) to stash. there has been 10.00 loafs of bread and 5.00 gal, of milk. <')//<

Whenever I fill up my truck with gas I always pay inside so that I can get cash back. I just get $10-15 less gas. My wife knows I get horrible mileage, so she doesn't even keep track. Most of the time she doesn't mind me getting replacement fishing stuff, but if I want a new lure she flips out... Beware of the observant, thoughtful wife- you may end up getting duplicates of the gear you secretly bought. My wife has done this twice out of the blue.

Fitting quote by Koos Brandt:
My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it.

"Subaru"...too good, you have me cracking up at my desk. I thought I was the only one who hid lure purchases from the wife.

Here's what I do:

On a typical day, I buy two Starbuck's (one for me and one for my wife) in the morning. I drop her's off at the house before I leave for work (I leave EARLY). The trick is...I only buy myself coffee a couple times a week and pocket my coffee money it doesn't take long to add up to a lure or two...a.k.a. my "coffee lure"

Another way, get cash back at the store after a large grocery run and say it's for lottery tickets. (Hint: We NEVER WIN!!!!!!). Kinda stupid on my part in a way, if I actually bougtht lotto tickets I'd have a better chance of winning and I wouldn't have to hide lure purchases anymore.... ....oh well, this is a lot more predictable.

See you all down at Cabela's in November with all of our "free cash"...LOL :thumleft:

i made a deal with wifey last year to sell some stuff on ebay so i could buy some fishing stuff on ebay! i also told her i would buy multible deals to resell at a later time:-" still have those deals and may try to get them incorported into my various tackle box,s/bags/vests, etc, ebay does have great deals but you need to spend time looking which takes away time from this site.

forgot to say that i may get into hot water posting on this . the wifey( hi huno:) ) sometimes looks at what i'm doing on the computer maybe that could be an added bonus to a lifetime membership, some sort of secret passsword ioi <')//<

Stow the reciepts, stow the gear. It's all goood..What they don't find dont hurt em...

this is great ideas everyone thanks!!! but my wife fishes too and and knows what it all cost but BPS is 5 min from work and she dont follow me there

I'm single.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
no secrets:cheers:

beresford13861 wrote:this is great ideas everyone thanks!!! but my wife fishes too and and knows what it all cost but BPS is 5 min from work and she dont follow me there

beresford13861 - Welcome to the board and all the way from California! Wow that is dedication. I am honored to be one of your first posts.

To all who have came up with great and creative ideas, my thanks. I am just getting back into fishing from a long vacation of 10 or so years and without all of the disposable income that I used to have. Dilbert- You are my fishing buddy and I like that we think alike. Pretty soon, if I have my way, my 2 little boys will have their own tackle boxes stocked with gear. Kevin will get crankbaits, and Mason will get spinners. If I could only have another son who wants really expensive swimbaits...

Keep the ideas coming, the friend you help might be your own!

iPodrodder wrote:Well, here's how I would do it. Go to a fishing shop (Bass Pro, Cabela's, etc.) and buy a couple small, cheap items. Next, go to your wife, briefly wave the receipt in her face, and say, "Look what I got for XXX (price on your receipt)!" Then, proudly hold up a relatively expensive lure and tell her the receipt price again. Keep doing this for maybe three times. If all goes to plan, she will think that it is a very cheap store, and you are out of her radar to buy a buncha stuff. Buy with cash/change still though.

:safe: out.

:safe:,

That's a great idea...however, I wouldn't suggest doing that to a women more than once. Two reasons:

1) She may freak out on you in the middle of your "sacred place" (fishing isle)

2) She may come home one day and waive HER receipt in YOUR face.

Trust me my friend, you DON'T want to start that battle. I like what Sam said, "buy it and stow it...what she doesn't know won't hurt her"....wise beyond your years my friend.

:safe: just try and meet your wife WHILE YOU ARE FISHING....that way, when you go fishing you can say it reminds you of when you met her...:thumright

bassackwards wrote:

iPodrodder wrote:Well, here's how I would do it. Go to a fishing shop (Bass Pro, Cabela's, etc.) and buy a couple small, cheap items. Next, go to your wife, briefly wave the receipt in her face, and say, "Look what I got for XXX (price on your receipt)!" Then, proudly hold up a relatively expensive lure and tell her the receipt price again. Keep doing this for maybe three times. If all goes to plan, she will think that it is a very cheap store, and you are out of her radar to buy a buncha stuff. Buy with cash/change still though.

:safe: out.

:safe:,

That's a great idea...however, I wouldn't suggest doing that to a women more than once. Two reasons:

1) She may freak out on you in the middle of your "sacred place" (fishing isle)

2) She may come home one day and waive HER receipt in YOUR face.

Trust me my friend, you DON'T want to start that battle. I like what Sam said, "buy it and stow it...what she doesn't know won't hurt her"....wise beyond your years my friend.

:safe: just try and meet your wife WHILE YOU ARE FISHING....that way, when you go fishing you can say it reminds you of when you met her...:thumright

That would not be good.....plan scratched! Or I could do it like that movie Big Momma's House 2, where the guy hides behind the old guy's motor scooter as he is hiding from his wife in the mall. The old guy laughs a little and says, "That your wife? Been there."



:safe: out.

Well, I notice that all the guys are coming out of the closet with the $$ tricks! Here is a little fasty that works well. Whether you've got someone else you share expenses with or not, it will even help a single person. Whenever you right a check or debit into your checkbood register, always list it for at least the next whole dollar amount over what the actual price was. List a $24.35 check for $25.00 or better yet list as $26.00. At the end of the month when you go back to balance I guarantee you will find you self a good $50.00 depending on how you do it.

My wife sometimes acts like she has a guilty conscience over what she spend on hair, nails, tanning, etc. (which I tell her is no big deal) that whatever I spend on fishing is just considered a household expense. The bonus is that I don't have to hide my purchases from her. That reminds me, I have to pick up her hairspray today. $16 a bottle!!! No joke!!! So I guess I'll swing by Fishermens on the way home and see what catches my eye.