Upgrading setup need some input

Could always set it aside for a future upgrade. A $500 "upgrade" won't get you far to achieve what you're really after. But if you can set that aside and save another $200/mo. you could buy yourself a decent, used enclosed trailer next year. I paid $3000 for my plain-jane 7x14 tandem axle and I've been adding to it over the last couple years. Working out of an enclosed trailer vs. tents changes the game in terms of your level of comfort and ease of packing. Of course you'll need a vehicle that can pull it...

ModelMaker said:

Rusty, Rusty, Rusty your level of BBQ expertise and experience put you in the fun game, hobby class of cook. At this point you should only be spending money you could just as easy pitch in the wind and not cry over it.
Your familys financial future is your most important job, #1!!!

Rollover your 401K, add the $2000 to this years 401K limit. New job, put in as much as the company will match and then add more each year until you max it out.
Don't be the guy that is reaching retirement age and does not have the pot to pi** in.
Ed

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This right here^^^^^. Out of all the advice you have been given, this advice from Ed is what you should really take to heart. I understand the allure of reaching for the brass ring. But, the price to ride the merry-go-round keeps getting higher and higher.

So, here is my advice. You want to participate in this sport? Fine. Get a second job or figure out another way to make this hobby pay for itself. Save that money you are about to receive for your family. Quit bargaining with yourself and settling for something less. In reality, you are just wasting your money trying to get closer to what is your ideal but falling way short in each attempt. Remember that trailer you bought from Harbor Freight? Those 14.5" WSM's? Have a true heart to heart with your wife and write down some life goals. Listen to your wife. This hobby ought to be way down the list. Sometimes the answer is not what you want. But, you have to face the brutal facts.

Cliff notes for Rusty:
Save the money.
Quit settling for less.
Get a second job/make hobby pay for itself.
Write down life goals.
Stick to the plan.

Robert

Rusty,
There is some really good and logical advice in the posts above that would be the wise thing to do......however, almost everyone who ever achieved success at anything, took risks that sometimes failed but ultimately led to their success. There is no gain without pain. So, you and only you can decide what is best for you and those you are responsible for. Good luck in achieving whatever goals you are shooting for.

Rusty.....like what Pappy has said above, do what you want to do, it's your money and life.

Remember man, for disciplined people, the smart and always the best choice is to save what money you can when you can for all kinds of reasons....whether it's for house emergency, college funds, future retirements etc. There is never ever gonna be a real honest to God legitimate reason to spend that money on a black hole hobby like BBQ instead of putting it into an IRA or a college fund or saving for when your HVAC goes out.

Some lyrics to one of my favorite songs says "seems like everything I do will make me sick or poor or fat" and those are wise words. everytime I buy more rubs, or a new smoker or trailer or whatever, it could have been saved and would have probably been better for me financially to do that instead.

everytime I buy a new guitar or a new pistol I should have saved my money instead......but then again, I also want to enjoy my life.

my dad gave me some great advice when I was younger. he said "son, dont live above your means, but also dont let the best years of your life pass you by thinking that you are saving and waiting for some big Utopia that is going to come when you are older. Here I sit with enough money to be comfortable and do most anything reasonable I would like to do, but I no longer care about doing those things.....so do those things while you are young enough to enjoy them while you can. that's one of the reasons why you work and make a living."

I really took those words to heart. I'm 47 and I am trying to live my life in a way that is not reckless, but is also full of enjoyment and adventure, within reason. Sometimes money is tighter and I dont get to do everything I want. But then sometimes, I have enough extra that I allow myself to engage in these crazy hobbies instead of stashing it back for an eventual retirement etc.

and let's remember, $2000 is not money to sneeze at it, but it's also not the kind of money that is gonna really impact your future whether you blow it or save it. But I dont know the shape of your finances and only you can know whether you can "afford" to blow that money or pay the penalties for getting to it etc. that's up to you.

Lastly, another great line from a song is "I never saw a U-Haul being pulled by a hearse"....in other words, you can't take it with you when you die, so live while you can, but be fair and reasonable with your family.

that's my 2 cents.

Yeah go get a sweet Klose, or Gator Pit, etc. Enjoy it now and sell it if you ever need to - they hold their value.

here is a reality that most people dont know.

the Joneses, who you are trying to keep up with , are BROKE.

they may look like they have money, because they drive a fancy car, or live in a fancy house, or have a $10k cooker,
but the truth of the matter is they are paycheck to paycheck and financed to the hilt.

the truly rich live like they are poor.

Rusty Kettle said:

My name is Thomas Winslow. I am 30 years old, a father of two, a husband, head cook for Rusty Kettle Barbecue and a dreamer. I know who I am and I know what is best for my family.

My goal is to inspire my kids to go against the grain and be dreamers as well. Some day we will be the best barbecue team in the country. It may take years of hard work but we will get there. I may fail to reach that goal but I would rather be a spectacular failure who dared to dream then someone who just accepted being mediocre.

*mic drop*

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the second best barbecue team last year cooked on a uds. two more points and they would have been first place.

so you dont have to buy a new cooker to be the best bbq team. you already have a uds. use what you have. or dont.

mic drop

oh my apologies. I didn't see that the first time :doh:

Rusty,

Let me tell you a little about myself. I'm Skippy! I started this BBQ journey 5 years ago when I first saw the first BBQ Pitmasters show. I looked up a local contest and went there with 1 goal. Not to come in last. I ended up 14th out of 19. From there I was hooked. I did 3 comps that year, 3 the next year, 5 the third year, and then 13 the fourth year, and 6 last year. I've bought just about everything you could imagine. I went from 2 cans and 2 EZ-Ups, to a trailer smoker, to an enclosed trailer, to a concession trailer 2 years ago. I have went through smokers to the point of other teams placing odds on when I would change the type of smoker again. It was all in good fun of course.
Here is what I have learned:
- It's the cook, not the cooker
- A class or 2 IS the best BBQ investment that can be made. Take one from a team that cooks on the same equipment. When I switched to drums, I took the Hot & Fast Gateway class. My 2nd comp that season was a GC.
- I will NEVER have the money it takes to compete for Team of the Year in KCBS.
- I will NEVER have the time it takes to compete for KCBS TOY.
- Once you buy bigger (trailer for example) more purchases seem to follow. When I bought my porch trailer, I pulled it home from Georgia, up I-75 with a V8 F-150. It pulled fine, but I always thought that if i had a bigger truck, I'd never have to worry about that again. Then I could upgrade again in a few years and wouldn't have to worry about a new truck.
- When I did 13 comps in 1 season, I was wore out. I'm from Michigan. I went to 5 states that year. I put over 10k miles just in BBQ that year. I had arguments with the wife because I was neglecting home duties. I was on a roll. I had 2 GC's, and 2 reserves, and most other finishes were top 5's. That was how I justified it. I now compare that to gambling. I let my winnings control what i was doing. I let it ride. I ended up breaking even. That's what did it for me.
Now I am happy to stay in Michigan, compete against the same teams every month in our state contests and hope I do well. I sold my vending style porch trailer. I will be back to 2 ez-ups, 3 gateways, and hauling it with an open utility type trailer.
Keep what you do as simple as you can make it. If you buy a trailer, you will most certainly encounter 1 of 2 things. 1.) Due to the relativity low tow capacity of the van, you would most likely have a good amount of repairs down the road 2.) Upgrade to a larger vehicle. End of the day, it all = More Money than what you have to work with.

All great advice in here. Makes me respect and appreciate the Brethren even more! Other forums would have talked him into spending more money than what he originally planned to..... you guys truly are a family in here.

I started competing in 2012 on a borrowed homemade offset pit. I got 3 calls and I won $1,000 and a trip to Vegas for potato salad of all things. Needless to say, I was hooked.

Since that time I have “invested” well over a quarter of a million dollars back into competition BBQ (not including vehicles and trailers). I have maxed out my cards for repairs or expenses and paid them all off again with winnings and classes 5 times over.

But, there can be a payoff. Now I own 3 restaurants, teach several classes each year, and have partnerships with quality brands. This allows me to be one of the few lucky ones that is able to do competition cooking as a full time job.

It can be done, it does take a lot of risk, and it is a very long shot. It takes thousands of hours of dedication and work that may amount to nothing on top of the money. Time away from your family, time on the road alone. I live and breathe competition cooking to a fault, but that’s just the way I’m wired. I love every minute of it.

If it’s your passion, go make it happen, but remember nothing comes cheap or easy. Best of luck to you.

Great thread, this should be bookmarked. I wish I could compete several times a year like other teams, but with family and financial obligations it's not realistic for me. Good to know I'm not the only one.

gettinbasted said:

But, there can be a payoff. Now I own 3 restaurants, teach several classes each year, and have partnerships with quality brands. This allows me to be one of the few lucky ones that is able to do competition cooking as a full time job.
.

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You do classes you say??? LOL

If looking for a good knife set I would look at flint and flame USA knifes. They are the best knifes I have owned. Love them and the customer service is great

You can't take money out of a 410k without paying taxes and a 10% penalty unless you are at retirement age. So highest tax bracket is 39.6% plus a 10% penalty......

With that being said, my main goal is comfort first, then move forward with smokers, knives, etc. I would get a good ez-up with sides first! Then think about drums or other smokers!

BoneDaddy's said:

You can't take money out of a 410k without paying taxes and a 10% penalty unless you are at retirement age. So highest tax bracket is 39.6% plus a 10% penalty......

With that being said, my main goal is comfort first, then move forward with smokers, knives, etc. I would get a good ez-up with sides first! Then think about drums or other smokers!

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Pretty sure there is state income tax on top of that?