# What would you do with an extra $1000



## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

I guess not really "extra" but last chunk of money you would be getting for a while. No more income, no job, nothing. 

I've been in this situation before (last year) but had a decent savings that got me through with some very very careful planning and help from a friend (water. But now I have my rain totes full)

I should have $1000 tonight. I have to pay off utilities, but then will b caught up until end of next month. Registrations (car/trucks) are up to date and not due till April), no credit card or any other debt. Just utilities. 

What can $1000 get me prep wise? Probably a bit less though ($600-$700 depending on utilities an I am definitely going to top off the truck with gas)

I have plenty of fruit trees although I am buying a golden nugget orange ($25). I have rainwater collection. I have a gun or 2 and a tiny bit of ammo, I have enough human food for close to a year. As with dog food. I always have or can get dog food. 

I guess what I'm asking, is if you were in my spot, $1000 cash, no hope of getting more, what would you DO to have this money make you money?

I might be buying a 4x4 to swap motors and resell. 

Another option was I was going to get wood working tools and build bird houses out of my "in home shop"

I did make signs to sell fruit and veggies out of my truck, but was politely informed that without certain certificates, I am breaking the law(?)

This isn't like before. This is better although worse. Better because I have a few more options at my disposal, but worse because I have very little savings to fall back on just incase. 

I can do this! I CAN do this! I WILL DO THIS!


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

I would tighten my belt and use the cash for utilities and gas and try to make it stretch until I found another job. I might not pay the entire utility bill, but would send them something every month.

i wouldn't even think of buying more preps until I had some source of income.


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## oddapple (Dec 9, 2013)

Split between foods and service plants. If we can eat and trade a little we're ok


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

I wouldn't be thinking "Where can I best spend this money". I'd be of the mindset I wasn't *going* to spend it until something Convinced me to do so. I'd be looking for good opportunities to do things instead, and if a really good one required some money, ok. If not, you'll never be sad you've got a little cash reserve.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

I'd buy drugs and hookers. 

Well, OK, I would skip the drugs and buy one REALLY GOOD hooker.

OK, I wouldn't do that either, I would probably keep it on hand and be glad I wasn't dumb enough to waste it on drugs & hookers.


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

I would buy more food to store.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

All very good point! 

I guess I'm more focused on trying to turn this little bit into a way to make more. (Aren't we all! Lol)

I had other jobs lined up, but lagged. I worked one more week before being let go, so I thought my job was secure. Since I worked that one extra week, all my job offers found other people. Ugh.


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

If you can write, write an ebook and sell it on Amazon. Write about whatever you love, or write fiction.

Look for opportunities or post offers on Craigslist. Spring cleanup time is coming soon, you probably have some skills that would be in demand. What's the legality of posting a "pick your own" offer?


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

Not sure on the pick your own offer. I'd hate for people to see what I have though


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## Pir8fan (Nov 16, 2012)

If someone will kindly send me and extra Grand, I'll gladly let them know what I did with it!


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I would invest it in a bank CD so that I could double my money in 350 years.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Split in half. Half rainy day fund and rest for something you NEED. I can't tell you what that is.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

Pir8fan said:


> If someone will kindly send me and extra Grand, I'll gladly let them know what I did with it!


The $1000 is severance pay because the manager never told me that I was doing anything wrong before letting me go. The board of directors agreed that the manager was in the wrong that I should have not been fired without warning.

I guess I'm being "paid off" so I don't get them for wrongful termination. I'd rather have my job, and have been told I was doing something wrong and been shown the right way....


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

take the 1000$ and hire an attorney to get more money for wrongful termination.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

$1,000.00 won't get you far. Pay what you have to in utilities and spend the rest on gas to find a job.


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## knfmn1 (Dec 2, 2014)

Save it to pay the bills. Do nothing but look for work. If that involves travelling to fill out applications, consolidate and do all applications one or two days a week in the same area. Start eating the food you've got stored to save paying for groceries. We prep for a rainy day and if this isn't a rainy day for you, it's awful cloudy until you find another job. Hang in there.


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

$1,000 hmm.

Go into the preparedness business.

1) With about $400 you can buy a 240 watt solar panel, small inverter, deep cycle batter, and offer the system to people who want it but can't figure out how to put it together in case of a disaster, $499 - you make $99 plus a delivery fee of course,
2) With another $400 go to home depot and buy those gamo seal (sp) buckets, buy bulk rice and beats, o2 absobers and prepare buckets of rice and beans for sale at a minimal profit - again with a minimal delivery fee
3) Hold on to $200 for "deals" in your new market place when they come up.


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## Pir8fan (Nov 16, 2012)

kevincali said:


> The $1000 is severance pay because the manager never told me that I was doing anything wrong before letting me go. The board of directors agreed that the manager was in the wrong that I should have not been fired without warning.
> 
> I guess I'm being "paid off" so I don't get them for wrongful termination. I'd rather have my job, and have been told I was doing something wrong and been shown the right way....


Not enough zeros. Don't be bought off cheaply.


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## Suntzu (Sep 22, 2014)

Depends on how my day went... If I were to get an unexpected 1k, I might go shopping on gun broker, might put it towards fixing up my new home, might write a check to one of my favored charities, or a combination of the lot. But more likely than not, I'd drop it into my investments. Investing money is so much easier when it's money you won't miss.

In your case though, I'd probably pay off bills, buy a pressure washer, and enough flyers to canvas my entire zip code.


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## Suntzu (Sep 22, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> I would invest it in a bank CD so that I could double my money in 350 years.


Bank CDs are the surest and most guaranteed investment one can make in today's market. You can be sure you'll loose money at exactly 1% less than the rate of inflation


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

If it was severance pay I'd pay any bills, get some gas and start job hunting hard. My new job would be to put in 40 hours a week looking for another job.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

If it were me, I'd buy whatever fertilizer and seed needed for the upcoming planting season.
And I would buy some more ammo.
You could also invest in rabbits. This will give you fertilizer, or use the fertilizer to promote worm beds. ($$ in your pocket)
You can sell the rabbits for eating, or eat them yourself.
Worms will thrive under a rabbit cage. 
Put the rest in a safe place.


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## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> I'd buy drugs and hookers.
> 
> Well, OK, I would skip the drugs and buy one REALLY GOOD hooker.
> 
> OK, I wouldn't do that either, I would probably keep it on hand and be glad I wasn't dumb enough to waste it on drugs & hookers.


Buy the Drugs pay the Hooker with a credit card


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## Wryter (Jan 30, 2015)

While I think Spice and knfm1 offered sound advice but I live near Las Vegas so I'd keep enough to cover one more month's utilities and gas, then place the rest on Seahawks-1 in the Super Bowl. Next week you collect your winnings, having doubled your investment.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

I have had a long restless night to think about it. 

I can sell my newest acquired truck. I should get $4000 or so. Take the $4k and use it to fix my other truck. I get rid of one expense, and fix another. It shouldn't take $4k to fix my other truck. But that gives me the option of stashing the $1000 and forgetting about it. Plus I have my other car to drive in the meantime. 

I lost sleep last couple night figuring how to minimize expenditures. Having more than one truck (have 3) seems foolish. 

Of course the cheapest way is to keep the yellow truck, as it runs great and is very dependable. If I sold it, fixed my other truck (more sentimental) I'd probably only add another $1000 to the mix. Hmm


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Is this the same as What would you do with an extra $200 but inflation taken into consideration.


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## longrider (Mar 25, 2013)

KevinCali, I agree with whoever said you should sell e-books. You are a well prepped prepper. You could give advice on prepping on no money. Look what you did, last time you were unemployed. You have great skill in figuring out how to make things from nothing. Your water collecting system alone was really great, easy to follow what you did and the cost was minimal. I learned a great deal from it, and would have bought a booklet to tell me how, if I had that option.

In the mean time, keep the $1,000 for when the rain comes down in buckets. Look for another job and thank God you have your health. And do talk to a lawyer. The first consultation is free, in most cases. They should have told you what you did wrong, and give you a chance to rectify the situation instead of firing you. Sounds like a niece or nephew needed a job. Just my opinion.

Hang in there, Kev. I'll say a prayer that an even better job comes your way.


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

Adding another $1000 will more than double your cash reserves.

There are lots of online businesses you could start for less than $500. Do you have any skills in this area? CSS, PHP, or even HTML skills? Graphics, video editing, or other image-type skills? SEO or other online marketing skills? 3d modeling skills? Most of these types of skills can be picked up with little more than a time investment.

For an example, go to YouTube and do a search for "top 10 auditions." Now look at the number of views this kind of video gets. When I do this search, none of the results show less than a million views, and some as high as almost 10 million. The amount you would get by running ads on your channel varies, but would be about $4 or $5 per thousand views on average and could be much higher.

Sure, it takes time to develop a following, but once you do, the money will keep rolling in. Videos often get views (and make money) years after they are uploaded.

Making videos like that only requires video editing software and the time it takes to learn it. Anyway, it's something to think about.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

Prepadoodle said:


> Adding another $1000 will more than double your cash reserves.
> 
> There are lots of online businesses you could start for less than $500. Do you have any skills in this area? CSS, PHP, or even HTML skills? Graphics, video editing, or other image-type skills? SEO or other online marketing skills? 3d modeling skills? Most of these types of skills can be picked up with little more than a time investment.
> 
> ...


I would do the video thing, but I do not have a computer capable of running that kind of software. My desktop is ancient, and I don't have Internet access on it. I use my phone for my Internet needs. I HAVE been thinking of getting a used laptop. I can get a used one for about $200, that's still fairly new.

I never really bought a new computer because that means sitting on my ass staring into a screen, wasting time. Only reason I'm on now is because I am at a kaiser Permanente hospital waiting for my adopted mom to get out of the hospital, and I'll be giving her a ride home. Then off to help a friend move some more of his stuff out of his old house to his new stuff. Then off to buy a 2004 5.7 hemi for $200 I KNOW I can get more for.

Same reason I don't have a new computer, is the same reason I don't have cable, own any video game consoles, don't have many DVD's, and why my phone is a 4 year old iPhone 4. I don't have much downtime or "want" for technology. I may justify a used laptop though. Hmm. Oh and I did take web development in HS. I used to know HTML very well.

Dang it! Now I'm gonna go look at laptops haha


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

longrider said:


> KevinCali, I agree with whoever said you should sell e-books. You are a well prepped prepper. You could give advice on prepping on no money. Look what you did, last time you were unemployed. You have great skill in figuring out how to make things from nothing. Your water collecting system alone was really great, easy to follow what you did and the cost was minimal. I learned a great deal from it, and would have bought a booklet to tell me how, if I had that option.
> 
> In the mean time, keep the $1,000 for when the rain comes down in buckets. Look for another job and thank God you have your health. And do talk to a lawyer. The first consultation is free, in most cases. They should have told you what you did wrong, and give you a chance to rectify the situation instead of firing you. Sounds like a niece or nephew needed a job. Just my opinion.
> 
> Hang in there, Kev. I'll say a prayer that an even better job comes your way.


Thanks for the kind words longrider 

I try to be independent, so I try to set myself up to be independent. Everything I do goes towards independence.

What isn't shown in that rainwater system is my many trial and errors, and mistakes. Wrong filter media, wrong spigots (before the ball valves) and broken drip lines. Everything I do, I usually do twice because I try one thing, and sometimes discover a different (not always better) way to do things.

Plus I do not work well with others, so I have to set myself up to not have a job. Yes I was the kid that wore the "caution! Bites!" Note pinned to my shirt as a kid haha 

And the reason I lost my job this time is because he hired a pedophile. I spoke out, nobody listened. Then an incident happened where he tried scaring a little girl but didn't work. I spoke out, nobody listened. Then the pedophile threatened to kill me. I spoke out, the manager fired me. His justification was that because he didn't see me during the day, I must not be working. Yet the animals were fed, watered, stalls mucked, feed room immaculate, etc. but he did not like his wife, and she was teaching me horse behaviour, and how to doctor them (I should mention the manager is 80 and his wife is 70). I think he disk like his wife teaching me about horses(?)

Gotta go for now. I'll be back tonight


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

Once upon a time I had a back pack, a few clothes, a T/C Hawken, and $225. I'd just sold my old '51 Chevy 1/2 ton, no job and no real desire for one at the time. I mean, I had more money than I really had any idea what to do with. Mercy. $225. I could just about live forever on that. Beer was only a quarter a glass... Knowing I was likely going to blow half of it real quick if I didn't get out of town's temptations, I went down to the gun shop and bought a Colt New Frontier, 7 1/2" barrel and adjustable sights. And some shells for it. In the forty or so years since then, I've killed and eaten more game with that gun than all my eventual others combined. I just recently handed it down to my youngest son, as he kinda likes it, too. Ever since then, when faced with a decision like that, I've always gone for spend half on something durable and lasting, the rest for necessities. 

Keep in mind, however, that my answer for just about anything is, get a gun.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Invest in copper plated lead.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

I feel compelled to admit when ever I feel ethnic ly wealthy the only thing that satisfy like a snickers is a new fire arm.

Some day I will give in and just buy one.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

*What would I do with an extra $1000?*

Finish filling my propane tank,
Get some used tires for the mini-van (mine are threadbare and out of round), I'm scratching up pennies now.
Buy some more roofing shingles for the house project this coming summer. 
That should about use it all up. being poor bites.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I want to say invest in something renewable. Rabbits or chickens and maybe gardening.

Might we all spend our tax returns on guns we really don't need.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

I am not going to tell you what to do with your $$$. But- there are plenty of jobs out there for someone who is willing to work. I wish you luck in finding a good job.


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## shotlady (Aug 30, 2012)

1 week in the redwood forest or an oregon nat park. or 5 greif counselings


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

So here's a breakdown. I gave in and went food shopping. $125. That should get me until April without getting into my preps. I fear getting into my preps because I don't want to get into them and not be able to replace them. 

Then, I bought a part to fix my other truck. I'll then put the yellow truck up for sale for $4500. If I'm thinking correctly and I am right, I could have my truck fixed for about $1000 more. It's just mostly time to assemble that's the issue (I guess not now that I'm not working haha). But once it gets put back together, I can drive it. It will get better gas mileage than the yellow truck, cheaper to register (already paid) cheaper to insure (by about $15 a month!) and will be even more reliable (I'm building a brand new motor. Pistons, rods, cam, etc are all NEW)

I paid a couple utilities (gas half, electric half). 

So now I'm down to about $500. I've got an insurance check coming for who knows how much (paying for the use of my truck). 

I'll be assembling my truck over the next few days. 

Yes I DO want to work. Anyone who has read my other thread (with the yucca trees) knows I don't mess around. I handle my business. But right now, I'm going to refocus and handle the homestead for the next couple weeks. I've already applied at numerous places, even went to a guys house to talk to him about a job. He said in 3 weeks he can use me (tile work). 

So I have 3 weeks to reassemble my other truck. I will be driving all over CA, so I need this truck done (it has an overdrive transmission whereas the yellow truck has 3 speed)

I hope I'm making the right choice. Paid for food, utilities, and fixing my truck. Then I get to sell the one truck if I end up NOT getting this tile job or if it doesn't work out. 

Oh and I went to a computer shop to look at used laptops. $439 for a laptop!?!?!? I passed. Can not justify it at this point in time. I think I'll rummage through my box o parts and get my desktop going. Sheesh.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

James m said:


> ...Might we all spend our tax returns on guns we really don't need.


What is this "spend our tax returns" nonsense that you speak?


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Slippy said:


> What is this "spend our tax returns" nonsense that you speak?


http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Education-Credits

Last year i got $0.00 maybe this year it will offset loans and other such garbage.

On the subject of laptops, a brand new Asus is only $249.00 its a full size screen too. Down at the Walmart.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

What started out as a paint the master bath turned in to counter tops changing trim,Led lights ...... that 1000 is long gone. Waiting on new faucets to get here from town now.


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## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

half to food preps and half for silver bars


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