Income tax refund burns hole in pocket.......

[MillCreek]

So I received a bigger income tax refund than I thought.  Since I already have no debt other than the mortgage, have lots of money in the savings account, two motorcycles and a full gun safe, what to do with it?

So I spent about half of it to buy a titanium hardtail mountain bike: the Bikes Direct Fantom Pro Ti.  I love my FS MTB, but it is a bit of a pig when it comes to climbing the trails around here.  And a titanium MTB would complement the IF titanium Crown Jewel road bike.  So a little bit of pointing and clicking later, it should be here by next Friday. 

[Silver Bullet]

I was going to suggest a SP101.   

[mtnbkr]

IF titanium Crown Jewel road bike

I hate you.

A guy I ride with has one.  Along with 2-3 IF mtn bikes (in addition to the two he's busted).  I hate him too.  Though, he does ride and race the crap out of his.

Chris

[MillCreek]

^^^^ Chris, you will hate me more when you learn that I got the IF from eBay.  As it turns out, the person for whom it was custom made was very close to my measurements.  So with the custom paint job, wheels and some other options, I got a $ 7000 bike at retail for $ 2500.  I like to carry my titanium Taurus 651 on it for the sheet titaniumness.  Or would that be titaniumosity?

[mtnbkr]

nice.  Can't beat that. 

Chris

[Jamisjockey]

Bastard!

You could always buy me a new X bike with the other half of that refund....

[mgdavis]

I would have gone for another gun safe to start filling up, but bicycles aren't really my thing... A used dual sport to thrash around though, that might have done it, too...

[S. Williamson]

^^^^ Chris, you will hate me more when you learn that I got the IF from eBay.  As it turns out, the person for whom it was custom made was very close to my measurements.  So with the custom paint job, wheels and some other options, I got a $ 7000 bike at retail for $ 2500.  I like to carry my titanium Taurus 651 on it for the sheet titaniumness.  Or would that be titaniumosity?

[img=http://www.amazon.com/Light-My-Fire-Titanium-Spork/dp/B001E7S5BO]http://Eat lunch with this, then get back to us on your titaniuminanity.[/img] 

[MillCreek]

I actually have a titanium spork that I got a couple of years ago at REI.  What I really need is a pair of titanium chopsticks by Alan Folts.  I wish he would make some more.

[Perd Hapley]

Ya know, you break enough bones, and they'll fill you chock full of titanium.   

[P5 Guy]

I hate big income tax returns
That means I gave our greedy Uncle Sam too much of my hard earned fruit to rot in his warehouse. I'd much rather wait it out 'til April 15th and send him a check. But thats just me, I'd rather not send them anything, they are just going to find new and creative ways to waste it anyway.

[wmenorr67]

Spnet normal refund paying for new house expenses.  Now I am waiting for the amended return to be processed so I can spend the $8000 credit for buying said new house.  Need a vehicle first and then replace the smoker someone stole at the old place and other goodies.

[sumpnz]

I have no idea how I managed to get such a big tax refund this year.  But, given how horrible 2009 was to our finances, most of that is going straight into the emergency fund.  But, since there's more than enough to get that fund to where we're somewhat comfortable again, a bit is going to be held back from that to buy a CZ 452 Varmint, plus optics and a couple other goodies will be joining the stable. 

[HankB]

I got a $ 7000 bike at retail for $ 2500.

My first car - purchased new - cost less than $7k.

And there are people (other than Lance Armstrong) who are willing to pay that kind of money for . . . a bicycle? 

I think maybe I'll start assembling $2000 skateboards in my garage . . . hang the "Extreme Tactical" logo on them, and advertise on Ebay . . .

[Balog]

1. No new cars that I am aware of sell for $7k, let alone less. Inflation man.

2. While I would not personally pay that much, these fancy-dan TI bikes are in fact costly to produce. It's not a Schwinn with a fancy paint job.

[AZRedhawk44]

My tax return is paying off all my plastic...

... and getting me an 1100 pound Fort Knox gun safe.  Just the DOOR is 300+ pounds.

I do have a strong urge to spend the last little bit on either a CZ-75 PCR or a White Oak upper for my AR.  We'll see.

[HankB]

I hate big income tax returns >
That means I gave our greedy Uncle Sam too much of my hard earned fruit to rot in his warehouse.

At 0% interest . . . your Uncle thanks everyone thoughtful enough to do so.

My own refund is around $300 . . . means I planned fairly well, as I try to end up about "even" at the end of the year.

[MillCreek]

My first car - purchased new - cost less than $7k.

And there are people (other than Lance Armstrong) who are willing to pay that kind of money for . . . a bicycle? 

I think maybe I'll start assembling $2000 skateboards in my garage . . . hang the "Extreme Tactical" logo on them, and advertise on Ebay . . .

Much like any hobby, it is astonishing what some people choose to buy in support of it.  Kind of like the people who buy Canon white lenses to take vacation snapshots or pictures of the dog, or a fully customized 1911 to plink at tin cans.  My neighbor has this gorgeous 26" sailboat at a local marina, and he says he has been out on it twice in the last year for a total of about five hours.  I know that the moorage alone is about $ 215/month. 

[41magsnub]

At 0% interest . . . your Uncle thanks everyone thoughtful enough to do so.

My own refund is around $300 . . . means I planned fairly well, as I try to end up about "even" at the end of the year.

Mine was about $1800 this year due to some changing circumstances I did not account for early enough, I have since adjusted my withholding so that it will come out closer to even next year.

[mtnbkr]

And there are people (other than Lance Armstrong) who are willing to pay that kind of money for . . . a bicycle?  

Like Balog said, these aren't the Schwinns you grew up with.  They're as much related to a regular bike as Bogie's railgun is to bubba's thutty-thutty.  My friend's Ti IF race bike weighs a bit more than half what my steel touring bike weighs (not counting fenders, saddlebags, etc).  It also handles like it's on rails and responds to rider input like it was grafted to his body.

http://www.ifbikes.com/OurBikes/Road/Ti_Crown_Jewel/

Would I ever spend that much on a bike?  Probably not.  The type of riding I do doesn't demand it, nor would it even benefit from such a rig.

Much like any hobby, it is astonishing what some people choose to buy in support of it.  Kind of like the people who buy Canon white lenses to take vacation snapshots or pictures of the dog, or a fully customized 1911 to plink at tin cans.  My neighbor has this gorgeous 26" sailboat at a local marina, and he says he has been out on it twice in the last year for a total of about five hours.  I know that the moorage alone is about $ 215/month. 

This too.

I'll also point out Millcreek's price is theft.  There are many "made in Tawain or China" production bikes that cost nearly that much.  I have about 2k in my touring rig and I assembled it myself.

Chris

[MillCreek]

My first car - purchased new - cost less than $7k.

Wow, so did mine. A 1986 Mazda pickup that I bought new off the lot in September 1985.  I am still driving it today.  I was recently purging some old paperwork and found the receipt for the truck: $ 6588 to include purchase, tax and license. 

[S. Williamson]

Much like any hobby, it is astonishing what some people choose to buy in support of it.  Kind of like the people who buy Canon white lenses to take vacation snapshots or pictures of the dog, or a fully customized 1911 to plink at tin cans.  My neighbor has this gorgeous 26" sailboat at a local marina, and he says he has been out on it twice in the last year for a total of about five hours.  I know that the moorage alone is about $ 215/month. 

    

[MillCreek]

^^^^ Now that would be another great hobby: wooden models of ships and boats!

[MillCreek]

My Fantom Pro Ti arrived today.  This frame is a thing of beauty, with the welds and the brushed titanium frame.  I cannot believe how it weighs as light as a feather, compared to my full suspension MTB.  I am going to become a hill-climbing demon. 

[Harold Tuttle]

I have that exact sailboat,

I bought it at the Natty Geo company store sale for 10 bucks