CURT Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 How do those of you on a fixed budget and who live in places where there are no great outcrops afford the spectacular pieces in your collections? I've got some showt stuff, but most of it came from being in the right place at the right time. Please let me know if there's a trick I'm missing. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 How do those of you on a fixed budget and who live in places where there are no great outcrops afford the spectacular pieces in your collections? I've got some showt stuff, but most of it came from being in the right place at the right time. Please let me know if there's a trick I'm missing. Thanks. found all of my pieces.....our family vacations are fossil hunting trips. Not too many trips, but they are fun, intense expeditions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I collect one day per weekend and have to drive long miles most days. When I bought my big diesel F250 9 years ago diesel was compartively cheap. Now I'm in a bit of a crisis. Cost of fuel plus family overhead I didn't have before plus expensive personal health issues (bad joints) have me in a squeeze. Basically I've started taking one of 3 local San Antonio collectors with me each outing, splitting fuel costs, and alternating vehicles to fairly distribute wear and tear. On solo trips I may start to stay 2 days to get my money's worth going forward and just crash in the back seat of my truck. Also, I've limited my solo driving radius compared to years past and have begun searching more thoroughly for closer locales. I've started selling a few surplus fossils along the way as well, so far not using eBay (I hate fees) but I may soon go that route as well. I simply don't "need" hundreds of the same thing, although it is more fun to find a species already in your collection than nothing at all, especially if you haven't found that critter in a while. Best use of surplus specimens may be to help defray collecting costs. Depending on the outcome of this presidential election, I may have to limit my driving even more. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Dan, I also have an F-250, 1999, 7.3 liter diesel. (and yes, I bought it when the price of diesel was always less than regular gasoline) To save on fuel costs, I also have a 2003 Suzuki Burgman 650cc scooter. It gets 50+ mpg hauling me and my wife. It has large under-seat storage and a GIVI Trunk on back for more storage. So I use it now to scout out sites and do smaller collecting trips. It can easily hold 50 lbs of rock in the two storage compartments. And for those of you who say they wouldn't be caught dead on a scooter, take a look at the category called maxi-scooters. My Burgman can go 115 mph, and easily cruises at 65-70 mph. So to all of you, try getting a scooter or motorcycle and save on that gas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 splitting expenses is definitely a great way to cut costs. I try to go for both days on weekends or not go at all to save the expenses accociated with driving to the same location twice. When i have to stay overnight, i try to camp rather than stay at a motel ( whenever weather permits). To save time I bought a Quechua pop up tent - pops up in 2 seconds ( way too oftern i didnt feel like camping because of having to set up the tent and ended up spending money). If i stay at a motel it's usually a motel 6 - probabaly the cheapest motel chain, but it's decent. to stay there costs about $50 on a weekend day, and even less on a week day. They charge per number of people in the room..additional person is like $3 more. But they dont check how many people actually stay - they take your word for it. I dont think there is really a trick in saving a lot, just common sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Mike What if my collecting buddies snore? Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Keep the best, sell the rest. Currently, I spend around $50 a day on gas (driving a Toyota, getting 18-20mpg pulling my boat), I've spent over 10k so far this year on collecting expenses. I look at it all as an investment, if you put your time and money in you'll find stuff. www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I've managed to get some nice specimens by trading bulk quantities of my surplus material. Some dealers won't trade, but some may consider a trade/cash deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 MikeWhat if my collecting buddies snore? Then you snore back at them! let them get the taste of their own medicine. Another thing you can do while they snore is steal their fossils. They probably wouldn't notice. Scientists say that the snoring phase of the sleep decreases the "fossil-awareness" factor. I am actually the one who snores like a horse. well, if you and I ever go collecting together I'll make sure I'll get you a pair of ear plugs. That's actually what some of my girlfriends had to use. It's a nicer (for me) way to deal with the problem. I sure wouldn't want you to smack me with a 16 pounder while I am snoring... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharktoothguy11222 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 If you check out some of my previous posts, I have a beautiful shark tooth collection I am only 15, but my parents do a lot of overseas business, so I go along with them sometimes. I've been to Florida, Morocco, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Canada, The U.S.(duh), Poland, Russia, Croatia, and a bunch of other places. The only place I have yet to go to are Sharktooth Hill in California, and the infamous Lee Creek mine(ONLY THREE MORE YEARS ) I find some of my teeth, but most I buy online from Steve's fossil shark teeth, Buriedtreasurefossils.com, and lowcountry geologic. And, I have recently discovered recently how good eBay is for frinding GREAT deals and bargain, why just the other day I saw an nice angustidens from Bone Valley go for $3.01. I can't go collecting every weekend like some of the other people here, but I go a few times a year, mostly in the summer. Again, I am on a fixed budget, and, living in New York, there are basically no fossils here(that I know of, or where I live). So, the internet is my best friend. Tha tighin fodham, fodham, fodham! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Hey Mike I think I heard you snoring out in the House Range when we hooked up with Brock for trilobites. Man, you were really sucking in the walls of your tent! Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 i seem to remeber a not so quite slumber!! hey Dan, did i ever show you the fossils i grabbed while he was snoring? i told him that they got lost in the mail... (just kidding Mike) Brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFossilHunter Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Hey Mike I think I heard you snoring out in the House Range when we hooked up with Brock for trilobites. Man, you were really sucking in the walls of your tent! i seem to remeber a not so quite slumber!! hey Dan, did i ever show you the fossils i grabbed while he was snoring? i told him that they got lost in the mail... (just kidding Mike) Brock Dan, I didn't know you actually heard me snore..I thought you just heard stories..surely, anyone who hears it will never forget it. Now I know why you are reluctant to come collect in NY..texas is a safe distance from me) And Brock, yes I always suspected that, glad you came through with the confession...now if we ever meet and collect together, I will have to snore twice as loud just to punish you! (I'll hide the fossils under my pillow this time of course)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Hey Curt. Im like alot of the guys here, lots of driving to different places to find fossils. For lots of us, the hunt is where its at! But also, while trying to find that one specimen that is a real showpiece, we spend lots of money on gas and also lots of time. You certainly dont get rich doing this, but nobody is trying to get rich, just out for the hunt and the adventure. Like Dan, I used to do Ebay, but quit doing that several years ago because of all the fee's!!! Lots of us fossil hunters have lots of 'extras', and ive already gotten in touch with the gem and mineral show here to do a show next year just to get rid of all those 'extras'. And it doesnt really seem right to make a sales pitch here, but if anyone would like to purchase a fossil from me, just emial me. Im not much of a salesman, but I do have craploads of extra fossils!!! I just want the super A-Grade specimens for my own collection. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonemanX3 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I NEVER buy fossils. Because I work with them so much it's much funner when it's one you actually got yourself. And since I display most of my nice fossil finds out on glass shelves I want to be able to tell them that I found them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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