Age- 42
Occupation- Millwright/machinist/gunsmith
No kids
And no comment on the last question.
Ebay is your friend. I bet you have enough "stuff" laying around, in storage, or on shelves to buy your dream gun with optic. Especially if you have kids and a wife. Do a big cleanout and sell it all on Ebay.
I personally don't sell guns, ever. But I bet you have several that are there cause of sentimental reasons, or ones that you don't use much. Offer a gunsmith a trade for the work/labor. Buy one component at a time and put in in a rifle case. Once you acquire all the pieces, send it off to the gunsmith.
I bet you pay $1500.00 per year for cable with 100 channels of garbage programming, or hollywierd propaganda. Cancel it, and hand out books to the wife and kids, or play board games at family time. Hulu type internet video plugged into the TV when you want to have movie night.
Do you pay a gardener to mow your lawn, or housekeeper to clean your house?
Do you drop $7.00 per cup of coffee at a fancy place? Or do you make it at home and take it with you?
Clothes line rather than clothes dryer. Will drop your power bill a bunch.
I disconnected our propane tank, and sold it. Installed a wood stove, and turned off the breakers for the electric heat. We go into the mountains and cut our own wood. Get the wife and kids out there to help and have some good family time too. No "bought air" as far as heat.
If you live in suburbia start moving lawns and shoveling snow in the winter. Or build fence. All stuff the kids can help with.
Any shooting, EMS, or craftsman's skills you have could be taught to your friends or neighbors at a fee.
Another option, although not popular, that I have done myself, is to take the credit cards away from the wife. I recognized the hypocrisy of not being able to buy things I want, because I have bills from her buying things that she wants. I set up a joint account we both contribute to based on budget. We each have our own separate accounts. I don't spend her money, she doesn't spend my money, and all house bills are paid out of the joint account off a budget. It's amazing how much money I have for myself now that plan is in action. I still hear the dumb comments once in a while when I come home with a new toy, but I still have the new toy.