I really don't know how people can afford all these kits, I haven't upgraded my kit at all since I got it, except from some new pedals I got for my birthday, I just can't afford it, I'm 15 and really want to upgrade my kit with mainly new cymbals, buy they're so expensive. I can't get the money together and I don't know any ways to get cymbals and stands any cheaper, if anyone knows of a way to get cymbals cheaper or something I could do at age 15, excluding a job, I live too far away from anywhere I can go, all the pubs near me only take 16+
finding a job when you're underage can be hard, but start now and keep at it. hell, just start mowing lawns, pulling weeds, trimming hedges and trees, clearing trash/debris/junk from plots of property (when requested-lol), gather aluminum cans and scrap and taking it to the scrapyard, copper scrap pays too. i did a lot of stuff like that from 13-16. i set a goal to get a new snare and some cymbals (start off by assessing how much you need to make for what you want to buy). so i did some odd jobs and worked my ass off. i got close to my objective, then sold off the gear i was going to replace/sell: my paiste 802 hats, crash and ride, some old camber cymbals that were about to be thrown into the garbage by this guy down the street, a music stand, and my old particle board cheapie snare. then used that money to get a used tama 12x3 piccolo snare, a new gretsch full range 14x5 maple snare, a 16'' A custom fast crash, 20'' K ride, a set of hats (K top/A mastersound bottom), and a 10'' A splash. my mom was incredibly overprotective (and wealthy, not boasting, just painting the picture), so i had to SNEAK out to do those jobs, she always said she wanted a boy with work ethic, but she never meant it, at least when it came to doing man's work. she always wanted to buy everything for me, but it was always conditional, buying my love, using money to influence me, to keep me dependent on her so she wouldn't "lose" me. working for my own money was my way of rebelling, and when she told me i was doing the work of "poor white trash and illegal riffraff" i said, "if hard work and honest pay are trashy, then i never want to be sophisticated..." lol. bottom line, if you want it, you'll get it, and it's the most rewarding when you attain it yourself. when snobby rich kids say, "my mom/dad bought me a new *whatever*" you can say, "yeah it must be hard work having everything handed to you" lol