How do you afford it?

[Michael Kras]

My main source of income is my marketed effect. It gives me plenty of magic money.

 

[Donald C.]

I pay for my own magic, my parents never paid for my magic.

 

[RDChopper]

I pay for my own magic, my parents never paid for my magic.

wouuw dude, hold your horses there, nobody said or accused you that your parents buy you stuff....

 

[chrystal baller]

I am sixteen and I have a job at a restaurant. Strangely though...I have less money now than when I was your age.........hmmm..........I have something to think about.

I just bought Close Up the Book by David Stone for 20 bucks on ebay and after reading some of it, I can see that it was not a good purchase...It was a FANTASTIC investment. This book tells you the dos and don'ts of professional magic. you should shop on ebay alot. very cheap.

 

[visualartist]

How old do you have to be in the U.S. to get a job?

anyway I pay for my own magic with any spare money I have left over from my full-time job...

15.
Well at least in Texas.
Well I dont buy magic all the time.I work on the same couple of tricks for a long time before of buying new material.Like D+M's material which is always packed with stuff,it lasts a good while.
But when i do I use my own money that I earn from my job.

 

[toyrobot]

As has been said, look for some books with a lot of essentials and numerous tricks. Bobo's Modern Coin Magic, Anneman's Practical Mental Magic, Card College by Giobbi, Paul Harris' Art of Astonishment... you get the picture. All of these have plenty of material to keep you satisfied for months.

The even cheaper alternative? Invent your own stuff. It's a great exercise in imagination and creativity, and won't cost you too much. It helps you with your sleights and moves, letting you see how they work for you and different applications you may not have thought of before.

and dont use gimmicks, use sleight of hand. you can never lose sleight of hand (unless you lost your hand) but you can lose a fake doller.

You can also just be responsible with your belongings and put things up, and you won't lose them. Also, by barring gimmicks, you're barring a lot of really strong material out there. A coin bender, or an impression device, or a coin shell, these can all help with many routines and give you something to practice and perfect the same way sleights could.