How much do you spend?

[tkusina]

Just trying to justify my actions. @_@

Do you guys mostly trade or buy? Just curious to see what other usually spend in a year on this hobby?

My wife tends to get on me when she sees 9-10 boxes a week roll in from the mail from ebay purchases.

[udisi]

well that is a lot of boxes coming in a week. There have been times when I buy/sell/trade that much, but it really depends on how much stuff you have to have and how much you can and want to spend. I personally don't buy a whole lot anymore, unless I see something that's uber rare that I want. I probably trade more than anything these days, though, I've been know to sell things too on occasion.

[Cornelius]

I've been a stay-at-home dad for about a year. Not so coincidentally that's about how long I've been aggressively 'collecting'. For me that means both buying and selling. I immediately saw how quickly this could get out of control, so I started keeping a spreadsheet with some relevant info.

Since 02.13.07 I've spent $9,360.17 on gaming stuffs. Of course, I've sold $9,629.45. Those numbers do include shipping costs, etc. Everything but gas, really, which I consider a fair price for my sanity. Hmmm... let's see, with a couple more columns... fleeceBay/PayoutthewazooPal has taken $389.25. That's quite a bit lower than I'd have expected their take to be, but I sell a lot on Craigslist, so that has probably paid off for me.

[Vigilante]

I'd have to guestimate about $1,000 - 1,500 a year. Between my own purchases and the ones for the kids.

I wouldn't say that I collect for collections sake, I do play what I buy and then stash it away for 6 months, then play it again.

I very rarely trade, I only turn in the games I really don't like and know I will NEVER touch again.

I traded in Assasin's Creed and Magnetica at DPHQ today and got Zoo Keeper....

[98redM6]

If you have to post this thread to ask, then things might be out of control for you. What other people buy, sell, trade, spend is relevant to them only. Since your wife is on your case I'd talk to her about your hobby or things might get ugly. TRUST ME, I KNOW. I've recently put the wife through some headaches and heartache, due to finances and spending habits, something most of us don't want for our significant others. Just trying to give some advice.

[xfrumx]

My girlfriend and I both collect a ton, and live together(me moreso than her) I would hate to think about how much I spend...actually not really I could make it all back if I needed.

[RadiantSvgun]

Easily over $1000 last year.

[MrRoboto19XX]

Mine probably hovers around the $1K mark as well.

[cyberfluxor]

On average I'd say there's a spending of $20-100 a month on games for me. I generally stop by stores while driving between work, school, home, and family/friends houses. Considering I spent nearly $2000 on gas last year this hobby isn't too bad,.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[RadiantSvgun]

Thing is, I have a student job that nets between 375-650 a month. That all goes to games as I've got everything else paid for already. However, I'm at the point where the games and stuff I want costs over 100 a pop.

[Trebuken]

I spend a bunch but in Sept, Oct, Nov the amount triples because of all the new releases. I generally only buy new releases at the end of the year, and in bunches.

[Cornelius]

Thing is, I have a student job that nets between 375-650 a month. That all goes to games as I've got everything else paid for already. However, I'm at the point where the games and stuff I want costs over 100 a pop.
Does 'everything else' include an IRA? Compound interest is pretty freakin' amazing.

[DJ Daishi]

well according to ebay I've spent around $600 on games alone this past month

[RadiantSvgun]

Does 'everything else' include an IRA? Compound interest is pretty freakin' amazing.

Everything else includes:
Food
Gas
Rent
Bills
Insurance
Dates/social/ect...

Nope, no IRA.

[ssjlance]

Once I had 17 packages arrive in a week. I have to wonder what the mailman thought about that.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[NES_Rules]

I know I spend a ton more in the summer, I still do this the old fashioned way: garage sales and flea markets, which are only open half of the year. I guess I probably spend around $1,000 a month when the sales are good. During the winter, my buying is really limited to Goodwill so maybe $20 a month if I'm lucky.

[zektor]

I spend on the average around $120 per month. Some months more however, depending on the price of the game. Generally, I spend $60 every two weeks as I get paid bi-weekly, however this week I spent $100 for Guitar Hero III (PS3). So, not too much really.

[venturousviking]

Usually 1 game a week or some piece of retro gaming goodness a week.. Don't really keep track of the cost but I certainly don't strain myself financially...Although I easily could if the sickness got too bad....

[josekortez]

I don't really keep track because if I did, I would have to quit the hobby. But I haven't gotten behind on any of my bills yet, so it hasn't gotten to the point that I feel it is excessive enough for me to stop buying games.

I buy a lot of games, but none of them are $50 each anymore, which is how I can justify it to myself (the 360 HD-DVD drive I bought earlier this week, notwithstanding). If I find a bunch of the $16.96 games at Circuit City that go for, say, $30 everywhere else, then I am able to justify buying 3 or more at a time, only because I assume they probably won't be there for long once some soccer mom finds them in the clearance bin.

Still, to me, that's a better deal than buying Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Lost Odyssey on release day because I probably won't play either of them right away or spend more than a few hours when I finally do get around to them.

I waste a lot of money on doubles that I buy for trade that I keep reposting on this site to get rid of. I thought trading would be a good way to cut my spending, but it seems everybody only wants to trade for uber-rares or new releases I don't have yet.

For the first time in over a year, I finally went to Gamestop this week to trade in only because there was other stuff I wanted that had just come out that I didn't want to spend more money for. Believe it or not, I didn't do too badly with the "trade 2 360 games and get an extra $10" deal.

But I'm afraid of what will happen to my bank account once yard sale season starts up again.

[namzep]

I've spent around $2k or so over the last 12 months. Of course, that includes buying a PS3.

[tkusina]

If you have to post this thread to ask, then things might be out of control for you. What other people buy, sell, trade, spend is relevant to them only. Since your wife is on your case I'd talk to her about your hobby or things might get ugly. TRUST ME, I KNOW. I've recently put the wife through some headaches and heartache, due to finances and spending habits, something most of us don't want for our significant others. Just trying to give some advice.

Oh, i am fine. My post was somewhat tongue in cheek.

My wife gets on me because she can't understand how i can spend all this money on something that the majority just sits there collecting dust as she says.

I usually buy more through the winter because i dont get out as much as i do in the summer. i usually forget the hobby altogether from may through september.

Like the other poster said about keeping a spreadhseet my bank categorizes my expenditures and i looked at it earlier this week (which prompted me to post this) and i spent $6000 in december and january.

I just wanted to find out if any one else has the same addiction i do. my philosophy with this hobby is, if i cant afford to pay cash for it then i cant afford it.

[AZ Legend]

A $100 or so a month, but it depends on what i see, last month was around $300.

[josekortez]

My philosophy with this hobby is, if i cant afford to pay cash for it then i cant afford it.

That's a good policy. I only use cash or debit for games.

[RadiantSvgun]

That's a good policy. I only use cash or debit for games.

Ditto. I have no loans or debt. But I do get low on cash at the end of the month. :D
My job and scholarship pay once a month at the beginning.

[Steven]

Not much these days, since I'm pretty much done buying games, which is a damn nice feeling ;)

But I spent a shitload for Saturn and SNES.... hate to even guesstimate. Once had a bulk order for an insane $362 spread over a box full of games... IIRC.

[mb7241]

I spent about $7000 last year alone (that's total, but not including what I sold to make up for it) in video games. I bought a cart-only Stadium Events (US NES) last year, which made up for about 1/5 to 1/4 of that. However, I sold stuff at a record pace, selling $2200 the month of January (most of that before January 21), as well as about $3500 the month of August (including a $1400 sale before I went to work one morning...yeah, I had a swagger step all day that day). Overall, I broke about even.

[zemmix]

Pretty much 0. I bought a PS3 in december and I think that was the last game deal I've bought. I stopped actively collecting in 2003 or '04, I can't remember.

[RJ]

I still like to check out my local spots (bought a couple games last Thurs) but I wont/dont spend more than $20-25 at a time. I prefer to shop locally; I get maybe a game a month on eBay, if that.

I've taken to selling off stuff now too- games/etc. that I havent played & know I prob. WONT get to. I like to think that I'm breaking even. But despite getting rid of lots of my collection, I think it's on the rise again.

[ncman071]

i'm the same way. cash or debit only... i kind of learned the hard way. but collecting is kind of weird for me because some months i might spend 300 on games/consoles and sometimes i might go 3 or 4 months without even looking at any games. most of the time its because my wife and i are on a tight budget (i'm a 3rd year teacher and she's a nursing assistant) so money is kind of tight right now.

i try not to let my gaming spending habit get out of control. i know i've got to be able to pay my rent/utilities/student loans and maintain our vehicles. so i try to stay realistic. however, i know right after christmas i probably spent 650 and just went nutts buying a 20 in pc monitor, 3 or 4 games for the wii, 6 games for the 360, a 3DO console with a game, a sega cdx system with 2 games and a sega saturn console. but since early january i havent bought any game related items, although this morning i'm seriously thinking about going to the local flea market.

Anyway, i guess per year since 2000 i've spent on average around 1-1500 k on games and other gaming related stuff.

[Life of Brian]

Does spending a couple hundred making portables (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113368) count as a lot of money?

I think everyone's response to cost of collecting is, "But it's fun!" Which is true, so long as you can pay the bills to, y'know, live.

[smork]

I spend a few hundred a month easily, but I'm single and at a really good point in my career, so why not? If I had family or were younger i'd probably have different priorities.

As someone else said in the thread, what's relevant to someone else isn't relevant to you...

[tkusina]

I think everyone's response to cost of collecting is, "But it's fun!" Which is true, so long as you can pay the bills to, y'know, live.

Yeah, if you have no place to play and store your games it makes collecting difficult. :)

[Steve W]

As far as classic games go, I hardly pay anything. I don't buy or sell anything on eBay. Everything I buy comes the old fashioned way, thrift store shopping and flea markets. So I tend to pick stuff up way cheaper than if I ordered something off an auction site.

When it comes to more modern games, I am a seriously cheap guy. I hardly ever buy any Xbox 360 games, unless I can pick them up for under $20. In the past year or two I have been picking up original Xbox games like crazy, though. So many sales everywhere, I can't resist. I don't buy junk I'll never play (sports) and I don't go above $10-$15, and every store has been clearing out their old titles to make way for the next generation of console games. Last year I probably picked up over 150 games, nearly all around the $5 mark.

[mr.soul]

Well, so far this week I've spent $4.50:
Quake 2
Skiing
Laser Blast

It'll go up to around $20 if I happen to find a few NES/SNES/N64 games I've been looking for. I guess compared to most of you I don't spend a lot, haha.

[PapaStu]

Depends on the releases, depends on the month.

Back in 03-04 I dumped between $400 and $600 a month on games easy. Now I don't spend near that (time to save up for a house to store all the games), but there isn't a month where stuff isn't bought. I'd say 100-150 is a good estimate (that would be a Wii or 360 game and a few DS games, which sounds about right).

[NES_Rules]

I know I spend a ton more in the summer, I still do this the old fashioned way: garage sales and flea markets, which are only open half of the year. I guess I probably spend around $1,000 a month when the sales are good. During the winter, my buying is really limited to Goodwill so maybe $20 a month if I'm lucky.
I don't know why I thought I spend that much, but I went through the small scores thread at RFG where I chronicle at least 98% of my purchases, so it should be pretty accurate. I spent a little over $900 the entire year. What's really interesting is that if I graph the totals from each month, it makes a really nice bell curve, maxing out at July with almost $200.
This does make me want to keep more accurate records this year though. A new spreadsheet shall be made.

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

$800-$1000 a year, still a minor (15) so I can't hog up all the family money.
Want to spend about $6000 a year when I grow up.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

It's nowhere near what I spend on cocaine.

[jcalder8]

In the last 6 months or so I've spent probably 2000 but thats unusual and I'm trying to get it under control now.

[ApolloBoy]

Within these past weeks I've spent a little over $100, and usually I spend next to nothing on games, since I like to play what I've got (the fact that the thrifts have dried up around here contributes as well).

[fairyland]

Good question, but shouldn't people say what type of collector they are as well? Are you a cheap ass gamer, a hoarder, a casual game collector? I see people mention several thousand, but is that on Gold NES championship carts, buying every 50 cent sport game they can find at garage sales, or just getting their weekly new games? It all adds up differently, and honestly more interesting than hearing a dollar amount.

I am a cheap ass gamer, so I spend probably a thousand or so a year. 90% on used games, 10% on new games and that's usually only on a sale discount. I end up getting a lot of games for my buck. Yet, about half the time I buy games merely to flip because I find them under priced and it's a fairly quick buck by putting them on half.com. My personal collection is only few hundred games, but everyone I adore. I just cannot collect for the sake of collecting, but I do admire people who does this as I love looking at their warehouse-like collections, even the hoarders with 100+ copies of 2600 Pacman.

[smork]

Good question, but shouldn't people say what type of collector they are as well? Are you a cheap ass gamer, a hoarder, a casual game collector? I see people mention several thousand, but is that on Gold NES championship carts, buying every 50 cent sport game they can find at garage sales, or just getting their weekly new games? It all adds up differently, and honestly more interesting than hearing a dollar amount.

I am a cheap ass gamer, so I spend probably a thousand or so a year. 90% on used games, 10% on new games and that's usually only on a sale discount. I end up getting a lot of games for my buck. Yet, about half the time I buy games merely to flip because I find them under priced and it's a fairly quick buck by putting them on half.com. My personal collection is only few hundred games, but everyone I adore. I just cannot collect for the sake of collecting, but I do admire people who does this as I love looking at their warehouse-like collections, even the hoarders with 100+ copies of 2600 Pacman.


All right, I'm a bit of a hoarder but most of my money goes on rares and the complete collections I'm going for (working on NeoGeo Pocket, NGCD [almost there], Virtual Boy [almost there], and WonderSwan [eh, long way to go yet]). In the meantime I pick up great deals and a few super rares when I see them (picked up twin R9's recently, not so cheap), which easily puts me at a few hundred a month...

[Rogmeister]

I'm not spending that much money...I bought several cheap games in January (including a few GameCube games, one PS2 game and one DS game) and a few normal priced newer DS titles...and that's been it since then. I've not bought anything now in nearly 2 months and I don't plan to buy much in the way of games from now on.

[tkusina]

It's nowhere near what I spend on cocaine.

i just grind down all the ET cartridges i come across and snort those.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

i just grind down all the ET cartridges i come across and snort those.

I've heard Madden Genesis carts can get you pretty high too.