Thursday, June 27, 2024

Hobby Budget Part II: Spending Check In

 

I'm spent...WHA???!!!  
......
....

Whoa.

Fast Thousand


Back at the beginning of the year, I decided to keep track of my hobby expenses for this year.  You can see that Previous budget post HERE.  Go on and read it again.  It's short and well written, if I do say so myself.  

I won't pretend that anyone is gonna do that; so the main points were that I would set a budget of $1000 for the year, I would keep track diligently, and the budget would include anything that was bought for hobby reasons.  Not just miniatures.  Which is good because:


That's a lie of course.
I've bought lots, but other stuff as well.

I've kept track of expenses (rounded to the nearest dollar) in a sidebar on the blog which can be seen over there --> on the right if viewing the blog in web browser mode.

It now being the end of June and the year is half over, I thought it good time to look into it.  The expense list is reprinted below and slightly expanded:

-$20 bouncy balls
-$16 storage tubs
-$70 more paint pens
-$68 Quars (28mm miniatures)
-$360 Wooden Wars Miniature Flats
-$30 With Hot Lead and Cold Steal ACW rules
-$45 Bolt Action 2ed rules
-$30 Drop cloth
-$30 latex house paint
-$60 Quar tractors (2 light 28mm tanks)
-$95 plastic Quar (28mm miniatures)
-$50 Army painter darkdip
-$47 More Quar (28mm miniatures)
-$134 Proxxon hot wire cutter
-$17 paint brushes
-$17 balsa wood stripper
-$10 Balsa wood sheets
-$78 XPS foam
-$78 lumber

For a grand total of: $1,255
That was a fast thousand.  

Initially, I set the $1000 as kinda an arbitrary limit because you know, couldn't really be spending that much and it sounded good. I am surprised that I reached the total so quickly.  I don't really think of myself as spendthrift, but maybe I am.  Now that I've reached the budget limit, options of what to do:

1) Stop buying stuff.  Budget is depleted.
                --PFFFFT!  what do you take me for, a responsible grown up?  LAME.                
Though in truth I do have enough to keep me occupied and out of trouble.  Enough to keep me safe at home at night versus wandering the streets looking for excuses.  I predict that spending will slow down.

2) Add to the Budget.
                --I have been doing some extra work, so cash can be added to the budget in the traditional leaky bucket.  But figuring out the proportions of what should go in, and more adding and subtracting sounds like a lot of math and shifty accounting.  I'm not a huge fan of math.  We have calculators for a reason, because math is for machines.

3) Forget about the budget aspect.  We don't need no budgets! but keep tracking.
            --This is the one that I like, because it involves doing nothing different.  A comforting status quo.

I don't know if this is an atypical year for me with hobby spending; I've never tracked before. Can't know what you don't measure.  It feels atypical though; like when you notice a lump or mole on your skin that you swear wasn't there before....
Maybe this year I've started more big projects or new genres than usual.



DISCLAIMER:
I don't if $1255 in 6 months is a lot or a little.  Or even responsible.  I imagine that it'll all depend on one's own income.  I'm certainly not trying to come off as "look how much money I have to waste on miniatures tut tut tut."  That's how the Monopoly Man talks in my head.
To some it may be a lot, to some it may be a little.  I don't even know how it compares to myself, as I've never tracked before.  But every damn year that damn The Great Wargaming Survey asks how much was spent on hobby stuff and I never know.  This time, I'll know.
Besides, This blog is titled "A Terrible Loss of Lead and Wealth." 



Breakdowns and Wastages 


Of the grand total $1,225; 
$705 were spent directly on miniatures and wargaming rules.  Necessary purchases.  Those damn Wooden Wars and Quar miniatures are pricey.  More so the Wooden Wars. 
$137 were spent on painting supplies (brushes and paints).  Gotta paint the necessaries.
$413 were spent on stuff best described as 'hobby adjacent."  not necessary hobby supplies but stuff that goes along with it; storage, tools, etc..

Having the machines do the math for me (good job machine); 67% of the total has been spent on miniatures, rules, and paints.  Not sure what do to with that number, but it feels good having it.

POSITIVE VIBE:  The miniatures I've been purchasing this year are Quar and Wooden Wars.  
As I write this, ALL of the Wooden Wars miniatures are painted, and I've gotten through quite a lot of the Quar.  defying the tradition of getting a big haul of miniatures and letting them just sit for weeks, months, years, decades.  You know who you are.  I've done it too.
Because of this, I don't feel there has been any wasted money on miniatures. 

But there has been wastes:
1) $60 wasted on a drop cloth and latex paints to make this battlefield for the Wooden Wars

As seen here
and written about HERE


Which I do not like, isn't even all that pretty, does not work very well (too many folds), and probably will just get rid of do over.  Waste of money and time.


2) $30 wasted on the ACW rules 'With Hot Lead and Cold Steal."

The ACW is the best CW, that is true, and I'm the self-proclaimed expert on all ACW miniature wargaming.  I printed out a certificate that I made myself and everything, it's very official.  So I tend to collect ACW rules like a rich man collects ex-wives. 
It's not that the rules are bad.  I'll damn them with faint praise and state they were alright.  Some nice concepts in there that I liked, some stuff that was confusing even after a second read through, a little that was conflicting.  Don't like the basing scheme but can be adjusted without too much effort. 
Thing is... the rules didn't really grab me, so I'll never play it.  The book will sit on the shelf forever.  I can tell because after reading getting the book, and reading it twice, I haven't looked at it since.  

On the positive side: I supported ACW gaming by buying an ACW gaming product. I'm like a patron. 
A patron that pays an artist to create work but secretly thinks he could do better but never tries.



3) $27 wasted on some balsa wood sheets and a balsa wood stripper.

I have big terrain project in mind and I'm gonna need a lot (and I mean a LOT) of wooden planks.  I thought balsa wood would be good for the material and the stripper was supposed to make it easy to cut the wood sheets into half inch strips.  But the stripper kinda sucks, doesn't work very well.  I also don't think balsa wood is the right material anymore.  
I might find a use of the wood eventually, but until that time it's just gonna sit around as miscellaneous terrain supplies and be in the way.  The stripper I already tossed.  

The wastage totals $117, which doesn't seem all that high.  
Until you do the math (nice job again machine) and find that's 9% of the total spend, and then all of a sudden it feels high.  If someone told me that they're gonna take 9% of my paycheck I'd do a spit take with my coffee.  Aren't those called taxes?
If someone told me that I was getting a 9% raise, I'd thank them kindly.

Some people might argue that ANY amount of money is wasted when spent on toy soldiers.
But we don't like those people.  None of them are reading this blog anyway (barely anyone does).
I might argue that they're wasting money on stupid things too; like retirement investments or a college fund for their children.


End of the Filler Post


But I like the occasional filler post.  Maybe you did too.  
Thanks for Reading.
Double Thanks for writing a comment.
Till Next Time

36 comments:

  1. A filler post for emptying the wallet. Interesting juxtaposition. As for tracking your spending for the Survey, recall that last year's question changed to a spend "More/Less/About the same" as last year format. How will you answer this year?

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    1. Dammit! The survey gets me again! Now I’ll have to do this for 2 years.

      Thanks Jonathan. 😀

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  2. I guess at some point we all have to take a responsible look at what we spend on models, but we could probably do similar with all aspects of our life (pretty sure any government would get funny if we told them their tax amount was too large for what they actually put back ! LOL). as for the Balsa wood, I'm sure you'll find a use for it, so wont be a total waste, you probably want coffee stirrers for what you are making.

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    1. Thanks Dave. But stop reading my mind like that, I find it uncomfortable. lol
      Yes, probably coffee stir sticks. 😀

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  3. That all looks very disciplined to me Stew, and the odd misfire in terms of rules or hobby equipment is to be expected. The two things that are limiting me going forward will be storage space and the time to complete existing projects.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence. Looking back now, the waste tends to come when trying something new, which just goes to show trying new things is fraught with peril.
      I have plenty of space but I hear you on time to do anything. 😀

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  4. Vote 3. The rest are just depressing....
    Are those wasted expenses? Or can they be repurposed? Or (like the rules) be sold or swapped? Or come in useful for something else (balsa wood)?
    Or is that too grown-up? ☺
    Neil

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    1. Thanks Neil. Maybe not a complete waste. Like a dragon, everything will just go into the treasure horde. but I consider stuff that just sits around endlessly to be wasting. 😀

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  5. Never had the nerve or diligence to track costs. Interesting to see. Good thing you aren't tracking the cost of attending conventions or things could add up even faster!

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    1. Thanks Ed. But I will add con expenses as its hobby spending. But so far I’ve only gone to a local con which didn’t cost anything. If I attend an out of town convention then the hotel cost shall be counted. 😀

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  6. Interesting and fun post as always Stew!
    I would not look at bad purchases as wastage but as a cost of moving forward in the right direction 😁 You have eliminated a few bad ideas with scientific experiments.
    Shame about the rules though. It is always disappointing when the rules don't match your expectations.
    Going forward just keep tracking. Your budget of $1,000 was just a guess. Once you have a full year's expense you can better set next years budget.

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    1. Thanks Ben. I’m not too worried about the rules, it was kinda bought more bc I like reading ACW rules. It might see the table eventually.
      I’ll keep tracking just bc I’ve come this far. 😀

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  7. oh, I have the same problem with unsuccessful purchases, although I often buy impulsively - these are successful purchases, nice models, but the pile of unpainted models is growing...

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    1. Thanks Michal. I guess a better term than waste for our unpainted figures is Potential. But could be a long time before that potential is realized. 😀

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  8. Only a little overrun of the budget, and some could be argued as being research and development rather than wargaming ;-)

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    1. Thanks Peter. Well it was supposed to be 1000 for the entire year… so at this pace I’m on track to double my initial estimate. 😀

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  9. A good and entertaining read as always Stew! I've been keeping a track of my spend this year and frankly it's a lot higher than I thought it would be and we're only half way through it. Those small purchases here and there soon add up as I've found out! Mind you, I reckon I spend more on my garden each year than my games, but don't bat an eyelid at these nor keep a track of spend. It will be enlightening to see what my year end spend is...

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    1. Thanks Steve. I’d be interested to hear your total just for a point of comparison. Though you make a good point; there are many other expenses that dwarf the hobby spending. 😀

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    2. A quick rough and ready total comes to £250 so far, which is what I estimated as my yearly spend for the WSS survey, and I'm still only half way through the year. A new games mat accounts for about a quarter of that, which for me is quite a large individual purchase. Maybe I just make lots of small purchases so it doesn't seem like I'm spending much on my hobby!

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    3. Yeah. I see from my list it’s also the killer combo of small / modest purchases but sprinkled throughout are some big ones. At least I’m not the only one that reached the yearly budget in 6 months. 😀

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  10. An interesting post in your usual pithy style Stew - if you want to feel bad about your spending, it equates to about $2500 in NZ money, LOL! I was going to say, it's a decent amount in my book, but then realized my big splurge in Feb this year (after quite a long period of not a lot of spending) was around $NZ700, and I have spent another $300 or more since then on the AWI stuff, so I guess I am at about half of what you have spent, and that's purely figures, I have probably spent another $100 on paints, glues (bloody plastic figures!) and basing tufts etc - those things aren't cheap, either....
    But it's a great hobby that fills my time "productively", and if I didn't have it, I would probably just sit on my arse watching crap on Netflix or YouTube - and I know plenty people who would spend that amount per month of booze! At the end of the day, if you can put a roof over your head, feed your family, pay for power and to run vehicles etc - and have surplus to spend on a hobby - then it is just the right amount!

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    1. lol thanks Kieth. I don’t actually feel bad about spending the cash, I just think it’s kinda interesting to track it for the first time ever. Of course my family is not suffering in anyway bc of hobby expenses. It’s my other expenses of high priced escorts and quality pharmaceuticals that really cuts into the family budget. 😀
      I should order game stuff from NZ. I’d kill it on the exchange rate. Though the shipping…

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  11. And like a mirror your blog post makes me look at my own spending...best to sweep that under the rug, the last month has been rough. But like G.I. Joe said, knowing is half the battle, and you know, and rounding up 50% is 100%, so you could say that you're winning with the knowledge you have. So maintain that status quo, you make the rest of us look bad if you don't.

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    1. Thanks SD. All the best philosophers say that knowledge is power. All the best philosophers also say that power corrupts. I forget where I was going with this. lol. 😀
      I wouldn’t want to make anyone look bad. But why was last month rough? Purchase something from GW? lol.

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    2. Ah cause X-Wing and Armada got cancelled, so instead of slowly filling in the last parts of the collection, I had to do it all at once.

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  12. I have never kept track of my hobby expenses and never will. It’s a road that only leads to grief and bad things. Especially if the wife finds the records……..

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    1. lol Mike. I’ve never keep track before either and it’s more from curiosity than anything else.
      But I’m lucky that my wife never reads this blog. 😀

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  13. Interesting post. I don’t track (I suspect I don’t want to know the answer) but I know it is much less than a hobby like golf or a motorcycle. Dollar per hour I think the hobby is tremendous value. Is money wasted occasionally? Of course. Those unpainted minis in that box in the cupboard remind you every time you see them as do the eyes of your starving family around the empty dining table, but who isn’t guilty of the odd poor purchase in any walk of life? Isn’t that what Bring & Buy sales at conventions are for? $1,000 a year, is less than $20 a week. People spend more on coffee. It’s a small price for happiness…..

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    1. Thanks TP. There are way more expensive hobbies for sure and your correct about the dollar per hour of enjoyment. I’ve never really participated in a bring and buy as a seller.
      I’m not too concerned really about the wastage. I just found it interesting. 😀

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  14. Interesting post Stew. I must admit I gave up tracking actual cost some time ago. I actually added up what I spent in one year and after recovering from the shock I thought of how much others spend clothes, grooming (consider that many women will easily spend $150-250 or more at the hair salon) , tech, playing golf, at cafés and at the pub, (note how I carefully omitted my own vices of travel, wine and dining out) and figured that my hobby amount is dwarfed in comparison. By the way I would definitely remove the 'hobby adjacent' items from the list as most can be repositioned in some way to the house maintenance budget...even the lumber can be burned for fuel in the ice age strikes California.

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    1. Thanks Mark. I agree that the money spent on gaming stuff is likely dwarfed by other stuff, though I'm not tracking those either so who can tell? 😁
      And i really only have this ONE hobby after all, so so it's not like I'm also purchasing other expensive items like remote controlled airplanes or such.
      Ice age? It's heat wave here in Ca. If anything I'll need the number to build some sort of shade structure. 😁

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  15. I think you spend about as much as I do on my hobbies (I tend to spend less in a given month on wargaming specifically but you know how fast I paint). I don't think $1200 is anything to worry about, assuming you're paying your mortgage and bills on time, of course! I always think that paint, brushes, glue, and other random hobby needs always eat up more of my fun budget than anything else but then again, its usually the hardest to plan for. I never know when I'm going to need a particular paint or two or three!

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    1. thanks Jeff. Nice to know that my spending matches someone. And it does tend to be the small purchases that add up suddenly. I imagine the large busts you're doing these days cost a bit. 😁

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  16. Wow, just think of the 40k army you could have built for that... it might even have 20 miniatures! ;)

    Are you doing trenches for the Quar with the proxxon and the wood strips?

    And that 3d printer idea might have to come back around... Shapeways is headed to bankruptcy [forum link]. Even your profligate Trek spending could not keep them afloat!

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    1. Thanks David. Let's not get ridiculous. I'm sure $1200 would get you at least 20 GW miniatures and a special character. Not a good one though. 😜

      Yes trenches. You are a mind reader and saw the future. And he future is now as next post is UP with trench progress.

      I've learned that all the quar STLs on tribe will eventually be sold as prints so I'm not needing to take the plunge... yet. 😁

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    2. If only I could use my mind reading powers for good (like lotto numbers).

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