Budget, HUH Who needs one!

Gaetznes

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Donor 2012, 2020
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Well sadly most of us do. Just woundering what other people do in this matter. Or how do you justify spending the money you do. Plus does anyone else have ways to do it; with out it costing you any "NEW" money. Do you have a business model you apply to collecting? Are you just naturally a scrounger (in the postive sence of the word) or a entrepreneur?

I make it a policy to try and never to infuse "new"(from a paycheck) money into a hobby. Just another way to justify it to the wife and myself. It takes a little luck, time and patience.

Like most, I can only assume that we all have had collections prior to this one. In many cases, those hobbies and there items still have some monatary value. Case and Point, I have a G1 & CHUG Transformer collection. I've been selling a portion of it off for some time. It's allowed me to generate a working capital for my purchasing of arcades.

Secondly, when you do buy, buy in bulk. It has been my luck (In this hobby and pervious), that i've been able to get into now defunct Businesses and collectors homes. That were willing and able to sell prity much everything they have. Either to free up space or to generate some cash. Got to love horders that see the light of day. Plus gettin the items usally for a half decent price to.

The intial re-investment potentially can be high. But the benfits can be even greater. Trade is an example of this. Not everyone would be willing to trade a boat for an arcade. Or sell off their prized PCB. But i've leaned very quickly that this community really enjoys it's trade. It allows them to get another item of personal value with out them getting cash. As Cash usally leads to being spent doing something other then what you want.

I've found that if not direct hobby trading (Arcade part for Arcade part), atleast they are open to barter (Console Games for Arcade Games). Additionally, with buying in bulk. It gives you a chance to keep what you want and recoup your investment by Trading or Selling off the extras.

Not saying its the easiest way to do it. I currently have 3 machines that all need work. I'm probly going to have to drop anywhere from $1200-2000 to get them fully working and near minty. But hey, this hobby and these projects todate, almost owes me nothing. Plus were perserving these for our own enjoyment and that of the next generations.

So in the end my budget is only limited by what I can sell. Some may not like the idea. But I see it like this. There are stuff i've come accross, that if it weren't for the work i've done. Would have sat in some guys garage for decades to come, and not have been enjoyed by those that love it.

Does anyone else have this approch?
 
First off, I set up a separate free checking account at my bank for the sole purpose of arcade spending/selling, and tied it into my PayPal account.

I take more money out of the hobby to pay for personal stuff, than I put into the hobby. It helps that I can do monitor repairs, and that money I make pays for parts or whatever I need, although my recent short vacation was all paid for from my PayPal account.

Also, being "in the business", I often get free cabinets, games, whatever. I fix them up however and try to sell them, and use that money also.

My wife used to ask about where the money was coming from. When she found out I paid for her car repair from my arcade funds, and that I bring in more money than I send out, she stopped complaining...
 
While I haven't gone as far as Mod, I do keep the hobby money separate from household money. But if needed I don't feel any qualms about "loaning" hobby money back into the household funds.

ken
 
I keep all play funds sperate,if i want something new i have to figure out a way that doesnt touch our family funds,usually its selling a game.
 
Bah. Budgets are for people with a wife and kids. :D

Yep. As long as my bills are paid, the rest is fair game for my hobby. I sell games to regain space for new games. I try to get back what I have into the games, but selling quickly to free up space is way more important.

I don't quite understand the notion that hobbies should pay for themselves. I can't think of anything else that I would rather spend my money on. That is true for any of the hobbies that I have had over the years.
 
I don't quite understand the notion that hobbies should pay for themselves.

For me its been more of a leason taught to me as a Child. If I wanted to buy the next item. I had two options, one I had to work doing chores around the house. Or, I had to sell perviously purchased items. So atleast at the age of 6, I started having yard sales inorder to make the money to get the next Gi Joe, Star Trek or TMNT figure as an example. This habit continue into my teenage years. When I started collecting video games, I now sell video games at local flea markets and shows as a side business. Its also a pratice that i've applied to my Lego, Transformers and LP collections. Buy large collections, cherry pick what you want, sell the rest.

Another factor is this. Finding the larger collections etc is a hunt. I've always found it fun to do the hunting. Its easy to go on to ebay and buy. But it never gave me the emotional rush of the find. Plus, there is less of a conact between a buyer and seller on ebay. I've been able to make great friendships along the way. If I can break even or make money on the way its a bonus to the overal experince. Why spend it, if you don't have to.

For me right now, its my TF and LP collection that are allowing me to buy arcades.
 
Yep. As long as my bills are paid, the rest is fair game for my hobby. I sell games to regain space for new games. I try to get back what I have into the games, but selling quickly to free up space is way more important.

I don't quite understand the notion that hobbies should pay for themselves. I can't think of anything else that I would rather spend my money on. That is true for any of the hobbies that I have had over the years.

Sounds about like me, though I really couldn't spend all except rent on this hobby if I tried (at least currently).

Hats off to those whose arcade hobby can pay for itself, but I don't have enough time to fix up/resell games, enough inclination to sell, enough patience for the average buyer, and if I tried to limit myself like that I probably wouldn't have many games.
 
For me its been more of a leason taught to me as a Child. If I wanted to buy the next item. I had two options, one I had to work doing chores around the house. Or, I had to sell perviously purchased items. So atleast at the age of 6, I started having yard sales inorder to make the money to get the next Gi Joe, Star Trek or TMNT figure as an example. This habit continue into my teenage years. When I started collecting video games, I now sell video games at local flea markets and shows as a side business. Its also a pratice that i've applied to my Lego, Transformers and LP collections. Buy large collections, cherry pick what you want, sell the rest.

Another factor is this. Finding the larger collections etc is a hunt. I've always found it fun to do the hunting. Its easy to go on to ebay and buy. But it never gave me the emotional rush of the find. Plus, there is less of a conact between a buyer and seller on ebay. I've been able to make great friendships along the way. If I can break even or make money on the way its a bonus to the overal experince. Why spend it, if you don't have to.

For me right now, its my TF and LP collection that are allowing me to buy arcades.

I was probably taught something like that when I was young. Then I found out the real secret to life: He who dies with the most toys wins! :)

Seriously though, I usually just gave stuff away or maybe traded it when I was tired of it. I don't enjoy selling at all.
 
Sounds about like me, though I really couldn't spend all except rent on this hobby if I tried (at least currently).

Hats off to those whose arcade hobby can pay for itself, but I don't have enough time to fix up/resell games, enough inclination to sell, enough patience for the average buyer, and if I tried to limit myself like that I probably wouldn't have many games.

I wish I had that problem. I can easily spend everything I make. :(
 
I was probably taught something like that when I was young. Then I found out the real secret to life: He who dies with the most toys wins! :)

Seriously though, I usually just gave stuff away or maybe traded it when I was tired of it. I don't enjoy selling at all.

LOL, I guess I wont win. Cry..... ;) But on a serious note as well, I'd rather have my laid back life style. Then be one of those workaholics stressed out people with a bunch of dispossible income, but no time to enjoy the little things.

Its comical acutally. Work hard, Spend Lots, Enjoy Little, Die Young. Or; Work plenty, Spend adaquatly, enjoy life, live long. Life is to short not to live it.

Ever think about donating. I try to give as much as I can to SA (salvation army) or VV (Value Village). My only problem with SA, is they now charge people for the cloths vs giving it away to the homeless. A So-called not for profit organization. Where as VV gives the diabetic society money based on weight and category of the goods. As they are a for profit organization. VV, Honesty up from. Vs SA pocketing money and lying to the people that donate. Its another habit ive gotten into, since the wife and I moved in. I had/have to much nick nac's and cloths. Worst case put it on the curb.
 
I have a separate credit card that I use for purchasing items. I am a taekwondo instructor... and I teach numerous privates every week. This is usually paid in cash so I use this money yo pay off the credit card and also save up for games. As for my edot purchase....I sold my red dk and dedicated mortal kombat. Plus have saved numerous private lesson money to pay for the massive amount of money needed to restore this beast. Thank god I am almost done with the purchasing part...after the efot is done I will not have anything to sell...as the edot, tron and Atari star wars are staying in basement. I will need to save again for anything else I will want in the future...
 
I am in the smaller camp here of running a modest arcade, so earning power is the first priority over showroom-crisp restoration for me. (I am generally happy to get the games to like "90%" and have all lighting and mechanics working properly, and not being concerned if there is some wear on the CPOs or sideart, etc.) Our budget for buying more arcade hardware is any money we've made selling it (since every machine has a price tag on it and all are for sale, though we've overpriced Star Wars and TRON to the point where nobody should ever buy ours) and half of the money they earn. It makes accounting straightforward and also leaves us enough cash in the fund to maintain project tools and consumables.
 
I wish I had that problem. I can easily spend everything I make. :(

I'm sure I could as well, but I'm too busy working to make enough deals to do so. :p

As for ther work hard, be stressed, die young thing that is over-generalizing things quite a bit. My job is almost entirely stress free. It helps not having a wife nagging my ass for never being home though. Plus my job doesn't involve sitting behind a desk 18 hours a day culturing cancer and heart disease.

Admittedly I wish I had more time to dick around with my hobbies, but if I play things right I could just retire early and have all the time to enjoy this crap I want. :D
 
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It helps not having a wife nagging my ass for never being home though.

I get a kick out of that. The most Nagging I get is, Can you take the garbage out.

Dude some day you will find a partner that will complement you and you will be in nirvana. Plus you never know she might be an arcade junky.

In regards to make it work the way I do it, with the hobby paying for it self. There are draw backs. I've currently reached my balance and I have 2 Working Games Lined up. I have money, but thats just extra money in the living expenses, etc. Which I wont draw from. So its a waiting game, do I sell enought from my other collections to buy it. Or do I miss out on another chance to get a MB WB. This time complete and working.
 
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