The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:23 pm

Here's where I'm coming from...

I'm having a bit of heated discussion with my better half, over money and more importantly money for 'frivolous impulse purchases'.

I recently spent around £220 ($350 US) for a MIB G1 Reflector, which I thought was a reasonable amount of money to spend, especially when considering the prices they can go for on eBay. However when my wife came home and saw the credit card statement, she wasn't very happy to say the least.

Now I would like to stress that expensive purchases of this nature are very very rare for me, I usually wouldn't spend more than say £50 on a re-issue or maybe parts for my latest restoration project, and those are few and far between also. When I then mentioned her various spending habits and some of the money she's 'wasted' over the years it went down like a lead balloon.

So now that I've established my problem, I just wanted to know what's the most anyone has spent on a single TF purchase? do you have some spending criteria and whether anyone else has had the same type of issues with their respective partner in the past?

I'm not trying to be nosey or snobbish in any way, far from it in fact. I do appreciate that for some people talking about finance can be sensitive and I respect that. I just want to know whether people think I'm being a little unreasonable or not, and more importantly, give me any suggestions on how best to resolve this little problem of mine as tactfully as possible.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

News Credits: 3 · Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:43 pm

So far, I have gotten lucky. I have found toys worth $250, for a lot less. However, with G1 toys, you will spend a lot on certain toys if they are MIB or not. I want an Overlord for the heck of it, as well as Grand Maximus. Even though my wife won't call me out on it, I prefer not to until I either make more money, or just make more money.

I have a situation where I have to take in the bills a bit, and cut back on TF's. Sometimes it's good because I have more money to spend, and even with all the stuff coming out, I will cut back.

If you and the misses have a budget or some kind of agreement, you may want to stick to it.

My wife has begun to appreciate when I find a bargain on a more expensive item because she's learning that these plastic toys do have some value.

You may want to show her how much you saved on that Reflector and then she might see you had to step on it.

News Credits: 1235 · Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:24 pm

I spent more than I can admit on Fortress Maximus. I had the money at the time so I went for it. There are lots more I would spend money on if I had it... Overlord, Liokaiser, Raiden, Road Caesar, Big Powered box set, Deszaras, Victory Leo (which I stil need for my Star Saber). Out of those I will probably only achieve Victory Leo since he would be the cheapest and easiest to obtain unless I happen to win the lottery, then it's on.

News Credits: 3 · Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:33 pm

The most I've spent is $195 USD on Trypticon from a local seller.

However, that was from my money, not money we use jointly(for bills, food, etc.) or the credit card(which we use for emergencies such as food or gas when we're out of other money). We each get separate individual "allowances" each month specifically to avoid these sorts of arguments(and avoid talking about how much unless it's volunteered by the purchasing party).

Wed Oct 27, 2010 9:39 pm

MightyMagnus78
Okay...
If the money you spend will have an averse effect on your living, i.e. If if there's now not enough money to get the weekly groceries, or there's now not enough to pay the phone bill, electricity or the credit card bill isn't getting any smaller, then yes, frankly, your wife has every reason to be upset.

However...if this is your hard earned money, and spending it is within your budget, and is not having any other ripple effect for living necessities, then that is a different matter. In that case, I think the best thing is to just try to talk with her about it and try to get to the root of why exactly she is upset. Find out why she is angry, and be as sensitive as you can to ensure that she knows that you have understood her feelings. Then, you tell her how you feel; that this is something that means a lot to you and makes you feel good.
The key is for the two of you to be able to communicate without finger pointing and getting angry, because once that happens, as you stated, things don't go well, and nothing gets resolved. I know that it's hard, but communicating without getting defensive could go a long way in diffusing this situation.
Again though, she too must hear and understand and respect your feelings. It's not fair to you to have your hobby, your passion to be called a waste of money. That is a hurtful thing to insinuate, so chances are, this is an issue for her that has been building. So yeah, talk it out, talk with sensitivity, and empathy.

News Credits: 129 · Wed Oct 27, 2010 10:25 pm

$640 BotCon 2006 Megatron

(The wife was egging me on to get it.)

News Credits: 60 · Wed Oct 27, 2010 10:36 pm

CP...you're wife's a saint mein freund!

News Credits: 16 · Wed Oct 27, 2010 11:02 pm

$500 roughly on Botcon 2010 exclusives. That doesn't include hotel, gas and food.
$200 on 4/6 of a super-minty Piranacon. I overpaid on the other two team members... so, roughly $300 all told.
$125 G1 Metroplex w/ box and inserts.
$100 on a pre-production Shattered Glass Optimus Prime.
$75 on Shattered Glass Grimlock
$75 on a MINT G1 Brainstorm

I had set aside money for Fort Max, but I used those funds to help with grad school. In time he will be mine.

Truth be told, the GRAND TOTAL that I spent for all my toys scares me more than any single purchase. But generally, I'm pretty open with my girlfriend about what I spend. If I'm about to make a big purchase, I'll talk it over with her first. And if she starts questioning what I spend, I just remind her that I have a budget (usually, $100 to $300 a month) and that I'm adamant about sticking to it. Only once did I ever go over it. That was back in '08. I even came home from Botcon this year nearly $100 under budget. It all comes down to self-control.

Wed Oct 27, 2010 11:43 pm

Roughly $150 in and around there if i recall for a super minty Shockwave and another 150 for a complete G1 Megatron.....when i got him in the mail he wasn't worth the 150 but still in awesome shape.
I don't really breech the $100 mark too often but i certainly have.
As we speak i've got a 150 bid on 3 different Fort Max's right now. I'm sure i'll be outbid on all of them soon enough. But there's one out of the three i want..........i think i'm gonna go for it! Just got me a new job starting monday that's giving me the confidence to go outside of my comfort zone. :grin:

News Credits: 2 · Thu Oct 28, 2010 1:13 am

I've hit a little over $500 twice... once for Takara reissue Predaking giftset (the diecast one), and once for Botcon 06 Darksyde Megs too... one acquired before we got married, the other afterward.

My wife's been very understanding of the hobby, but we've come to work out a more defined budget (so that we can save up for & afford a house). All of our finances are kept track jointly, so the solution for us has been to have some entertainment/hobby allowance set aside for each person that is reasonable. For big-ticket items, we just save up from our respective entertainment/hobby budgets to nab 'em, although I'm trying to avoid anything older & more pricy & saving up my personal hobby budget, since there's lots of great new stuff coming down the pipeline (e.g., MP Rodimus, tons of Generations/RTS/United stuff).

Is that what you're doing now, MightyMagnus78? Saves you from a lot of unnecessary arguments if there's an agreed-upon monthly hobby/entertainment allotment for each spouse that can rollover & be saved up for big ticket stuff.

News Credits: 3 · Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:58 am

I think it's all about balance.

I agree that if you worked hard for the money and it's not affecting bills or living day to day then you're entitled to have a blow out sometime and treat yourself.

I would never pay more than $200 for any Transformer (I don't buy G1 originals due to disliking loose joints, faded plastic, peeling stickers and not wanting to pay $1000s of dollars on boxed toys).

I only buy G1 reissues, Masterpieces (original G1 characters, no repaints) and Classics/Generations. I could spend more but I'm happy just to collect in those 3 lines as they are the only ones I'm interested in anyway.

I paid that for TFCC Punch/Counterpunch and on Henkei Wildrider.
But I felt that despite my love of my hobby that it was way too much money to justify spending on one toy/figure so I sold them both (at a tidy profit) on Ebay to recoup the cash.

I force myself to work any overtime I can get Monday-Friday to get cash and sell things I have that I don't want anymore that have some kind of re-sale value and toys I have that I don't want anymore to buy things I want like Transformers (and i love my ((on sale)) designer clothes, the quality is just way better than cheap stuff). That way my bills/day to day life are unaffected and I can justify buying any Transformers that I want. :ic$:

Thu Oct 28, 2010 8:28 am

I've never spent even $100 on a single purchased TF. But then I'm not into the kind of things that would actually cost triple digits... Unless I'm absolutely positive I can get huge profit off it! :twisted:

But that's just me, I like to have figures I can enjoy as apposed to just collecting and displaying. I don't look for exclusives or vintage G1(or even reissues) that'll be high marked in price, because I don't think I can enjoy something like that.

Thu Oct 28, 2010 10:16 am

I broke the $100 mark on 4 figures (MP Skywarp, Clear Starscream, Megatron, and Grimlock).

My collection is stuff that has come out at retail in the US. Other than the MP's I have one Takara item (ED Ligier). I only buy G1 stuff If i can get it cheap. I am really patient on Ebay and end up doing fairly well.

My spending isn't a lot of money on one item, it's $10-20 on LOTS of items.

I always tell my grilfriend what I buy and how much I spend on it. If I buy something in a store, chances are she is with me. If she ever makes a comment on the frequency of buying toys, I simply look down at whatever Coach purse she is carrying at the time. That usually ends the conversation.

Truth be told, she is great about my collecting. She checks for figures for me when she is out, gives opinions on stuff I am thinking about buying, and sometimes talks me into purchases I am waffling on. The nice thing is, she knows my criteria for buying stuff and makes sure I stick to it.

I know what I can and can't afford. I have a budget and I stick to it.

News Credits: 11 · Thu Oct 28, 2010 10:29 am

Counterpunch wrote:$640 BotCon 2006 Megatron

(The wife was egging me on to get it.)

I knew you'd chime in with something like this. :lol:

SJ21 wrote:If she ever makes a comment on the frequency of buying toys, I simply look down at whatever Coach purse she is carrying at the time. That usually ends the conversation.

I use this argument too, with lesser effect. But she has like 50 pairs of shoes, a HUGE closet full of clothes, a box full of makeup, and gets her hair cut/dyed for $100 every 2 months, so I figure it evens out, even if she claims it's not the same.

Anyway, to avoid this type of situation, simply have your own separate finances. I have my own credit card and bank accounts, she has hers. We have one joint account which we both deposit money into for bills and such. As long as both of us can make our respective payments and have a little left to enjoy, it's all good.

That said, I haven't yet dropped more than $200 on a figure, because I know I can't afford it. But it sounds like you knew what you were doing with Reflector. I suggest talking to her about it, how much you searched for a deal (70% of the figures I buy are on sale or loose & cheap...that sounds dirty :lol:

), once she knows how long you searched and how much cheaper it was comparatively, maybe it won't sound so bad to her. And let her know how much your hobby means to you and that it makes you happy. If you haven't endangered your financial safety, so to speak, there's no harm done. Good communication is key to relationships, and trying your hardest to be calm and non-confrontational helps a lot.

You should set up some sort of 'spending budget' so you each have your own spending money, to use as you like. It's a lot better that way, when you've established beforehand that this is your own personal money, and the other person has the same, and neither of you can complain about how the other uses it.

News Credits: 1 · Sun Oct 31, 2010 4:26 pm

Thanks for all the good advice guys, I really do appreciate it.

News Credits: 9 · Mon Nov 01, 2010 4:59 am

The most I've ever spent is £120 on a working Trypticon in box and only missing the tiny gun that always goes missing. I don't have anyone else to argue with though! As long as I pay the mortgage and bills I can do what i want!

If you share money with a partner then perhaps you could discuss a monthly/weekly amount that you can spend without the other's permission. If you want to overspend you need to arrange it with the partner. Then you can bargain if you haven't met your budget in previous months or something.

News Credits: 33 · Mon Nov 01, 2010 10:02 pm

£200+ (can't really remember) on G1 MIB Star Sabre, back when Japanese stuff was going for crazy money. When I posted him up on Ebay a year later, he sold for £75. :lol: