Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

grouchoben wrote:
Here's my small insight into this issue: Until you have an army that's on the way to being painted up and looking badass, and until you've played that army a fair bit on the table, you just don't *know* what you want next. So your purchases are random, unrelated to what would be your informed preferences.

So do yourself a favour and reign in the spending. If you must spend, buy an airbrush and use it to go to town on the miniatures you have. Until you have a decent amount painted, say to yourself you are simply NOT ALLOWED to buy any more. Watch lots of youtube videos, buys books, get tips, read write-up reports of particualrly cool paintjobs, become the painter you always wanted to be.

Trust us, it's the route to sanity, and it's also the route to a cool, unique, painted up table of Your Dudes. Don't cheat yourself of the best part of the Buy-Build-Paint-Play circle of life!

My end-goal is to assemble the entire Space Wolves chapter (A huge task, I know) so it's not really random buying. But, before I buy anymore I need to get both my Card paid off and get painted what I already have.
Even after I am able to start buying again, I won't be using my card for it anymore. I'll be using money I set aside from my bank account.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
@MDG - that's not a bad plan, but rather than doing a reverse debt snowball, I'd suggest a modification:

1. Pay off anything you can quickly pay off in full, just to get it off the list of things you need to worry about. There is a significant mental benefit to removing and reducing the number of stressors out there, rather than having a lot of little things hanging out there with no progress.

2. After the quick hits, focus on the highest APR debt first. This will free up the most cash quicker.

3. If you have anything you can sell off and not miss it, sell it to create a cash "cushion" in case anything unexpected pops up. Keeping a few hundred available cash on hand, "just in case" is good discipline for building a nest egg / slush fund / "rainy day" fund.

Practice window shopping of optional stuff, and instead of buying, just take a picture and write it down. Then review a week later whether it's still something to get or not. A lot of this stuff can wait indefinitely, so there's no real hurry.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Hoodwink wrote:
I can freely go buy a box here or there and think nothing of it.

But do you? I generally don't. I could. But I don't.

And that's the fundamental difference between saving and spending. In nearly all cases, there's no pressing need to spend, so you can just save it.

For me it’s more about learning greater financial disicipline. Hence busting my hump and making hay whilst the sun shines!

The worst thing anyone can do when in debt is stick their head in the sand. For the most part, we get ourselves into it, so there’s no one else to blame (this is not universal. Some wind up with staggering debts due to defending court actions etc). Just got to suck it up and get yer nose on that grindstone!

If I had the option timewise, I’d look for a second part time job. All the time I’m earning, I’m not spending, and the more I earn, the faster I can pay things off. But, that’s not an option. Four hour a day commute thoroughly nixes that idea. So instead I focus on my career and getting up to the next level, and a roughly £3,000 pay rise. That’ll take more of the pressure off.

My top tips for reining in spending?

1. Create an income and expenditure list. Be brutally honest with yourself. Use your bank statements from the previous three months and see what you spent your money on. Include everything

2. That done? Deep breath and start sorting your luxury spending from your essentials. Now, that doesn’t mean going Puritan and living solely off amusingly shaped turnips. But get your rent/mortgage and other bills separated out. Look for some which could be reduced. Example? I finish paying off my iPad in December.

Straight off, that’s £70 back in my sky rocket. Every month. That makes a big difference (pretty much a month’s food for me). Next? Mobile Phone bill. Contract comes up for renewal in December as well (not related to iPad. That’s a work thing). Right now, it’s hitting me hard. Probably around £60 a month. So at that point, I break their balls. Don’t need a new handset, so that knocks it down. Don’t need free minutes, as I barely call anyone ever. Unlimited texts are good, but say 50 Free a month would do me. It’s the data bundle I need, as I’ve got a shared sim thing with the iPad for when I’m out and about.

Between those two, reckon I can save £100 a month easy peasy, possibly more. Suspect I can get a cheaper broadband package as well. I’ll shop around, and then my current supplier will cut me a deal to keep me. Money saved, disposable loosens up, I can pay off debts and that faster and faster.

3. Do budget for luxuries. You’ve got to have your luxuries, else you become a wage slave and ain’t nobody enjoys that (my current mantra is ‘I earn too much to be this broke’). Just, set a budget and damned well stick to it. If like me you enjoy a steak dinner (most Sundays), don’t go out to eat. Visit the meat counter or butcher and buy a steak. I can guarantee you it’ll be better quality than a cheaper restaurant at a fraction of the price. Like Pizza? I do. Find a Pizza dough recipe, and make your own. Rather than £12, you can make one for absolute pennies.

4. For essentials, shop around. We live in the digital age after all. Write down your shopping list, then price it up via online shopping. Buy from whomever offers the best price. That of course requires weekly menu planning. That in itself helps you budget effectively. Rather than simply buying food, you’re shopping by meals. In seriously lean times, I can make a single Roast Chicken last me (on my own) for around 5 days. Full Roast one day. Use the other breast, leg and wing meat in a curry for the next two days. From there, simply strip the carcass of all remaining meat, and add to couscous. £6 goes a long way then...

It can be a bit of a downer at first. But once you see your debts start to come down and stay down, I find myself staying motivated.

I give probably about 95% of my paycheck to my GF (I take it from my account and put it in hers right on payday)

I then make a payment to my credit card, pay the internet bill, car insurance, etc. That usually leaves me with a little left for hobbies or whatever. But having had a promotion at work, I've been buying more of the expensive units that I wasn't able to afford before.

Anyways, still no extra spending and my last auction on ebay has me almost outbid with 5 days left to go still (anyone want some TWC new on sprue? Just need to bid more than 11.47 gbp (aprox $15 usd)

kaotkbliss wrote:
I give probably about 95% of my paycheck to my GF

WTF? Dude, you shouldn't be doing that until *after* you're married.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

kaotkbliss wrote:
I give probably about 95% of my paycheck to my GF

WTF? Dude, you shouldn't be doing that until *after* you're married.

LOL
We've lived together for something like 11 years. We pretty much are.

Almost a week through and still no purchases Although it's down to 3 days left on the last ebay auction I started before coming to my realization and I haven't been outbid yet :(

Although with most auctions either going at or up to $35-$40 for both new and used units, I don't really think my measly $15 max bid will win in the end

I used to be pretty horrendous with spendng and really short sighted. Get paid, have a ton of money in the account.

Then splurge a whole ton of money of models ,only to be short at the end of the month. Funny how money goes go fast.

I'm pretty patient now, with a pretty big Horus Heresy world eater force I use for 40k as well and 4 fully painted teams for Guildball, I rarely spend. If I do it's just something to add to the legion - a Contemptor here, 2 javelins there etc.

I'd recommend waiting a week before you "think" you need / want to buy something. I found if I waited a week my hobby ADHD had stopped and I no longer wanted to order that new army, etc.

Luckily, I've not spent to the point of coming up short. I wrote myself a program where I enter how much money is currently in my account and when my next pay is. It will then go through my list of important expenses and tell me which ones will be due before my next pay, what the total of just those bills are and how much I will have left in my account after paying those bills.

Then, I subtract the amount I will move to my GF's account and whatever is left is my spending limit.

But, to curb my Warhammer buying so I can catch up on painting and get my card paid off like it should be, that extra left over will go on the card instead of buying more minis that will just increase the amount I need to paint.

 AaronWilson wrote:
I used to be pretty horrendous with spendng and really short sighted. Get paid, have a ton of money in the account.

Then splurge a whole ton of money of models ,only to be short at the end of the month. Funny how money goes go fast.

I'm pretty patient now, with a pretty big Horus Heresy world eater force I use for 40k as well and 4 fully painted teams for Guildball, I rarely spend. If I do it's just something to add to the legion - a Contemptor here, 2 javelins there etc.

I'd recommend waiting a week before you "think" you need / want to buy something. I found if I waited a week my hobby ADHD had stopped and I no longer wanted to order that new army, etc.

That's where I'm trying to get to, but more 'do my splurge at the end of the month'.

Had I started that way, who knows where I'd be financially. But I didn't. And it's a damned difficult mindset to change just from the sheer practicality of it requiring a seven or eight week stretch of strict financial discipline.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 AaronWilson wrote:
I used to be pretty horrendous with spendng and really short sighted. Get paid, have a ton of money in the account.

Then splurge a whole ton of money of models ,only to be short at the end of the month. Funny how money goes go fast.

I'm pretty patient now, with a pretty big Horus Heresy world eater force I use for 40k as well and 4 fully painted teams for Guildball, I rarely spend. If I do it's just something to add to the legion - a Contemptor here, 2 javelins there etc.

I'd recommend waiting a week before you "think" you need / want to buy something. I found if I waited a week my hobby ADHD had stopped and I no longer wanted to order that new army, etc.

That's where I'm trying to get to, but more 'do my splurge at the end of the month'.

Had I started that way, who knows where I'd be financially. But I didn't. And it's a damned difficult mindset to change just from the sheer practicality of it requiring a seven or eight week stretch of strict financial discipline.

Yeah I get you. 7-8 Months I moved into my own house with my partner, so that has caused me to a bit more realsitc with money and much I can / cannot spend on models as If I do fall short it's not just me I leave short it leaves her to pay for everything which is in no way fair.

I'm not sure how serious this thread is, but I have known some actual gaming addicts over the years. Let their personal lives and finances go all to hell in pursuit of a hobby.

The impulses are hard to break, especially when gaming is where you go to escape when things get rough.

A friend of mine, his wife left him, he could not keep up the mortgage payments with the way his life was going. Lost his job as a claims adjustor, she took their kid, he was in default on student loans, he was a couple years behind in taxes - you name it.

He moved in with his brother in another state. When he was driving away, the car was filled to the roof with miniatures, comics, figurines, DVDs, rule books, you name it - but no clothes. I had to FedEx his clothes up to him because he did not have room for them next to his cherished possessions. I had to deal with his real estate agent trying to sell the house because he could not get back to make the place presentable. All the stuff in his house - furniture, electronics, kitchen utensils, books, photos, etc - all had to go to the dump, even though some of it could have been sold.

But he was still buying miniatures - the hobbies never suffered because of this life's change. He lives in a basement near his brother now, works occasionally as a handyman, and basically lives off food stamps. He was seeing a therapist for a while, who diagnosed him with an addictive personality disorder. Hasn't done anything about it, hard to get him to talk about anything but games when we do speak.

This was almost 7 years ago when things came apart. While I've always suspected there are other issues, the gaming addiction is at the front.

 techsoldaten wrote:
I'm not sure how serious this thread is, but I have known some actual gaming addicts over the years. Let their personal lives and finances go all to hell in pursuit of a hobby.

The impulses are hard to break, especially when gaming is where you go to escape when things get rough.

A friend of mine, his wife left him, he could not keep up the mortgage payments with the way his life was going. Lost his job as a claims adjustor, she took their kid, he was in default on student loans, he was a couple years behind in taxes - you name it.

He moved in with his brother in another state. When he was driving away, the car was filled to the roof with miniatures, comics, figurines, DVDs, rule books, you name it - but no clothes. I had to FedEx his clothes up to him because he did not have room for them next to his cherished possessions. I had to deal with his real estate agent trying to sell the house because he could not get back to make the place presentable. All the stuff in his house - furniture, electronics, kitchen utensils, books, photos, etc - all had to go to the dump, even though some of it could have been sold.

But he was still buying miniatures - the hobbies never suffered because of this life's change. He lives in a basement near his brother now, works occasionally as a handyman, and basically lives off food stamps. He was seeing a therapist for a while, who diagnosed him with an addictive personality disorder. Hasn't done anything about it, hard to get him to talk about anything but games when we do speak.

This was almost 7 years ago when things came apart. While I've always suspected there are other issues, the gaming addiction is at the front.

And this is exactly where I don't want to end up. When I made my last purchase, my intention was to come on here and share my excitement that I was finally able to get a flier for my army. That's when I realized that maybe I do have an issue and that I better fix it while it's still in it's infancy stages. This thread has helped me keep that in perspective, to not forget, and to keep from falling back into that habit. It also seems to maybe be helping others see they might have a problem also. So hopefully something good is coming of this and not just for me

kaotkbliss wrote:
When I made my last purchase, my intention was to come on here and share my excitement that I was finally able to get a flier for my army. That's when I realized that maybe I do have an issue and that I better fix it while it's still in it's infancy stages. This thread has helped me keep that in perspective, to not forget, and to keep from falling back into that habit. It also seems to maybe be helping others see they might have a problem also. So hopefully something good is coming of this and not just for me

For me, the red flag was going into debt to finance hobby, and that's just not a good use of money. Hobbies are a luxury, so you need to have "extra" money on hand to spend it. If you don't have the money on hand, then you need to dial back or stop. Having slightly less stuff, and buying somewhat slower / later is totally OK. At some point, you may find that you don't need to buy anything at all to enjoy the actual playing of the game.

In my case it was 'I'm buying furniture just to house boxes of stuff I haven't even opened yet". If that hadn't occurred around the time I lost a job I'd probably still be going.

It was also helpful to identify *what* part of the hobby I enjoy best so as to focus on it; retail therapy is all very well but it runs the risk of drowning out the specific part of the hobby that makes it fun for you, and conflating the two.

kaotkbliss wrote:
And this is exactly where I don't want to end up. When I made my last purchase, my intention was to come on here and share my excitement that I was finally able to get a flier for my army. That's when I realized that maybe I do have an issue and that I better fix it while it's still in it's infancy stages. This thread has helped me keep that in perspective, to not forget, and to keep from falling back into that habit. It also seems to maybe be helping others see they might have a problem also. So hopefully something good is coming of this and not just for me

Well, understand there's a difference between making some poor decisions with money and having a compulsive buying habit. Wanting to nip it in the bud is important, in either case.

The person I wrote about is one of several people I knew with this problem. The outcome, for him, was the most extreme. He has a degree in Economics and an MBA, he's not the person one would see ending up in these circumstances.

A few things I noticed in the run-up, which may be red-flags for anyone wondering if they have a problem:

1) He got a lot of negative feedback from his family. His wife used to talk about how he was like this character from the movie Old School. She compared gaming with being a frat boy. I can't remember a time I saw her when she didn't ask him - in front of other people - when he was going to get serious about his life. There was some toxicity there, I think he made bad choices about who to be around and it fueled his habit.

2) He had a lot of disposable income, to start. His parents give him a pretty large sum of money after completing grad school, most of which was spent on his house. When he talked about money, it didn't seem like he treated it like it was real. He would talk about supporting independent retailers and creative people, like it was some sort of mission and he was doing good in the world. There was a disconnect there, he was justifying the spend with elaborate stories.

3) With models, he didn't spend much time painting them. He had closets full of of half-painted projects, there was always something new he was working on. The need to acquire was greater than the need to make use of what he already had, and it was conspicuous. We used to joke about it, looking back it's not that funny.

4) He was into everything - comics, miniatures, collectible statues / figurines, manga, card games, records, boxed games, etc. Any one of these pursuits would have been expensive and time consuming, for him it required constant attention. He lost his job because he got caught claiming shopping trips as business travel. He let his hobby interfere with his work and lied about it, which I am certain was part of the game to him.

5) He got a big thrill out of getting new stuff. Everyone gets excited, but it would be the first thing he wanted to talk about whenever he got new stuff. There were a few times I was asking him about his family where I got the sense he was just waiting for me to finish speaking so he could tell me about what he had in his bag.

6) He told me a few times that he didn't have Internet at home. This wasn't correct, he had a Playstation and an XBox and would play games online. It didn't occur to me at the time, but he was using the Internet to isolate himself. Instead of connecting with people in his life, he was looking for other people as obsessed with games as himself. This was the hardest part to understand, he still doesn't have an email address or look at websites.

To follow up to what Hoodwink said, I too use a credit card for literally everything I can to take advantage of the cash back, rewards, and securitized purchases, but I never carry a balance from month to month. In my youth, I managed to screw myself up pretty good with about $9,500 in credit card debt, which in the grand scheme of things isn't a tremendous amount of money but it's definitely a lot to handle for a young person. The tragedy is that about half of that total was just accruing interest over a few years, not actual purchases, so it was just wasted money. To finally defeat it, I had to swallow my pride, move in with my sister for a few years, and suffer through until it was paid and I could move forward with life. It's all good now (great credit score, house and car I can afford, cool toys) but it took several years of boredom, discipline, and sacrifice to get here. My advice, do whatever it takes to live as debt free as possible. You'll be a lot happier in the long run at the expense of short term misery. It's worth it.

I guess TECHNICALLY I'm now like $150,000 in debt but that's a mortgage and a car loan so it really isn't bad debt.

Set yourself up for success dude, it's a lot easier to fix your financial health when you're young.

Unfortunately, I'm not young anymore (just turned 40 this year) Fortunately I do have the money to pay well above the minimum on my card and have not slacked on payments at all.
My problem was spending as soon as I was paying so I really wasn't getting anywhere and I needed to break that cycle. Not to mention I also need to catch up on my painting as well.

IandI wrote:
My advice, do whatever it takes to live as debt free as possible. You'll be a lot happier in the long run at the expense of short term misery. It's worth it.

I guess TECHNICALLY I'm now like $150,000 in debt but that's a mortgage and a car loan so it really isn't bad debt.

Set yourself up for success dude, it's a lot easier to fix your financial health when you're young.

Yup, "debt free" should be a guiding concept - life is a *LOT* easier when you live within your means.

BTW, no appreciation on the house to offset the mortgage? Low % on the car, so it's basically installment payments using other people's money?

Yeah, reining in spending when you're young has big benefits down the line. Imagine carrying 5 figures CC and other debt for 30 years, and see what that's like. It's a lot harder to build a positive net worth if you're just flushing $2-3k of take-home pay down the toilet every year.

Ha I don't look at appreciation of the home value as really offsetting the mortgage because inevitably I'll need to spend money on repairs, upgrades, etc. I look at it more as a long term forced savings account that may someday provide a respectable return on investment, and more importantly as a way to lock in a fixed housing expense. I've watched the same apartment I rented 10 years ago for $700 a month go up and up each year until it's now hovering around $1100 a month. Meanwhile my mortgage will remain exactly where it is, regardless of inflation, for the next 29 years. Renting costs will fluctuate wildly over time, but my mortgage will always be what it is. Assuming my salary increases and the cost of living rises for renters, my housing expense will ever so slowly become a smaller percentage of my take home income each year, effectively becoming less of a big deal as time goes by. And when it's all said and done I can sell it for a small profit, get my equity back, and probably pretty much break even, meaning I lived here for the price of interest, taxes, maintenance, and HOA fees. Also my county offers a stupidly great deal for first time home buyers. I got $15,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance, and if I keep it as my primary residence for 6 years I DON'T HAVE TO PAY IT BACK! I walked in, day one, with 7.5% equity for less than $2,000. I'm a die hard conservative but I really have to give a huge shout out to the Democrats on that deal.

For the car, I bought a used 2015 car with 5,700 miles on it in 99.9% perfect condition that cost $50,000 new 2 years ago for $26,000 at 2.0%. I got a practically brand new car without taking a bath on depreciation, but it did take me about 6 months of searching to find one with such low mileage. The interest rates are better for new cars, but $26k doesn't buy something new with 330 horsepower, navigation, leather, and premium sound...

Man, it's funny the conversations that can start on a forum dedicated to plastic army men. Long live the Imperium!

Finally, someone outbid me on my last ebay auction
1 week down, 7 days to go till next pay

All good points, but I was just curious whether your paper value would have you net positive on the home, or still in debt.

I can't quite remember all the exact numbers on our home but I'll try...

I think we put about $2k down on it and paid $69k

We've been there 6 years and now owe like $54k or some such
So I believe we are at about $14-15k in equity. As soon as I get my credit score up about 50 points (it's at about 650 now) and we can sell the house for at least what we paid for it, then we'll have a sizable chunk for a down payment on a slightly better house in a better area and still pay about the same as we are paying now.

So, 5 more days until payday and have not even thought about buying anything new

If I were you, I'd hold on the housing until you get your credit score to something more like 750. There's no need to burn your current equity down in conversion to a slightly better place when you don't need to.

Well, there's a couple reasons. First, the house is really too small for us and badly laid out (while it was empty when we first looked at it, it looked like it would be perfect). As time went on we've just kept trying to re-arrange and find a way to get things to "fit", but it's never worked.
The 2nd reason is We're not sure how long our current area is going to hold up before the neighborhood starts losing value. Some houses are already selling for less than we paid for ours A few have sold for more, but the mall a few minutes away is really starting to die out (They've lost their anchor stores)

So, we need to get to a better area before that equity we have won't be there due to losing money on selling the house.

Oh, OK, that's different. If you can get out without losing money, go for it!

It's amazing how big a house looks while it's empty. Then as soon as you start putting furniture in, all that space disappears LOL

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

For me it’s more about learning greater financial disicipline. Hence busting my hump and making hay whilst the sun shines!

The worst thing anyone can do when in debt is stick their head in the sand. For the most part, we get ourselves into it, so there’s no one else to blame (this is not universal. Some wind up with staggering debts due to defending court actions etc). Just got to suck it up and get yer nose on that grindstone!

If I had the option timewise, I’d look for a second part time job. All the time I’m earning, I’m not spending, and the more I earn, the faster I can pay things off. But, that’s not an option. Four hour a day commute thoroughly nixes that idea. So instead I focus on my career and getting up to the next level, and a roughly £3,000 pay rise. That’ll take more of the pressure off.

My top tips for reining in spending?

1. Create an income and expenditure list. Be brutally honest with yourself. Use your bank statements from the previous three months and see what you spent your money on. Include everything

2. That done? Deep breath and start sorting your luxury spending from your essentials. Now, that doesn’t mean going Puritan and living solely off amusingly shaped turnips. But get your rent/mortgage and other bills separated out. Look for some which could be reduced. Example? I finish paying off my iPad in December.

Straight off, that’s £70 back in my sky rocket. Every month. That makes a big difference (pretty much a month’s food for me). Next? Mobile Phone bill. Contract comes up for renewal in December as well (not related to iPad. That’s a work thing). Right now, it’s hitting me hard. Probably around £60 a month. So at that point, I break their balls. Don’t need a new handset, so that knocks it down. Don’t need free minutes, as I barely call anyone ever. Unlimited texts are good, but say 50 Free a month would do me. It’s the data bundle I need, as I’ve got a shared sim thing with the iPad for when I’m out and about.

Between those two, reckon I can save £100 a month easy peasy, possibly more. Suspect I can get a cheaper broadband package as well. I’ll shop around, and then my current supplier will cut me a deal to keep me. Money saved, disposable loosens up, I can pay off debts and that faster and faster.

3. Do budget for luxuries. You’ve got to have your luxuries, else you become a wage slave and ain’t nobody enjoys that (my current mantra is ‘I earn too much to be this broke’). Just, set a budget and damned well stick to it. If like me you enjoy a steak dinner (most Sundays), don’t go out to eat. Visit the meat counter or butcher and buy a steak. I can guarantee you it’ll be better quality than a cheaper restaurant at a fraction of the price. Like Pizza? I do. Find a Pizza dough recipe, and make your own. Rather than £12, you can make one for absolute pennies.

4. For essentials, shop around. We live in the digital age after all. Write down your shopping list, then price it up via online shopping. Buy from whomever offers the best price. That of course requires weekly menu planning. That in itself helps you budget effectively. Rather than simply buying food, you’re shopping by meals. In seriously lean times, I can make a single Roast Chicken last me (on my own) for around 5 days. Full Roast one day. Use the other breast, leg and wing meat in a curry for the next two days. From there, simply strip the carcass of all remaining meat, and add to couscous. £6 goes a long way then...

It can be a bit of a downer at first. But once you see your debts start to come down and stay down, I find myself staying motivated.

There's some really good advice here, not least number 3. However if I could add one more thing. From the sounds of it, you have never defaulted on payments to the credit card, simply paid a contribution to offset some of the balance. So the implication there is that your credit rating isn't that bad. Several companies are offering 0% balance transfers on exisiting credit card balances. That's 0% interest on that balance for a set period of time. One I saw was for Sainsburys at 39 months interest free.

Is it a possibility to roll up all the debt into the one card and save yourself the interest, most cards are 34%apr. That's a chunk of money that can be saved. Do not use that card to spend though. Obtain a second card with a very limited max and use that and pay off in its entirety each month, and contribute a set amount to the 0% to reduce the balance there.

Cheers

Andrew

So I made it to payday without any purchases on the card Actually payday seems to have come a day early this time for some reason. However, like I promised, no purchases until it's paid off. Even after then I'll use my bank account so I only spend money I currently have. And still, even after that I'm not spending until I get what I have painted (except for things like transfer sheets to finish the details)

So now I need to load up my little app and figure out what bills are due before next pay and get them taken care of, figure out how much I'm putting in my GF's account and how much I'm putting on the card

I found that displaying my collection where I could see it all at once has helped with a couple of things.

1. I look at it and go, "okay that was probably a little over the top". But seriously seeing what you have already out in the open, instead of packed away in a carrying case or in boxes, gives you a good idea of how much space and money you have dedicated to your purchases.

2. Having it out in the open allowed me to go back and say "hey I think I could go back and highlight these guys to make them look better". Gives you the opportunity to find a new task with something you already have, and at the same time improve your skills and quality of the models. No money spent and new found hobby queue.

The rules of no playing until it's painted and no buying until it's painted has been helping me stay in check. The only time I splurge now is when I get a yearly bonus. Usually this once a year splurge is enough to get me through to the next year's bonus.

Having my army out in the open would probably have the opposite effect on me :(

I'd look at it every day and see how much further I needed to go until the chapter was completed.

When I first began Warhammer back in the early 90's, my goal was just to have some troops and play fun games. Now after losing all my armies, books and scenery and having to not only start over but also not having a group to play with a new goal crept in.

While I do still just want to have fun games (not overly competitive) I also want to see my collection reach it's end, which is to build and have painted all 12 (maybe the 13th as well. Haven't decided on that yet) Companies of the Great Wolf.