As of this writing, I've spent exactly $0 on cards in 2017.
Obviously, that'll change in due time, but a part of me has always wanted to find out what I spend on this hobby in a given year. Although...I've never had the courage to track such a thing, because I'm not altogether sure I want to know the answer. (Not that I'm a big spender or anything, but still.)
One problem is that I've never been much of a budget guy, which sets me apart from Robert of the "$30 A Week Habit" blog. Robert and I have been trading buddies since near the dawn of my blog, and he sent me a couple top-notch PWEs during my hiatus. (I'll be sending something your way shortly, too, Robert.)
This '81 Topps Traded Danny Ainge rookie was a Dime Box Dozen need at the time, and unless there's some wildly obscure oddball out there, I'm almost positive I now own all the baseball cards ever issued of Ainge between 1981 and '82.
I have to say, I'm seriously considering tracking my spending here in 2017, possibly by adding a little ticker to the side of this blog.
One question off the top of my head is whether or not I include shipping costs in the total budget. Should every PWE I send out tack on 49 cents to the yearly number? Or should it only consist of cards I purchase directly?
Retail most definitely counts towards the budget, but hopefully if enough people like Robert hit my various current needs I won't need to buy as much.
Thank God I'm not much of a set builder, because my budget would just about explode if I had to track Heritage SPs like this one down.
In the grand scheme of things, I'm probably on the extreme lower end of the financial collecting spectrum.
I'd guess I spent more on cards in 2016 than ever before, but that's only because last year was the first time I had a steady full-time job.
I hit maybe five or six card shows a year tops, and unlike I've done in the past, I don't buy retail for the sake of buying retail anymore.
Sure, I'll sample most products that hit the shelves, but once I have most of the base cards covered, I start to let the inserts trickle in through card shows and trades, like these two Wrigley-themed inserts from Robert.
More 2016 inserts from Robert included a hearty batch of last year's "Berger's Best" reprints.
While I'll grant that reprinting cards from less than a decade ago is a bit of a stretch, I do still seem to be one of the few collectors remaining who enjoy reprints.
They're a good way to at least partially feel like I own cards that are, in reality, way above my budget.
I'd bet that a decent copy of Hammerin' Hank's 1954 Topps rookie would set me back more than I spent on cards all of last year.
It can be a conflicting thing sometimes, collecting baseball cards. I usually treat my cardboard purchases as separate events, but tracking and culling them across an entire year could be an interesting -- and perhaps eye-opening -- study.
We'll see if I actually have the wherewithal to do it, but maybe 2017 will finally be the Year I Actually Find Out How Much I Spend On This Hobby.
Keep track ,just for curiosity sake.
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to do this with records/cds/etc purchases..I think you've got spending pretty under control...like when I was telling you "buy the '52 Hoyt!" at the card show,and you looked at me like I was nuts!..ha-ha!!
ReplyDeleteI track mine, have for a few years and it's interesting to see. I'm an OCD person in many ways, including financially, so it makes sense I guess. I don't count shipping for cards I send out in my totals though, just whatever I spent on cards coming in.
ReplyDeleteI tried to do this a few years ago as part of a New Year's resolution... but after seeing what I spent in the first few months, I realized I didn't really want to know. However... that's why I add prices on most of my posts. So one day, I can go back and add everything up and see how much $$$ I spent on my cardboard addiction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fuji that I think I would prefer not to know how much I spent, but I think it is a worthy study to undertake.
ReplyDeleteI would keep the shipping cost separate, but probably track that too.
I tracked my hobby spending in 2016, just out of curiosity and I'll probably continue in 2017 just because I'm already in the habit.
ReplyDeleteI only went to one card show, and I'll admit I ended up figuring out "Well, I went in with X dollars in my wallet and I came out with $Y". My memory isn't exactly legendary, and I can never remember everything I spent at a show.
If one *really* wanted to get exhaustive in tracking spending, there's postage and envelopes, there's supplies like binders, boxes and plastic pages and - for me, anyway - there's gasoline spent driving to shows. I live in a "hobby desert", even the closest show would use up several gallons of gas round-trip and it's usually a dedicated trip, so that's certainly a hobby expense.
It can be a bit of a pain to remember "Oh, I bought that hanger pack at Target during lunch on Tuesday" and then log it, but when all was said and done it was interesting to see how much I spent on cards last year.
I AM a set builder, and I REALLY don't want to know. :)
ReplyDeleteI used to limit myself to only spend what I made from side tech work, but that has dwindled (by choice) and I can afford a certain level of spending since my car is paid off and a few other expenses have dropped lately. So now I don't really care. I've been going way off the wagon in the last few weeks. Two big Sportlots orders and one from COMC have really blown any conservatism I may have been thinking about.
When I trade, I figure shipping costs for me and whoever I'm trading with basically cancel each other out. So it's not figured into the trade itself or considered if I was keeping track of spending.
I think Stale Gum used to track his spending with an updated widget on the side, inspired me to track for a year. Man, what a shocking experiment that was. Kinda felt like I was spending just to track it too. It did get me to set a monthly budget though and set a limit for each show I go to.
ReplyDeleteGood luck if you do it!