Confessions of a Material Guy

[davidbcoe]

I have a confession to make:  I like to spend money.  I like to buy myself cool new toys.  I'm not always good at spending -- I agonize over purchases and need some time to convince myself to buy a big ticket item.  I'll do a ton of research to make certain I'm getting the right brand or model or whatever, and I'll look around for weeks looking for

Comments

[will_couvillier]

Being a completist collector, I wouldn't know where to start. These days, it's DVDs. Before that, CCG's, Comics, SF paperbacks, Gaming miniatures, coins, stamps, and now I'm looking at small press SF. Just bought the first 8 issues of Black Gate on their current back issue sale.

Outside of my collections, it's electronics. I'm currently looking at a flat screen 46"+ LCD HDTV and a second monitor for my desktop, as well as a Canon EOS or Rebel setup.

ah the things I plan for when I get the cash in hand!

[davidbcoe]

Cool! Thanks for sharing. Actually I have a story in issue 4 (Summer '02) of Blackgate. Hope you like it.

[will_couvillier]

I'll be looking for it!

I'm watching for when they re-open for submissions. There are too few markets open for true heroic S&S these days -- it'd be good to have a place to send some.

[wldhrsjen3]

I love love love to buy books. Forget clothes or shoes or makeup - I love the feel of a brand new book (or pile of books :D), love the weight of them in a paper shopping bag.

I also have a terrible habit of buying horses and horse related stuff. :D

[davidbcoe]

Well, as an author it always warms my heart to hear someone waxing rhapsodic about buying books.

I bet horse stuff (not to mention horses) gets expensive in a hurry.

[hedwig_snowy]

A bit addictive eh? And you have the store sitting right in front of you. So, so, so hard to resist..I can..I can...ah, never mind...*hits order button!*

So, which camera are you looking at? And, not sure women get this concept. Bought my wife the Canon Digital Rebel XT for Christmas. She said it was too much camera for her and we exchanged it for the point-and-shoot Canon PowerShot.

The main things I guy online are from Amazon - books, toys for the kid, and electronics, always electronics.

Of course you know, by the time the camera/computer/big screen TV arrives it will already be obsolete right? :) Just gives you something to look forward to the next time you go online. And, I find the research the most interesting/fun part of it, the challenge of finding the perfect product at the best price with the best service...sweet!

[davidbcoe]

The built-in-obsolescence thing is a bit of a drag, but I've been shooting with a Canon 10D for several years now and have been ready for a new camaera for a while. I'm looking at getting the 40D. But as you say, the search itself is fun, and who knows where it will take me.

[blood_of_winter]

Sometimes I wonder if it's more fun to want something than it is to get it. You know what I mean by that?

Absolutely.

I'm the complete opposite when it comes to "research." When I want something, I want it now. This is why my husband is in charge of researching cars :) I would walk into a dealership, look at a few cars and probably buy the "coolest looking" car in my budget. Not good when it comes to big ticket items, definately not good with cars. So he handles the research on big items and I handle the actual finances. It's a good checks and balance system actually.

On the smaller side, books are at the top for me. I have a pile next to my bed that Im trying to get through. Going to a bookstore or an online book site can get expensive, especially at payday. I will admit makeup, shoes and handbags make the list although I've curbed it a bit lately to put more into savings.

Good luck with your camera purchase!

[davidbcoe]

Lots of books lovers here! Read on....

And thanks. Hopefully the camera I get -- whichever one that is -- will serve me well for a long time.

[jtglover]

Because I'm a librarian by day, I have access one way or another to a lot of books. If you throw in interlibrary loan, there's a vanishingly small number of books I can't get for free. That's why buying books is a luxury, something I do when I really want to have something in the long run, or I'm supporting the author, or I just randomly decide to buy a book.

Video games are another "toy" pleasure. There's basically no way I can argue that these are useful for anything, so when I buy one, it means "fun, ho!" Since I largely stopped playing computer games, barring the occasional bout of solitaire, they don't tend to conflict with writing or other online chores, so there's not really even any guilt about them for me anymore, unless we're low on money, in which case I don't buy many/often.

Enjoy the camera! I checked a digital SLR out from my library a while back and was stunned at the pictures that even a relative photography idiot like myself could manage with it.

[davidbcoe]

Using an SLR makes a huge difference. It gives you enormous control over every aspect of the shot, and the good ones use very fine glass -- much better than that on your average point-and-shoot.

Video games! Cool money pit that I hadn't considered. Thanks, JT.