Creative Funding For New Toys

[MacrossMan]

I was just reading some posts in the 2-Seater thread and came across some funny ideas about funding new toy purchases.

With the economy the way it is and no foreseeable timeframe for when the Yamato and Bandai toy factories will shut down production on new releases I thought it would be cool for us to come up with some suggestions that might help fund new toy purchases.

My suggestion to come up with funds would be to first check your collection and see if there is anything you can live without. Make sure the items are in good condition and be prepared to offer them up at an acceptable price you can live with, without letting them go for crackhead prices. You'd be surprised at how much disposeable cash you have in your collection.

My second suggestion would be to join your job's credit union if they have one. Despositing as little as $25-$50 every other week into an account should help with funding new toy purchases without having to tap into other funding sources.

Also check your jobs cash-in policy for vacation time.

As it stands now, I have all the new 1/60's that have come out (excluding the destroids) including the latest VF-11B (en route).

I've done all three of the above and have been able to fund all my recent purchases without tapping into any other funding sources.

Any other suggestions you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[Vegas]

i have a second job to fund my hobby

[TCracker]

I sell off my Transformers to buy Macross toys

But it also helps to have a side income. I usually do touch up and painting work for toys.

[honkhet]

i do ebay

i also sell TF toys to buy macross toys.

what to do, TF does have a much much much wider fanbase.

my TF collection is down to one final henkei classics grimlock,

which my girlfriend refused to let me sell

[SchizophrenicMC]

Be happy I live with parents and am old enough to get a job, paying about $8000 US.

Man, it's good to be a minor.

[UN Spacy]

What a coincidence.

I also sold off all of my TF'ers for more Macross.

[MacrossMan]

Be happy I live with parents and am old enough to get a job, paying about $8000 US.

Man, it's good to be a minor.

What I wouldn't do to be a kid collecting today living at home with mom and dad working a fast food job to pay for toys!

For some odd reason I think there are some Majors still at home with mom and dad living in the basement, writing their name on the orange juice carton; getting old and collecting toys. That aint the life.

A part-time job is good idea. Maybe a paper route early in the morning. My mobile DJ service takes up any extra time I might have to do something part-time. My neighbor's wife is finishing up her residency in pediatric medicine and they might not be in the neighborhood much longer. He cuts grass on the side and has lots of clientel throughout the neighborhood. If his wife accepts a position at a hospital out of state I plan on seeing if he would sell me his riding mower and other equipment and pick up the jobs in the neighborhood next spring. 15 yards at $35 each per week is $525 a week. Easy money!

Edited May 18, 2009 by MacrossMan

[SilentCrossHairs]

Well I am not selling my TF stuff no time soon. But I am selling off some ver.1 yamatos and some of my chunky monkey bandai stuff to get other macross goodies.

[m0n5t3r]

i basically sold one of my watches, w/c i bought when i was still single, to fund these macross toy purchases... what i got for it should be my budget and no more... ha!

Edited May 18, 2009 by m0n5t3r

[SchizophrenicMC]

What I wouldn't do to be a kid collecting today living at home with mom and dad working a fast food job to pay for toys!

For some odd reason I think there are some Majors still at home with mom and dad living in the basement, writing their name on the orange juice carton; getting old and collecting toys. That aint the life.

A part-time job is good idea. Maybe a paper route early in the morning. My mobile DJ service takes up any extra time I might have to do something part-time. My neighbor's wife is finishing up her residency in pediatric medicine and they might not be in the neighborhood much longer. He cuts grass on the side and has lots of clientel throughout the neighborhood. If his wife accepts a position at a hospital out of state I plan on seeing if he would sell me his riding mower and other equipment and pick up the jobs in the neighborhood next spring. 15 yards at $35 each per week is $525 a week. Easy money!

How old you be?

You know, 2 summers, I tried mowing lawns, but I made only $200 the whole season. Plus, we're in a bad economy. People are likely to say "I have a lawnmower." instead of pay you.

And that always irked me because I was never selling my LAWNMOWER. I was selling my SERVICES.

I really hope that Taco Bell application is accepted. The place is opening up a quarter-mile from my house, 5 minutes by bike.

[eyesonme78]

How old you be?

You know, 2 summers, I tried mowing lawns, but I made only $200 the whole season. Plus, we're in a bad economy. People are likely to say "I have a lawnmower." instead of pay you.

And that always irked me because I was never selling my LAWNMOWER. I was selling my SERVICES.

I really hope that Taco Bell application is accepted. The place is opening up a quarter-mile from my house, 5 minutes by bike.

Hey man, no worries.. but then don't stop looking for other jobs..

ANyways i am also holding two jobs but i keep my macross spending to a minimum.. at least a accounts sheet to keep me in check.

besides i teach classes to help fund for my automobile payments and petrol..

But with yamato ditching out so much items, it's hard to make my sheet balance each month...

sighs.... all the good stuff is the bad stuff to my wallet..

[eyesonme78]

edited!! wrong posting

Edited May 18, 2009 by eyesonme78

[Agent-GHQ]

Ya know, there are times where I contemplated about quiting completely! I mean, like a cold turkey because it seems that once you start, you can never quit.

Already owned a home, but I can sure use a bigger better home. Maybe a new M3 to go with a newer home instead of toys?!

Anyways, as for your topic I have done the following to have more cash-flow than out-flow:

1. Stay home

2. Stay away from women

3. Be single without any dependant(s)

4. Avoid takeouts and eatouts

5. Bring luch to work

6. Avoid the movie theaters when you have www.videofriender.com

7. Avoid army building like me

8. Shop around and learn to negotiate prices

Good luck all!

[Bri]

Levi's and Apple subsidize my collection habbits and travel expenses. 501's are 4 times as expensive in the shops here then in the US. I usually take some with me to resell when returning from the States.

[eyesonme78]

Hmm Agent GHQ... as for your suggestions i think i will take into serious consideration!!

1. Stay home=> most of the time.

2. Stay away from women=> Already attached thus no choice, lucky she is thrifty.. haha

3. Be single without any dependant(s) Doesn't apply... since getting married soon..

4. Avoid takeouts and eatouts, calculated almost same as eatouts for lunch...

5. Bring luch to work, see above explaination...

6. Avoid the movie theaters when you have www.videofriender.com. Dun watch much movies, but i always go find movies online!!! haha

7. Avoid army building like me, dun really do so due to limited space.

8. Shop around and learn to negotiate prices, i do that all the time nowadays!! haha

[m0n5t3r]

2. Stay away from women

is it possible to take back all the money that i had spent on these creatures called "women"??????

6. Avoid the movie theaters when you have www.videofriender.com

thank the internet gods for torrents (plus a little patience) i have saved a lot not going to the movie theaters in ages and had my cable cut off a long time ago!

[Agent-GHQ]

is it possible to take back all the money that i had spent on these creatures called "women"??????

Probably not, but you should refrain and start now. You'll thank me later.

[Agent-GHQ]

3. Be single without any dependant(s) Doesn't apply... since getting married soon..

On your wedding day, I will intercept and rescue you from the dilemma and misery...

[VFTF1]

1. Stay home

2. Stay away from women

3. Be single without any dependant(s)

4. Avoid takeouts and eatouts

5. Bring luch to work

No no no...this is not the way to go. Here - lemme suggest:

1. Don't own a home. Rent. Change homes constantly and be free of mortgages and all that crap and take advantage of mobility and falling prices. If you end up homeless for a month while looking for a new place - move back in with mom for a while

2. Stay away from BAD women

3. Be in a relationship with a GOOD woman (hint: one who a) thinks you'll be happy to get Yamato Groxier X for Christmas and gets you the Takara Beast Wars Megatron/Primal two-pack MISB for your birthday and Takara reissue God Ginrai MISB just because she loves you, b) says things like "I think you're intelligent and ambitious enough to EASILY afford taking me on vacations, buying me clothes, taking me out to fancy restaurants AND having a huge collection.. now get to work!" instead of ONLY brow-beating you for having toys, c) basically is someone who loves you as you are and you can trust

4. Avoid takeouts and ONLY go eat out and restaurants that serve the best food in town and ALWAYS buy LOTS of bottles of wine to dampen the consciousness of what it is your spending money on. Naturally - take the girlfriend on such outings and get her pleny drunk

5. "Bring lunch to work" ? How about: NEVER HAVE TO EVER EVER EVER GET UP AND "GO" TO WORK - EVER. EEEEEEEEVVVEEER:) In other words: be self-employed, make your own schedule - skip lunch and take the woman to dinner

What else?

Well - I think prioritizing helps. Do you you really want or need certain things? You have to focus on what you truly love.

In my case it's:

G1

Beast Wars Neo/II

Gundam

Macross

Soul of Chogokin

Tengenn Toppa Gurren Lagann

I am OPEN to other stuff - but not mindlessly.

And finally:

Always have only ONE pair of clothes. When your pants and shirt and socks get worn out from constantly washing them over the course of two weeks - just go out and buy ANOTHER pair.

This beats having a closet exploding with old clothes that are out of fashion, socks that keep getting lost in the laundry and it helps please women who think that you are always well dressed and your clothes look fresh.

Also leaves lots of closet space for boxes and toys

I do have a couple of nice trench coats though - always wanted a trench coat like Boggie and finally found one that was also relatively affordable...

Hm... what else?

Oh yeah - don't be an alcoholic I did that before meeting my current girlfriend - spent EVERYTHING on booze (thankfully my boss was an alcoholic too, so this didn't conflict with work)... but it really does kill your liver, your wallet and dries the skin on your face...

Drink moderate amounts of wine (two or three bottles to dinner) instead of drinking Vodka on weekdays starting at 2 pm.

Pete

[MilSpex]

***Don`t drink

***Learn how to cook. I cook 2-3 satisfying healthy nutritious meals week. But I eat my own cooking every night of the week. Wanna know how? I make a massive amount of whatever I make. Massive pasta that will stretch 3 nights and reheat easily. Massive curry, massive mashed potatoes with 3 or 4 steaks and a couple of heads of brocoli, massive fried rice, massive chilli etc etc. Think massive, eat lots of rice and pasta and your food bill can be less than probably US$35 a week too. I eat a lot too and live in Japan where food is more expensive than for say those of you living in the US.

***Rent as others have said. I don`t have to pay for maintenance, land taxes etc. And I live in a small affordable place.

***Don`t own a car

***Walk to work

Doing this practically my whole life has given me dozens of pairs of rare Air Jordans, a genuine Rolex watch, a few pairs of vintage Levi`s jeans valued in the thousands of dollars, other jewelry worth thousands of dollars, a collection of rare Japanese streetwear worth many more thousands and a small collection of 4 Yamato 1/60s (I admit Macross isn`t at the top of my priorities list) all while living on my own since I was 18 on a very modest salary and without going into any debt.

Edited May 18, 2009 by MilSpex

[eyesonme78]

On your wedding day, I will intercept and rescue you from the dilemma and misery...

LOL!! but seriously this thread shows some things we have to do to get our toys! ha ha..

Edited May 18, 2009 by eyesonme78

[MacrossMan]

i basically sold one of my watches, w/c i bought when i was still single, to fund these macross toy purchases... what i got for it should be my budget and no more... ha!

Good idea. I have a Citizen's Echo-drive watch sitting in my drawer. I replaced it with a Seiko Kinetic watch. I'll have to see what I might be able to fetch for it on ebay!

How old you be?

You know, 2 summers, I tried mowing lawns, but I made only $200 the whole season. Plus, we're in a bad economy. People are likely to say "I have a lawnmower." instead of pay you.

And that always irked me because I was never selling my LAWNMOWER. I was selling my SERVICES.

I really hope that Taco Bell application is accepted. The place is opening up a quarter-mile from my house, 5 minutes by bike.

Just turned 35 yesterday youngling; mind-blowing to think I am old enough to be a father of a teenager! The lots in my neighborhood at minimum 1/4 acre. Most lawns, if not all, are professionally land-scaped and treated. It's part of th neighborhood charter. A lot of the people in the neighborhood are retirees so they are looking to relax and work as little as possible. The others are young couples like my wife and I who are busy most of the time. It's easier to have someone come out once of week to mow and edge the lawn.

That being said, for a kid your age, you could do quite well mowing grass in my neighborhood.

Got my fingers crossed for you on getting that job. I, and I sure most would agree, wish we had an income we could dispose of totally on toys; let alone $8000! Sheesh!

[ultimateone]

My wife and I plan our meals out in advance, then go to the grocery store and buy only what we need. I eat the leftovers for lunch the next day, she takes a microwave Healthy Choice dinner.

I stopped buying bottles of wine in the 20-30 dollar range and started getting the box wine.

I have a voracious appetite for books, but I buy the majority of them from a used book store here in town. (I still treat myself to a first edition every once in a while)

I no longer purchase DVD's, and those that I did have I uploaded to my computer and got rid of the hardcopy to the same Used book store. I cut my collection from almost 400 to about 75.

This helps to feed my new addiction and my wife's Coach purse habit.

[Roy's Blues]

I build and sell custom lightsabers.

youtube channel

My macross collecting has slowed down a lot. I recently purchased a VF-1d, and the VF-11. My next purchase will be the VF-25S Armored Messiah Valkyrie - Ozma Custom. That will be it for a while, unless the VF-0D 1/60 comes out.

[Chowser]

I end up spending my money on lightsabers and paying Roy's Blues to put them together.

Else, any overtime I get, I put it aside for Macross/Star Wars stuff. Usually, but since we're in the process of moving, any overtime gets put towards paying for both houses until we get the old one sold and in this market, that may be years. But I find that I've been spending too much money on my stupid car. It needs nothing, but I keep spending money for stuff. Just dropped a bunch on a snow tire/wheel package (yes, I know it's Spring). I could've bought every 1/60 Yamato coming out with the amount of $$ I spent on snow tires/wheels for my all-wheel drive car.

[Agent-GHQ]

Be happy I live with parents and am old enough to get a job, paying about $8000 US.

What are you saying here Jr? You have $8k in your account??!

[MechTech]

"This helps to feed my new addiction and my wife's Coach purse habit. laugh.gif" My wife buys the purses and I buy models, and occasionally a toy. We each just have to save up. We DO plan meals to save money. Like what was said a couple of times, cook in big portions. Take the leftovers to work or freeze for later. I know some people that work 14 hour shifts and they cook at the beginning of week for the whole week. Microwave of fast food meals add up! - MT

[MacrossMan]

I've seen a lot of comments around saving in the cooking department. My wife does this as well, but out of convenience so she doesn't have to cook through out the week. I normally take my lunch and eat breakfast at home as well.

My wife is a penny pincher and hardly ever buys herself anything nice. This past Mother's Day I got her an iPod Touch that I found in her nightstand drawer about a week ago. I have been using it since. For her birthday I got her a leather satchel to use as a handbag and had her initials laser etched into it from here (check these guys out if you're in the market for a new leather bag!!! put them in your will; your kids will fight over it when you're dead!!!). Anywho, the bag is still in its plastic sitting in the closet.

Fortunately, my wife is not into the regular "girly" stuff like purses, shoes and weekly hair appointments. She fully supports my collecting. My birthday was yesterday and she got me the 1/60 DX Macross Frontier RVF-25 Luca Custom.

We try to date once a week with dinner and a movie, but try not to overdo it.

Keep the ideas coming guys! I'm sure we all have seen something here that can help us in one way or another!

[miriya]

Happy Birthday MacrossMan!

[MacrossMan]

Just got an updated wishlist from half.com on some CD's I have been looking for which gave me an idea. Here are a few on the list:

Today: Today (CD, 1988)

Best Price: $54.99

Condition: Like New Seller: jsanders_pawn

Best Condition: Like New

Price: $54.99 Seller: jsanders_pawn

Going Steady: Steady B (CD, 1989)

Best Price: $70.53

Condition: Very Good Seller: techdirectllc

Best Condition: Very Good

Price: $70.53 Seller: techdirectllc

Nine Livez: Nine (Rap) (CD, 1995)

Best Price: $45.97

Condition: Very Good Seller: techdirectllc

Best Condition: Brand New

Price: $126.81 Seller: techdirectllc

I know I have some rare out of print CD's that I might be willing to let go. Check you CD collections. If you have stuff you no longer listen to check out half.com or secondspin.com to see what they are going for. If they are out of print you will be surprised to see what they are fetching nowadays!

[eriku]

I do a combination of things, most of them already mentioned. I buy a lot of toys, and such is the nature of the beast that I don't always end up liking what I buy, so I almost always have things I can weed out and sell. I also put tiny tidbit of my paycheck into PayPal each time I get paid. Even greater than my love for toys is my love for music and I spend a lot of time digging through used CD bins. Occasionally I'll find something that I know is worth a lot more than the price tag. If it's something I don't have, I'll keep it (score!). If I have it, I'll check with my friends to see if they need it and will usually just give it to them if they want it. But most of the time I'll already own a copy, as will my buddies, so I'll put it on Ebay and let the fans set the price. A few months ago I made $50 on an old Beck CD that way (cost me $5). Also recently I found an absolutely mint copy of Mega Man 7 for the SNES at a Goodwill store. It was in the box with instructions and everything, just like it came from the store. I paid $2 for it and made around $75 on Ebay. I don't have enough time to do stuff like that regularly, but it's a nice little bonus when it happens.

[Gunpod71]

***Don`t drink

***Learn how to cook. I cook 2-3 satisfying healthy nutritious meals week. But I eat my own cooking every night of the week. Wanna know how? I make a massive amount of whatever I make. Massive pasta that will stretch 3 nights and reheat easily. Massive curry, massive mashed potatoes with 3 or 4 steaks and a couple of heads of brocoli, massive fried rice, massive chilli etc etc. Think massive, eat lots of rice and pasta and your food bill can be less than probably US$35 a week too. I eat a lot too and live in Japan where food is more expensive than for say those of you living in the US.

***Rent as others have said. I don`t have to pay for maintenance, land taxes etc. And I live in a small affordable place.

***Don`t own a car

***Walk to work

Doing this practically my whole life has given me dozens of pairs of rare Air Jordans, a genuine Rolex watch, a few pairs of vintage Levi`s jeans valued in the thousands of dollars, other jewelry worth thousands of dollars, a collection of rare Japanese streetwear worth many more thousands and a small collection of 4 Yamato 1/60s (I admit Macross isn`t at the top of my priorities list) all while living on my own since I was 18 on a very modest salary and without going into any debt.

Thats what I ussually do buy massive amounts and make meals last for a week. I buy allot of corned beef and spam (my favorate) and alot of rice, cook them up with fried rice, and I make huge amount for the week. I also take overtime at work for extra cash for that Macross addiction.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Gunpod71

[Agent-GHQ]

Fortunately, my wife is not into the regular "girly" stuff like purses, shoes and weekly hair appointments.

Sounds like you married to a low maintenance babe?

[MacrossMan]

Sounds like you married to a low maintenance babe?

Yeah, low maintenance in one area, very needy in others. No way around it with women.

[Agent-GHQ]

When you're married, that is part of your daily duty as a hubby. I have never been married before, but I sure love bachelor's life. Which gives me more cash-flow at the end of the month.

Happy 35th you old fart you! Haha.... me kidding brah.