Times are tough, and it looks like they might be getting worse. Everyone knows it. These days it's like talking about the weather, but like the weather, it becomes even more important when it directly affects you. When they do affect you directly, you have to start making sacrifices, and of course gaming purchases are most likely to be toward the bottom of your list of priorities.
My wife and I both work for the same university as staff. Recently, the university has implemented furloughs, which affects both of our incomes. We've also had to deal with:
- having just purchased a home,
- paying for some immediate projects for the house (e.g. - added insulation),
- recovering from moving costs from Florida to Georgia in 2008,
- recovering from moving costs fromour rental to the new home,
- recovering medical costs from the birth of our 1-year-old daughter,
- paying out-of-pocket for immunizations (insurance doesn't cover wellness visits; she can catch and spread a disease and they'll cover that, but they won't help to prevent it),
- paying for a babysitter for 3 days a week,
- and putting money aside in case one or both of us does lose our jobs.
Yeah, things can get pretty tight these days. On the plus side, we still have our jobs and are able to stay afloat. We've had to make a few sacrifices and cutbacks in our monthly expenses just to keep some breathing room.
In the mean time, I sit in front of a computer, periodically checking Twitter, Facebook, and the RPG blogosphere, and I see all these bits about GenCon, new products, and the upcoming DragonCon. I've at least promised myself I'd go to DragonCon. I've had to ditch it almost every year, last year with good reason as my daughter had been born the week before. This year, I'm going. Edward James Olmos is going to be there, and he's a personal hero of mine (being Latino and all).
Still, I sometimes switch perspective. I'm only going to DragonCon on Saturday, and that's costing me $50. Then there's all the great products and events that will probably be there. It's inevitable that I'm going to spend money there. Let's say I'm really conservative and limit myself to $20. It doesn't sound like much, but I can't help but translate that into units of other necessities such as diapers or babysitting hours.
DragonCon aside, I've had my eye on a few new products for Savage Worlds as of late. First there's the Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion. This could help me greatly with my Savage Eberron project. Then there's Day after Ragnarok. This setting just looks very cool. I've also been wanting to get in on Hellfrost. The Player's Guide was relatively expensive enough, but to buy three more books is asking a lot. (It's funny seeing myself writing this considering I used to buy at least one D&D v3.5 book a month.) Despite my strong interest in these products, I have to tighten the purse strings a bit. Gone are the days of impulsively purchasing new RPG products, books, DVDs, or any other forms of media entertainment.
It's interesting to see this happening. I recall when I was younger how I couldn't wait until I worked full time because I would have so much income that I could buy whatever I wanted. I understand now why they say teenagers and college students have more disposable income. It's not about how much money you make as it is about how much money you can spend on nonessentials.
In any case, I hope this post doesn't come across as a sob story. I know there are others who might be in worse situations than what my wife and I are in, and so we consider ourselves still relatively fortunate. I was more interested in sharing my own situation in an effort to garner feedback about others' situations and cutbacks in these times.
So how have you and your gaming hobby been affected by the economic situation? Feel free to post anonymously if desired.
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