As the move to digital comics continues, and more cool pieces of ephemera arrive in shops and online stores, the amount of money we spend on our favorite past times seems to grow and grow. Or does it? Every so often we do a spot check to see what we are spending our money on, and how much of it is going to entertainment (comics, movies, toys, games, etc.)
Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...
13 Comments
I make a monthly trip to the Comic Book Store, pick up my pull list, and browse the racks for anything else that looks interesting.
My wife has long held me to a $50 monthly budget, but if a cool new hardcover is being released I’ll usually splurge but never more than $75 in a month. So weekly, I guess that would be the 0-20 range.
I lead a busy life. I have limited time for entertainment, so it comes down to an occasional comic, a rare movie, s little spending on games. Although I foresee some heavy spending on D&D books later this year!
Im just about the 20 mark, but the prizes here on the far side of the world are much higher so its more like one trade.
I picked the lowest one, $0 – $20. I’m on a very limited budget due to my medical bills and medication costs, which are sky high even with insurance, so non-essentials aren’t exactly my top priority. I do occasionally splurge on a nicer item, and some friends give me gifts (such as my friends in Japan that send me neat little toys and collectibles every so often or friends who give me a prepaid card for online games as payment for babysitting), but for the most part I’m unfortunately stuck seeking cheap or free forms of entertainment. This means I don’t get to see movies in theaters except on the rarest of occasions or follow comic series I really enjoy unless they end up in the cheap bins (even TPBs are normally a bit too pricey for me).
Well if you take the whole month and average it out it is probably in the 20-50 range but that is mostly because there is often that big buy(new board game, video game, Hardcover collection or something) and then more like 10 or so a week for comics and little things. But that one other $40-60 bumps it up.
i’m probably revealing this in the wrong environment, but comics, video games, toys and other pieces of nerd culture definitely take a backseat to records or live music on a weekly basis. buying records and CD’s definitely take a bigger chunk out of weekly budget, as opposed to comics, which I usually hold back for a once-a-month (or once every couple months) trade/graphic novel binge. i spend too much money altogether though.
*points and howls like Donald Sutherland*
It is really a rough to keep to a budget with comic books raising prices. I am always aiming for $50/week or less, but I’m normally in the $60/week just for comics. I may start cutting back a lot of one publisher and visit the city’s libraries and start free checkouts of trade paperbacks.
I reckon, between movies and comics, I spend c.€200 per month (c.$270). I get paid monthly, however, so my spending is primarily in the first couple weeks, with a steep drop off as money begins to run out :)
A budget reevaluation looms…
Never really added it up
I go to the movies usually about once a week … £10
probably buy a trade or 2 per month ….£2.50 to £5
buy either a new game or a couple of old ones for the xbox/ PC …. £10
New paperback to read at work ….. £7
Works out at about £30 or about $50 per week, that is just a standard week, every 3 to 4 months I would likely splurge on something a bit more substantial.
They call me el cheapo. I try not to spend anything on entertainment.
I selected $21 – $50 range, but I think it may be a lot higher if I factor in cable/satellite/internet…and of course Major Spoilers. There is also Netflix and Hulu $15.98 per month.
I have reduced spending by not purchasing CD (as ‘old’ people tend to like only “their” music). The same goes for movies; I don’t physically go to the movie theatre and I have reduced my purchasing of bluray/DVD…there only so many versions I can have of the Godfather. (with cable and streaming, the need to buy is reduced).
Comic subscriptions and DCBS monthly purchase far exceeds $50 per month. Thanks for this question…now to get to less than $50 per week.
I used to spend $200+ because everything in Australia is expensive as hell.
Then I built a house.
Now I’m poor.
$0-$20 a week for me.