Regrets....

akuracy503 · April 2, 2010 9:37AM

After getting back into the hobby as an adult I ponder that collecting cards is no longer just a hobby.

A hobby does not consist of spending hours upon hours on the computer researching the next purchase.
A hobby shouldnt cost so much.
This hobby is taking away my interest in other activities.

Maybe it's just a seasonal thing for me when baseball season rolls around but I take a step back and wonder if I'm just truly being an idiot, my wife thinks I'm a nerd, my kids play with cards not regular toys...what to think.

Maybe it's not THAT bad but it's something to think about.

Do you ever Regret having so much time and $ in your collection?

yankeeno7 · April 2, 2010 9:40AM

Regrets to both time and money. Yep. Ive gotten much better with it though.

RonBurgundy · April 2, 2010 9:46AM

Yes.

billwaltonsbeard · April 2, 2010 9:52AM

I've had a few....but then again, too few to mention.

itzagoner · April 2, 2010 9:52AM

aconte · April 2, 2010 9:57AM

Regrets.....

I've had a few.

But then again, too few to mention.

Yes there were times I overspent. When I bit off more than I can chew.

But through it all, when there was doubt.

I bought more cards and gave a shout!

I faced it all and I stood tall.....

For I did it MY WAY!!

aconte

digicat · April 2, 2010 10:09AM

No regrets at all. I enjoy my hobby. I enjoy hours of research to study the cards I'm looking for, to figure out which cards to get, the history behind the cards, etc.

Then again, I enjoy spending hours pouring over stats, reading old box scores, etc. I have spreadsheets full of numbers and check boxes that I sometimes enjoy playing with more than the cards themselves.

Also, my hobby is totally within my means. I don't buy that which I can't afford. If fire or thieves came and took the whole collection, I'd be upset, but not ruined or put in a position of extreme financial hardship.

divecchia · April 2, 2010 10:17AM

No Regrets on my end.

For me the time and money spent vs. the countless hours of enjoyment I get from this hobby is definitely worth it.

Donato...

Kneel · April 2, 2010 10:18AM

I think it all depends on if you are single with no kids or have a family, and in your case and mine, its probably not a good idea to spend hours on the computer and so much money on cards, because i'm pretty sure that we all know by now that this is an addiction and the whole hobby part was probably in the begining, but now its just too much for me too!

I wouldn't totally stop collecting, because its a great pass time, but as long as we set a limit we should be ok. In the past I have spent way too much time on cards and everything card related online, but now I try to spend more time with the wife and kids. Now, if I were single, I would be on the computer 100% of my spare time doing nothing but card related stuff, but i'm not and I must slow it down.

They should set up some kind of hotline where we can call in for help!

Good luck to you and hope everything works out for the better...

72skywalker · April 2, 2010 10:25AM

No regrets here. I play on the computer sometimes but also make sure i see my kids and wife. As for money, I take out $100 per month to save for the big cards (Mantle, Ruth, Gehrig...) plus whatever I win playing poker with my friends and usually takes a year to save up for a big card. The last one was a psa 3 1934 Gehrig. She doesn't mind. I then take s afew dollars to go to shows (maybe $50). One of my friends owns a card store so once in a while I will wach the store for him on a saturday if he has somewhere to go and he pays me in cards. I like it because I can sit around cards all day and know that at the end of the day i have about $50 or so to play with at the store from working.

123Slider · April 2, 2010 10:50AM

<< <i>

>>

I think that post caused me great egret.

1989FleerBillRipkencollector · April 2, 2010 10:53AM

Regrets-

Money- No. I can always make more. I only regret it when my wife complains about bills and I have a $100 card come the next day. Although pretty much all of my hobby $ comes from flipping and not my families money. And my $10 or so a week I scrounge from the family. I think I got more allowance when I was a kid !

Time- Since I have kids, yes. Definately. But I'm improving on how much time I spend and when I use the internet. I just dont sleep anymore. j/k

akuracy503 · April 2, 2010 11:47AM

Thanks for the honest replies guys.

Even if a person were able to comfortably afford to splurge is it the right thing to do?
With a family and kids #1, with the state of today's world economy, hungry homeless children struck by natural disasters.

I guess I'm turning to the folks on this board to tell me it's ok to be a bit selfish and spend $ on cardboard as long as it doesnt negatively affect my family.
A part of me feels guilty, a part of me needs to treat some purchases as an investment not a silly waste of money, is it still a hobby?

It's an addictive need to achieve a collection that I don't know where it will stop at.

My analytical nature questions my labeling this activity as a "hobby".

Time to take the family out this evening and take a breather

Kneel · April 2, 2010 11:51AM

Have fun man, take the family out and just have a good time, theres nothing else like it!

elsnorto · April 2, 2010 5:11PM

Sometimes I do feel like I spend all my free time on this hobby and it became work somewhere along the way.

When that happens, I just take a break until I miss it again. For me it usually takes less than a week.

This need not be an all or nothing choice obviously... set a budget and carve out one afternoon/night a week to indulge your inner geek.

You have to make time for yourself and your own "selfish" interests to be a happy husband/father... just not to the point where it becomes a detriment to being a good husband/father.

Snorto~

digicat · April 2, 2010 5:35PM

<< <i>Even if a person were able to comfortably afford to splurge is it the right thing to do? >>

If you feel bad about splurging, why not give a percentage of your spending money to charity each month?

csmtampa · April 2, 2010 6:24PM

Your thinking way to much into it brotha.

edmundfitzgerald · April 2, 2010 8:43PM

<< <i>Thanks for the honest replies guys.

Even if a person were able to comfortably afford to splurge is it the right thing to do?
With a family and kids #1, with the state of today's world economy, hungry homeless children struck by natural disasters.

I guess I'm turning to the folks on this board to tell me it's ok to be a bit selfish and spend $ on cardboard as long as it doesnt negatively affect my family.
A part of me feels guilty, a part of me needs to treat some purchases as an investment not a silly waste of money, is it still a hobby?

It's an addictive need to achieve a collection that I don't know where it will stop at.

My analytical nature questions my labeling this activity as a "hobby".

Time to take the family out this evening and take a breather

>>

I think cards are a safe investment, and if you have the money and it's not hurting your family, then enjoy it.
I think it's wrong to give more time to the hobby then the family. That is just selfish, and teaches your children that
their own personal interests are more important then anything in the world. Our children learn by our actions.

Regrets....

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