Views on money (fish/tank purchases vs other purchases)

michika · #1 12-23-2008, 03:49 PM

I suddenly feel really cheap....

I am starting to have a hard time spending a lot on my tank. I never spend on my tank though until all the bills are paid, and I've put my savings away. Although now its harder to spend the extra money I have. Its like the longer I've been in the hobby the cheaper I get. Last year I picked up the RKE without a thought, and this year, I would definitely think it over for a week or two.

Parker · #2 12-23-2008, 04:27 PM

Spend it... spend it all! You only live once.

That's seems to be my philisophy as of late. I used to be pretty tight with my smaller tanks, but I swore to myself I wasn't cheaping out on the big tank. The only problem is I have more then one expensive hobbie!

Delphinus · #3 12-23-2008, 05:11 PM

Actually I'm sort of with Michika on this. There was a time I wouldn't have batted an eye at some of things you can buy, now I measure every decision carefully. I still make mistake purchases too (the last $200 of SPS for example ... nicely converted into a collection of calcium reactor media now). And some of the costs of things nowadays compared to 5 years ago. Holy crap. There was a time that $800 gave you a high end skimmer to end all skimmer purchases. Not so anymore. With a family now my household net income is the same as what it's been for the last 8 years but now it's stretched out over 2 adults, 2 kids and the cost of everything during this time has not similarly stayed the same. I find the situation just brutal. Maybe if I didn't have kids I'd feel differently but personally I'm finding myself more and more shut out of the hobby as time goes on.

Der_Iron_Chef · #4 12-23-2008, 05:30 PM

I'm a cheap bastard 90% of the time. Then I'll go and spend $2K in one week on camera equipment. Oops!

I can also spend some good money on this hobby, though I ALWAYS think long and hard before I do. What I cannot ever conceive buying is a fish over $200 (Black Tang, Gem Tang, Crosshatch Trigger, etc.), and spending $2K on a Clarion Angelfish is mind-bogglingly insane.

christyf5 · #5 12-23-2008, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Der_Iron_Chef

I'm a cheap bastard 90% of the time. Then I'll go and spend $2K in one week on camera equipment. Oops!

I can also spend some good money on this hobby, though I ALWAYS think long and hard before I do. What I cannot ever conceive buying is a fish over $200 (Black Tang, Gem Tang, Crosshatch Trigger, etc.), and spending $2K on a Clarion Angelfish is mind-bogglingly insane.

But you take some damned fine pictures

Its one thing to spend money in this hobby and know how to use it and its another to have a tank of hair algae

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #6 12-23-2008, 06:46 PM

Yeah, although I still spend a lot on this addiction, I don't buy unless its a good deal & I try to recycle the funds by selling/trading equipment, tanks, frags, etc. With a new baby this year and Irene without Mat. leave since she's considered "self-employed", mortgage & such, paying more bills than ever.

karazy · #7 12-23-2008, 07:51 PM

you are so right.

just a few weeks ago when i was making a big order from J&L i was like "i could buy an ipod touch, or spend that money on a part of my system" ofcourse i bought the fish stuff

i sorta have a plan for getting into fragging once my tanks are up.
You buy high-end beautiful frags and then they multiply so over time they pay for themselves.

e.g. 100$ 3 polyp zoanthus frag. 1 year later, your looking at bout 20 polyps (depending on the zoa). by then prices would have gone down to about 20$ a polyp. take 15 polyps, sell them, thats 300 dollars.minus maintenance and the original investment, you still made atleast 100 bucks.

its deffinatly hard to do on an allowance though

superduperwesman · #8 12-23-2008, 08:14 PM

I haven't spent that much on my tank seeing it's only a 10 gallon and I don't want to go bigger until I have a more permanent place but my problem is that I try to have it all. Most people have their tank, or their cloths, or their car, but I try to have the tank and the nice jeans and the paintings on the wall and the turbo kit and the big tv

PoonTang · #9 12-23-2008, 10:07 PM

I dont have any trouble spending money on my fish. But, dam my wife sure does!

Cameron · #10 12-24-2008, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

With a new baby this year and Irene without Mat. leave since she's considered "self-employed", mortgage & such, paying more bills than ever.

There is a loop hole around this, which I have prepared for. My wife is self employed, and when we decide to have kids she will receive EI.

Trick to this is to own a company in your name, her contractors pay my company and I am the only shareholder. I pay her a salary, deduct taxes, EI premiums. This must be done for at least 6 months for her to go on EI leave.

Tada!