Pimpcron: Hobby, Money, & You
Pimpcron has had enough of this with you people.
It’s everyone’s favorite singer/writer/actor/saucy puppeteer/archeologist Pimpcron! [waits for cheers to stop so I can continue]
[continues waiting for cheers to stop] Thank you. No, thank you so much.
[you all are losing your mind right now] Alright now. Simmer down now.
How have you all been? Nevermind, I don’t care this week. Ya’ll are pissing me off.
A Disturbing Trend
What’s with all of these young people with weird haircuts, am I right? These kids nowadays. You know what else is a disturbing trend? People on Facebook and in my personal life are spending ungodly amounts of money on Warhammer. And yes, buying Chaos models still counts as an ungodly amount. Yes, it is still meant in a bad way. I used to know a guy that was a grown adult in his thirties, and would literally cash his pay check and hand it to our local store. This is not a joke. This dude still lived with his parents, and only owned an old car to his name. I get it, living with your parents isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Just picked this stuff up during my lunch break. Nobody starts an army with less than 1,500 points.
I get it that maybe he was following his bliss and that is what made him happy so it’s a “you do you, Boo” situation. Whatever. But I don’t care who you are, it is financially unsustainable and irresponsible to be cashing your check each week at the local store. I know a couple other guys that don’t have a single thing to their name and leave the store with stacks of merchandise. One of them spends no less than $100 a week at the store and for all intents and purposes has a low-level retail job. That’s gotta be at least 25% of his take home each week! GOOD GOD MAN! Put something in the savings! Start a retirement plan! Save up for a house! Literally do anything that is productive and not just for a game.
A Difference of Opinion
I am 100% certain I will get some people saying that I shouldn’t be judging these people, but my irritation is literally out of concern for them. I’m not trying to brow beat anyone over how much they spend because it is ultimately their decision, but I see this as a societal issue and I fear for the future. I mean, we all go a little over board once in a while when there’s a new release or whatever. I’m discussing purchasing that shows at least some restraint. On the other hand, the people who will comment in defense of this reckless financial behavior are also probably the people who do it.
No big deal, just starting a new army. Don’t judge me.
As humans we all feel like we’ll never die and that nothing bad will happen to us in the future. Hopefully you are somehow correct and everyone lives forever and somehow no bad things ever happen again in your life. But the reality of it is, you will fall on hard times at some point and having some savings to fall back on is crucial. I know we all have welfare programs to help people in a time of need. But anyone who benefits from those services can tell you that they hardly cover your costs. If you search around for savings related articles based off research, about 1 in 5 people have exactly ZERO DOLLARS in the bank regardless of debt. And 1 in 3 that are saving are not saving enough for retirement.
Look, It’s Not All Bad
To have any sort of retirement nest egg, here are a few key factors you need to know from the experts. Most of them claim that by 35 years old you need about one year’s salary saved up for retirement. By 40 you will want two years’ salary saved. By 50 you will need SIX times your salary saved. This all sounds very daunting if you haven’t done anything towards saving, but ignoring it further will not help.
Perfectly acceptable buying habits.
Here’s some things you can do, no matter what your income level:
- Make a monthly budget and set aside as much money as possible for savings. Many people claim that 20% is a good number for savings. If you can’t manage that, then certainly any number is better than nothing.
- In your monthly budget, set a side a reasonable amount for your hobby. In most cases, $100 a week is absolutely ridiculous. Let’s try something more like $100 a month if you have a decent job.
- Download an app and manage your money digitally so that you see exactly where your money is going. Buying a couple paint pots each week STILL ADDS UP! That and my preferred vice, coffee.
- There are even apps that round all of you purchases up for you automatically and save the extra money.
This is only 2 of my take home paychecks, only God can judge me.
If you are reading this, listen to me for a just a second because I guess your parents never told you this. It’s fine to spend money that you’ve earned on things you enjoy. But splurging tons of money each week on toys for a game is not a good theme for your future. I hate to be all serious, but this is super serious for your future. Even if you are reading this and thinking you have everything in order financially, you probably could still do more to secure your later years. After all of this research, I realize that I also need to step up my game in any way I can.
How much a week do spend on this hobby?
Hey! This article is brought to you by my top-tier Patreon supporter Mike Cowley!
Thanks Michael, smooches!
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Pimpcron’s Warhammer Convention
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