Coping with the tough times - TMNT collecting downturn

[dragonside]

Hey Guys,

Now, some of you know me as the one of the canadian tmnt, and of course the news the Canada hasn't been the most positive.

People worry about their jobs, stability and etc. and of course, needs of your family and well being are more important than your collection.

So I just want to start a thread for people to post their stories about their collecting down turns. What did you guys do? what did you sacrifice? or maybe it just lost steam? I wanna know.

Today, I cancelled the threezero michael bay turtles, because, the CAD to USD is so terrible. I feel better, because I know that i got rid of this big FX Risk. Too bad, they don't look that hideous.

Cheers and hope to hear about how people have coped.

J.

[sdp]

I feel when you realize you don't have the money/space for stuff you get to be more selective which is good since you start buying things you really love instead of the completist mentality all collectors have and you realize you don't need so much stuff and you enjoy more the things you have. Well at least for me. It's definitely tough to sell figures when you get so little from them but they have much more meaning to you and you realize that for the price you're selling it for you would buy it in a heartbeat haha .

The strong dollar has also affected me in many purchases and well if I really like something I get it, it's still cheaper than sometimes getting stuff in the aftermarket but I think twice before getting stuff.

[Candy Kappa]

the economy is down the shitter here as well, our currency is so bad the USD is twice as high compared to what it used to be. My partner lost her job, which was like two thirds of our shared income.

So anything toy related goes to my MOTUC subscription. But, fortunately there haven't been much TMNT figures that have interested me. I've lost most of my interest in the Nick line, I don't collect 1/6 scale figures.

I did end up not buying the First Gokin NT-01 Cerebral, something I greatly regret. But I just didn't have the money for it. I'm already spent as I've been using the same daily contact lens pair for Weeks at a time so I don't have to buy new lenses until February, maybe if I can make the last two pairs last longer I can go until March.

[ProactiveMan]

I've turned the tap way down. I haven't bought any MOTUC's in months - the exchange rate has gotten to the point that a basic figure with shipping is over $50 AUD. I bought a few Masterpiece Transformers over the past couple of years, but I can't afford them now either. I would love to get MP-10 Convoy, but it's almost $400. Same story with the Mondo Turtles - I'd love to have them, but they cost too much.

Now I'm not exactly going through 'tough times', it's just that things are a lot more expensive than they were a couple of years ago; but if I were to lose my job, and get a worse one, I'd stop collecting all together.

[Leo656]

When money got tight in 2008 my wife and I made a simple choice: Stop wasting money on plastic junk, because you can't eat it and food takes priority. Stopped collecting comics, figures, statues, all of it. I might pick up like a dozen back issues a year, or one or two figures, and that's it. It's in no way justifiable, when every cent we earn goes back into the gas tank or for car insurance or just basic necessities.

At some point, you have to ask yourself: "Is this plastic dust collector sitting on my shelf going to bring me more happiness than food, shelter, and basic security that comes with having my bills paid?" You'd think the choice would be easy for everyone, but apparently many people struggle to prioritize. It's bad enough I have to pay $50 a month to keep the junk I already have in storage, I can't very well go accumulating MORE.

Thankfully, at least from my perspective, absolutely none of the TMNT stuff from the new cartoon or movie even makes me want to buy it. It's more DC stuff that I really wish I could get but can't.

[plastroncafe]

It's less economic downturn that's making me reconsider the population of my collection, but the lack of room to display everything. It's one thing if I can put stuff out on display, and another when they live in boxes in a closet.