Geek on the Cheap

Everyone knows that the best way to save money is not to spend it.

But that’s not really a realistic solution, is it? I mean, some of us just absolutely need to get that Android phone, that Xbox 360 game, or the new sourcebook for the latest “flavor of the month” RPG. And then at TRU you saw the new Optimus Prime figure that you simply must have. And the comic shop just got in those 12 graphic novels you ordered a month ago. And of course, on the way back from the mall you decided to stop off at Burger King for some munchies and found out that you could get all of the latest Kid’s Meal premiums for just a few dollars more.

Like many of you, I don’t make a hell of a lot of money. I knew that was going to be the case when I decided to become a teacher. And it seems that as time goes by, I have less “mad money” to fund my geeky buying habits. So I’ve put together an article about what I do personally to save money and still get geeky enjoyment in my life.

Buy Trade Paperbacks

In comics, a trade paperback (often shortened to TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles.

Comics aren’t cheap anymore. When I first starting buying them, they cost .35. Now they cost up to $3.99. In the last 10 years, I’ve had to cut my comic buying from about $50 a week to $2.99 a month (which is The Walking Dead, if you’re wondering). Anything else that I want to read, I buy TPBs. In this way, I pay about $20 instead of double that for the individual issues. Yes, I have to wait (perhaps 6 months or more), but in the end, it pays off for me.

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Avoid “New, Hot” Roleplaying Games

This is not going to win me any friends. But that’s alright.

In summer of 2010, a couple of NEW! HOT! RPGs were released and were media darlings around the internets. Everyone preordered them and JUST HAD TO HAVE THEM NOW LULZ! Now both games sit either unsold on vast clearance in area stores. One… well, because it wasn’t very good – and the other… well, it was too damn expensive for a niche game.

But this isn’t the first time this has happened. Far from it! The gaming consumer has been plagued by overpriced crap that died out faster than a housefly for the last decade.

Come on… you know you did

So how to deal with not wasting all that money? Wait. If you want it, and you can get it on .pdf (for a reasonable price), do so. But as far as print editions go – unless it’s a tried and true system, you’re going to be able to pick it up a year later for peanuts. The aforementioned games would have cost me $30 and $90 respectively new – but now that the hysteria has died down, they can be had for $5 and $20 new and on clearance.

Video Games? Wait a while

There was a time when I would buy new-released games the day they showed up on shelves. How I fondly remember “Mortal Monday” (the September 13, 1993 launch of Mortal Kombat for home consoles).

Okay, now this one I have played

Then one day out of the blue, we got an EB Games at the mall (which magically turned into a GameStop overnight two years ago). I noticed that I could buy games that came out 3 months ago for less than a third of their new cost. Older games for even less. Thus ended my “gotta have it right now OMGOMG” phase of video game buying.

Toys for Big Boys

I used to collect a lot of stuff. There’s undoubtedly a lot of Hasbro executives driving their fifth Ferrari thanks to me. But honestly, it was getting out of hand – and as plastic prices have risen over the years, I just couldn’t see paying $60 for something that would have cost me $25 just 15 years ago.

Everything must go!

So again, I wait. Eventually, all toys get marked down on clearance, especially movie toys (case in point, stuff like the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and The Prince of Persia action figures). Now I can get 5 figures for the price of what 1 cost a year ago or so. Those new, awesome Transformers will eventually have to make way for even more new, awesome Transformers.

And if you’re at the right yard on just the right Saturday, you can really clean house. Yard sales are absolute gold mines for unwanted action figures.

The waiting is the hardest part

The one big problem with all this money saving is that some people simply do not have the patience to wait. When everyone is talking about how great Call of Duty: Black Ops is, I just finished Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I haven’t even started HALO: Reach yet. I don’t have a clue who Deadpool teamed up with in 2009.

As usual, I’m a bit out of the loop. But I still have the same amount of enjoyment when I finally get something, and to me – that’s what is important. Saving money is just the icing on the cake!

As they say, though – patience is a virtue. As Ralph Marston once said, “The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen.”

Other helpful tips

Buy generic – that no-name soap will clean you just the same and the no-name fruit circles taste just like Fruit Loops. Of course, there are some things I refuse to skimp on, like men’s beauty products (that looks so wrong now that I’ve typed it), but you have to treat yourself sometimes.

Thrift stores – every so often I can find a good, quality, name-brand shirt or sweater at a thrift shop. And the money goes to a good cause, like kids in Sudan or somesuch.

Keep track of your spending – although this should speak for itself, a lot of people don’t realize that if you keep good records of your spending, you will find areas where you can cut things out and start saving.

Cheaper transportation – I got rid of my car, even though it damn near killed me to do so. I hate buses and trains, so if I have to go anywhere, I use my scooter. It’s cheap, small, and economical on gas. If you’re of the fitness breed, or have two working knees (which I do not) – ride your bike. That’s practically free.

Plan your meals – This is a lot easier for me than for others, as I don’t like to eat a wide variety of foods. I can shop just once a week and be happy with what I am going to have for the next 7 days.

I’m not trying to start a revolution here – nor do I think that I’m in any way a qualified financial expert. But I hope that I may have given you some food for thought. And you didn’t have to pay anything for it.