I'm a hobby squirrel and it's costing me money. UPDATED p2 - thoughts.

[zemjw]

I'm fairly focussed on three areas, the problem is they're rather broad in scope - Fantasy, Post Apoc and Science Fiction

I'm getting better at putting off figure purchases (unless there's a reason I have to buy them immediately), but my big weakness is picking up toy vehicles or pieces that look like they could be useful for scenery.

These generally go straight into the loft, to be worked on "later". I have noticed a slight bowing in my bedroom ceiling recently, but it's probably nothing to worry about

[grant]

Decided to have a massive clearout. Liquidate! Liquidate!

[robh]

Ah, well. I can't seem to break the cycle. Maybe this time...

 
Love your optimism Chris

As most of my crazy impulse buys are in the "Fantasy" genre have declared a "No fantasy purchases" promise this year.
3 weeks in and I already regret it......

[grant]

Well, day one. $360 ish in my dollars, not bad.

I was highly divided on selling the SCW, and so far no serious contenders

[beefcake]

This is me also. I just sold a bunch of stuff off and made about $300 from it. Mainly because I wanted to buy talisman even though I have the game on the computer.

I vowed to not buy anything this year... Yep that worked, by the way, thanks Overrevdsquat for that nightbringer I bought from you. So instead I think I'll just try to break even with what I sell. But now I want to spend more money on some CPmodels to create a small brownie army for dragon rampant (and by small I mean the size of the minis, not the quantity). Unfortunately whenever I start to buy something I keep thinking, "but I need that too so why waste money on two lots of shipping".

[manic _miner]

 It is way harder to stop buying new stuff than people think.Got a few more items at the weekend which were on sale.

 Still need to get shot of lots of miniatures.Been listing them on the Oldhammer forums and such.Should really start to post on here too.Got a lot of Rackham Confrontation to clear-out including the Hybrid game and the Nemesis expansion.Never did get around to playing them either.Like so many other games i have bought.

 Also pledged to the Age of Tyrants KS.Love the Universe setting and Junkers are just a really neat faction.

[bobrunnicles]

I just posted a lengthy update to my blog regarding my 'Gamer-ADD' here:

http://www.bobrunnicles.blogspot.com/2016/01/gaming-adhd-serious-issue-for-me.html?m=1

It has gotten really bad over the last year or so - I just can't maintain interest in any project for more than a couple of weeks. I've had to inform the guys at my club not to get involved in any project where I'm the only other participant because chances are it simply won't last. I've been gaming almost 40 years and I don't think it's ever been this bad 

[jon_1066]

There is only one answer to squirreling and ADD - play some games.  Get to a club, agree with some people what you are going to play, work on it, play the games even if the figures aren't finished and the scenery is borrowed.  Don't start a new project without a clear idea of when and who you are going to play it with.

Anything that isn't going to hit the table in the next twelve months pack into some boxes and store out of sight.  Don't waste time and energy trying to flog it unless you desperately need the cash.

Don't buy figures because you might want them later or they are a good deal.  If you really need them later you will be able to track them down.  The money you saved on all the figures you never end up using will more than offset any increase in the cost of the ones that become collectible and you must have.  Don't even look at any kickstarters.

Other things to consider:
Having a few projects on the go is good as you can swap between them as when interest waxes and wains
Don't have too many! That will dilute you too much.
Try and have the different projects in different periods and different "quantity".  Perhaps one a Skirmish game like Frostrgrave, one a mass battle game like Bolt Action and the third in between like Saga.  Frostgrave or similar only needs you to paint up about 10 figures - but you can always add to this with different warbands and scenery.
If they are in the same scale then some of the scenery could be shared.  eg a crater in WWII is pretty much like a crater in the Chaos Wastes or one on the Moon of Azoth; jungle plants work for multiple settings from Lustria to some death world or colonial adventure; snowy trees fit in Frostgrave, Ardennes '44 or beyond the Wall in Westeros.

[obsidian3d]

That's sort of what I'm working at jon. So far it's been working, even though we're only four weeks into the year.

[bobrunnicles]

Easier said that done, Jon, easier said than done . I am actually envious of people that can clear their minds enough to stay on a limited number of projects at once; every time I try to do it myself SQUIRREL!! and there comes something else to draw my attention.

[zemjw]

What I've been trying to do of late is to jot down some notes when the squirrel appears, rather than chase headfirst after it.

This tends to make me focus on what's shiny about it, rather than it just sitting there, siren calling me. The act of getting it out of my head quite often shows it to have been a really bad idea in the first place. For the good ones I have some notes to refer to when I'm actually looking for a new project.

[grant]

Lots of good ideas here. Appears there is an infestation of squirrels in the forum! 


I think some of the key points are:

1. Avoid Kickstarters like the plague. They either fail, fail to deliver completely, or give you so much stuff they are overwhelming. And they are a simple (too simple) one-click purchase

2. Narrow focus with scale, and inherently with terrain and table. This should help contain things overall.

3. Stop buying until the project you have started is finished. Seems simple!

[grant]

As an update I ended up selling off almost everything I had up.

One thing I looked at immensely in this project is what a complete waste of money Osprey books, and books in general are. I'm not buying any more. Pay 20-30, get a couple of dollars back. 90% or worse recoup. Wow, that's just awful. Definitely Ospreys should never ever be bought new. Why? Just terrible resale.

The Spanish Civil War block I pulled back. I really want to do a black & white/greyscale project with it, and it wasn't even getting bites at ridiculous low prices. So that's a keep.

My Cave Troll/Golden Demon, well, it had a bite but no taker. Back into the cabinet. It mens nothing to me any more - and is incidentally the very last Games Workshop mini I own.

My West End Games Star Wars minis didn't sell even at $10, so I binned them. Yep, threw them in the recycle bin. They will take up no more space. Done.

I had a mix of 10mm Naps, again into the recycle bin. Gone.

I kept the Barbarossa FOW book. Army lists can't hurt.

And everything else sold! Total take was about $500 give or take. Not bad really.

Now the trick: DON'T PISS IT AWAY ON MORE MINIS until my current projects are done.
What I have on the go:

GHQ 6mm Stalingrad Grain Elevator table. I am pretty much copying by scratch building the TimeCast one. I would love to then expand into 3-4 more key areas of the battle. The Central Station, the Tractor Works, and probably an outskirts table or the Kurgan. Every table custom made and will hang on my walls like art? when not in use. That's the goal. Every building scratch built - although if I can make some decently I might cast up some of the multiples needed for my own sanity.

AB Napoleonics for Leipzig southwest corner of the battle - Austro-Hungarians vs obviously French. Again, I want to make a custom table for this.

SCW greyscale project. A challenge to be sure, but should look cool. This will be a flexible terrain table to make it useable in multiple ways.

Car Wars using 1930s-1940s GHQ N scale cars. I have about 8 or so, and the parts to convert them to be bad-ass old school hot rod death machines. There's some cool rides in here. I picked up the Car Wars re-release bought about a year (?) ago with this in mind. Small project, great potential for fun.

Some WW1 naval. I have a bunch of GHQ 1:2400 ships to paint up. SHouldn't be a huge project.

That's what I have left. Not bad.

Incidentally, I did something funnish: I reconciled my spending with my intake (including commissions that I did) over the period January 2015 to January 2016. One whole year.

Spent: $1776
Income: $5004

NET "profit": $3228

Of course, this doesn't take into account what original items sold cost me, but if I enjoyed them for any period of time, and then sold them, well, that's not bad.

[von Lucky]

Nice one.

I would've kept the binned miniatures in a 'bits box' to cannibalise when needed (as opposed to keeping them in a 'unprimed/painted miniatures box'), but your actions have obviously been positive.

Keep that focus outlined above. When you get the hobby squirrel moment, switch between those projects. This technique has worked for me (YMMV and all that) over the last 3-4 years. Also helps that I live in an apartment with no garage/shed to hide even more nuts from Misses Squirrel. So I have to eat a nut (paint) before I can gather a new one.

[grant]

Nice one.

I would've kept the binned miniatures in a 'bits box' to cannibalise when needed (as opposed to keeping them in a 'unprimed/painted miniatures box'), but your actions have obviously been positive.

Keep that focus outlined above. When you get the hobby squirrel moment, switch between those projects. This technique has worked for me (YMMV and all that) over the last 3-4 years. Also helps that I live in an apartment with no garage/shed to hide even more nuts from Misses Squirrel. So I have to eat a nut (paint) before I can gather a new one.

That was a tough one - I've tried selling them a couple of times, and it was time to just get rid of them. Gone!

I'm done to a highly manageable and enjoyable level now.