Top two discretionary income outlets

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 07:04 AM

One thing I have always thought of doing at various times in my life was recording every penny we have spent for a year. I have never come close to actually accomplishing this (did a month once but to be fair it was not every penny).

So I am curious as to where everyone spends their discretionary funds. Given the global economic climate I would agree that discretionary funds may be limited, but I would argue everyone on this forum has some discretionary funds available, however little that may be but I may be wrong. Personally even when we were in a position of taking two steps forward and 3 back financially some funds were allocated to discretionary activities just to maintain sanity.

I would say of the 5categories above my top two over the last 5-8 years are Travel and the last 3 years camera gear.

I left a generic category if you vote for that expands on it. Not knowing the results or even if anyone will vote I would bet my top two are the most popular just given the nature of this forum.

*blackcloudbrew* · 10-06-2009, 08:05 AM

Dave, the idea of taking a poll of members of a user forum devoted to a single brand of camera on what they spend discretionary income on is a bold move! But you have to ask yourself, why would we be here on this forum if we didn't spend all of our discretionary income on photography? I would be shocked if this poll didn't come out strongly in favor of camera gear. I mean consider your questions. Other hobbies - leads to making spare money to spend on - camera gear. Entertainment - used to provide a backdrop to use...our camera gear or talk about how we use our camera gear. Travel - used to get to places to use our camera gear. So all but the Other Stuff are things related to camera gear! Any one who votes for other stuff is obviously being watched by their significant other who most likely does the bills and hasn't found the way to hide the discretionary income you spend on camera gear.

So...vote away.

Tim :-)

*graphicgr8s* · 10-06-2009, 08:24 AM

I had to go with camera gear as #1 and other as #2. You could have used model trains and tropical fish as your examples though. Discrimination I say!

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by blackcloudbrew

Dave, the idea of taking a poll of members of a user forum devoted to a single brand of camera on what they spend discretionary income on is a bold move! But you have to ask yourself, why would we be here on this forum if we didn't spend all of our discretionary income on photography? I would be shocked if this poll didn't come out strongly in favor of camera gear. I mean consider your questions. Other hobbies - leads to making spare money to spend on - camera gear. Entertainment - used to provide a backdrop to use...our camera gear or talk about how we use our camera gear. Travel - used to get to places to use our camera gear. So all but the Other Stuff are things related to camera gear! Any one who votes for other stuff is obviously being watched by their significant other who most likely does the bills and hasn't found the way to hide the discretionary income you spend on camera gear.

So...vote away.

Tim :-)

I thought about that Tim yes it could all relate to camera gear (I bought a new porsche so I could photograph it might be streching it ha ha) - but there are a lot of members here that use the tools they already have - me I am a self admitted gear whore and while settling down now as the honeymoon phase of my entry into the DSLR world has come to end.

I hope I am now trying to be a better photographer and not just buy better / more equipment

that phase is over to buy just because now I try and justify my purchases more on photographic needs as opposed to wants - albeit admittedly I lose this argument from time to time

And really I do it as a hobby so how can a truly have a 'need' ?

Personally what I spend on Camera gear on a yearly basis now (perhaps the first year it was right up there) is not all that much

Now one of the reasons I like the Travel so much is to take photographs of various places so one could argue that is feeding my photographic hobby , other than the recent Utah trip , photography has never been the main reason , but certainly a bonus side effect

I spend way more on Travel than camera gear - it's not even close now ....

This is where I am comming from - to see if the majority spend their money on gear all the time

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by graphicgr8s

I had to go with camera gear as #1 and other as #2. You could have used madel trains and tropical fish as your examples though. Discrimination I say!

Yeah I would have put model trains under other hobbies but fish is an other for sure. Over the years our (at least mine) change - I am new to this DSLR world before that I would have said electronics (computers heck my first computer cost would almost cover all my current camera gear haha TV, mp3 players, DVD, Video gear , etc....)

*blackcloudbrew* · 10-06-2009, 08:51 AM

Pardon my Tuesday morning sarcasm...I'm a 'gadget geek' as my daughter calls me and currently photography is my current passion (actually a rekindled passion). I would agree with just about all of your last post and am just about in that exact same spot at the moment. For me, over the past 2 years, I have spent a lot on my DSLR equipment as I've build up a good working system. With the exception of occasional bouts with LBA, I'm moving toward a settled down yearly procurment cycle (2010 - year of my k-7!).

Tim

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by blackcloudbrew

Pardon my Tuesday morning sarcasm...I'm a 'gadget geek' as my daughter calls me and currently photography is my current passion (actually a rekindled passion). I would agree with just about all of your last post and am just about in that exact same spot at the moment. For me, over the past 2 years, I have spent a lot on my DSLR equipment as I've build up a good working system. With the exception of occasional bouts with LBA, I'm moving toward a settled down yearly procurment cycle (2010 - year of my k-7!).

Tim

Ahhh cut from the same cloth methinks

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 09:02 AM

Part of it for me is not keeping detailed records. Sure it's easy to remember I bought a $1200 K20D last year but how many times did we go out to eat and or order something in ? Would the yearly total exceed $1200 ? that's about $100/mo .... thus the reference in my initial post I would like at some point to track every penny over a time frame (6 months to a year) it would be interesting, but I doubt I will every do it ....

It does surpise me really that the early results are 3-1 for camera gear ....

*reeftool* · 10-06-2009, 09:06 AM

I listed camera gear and other stuff as I'm a skier and I didn't see that listed. Skiing has become incredibly expensive in the last few years and I don't get on the mountain as often. I used to buy season passes but the last couple of years I didn't have the money at the time to take advantage of the cheaper passes and after June they usually go up to an unaffordable level. I take advantage of promotions and coupons etc to ski on the cheap. For all those whining about lens prices....the cost of taking a family of 4 skiing for a weekend, and this is just lift tickets, not meals and motels, will cost more than most DA* lenses. Figure $70 a day for adults and $50 for junior/students. If it's a long weekend on a holiday like Presidents Day throw in a new K7 body.

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by reeftool

I listed camera gear and other stuff as I'm a skier and I didn't see that listed. Skiing has become incredibly expensive in the last few years and I don't get on the mountain as often. I used to buy season passes but the last couple of years I didn't have the money at the time to take advantage of the cheaper passes and after June they usually go up to an unaffordable level. I take advantage of promotions and coupons etc to ski on the cheap. For all those whining about lens prices....the cost of taking a family of 4 skiing for a weekend, and this is just lift tickets, not meals and motels, will cost more than most DA* lenses. Figure $70 a day for adults and $50 for junior/students. If it's a long weekend on a holiday like Presidents Day throw in a new K7 body.

Exactly I hear you thus our Travel expenses - family of 4 - heck what we spent recently going white water rafting for a 3 day getaway and that was driving there and back ...would have ...well you know ....haha

*graphicgr8s* · 10-06-2009, 11:07 AM

Much as I like to spend for my foreseeable future it will be on diapers and Similac.

Not Cameras and lenses. Though I do lust for the K7. Heck I'd even give up, well you know, for about 30 minutes if it would get me one.

*deadwolfbones* · 10-06-2009, 11:09 AM

1. Camera gear.
2. Books.

Restaurants would probably be #2, but I dunno if that counts.

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by graphicgr8s

Much as I like to spend for my foreseeable future it will be on diapers and Similac. Not Cameras and lenses. Though I do lust for the K7. Heck I'd even give up, well you know, for about 30 minutes if it would get me one.

30 minutes eh damn big of ya and good luck with that

I remember the diaper / forumla days and that was the early / mid 90's I can only imagine what that stuff costs now - best of luck !

*daacon* · 10-06-2009, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by deadwolfbones

1. Camera gear.
2. Books.

Restaurants would probably be #2, but I dunno if that counts.

I can see I did not express my catagories very well - more thought should have gone into it - I would count resturants as entertainment - should have had a catagory called meals or something .....

*graphicgr8s* · 10-06-2009, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by daacon

30 minutes eh damn big of ya and good luck with that I remember the diaper / forumla days and that was the early / mid 90's I can only imagine what that stuff costs now - best of luck !

Well I just remember the last time I gave up smokes, beer and women. That was the worst 30 seconds of my life.

Remember when it was Wine Women and Song? Now just beer tv and the old lady. I will now stop hijacking your thread