Plooky Night Live (and the Not RK for TIP Thread Players) with your host F. Myles Ron

[R0cketFr0g]

I think I'm lucky enough to not be totally wrapped up in the collector mentality. I usually only get something because I want to read it right then. And my buying goes in fits and starts. Having the family and mortgage and cars and cats and soon hopefully a dog larger than most humans, I always have a little man (Kenny Baker?) in my head making me feel bad about buying stuff.

That said, there's definitely things I buy that I put aside and hope to get to. I hope to get to American Barbarian this weekend!

[Drkemerld73]

I don't read comics.

It's Ok. You're saving money. I was out of reading for a few years until I got pulled back in.

[Cactusakic]

Exactly, well said! Right now my priorities aren't driving a car, going on trips, or gourmet meals, or spending $80 at a bar. I'm into chilling at home and spending money on stuff I have to show for. It's just a different attitude and one that comes and goes. In years past, we've saved up for a house or a laptop or whatever, and that changes things! Right now my needs and wants are basically a couple DVDs, a couple hardcover collections and a few piles of $3 back issues a month. It's cheaper than smoking or drinking in public. At some point I won't be able to stand taking the bus anymore and then I'll have a car payment, insurance and gas to buy. But not today!

Yeah, once again, it sounds like you and Jess live a very similar way to myself and Helen.
We don't go out that often either, plus neither of us drives.
The savings we make right there contribute hugely to the other stuff we are able to afford.

[Drkemerld73]

I think I'm lucky enough to not be totally wrapped up in the collector mentality. I usually only get something because I want to read it right then. And my buying goes in fits and starts. Having the family and mortgage and cars and cats and soon hopefully a dog larger than most humans, I always have a little man (Kenny Baker?) in my head making me feel bad about buying stuff.

That said, there's definitely things I buy that I put aside and hope to get to. I hope to get to American Barbarian this weekend!

My collector mentality often fights against my current, "just enjoy what you're reading and forget the rest of the nonsense out there" frame of mind these days. I'm doing well for the most part.

[Artie Pink]

That's one of the things, that took a while to sink in. When I was running around between school and 2 jobs, it didn't dawn on me how much one can actually spend eating out. And just by doing a little bit of shopping and cooking at home, you can save a lot of money by making a meal that can last to 2-4 more meals. That's helped a great deal, and I wish I learned that lesson much earlier on than I did.

The cost of driving does add up, so you're fortunate there. Do you hit public transportation to get around?

Yep! It's great to go out sometimes, but I found myself doing it all the time and mostly out of habit. I can eat for two weeks on the amount we'd spend on one restaurant trip! I mean, sometimes it's important to get out and do that kind of thing, but it's more of a big deal for us when we do.

And yeah, we just bus. We go out of our way to not mooch rides, too.

[Drkemerld73]

Yep! It's great to go out sometimes, but I found myself doing it all the time and mostly out of habit. I can eat for two weeks on the amount we'd spend on one restaurant trip! I mean, sometimes it's important to get out and do that kind of thing, but it's more of a big deal for us when we do.

And yeah, we just bus. We go out of our way to not mooch rides, too.

I'd love it if I could just bike to work, or do something similar. Jacksonville, with how it's spread out, isn't very practical in terms of public transportation depending on where one lives.

I don't usually go out much either, so I end up saving some money there too. And I agree, it is nice to get out every now and again. It's a nice treat to myself when I do.

[Artie Pink]

Yeah, once again, it sounds like you and Jess live a very similar way to myself and Helen.
We don't go out that often either, plus neither of us drives.
The savings we make right there contribute hugely to the other stuff we are able to afford.

Right on. Right about the time I turned 30, I realized I kinda had my apartment real sweet and I enjoyed being there. I didn't have to go out just because, you know? I learned to enjoy my home and my own company. It's still fun to do, but like anything else - if you're doing it out of habit it's probably not that great.

Plus, nowadays I have pets and a wife. We like being around each other. We have things to do together at home, we don't need to drop $100 doing things we don't really have a strong feeling about and there are no hair-gelled douchebags spilling drinks on us. When there is stuff we really want to do, it feels more special to do 'em, you know? Like a concert or a favorite restaurant, not just "hey it's Friday, let's go out!"

And it's a feeling that waxes and wanes. Sometimes we do wanna get out and hit the scene. Just do what feels good, man! Change, change back. No need to lock yourself into anything, ever.

Look at us, all philosophical and shit!

[Artie Pink]

I'd love it if I could just bike to work, or do something similar. Jacksonville, with how it's spread out, isn't very practical in terms of public transportation depending on where one lives.

I don't usually go out much either, so I end up saving some money there too. And I agree, it is nice to get out every now and again. It's a nice treat to myself when I do.

Yeah, we seem kinda lucky public transportation-wise. Of course we chose our home and jobs with these goals in mind. But sometimes we do think about moving, and that could mean lifestyle changes. Jessica's checked out Portland, and we could probably continue our lifestyle there pretty much the same. Some other places, not so much.

There are definitely drawbacks - the daily commute takes more time, there are some places we can't get to. We'd love to go to the Wisconsin Dells or Door County for a weekend, but there's no bus or train to get there. Groceries? Only what we can carry on the bus or our bikes. Getting cat litter home is a bitch!

We use a lot of Amazon Prime. I get comics via mail order. This makes things cheaper too, so we can do more of 'em!

Sometimes it's hard. We need about 20+ bags of mulch for our yard, and there is no cheap internet solution for that. I just have to make 10 trips on the bus to the hardware store!

But yeah, we made some choices and some compromises. This is our life now, but next year we may do things differently. I might have a nice $15 copy of Daredevil #100 from 1972, but that doesn't mean I didn't have to walk ten blocks in the rain three times this week! We all have our priorities!

[Artie Pink]

Also, I really needed to go to the dentist about a month ago, but age has taught me that if I can just ride it out the right amount of time, that nerve will eventually die and the pain will go away. And that's exactly how that shit went down!

[Cactusakic]

In other news, I fear that Avengers may have ruined ScarJo for me.

Not because of any fault with Avengers, but because she was SO hot in the film, that now she looks plain in her other works.

I'm currently watching Scoop, which I have seen and enjoyed before, and I am utterly without woody.