Money

[PsychoMaster]

Hi
 I don't have the money like I used to so now most of it gets spent on my hobbies .I do not bother with unimportant stuff like clothes and socialising .When I really want something (like always) I can go without electricity and survive on branflakes.
No one guilds the lilly better than I do when it comes to pampering my oscilloscope or buying the best bits for a project but I look like I fell out of the seventies which is when I last bought any new clothes.I have a nice big flat screen telly because it came out of a skip and I could mend it.
 Last of the big spenders I guess.

[Fsck]

sometimes I cheap out on food to save up for gear. I never cheap out with electricity though, gotta keep all your gear warmed up!

[PsychoMaster]

Yea I have a  push bike genny strapped up to load of car batteries and an inverter.

[Electric flower]

I used to be a fatty, but when electronics got hold of me i lost 13 kilos but i gained weller soldering station. For 4-5 months i didn't eat at school, never went out to socialize if i knew it would mean spending more than 1.35€. It was little bit crazy (but i hope it was worth it) ...

Having no money forced me to recycle boards and build most of my gear/tools which is more valuable than having some brand name test gear because i learned tons by making that stuff. However i wouldn't mind having a scope...

When i see some electronics near dumpster i come to get it with my bicycle (wearing a hoodie ofcorse).

My biggest fear is that if i die that my parents will sell my tools for price i told them i bought it for...

BTW, 80% of people who i know that  do electronics as hobby and 50% that have electronics job are struggling with money for that hobby so it's a usual thing to have no money.

[ivan747]

Money, by Pink Floyd
Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay and you're O.K.
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team

Yeah, sometimes I almost spend a little too much but never to the point when I can't afford eating. If you know how to cook well, eating can be cheap. As others mentioned, repairing stuff can be useful, you can sell things later  And don't forget to DIY some tools. I made myself a variable RPM selector for my Dremel. It's basically a light dimmer in a convenient box.

I also made a selectable voltage AC and unregulated DC voltage source (6 options + AC/DC switch) out of an old stereo transformer. It's very useful for testing the performance of things like amplifiers, testing TRIAC circuits, etc. The unegulated DC is cool because you can test regulators with it. Also in the back it has a long strip of screw terminals breaking out all of the transformer taps internally. There's 3 separate windings, all center tapped. Very useful. You just have to be careful when using the front and the back connections at the same time cause the switch in the front changes between them. Got off topic here, but yeah... DIY doesn't have to be ambitious to be fun. In fact I've had the most fun working on easy projects. Hard projects are satisfying in the end, but small cheap projects are just fun.

Edit - now you just need a thread called Time

[chicken]

Electronics is probably the cheapest hobby I ever had, about $50-100 a month. I spend more on beer.

[tautech]

Edit - now you just need a thread called Time

  Time also by Pink Floyd

[nerdyHippy]

It's great to money to spend on hobbies and education, but socializing is important too! Moderation in all things is best - including moderating one's moderation.

[PsychoMaster]

This is my socialising and it is enough for me.

Death Wish meets PsychoMaster   sounds OK to me!

[timofonic]

And you extreme geeks have a sentimental couple? I wonder, because that means spending money and time.

I have a gf and she complains of my bad economy. I have no incomes, but I even occasionally  spend on invite her a drink and sometimes a dinner at some cheap place to meet together.

[ivan747]

I wonder, because that means spending money and time.

Spending a bunch of money, but it's okay if she's not abusing your finance on purpose.

[NiHaoMike]

It's great to money to spend on hobbies and education, but socializing is important too!

Back when I was in college, I socialized for free at the local science fiction club, which was actually more like a hackerspace focused on software. (As in you bring your own equipment.) The best part was that everyone knew something about STEM-related topics, most of them quite knowledgeable in fact.

I also have been hunting for deals since I was in middle school. I still do it mostly for the fun even though it is much less important now than it was back then.

[calexanian]

As I get older comfort becomes more important! I don't even go camping anymore unless there is a toilet nearby.

[smjcuk]

As I get older comfort becomes more important! I don't even go camping anymore unless there is a toilet nearby.

This is also why I work from home

[TimFox]

No one guilds the lilly better than I do

Triple error -- words mis-spelled and incorrect quotation.

[lapm]

Low budject person here too.. I dont built to much anymore, but try still socialize with like minded people. Hence i visit hacklab abut once very three weeks, when my work shifts permits it..

Added bonus is there's advice from people if i got problem with something, better measuring gear then i have at home, etc.

[timofonic]

Hacklabs, science fiction clubs...

There's nothing like that here, just a ham radio club and I hope to visit them someday (but I'm busy and their schedule is quite limited (they are also a formal organization with heavy institutional involvement, too). Here most geek/otakus are more into a fashion and care less about technology and just in a enternainment way.

I hate my city!

[VK3DRB]

Edit - now you just need a thread called Time

  Time also by Pink Floyd

I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years... I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us are. It's very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad.

[ivan747]

Edit - now you just need a thread called Time

  Time also by Pink Floyd

I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years... I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us are. It's very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad.

*maniac laughter begins* *backwards piano chord* Epic vibe commences

Sorry guys, it's just Pink Floyd fan stuff ?

-There's no dark side of the moon really, as a matter of fact, it's all dark.

Guys sprry for that bump, I wasn't noticing how old that last post was.

[george graves]

I don't have the money like I used to so now most of it gets spent on my hobbies .I do not bother with unimportant stuff like clothes and socialising .

I'm sorry to hear that.  There's more to life then electronics. Not that I have all the answers (far from it!!!!) but...

Maslow's hierarchy of needs says that you might want to work on the base layers before you sacrifice things just to try enjoy to top.  There's no cheating that.  Heck, I *love* sharing what I'm working on with my GF - if she wasn't there to hear me drone on about something - I think I'd go crazy.