Annual Budget – 2010
As a new year is now well into existence I realise that I really should start to plan into the future a little better. You never know when your car is going to cost $800 to get a bunch of crap done to it. Though I know when that will happen, it happened last week. So, I decided to pass my eye over a few budgetary concerns I have, notably my entertainment budget; flicks, comics, books, dvds.
These are things I spend my money on. I don’t drink coffee, ever, really. I mainly drink water, at home and at work. I eat simple meals, most every lunch is the same: couscous with tuna, and peas and corn, with maybe some Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese and cashews thrown into the mix for crazy flavour. I eat fruit, make dinner with lots of cheap vegies, and generally try to lead a cheap existence. But you can never be too certain, so I bring to you my game plan for 2010.
The two big problems will be flicks and comics, so here’s what I came up with.
Flicks
Try to only see one flick a month at the movies. I’m a Dendy member, so it’s ten bucks a ticket, with a few free tickets thrown in every now and then. This one might still be hard, but then let’s have a look at what’s coming out this year (that I know of, and as brought to me by Empire Magazine, thanks).
Wow, that was wickedly easier than I thought. There’s only three locks for the year, The Road, Shutter Island, and Iron Man 2. Then I have Christopher Nolan’s next directing effort, Inception, which may well be worth it, and Affleck behind the lens again with The Town, I can support. Not completely sure about The Green Hornet, but it may be cool and it’s on Boxing Day, so why not, beat the heat. The others are on the list as possible, The Men Who Stare At Goats looks hilarious, but possibly not something that need be seen on the big screen. Another Kevin Smith movie, but just not sure, see how the entire budget looks the weeks it is out. A-Team could be a very cool way to spend my 28th birthday, by pretending I’m eight again, haha.
There were a few other decent-ish flicks, but I was realistic. I am curious to see Kick Ass but I doubt I’ll really go out to the cinema to make it happen. No point deluding myself, or anyone for that matter, when I’m trying my best to be realistic.
Sure, some other little things might come out this year, or something may get some insane buzz and I will just have to go and check it out, but this was all I really came up with. I’m pretty happy with this. Nice work, Ryan, moving along.
Comics
The solicitations for the big companies come out a few months in advance so I’m going to scour through them and see what’s what. I’ll list what I will definitely get, and what I might like to get, then I’ll add it all up, taking into account Aussie conversion.
Firstly, sorry for my handwriting, and for trying to get three months onto the one page. There’s the odd one-shot in there (Mystic Hands of Doctor Strange, Savage Axe of Ares, and Sif), not to mention S.W.O.R.D. is now cancelled and Daytripper only goes to ten.
Then there’s Viking, Cowboy Ninja Viking, Stumptown, and Resurrection that are impressing me but will honestly be on the chopping block before anything else. But that will only arise if something else really catches my eye, and I’m not even picking up the American Vampire comic, which features Stephen King, or Kevin Smith’s Batman runs, so that’s saying something.
I didn’t realise I was digging on so much Marvel, but clearly I am. It helps that nearly all of my Marvel stuff is only $3, whereas the other presses hit me up for $4 (I don’t know what Oni is thinking on those two, they’d surely be losing a heap of business).
Damn, guess there’s a few hopefuls that I can’t really pick up. Don’t know what will happen when Casanova comes back, or Brian K Vaughan, finally, launches a new ongoing. Or, damn, if Iron Fist does come back, and it has not been officially cancelled yet so I live with hope in my undying heart. I’m going to be screwed, and something will need dropping. I’ll burn that bridge after I cross it.
Sadly, this does not cover trades that I will need want like. Uh…I’ll cover them in some other manner.
Books
As for books, I rarely read stuff as it comes out, I’m just not that prolific. My weakness is second hand books. I live near a wicked little second hand book store, relatively decently priced, too. It’s two blocks away and I’ll often pop in on weekends just to see what’s up.
I used to get a fair few books on eBay, but that has died off recently, so unless I go hunting for something specific I should be fine.
However, every Autumn and Spring the charity LifeLine holds a massive book stall set up in a showground. Tables upon tables of pretty awesome stuff, I’ve mentioned getting Book Fair Bargains before. But the first time I went I spent quite a bit of cash, the second time was a little less, hopefully this spring I’ll get even less, maybe even buy some presents early.
I cannot believe I’m hoping to not find bargains. The world has truly gone tipsy turvy.
DVDs
I’ve been very good with this lately. I rarely rent them, though a few flicks I missed this year I will either rent, or wait until they are ten bucks, in a few months, and then pick them up. Stuff like Moon, A Serious Man, the good stuff.
There will be a few tv shows on dvd I’ll want to buy, but it might just have to wait. I still have two seasons of Mad Men, four seasons of The Wire, one season of The Big Bang Theory, plus a few good shows on my computer that I can still watch to get me through the long, cold, Canberra winter.
So, that’s not too bad. I feel surprisingly so much better.
Roughly twenty bucks a week in flicks, if the lady even wants to see them all with me. I do nont think she wants to see The Road, whereas I am so wickedly keen for it, so that’s ten bucks saved, though I’ll then reinvest that into a nice night out seeing Valentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day, I suspect.
Fifty bucks a month in comics, rounding it creatively, that’s like ten bucks a week in comics. I really do not think that is too bad, and it’s not like I actually had to cut a bunch of stuff, it just means I’ll have to get creative when it comes to trades of Scalped, Northlanders, Proof, The Walking Dead, Ex Machina, and Gødland. I’ll make it happen, somehow.
Books – eh, well, the odd splurge, I guess. Those two sales for sure, but try to cut down the intermittent purchases that can wait. And I know they can wait, I’ve still got this shelf to keep me very busy.
In the end, for other things I have a birthday in June, then Xmas in December. Surely every six months people can rally to get me the larger-ish items…I’ll be damned if I even want to be surprised anymore, I’ll just put it all out there. Wish away those superfluous presents.
Other than these things I don’t even know what I buy myself. Clothes are not very often, and I get most other things from the ‘net, like news and contacting people.
I can surely afford this. Alright, 2010, let’s roll.
Posted on January 19th, 2010 by ryan
Filed under: comics, life, movies
I admire your restraint!