[ktkline7]

So I've been back in collecting for a little over a year now and I am absolutely hooked.. However, I am married and my wife hates it with a passion so in order to stay off the couch I try to not spend much these days.. I went crazy at first and bought mostly singles, with the occasional box, and went through the case break stage but it seemed like I just kept spending more and more money that I intended not to spend..

What do some of ya'll do to supplement the funds for the hobby?

[rollx8]

That's easy ..... Don't have a wife :p

[Phillies_Joe]

1st...you have to set a budget and stick to it. The past 2 years I reached my budget limit by the end of November /early December and that was it for my spending....including mailing costs so I had to also stop trading. I also trade as much as possible......believe me, that can keep you busy with your collection and it curbs your spending as you end up just paying mailing costs. Also don't spend a bunch of money on something you don't intend on keeping. Just get enough for trade/sell bait.

For supplemental, I sell what I can that I have pulled but don't PC.

As far as the wife is concerned, mine complained also until I pointed out very nicely in a serious conversation (not a fight) the cost of her dog, cat, lizard and turtle (her HOBBY) each month and through the year cost more than my hobby. In short, she has a right to complain, IMO, if your spending money on yourself without a corresponding offset on her end. Good luck with that....LOL.

[DrMitchJ]

1) Win lottery 2) don't tell anyone 3) buy cards
It's that simple

Good luck, brother! That's a tough balancing act that will test a marriage. Hopefully you find a middle ground. Joe has it right ... Spend less on your hobby than your wife does on her hobby. No lose, no brainer!
Or sell enough cards on eBay to supplement and perpetuate your addiction.

[mmahoney]

I'm with Phillies Joe. Have to set a budget and then be disciplined enough to stick to it (the hard part). Finding something to PC that has plenty of reasonably priced cards (Minnesota Twins) and then trading keeps me busy too. Then, sell what you don't want. I put many of my commons on Sportslots site. They just sit there until somebody wants to buy. I sell cards every month that I entered years ago. I generally am able to get enough sales there monthly to pay for my shipping in trades.

A tough balancing act. I don't get as much grief for the $ I spend as the time I spend.

[snappyjoe75]

Agreed. Set the budget on what u wanna spend. I'm a stay at home dad. Almost 4 years now. My wife travels and everytime she gets paid I get paid. Now what I get includes grocery shopping, kids stuff, school and such. She knows this is what I like to do. My get away from everything.
But I like to do breaks online. This way ur not spending an arm and let on high end products.
For example the other day I bought the Orioles in a tier one case break. 50 dollars.
Paid off. Hit a cal clear auto and other prospects. Hope this helps. Thanks.

[edlockhart]

For me it's very simple, we have separate accounts. We have bills allocated to each other and so long as the bills are paid, we spend what we want on what we want. This avoids arguments over her buying too many shoes, clothes, jewelry and me buying too many collectibles and cards.

[joba the clark]

Lucky for me my job creates scrap metal and I take it to the scrap yard a couple times a month and get a few hundred bucks to spend on boxes. But I am going to save up for a case of 2014 Bowman Chrome Jumbo and a case of 2014 Bowman Draft Jumbo so I am trying to keep my spending to a minimum. Also giving yourself a budget to work with is a smart bet, once you hit that budget whether you pulled something good or not...its time to stop...there is always next time. Also Ebay is a nice way to sell and buy new stuff, I think I save money by picking up singles on Ebay. It scratches that itch for me enough to keep me at home and not the hobby shop.

[jeremy7269]

Each household is going to be different but you the right idea.

Most towns have some kind of temp agency. Often these temp agencies have opportunities for simple one day, one week jobs that can be used to earn some extra cash.

[Dub24rollin]

I guess I got lucky! My wife loves sports and gets almost as excited as I do about ripping packs. She just likes to see the hits where as I am into the set building and organizing (and hits of course). Regarding your question though, the best way is to have it included in the monthly budget!!