Geek on a Budget: Trying to stick with my Essentials Only Challenge

This morning, I talked myself out of ordering two 9-1-1 Buck and Eddie (Buddie) bookmarks and two mugs: Buck and Eddie and Hen. I wish I'd also found mugs for Hen and Karen, Athena and Bobby and Maddie and Chimney but so far I didn't find any. Both of the bookmarks are so cute but I know I don't need anymore because I have plenty of bookmarks. As well as mugs. But I don't have any 9-1-1 merchandise other than that Preppi 9-1-1 First-aid Kit which I bought a couple of years ago when it was on sale. And since neither FOX (when the show aired on the network) or ABC (where the show now airs) ever released any (or any more in ABC's case) official merchandise, so a lot of fans have created their own stuff. And I've seen so many cute stuff, that I'd like to get.

And not to be forgotten, I also talked myself out of getting a Gilmore Girls Lorelai and Luke mug I saw. Other than the DVDs and a few books (Rory's reading list, cook books, etc.), I also don't have a lot of Gilmore Girls merchandise. But I so want all of the 9-1-1 and Gilmore Girls stuff I found this week. However, since I'm still doing my Essentials Only challenge, none of this stuff is clearly necessities. I just really want them. Overall, I've been really good with this challenge it's just when I see fandom stuff is when I really have to talk myself out of buying anything. This challenge has really helped me see that I want a lot of non-essential stuff. There's nothing wrong with buying non-essentials I just don't want to go over my budget which is what I would do if I bought all the stuff I keep finding.

When this challenge ends, I'm going to look over my fandom merchandise section of my budget and see if I need to increase it or keep it as it is. Because I do love getting fandom stuff but I'm just going to try to stay on budget. It's funny that I don't have a lot of Gilmore Girls and 9-1-1 stuff, despite them being two of my favorite fandoms.

Geek on a Budget: Cancel Some of Your Subscriptions

I haven't posted a Geek on a Budget in a while but something budget related I have been doing lately is pruning or being selective with my subscriptions. Then getting rid of the ones I don't really use. These days, there are so many things we have subscribed to whether it's book of the month memberships, groceries, clothing memberships, beauty products, geek, gamer or nerd boxes, music, streaming services, etc. There's nothing wrong with subscribing to a lot of stuff but if they're starting to add up or you've lost interest in some, why not unsubscribe and get rid of some of them.

If you don't cancel or unsubscribe, those monthly recurring charges will continue to chip away at your finances. Which truly is a problem if you're trying to save money. It might seem like an inconvenience at first but go through your bank or credit card statements to see all the subscriptions you have and make a list of them. Then you can see which ones you want to get rid of and depending on how many, you could end up saving a good amount of money.

Beauty (Geek on a Budget): The Nam Vo Glow 7-Pc. Box Set

I know a lot of my fellow Geeks on a Budget are always looking for ways to save some money which is why I try to post some of the deals that I find. As a beauty geek, I love makeup, skin care, hair care, lotions, nail polish, etc. but I don't love how quickly the price can add up when you're shopping. For my fellow beauty geeks on a budget, there's this new The Nam Vo Glow 7 piece box set you might be interested in.

It's created by popular makeup artist Nam Vo and it's priced at $59.00 but the value truly exceeds that. For instance, if you were to buy the same 30 ml Sunday Riley Good Genes Serum alone it retails for $85.00. I consider this box set to be a good deal and I do believe there is at least one (or maybe two) of the products are cruelty free.

7-Pc. The Nam Vo Glow Box Set, Created for Macy's                            $59.00                                    Macy's (macys.com)

Box Set Includes:

- Benefit Cosmetics Cookie Highlighter (Full Size)
- ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, 20 g
- Lancôme Juicy Tube - Tickled Pink, 15 ml
- NUDESTIX Mini Nudies - Sweet Peach Peony, 1.8 g
- NUDESTIX Mini Nudies - Sunkissed, 1.8 g
- Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask Enzymatic Dermal Resurfacer, 14 ml
- Sunday Riley Good Genes Serum, 30 ml

Geek on a Budget: Don't Buy Something Just Because It's On Sale

We're all trying to save money especially when shopping but one thing you shouldn't do is to fall for every sale. Just because you see something on sale or on clearance doesn't mean you should buy it. You should only buy something because you actually like it, the bonus would be that it's on sale or clearance.

For instance, I was shopping a few days ago and spotted what I thought was a cute top but once I tried it on and really looked at it, it was okay-ish. I also realized that I couldn't think of anything I owned that would go with it. That meant I'd have to try to find something that would go with a top that didn't really look as good, all because it was on sale. Yeah, it wasn't worth it. So, I put it back on the hanger and returned it to the rack.

Again, just because something is on sale doesn't mean you should buy it. Especially, if you start trying to justify reasons as to why you should buy it. Going that route will have you ending up with so many things you really don't like simply because it was on sale.

Geek on a Budget: How to Avoid Binge Shopping

Despite the economy, many people (including myself) still treat stress and anxiety with a little shopping. Unfortunately, trying to make ourselves feel better by buying something new doesn't address the underlying emotions that we're experiencing. There's nothing wrong with occasionally buying ourselves a little something from time to time. However, if over shopping or binge shopping becomes a constant thing, it can create even more stress and not just on our budget. Here are three tips that may help avoid too many shopping sprees:

Geek on a Budget: Don't Shop When You're Hungry

We all know not to buy groceries on an empty stomach because you always end up buying more things than intended. The same thing goes for shopping in general, according to research from the University of Minnesota it shows that we spend at least 64% more on everything when we shop hungry.

With so many trying to stick to their budget, you don't want to spend money on things that are most likely impulse purchases. And make sure you ask yourself if you really need it before adding it to your cart. If you're trying to save money, remember that when you go shopping whether at the store or online.

Geek on a Budget: It's Okay to Buy Yourself Something

I know after the holidays, we're all focused on saving money and sticking to a budget but it's okay to make an occasional purchase. It doesn't have to be something big or something that would ruin your newly created budget. However, I do think it's okay to buy yourself something small or inexpensive such as a book (on sale), a lip gloss, a Funko or anything else affordable that may have caught your eye.

I think if we try to stick with following a budget we should still be able to treat ourselves to something good. I remember a few years ago when I did an Essentials Only challenge, it started out good but the drastic challenge ended with me overspending. Since then I've avoided drastic challenges and stuck to my budget while also buying myself a few little gifts occasionally. However, I also try not to make a habit of doing this too often because buying a lot of little gifts can add up.

Geek on a Budget: Four Money Saving Tips I Learned from Gilmore Girls

I think you can learn quite a few things from watching your favorite TV shows and movies such as home decor tips to money tips. And for this Geek on a Budget post, I noticed something interesting about how some of the Gilmore Girls characters deal with money. Here are the four things I learned:


1. Don't Order Take Out Food Daily

Throughout the series Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory either ordered take out food from the various places around Stars Hollow or got something to eat at Luke's Diner on a daily basis. That's a lot of money when you stop and think about it. I think the hard part for serial take out foodies will be breaking the convenience factor and cutting expenses by cooking a few meals at home throughout the week.

Geek on a Budget: 4 Ways to Save Money at the Movies

I love going to the movies but I don't go as often as I would like to. And when I do go, I don't want to spend a lot of money to watch a movie. I consider myself to be frugal and I'm always looking for ways to save money. I have four tips that have saved me money over the years:

1. Go During Matinee Times. The earlier you go the better because that's when movie theatre prices are lower. And depending on the theatre you can find tickets for $6.00 or sometimes even less.

2. Don't Buy Snacks or Beverages. I know it probably seems weird but I never buy anything to eat or drink when I go to the movies. Whenever I used to buy popcorn or anything else to eat or drink, I would never finish it. And it would end up being a waste of money for me. So I save money by not buying anything at all.

3. Buy Tickets at the Theatre. I know it's convenient to buy tickets online but you're also being charged a service fee per ticket. To avoid that I simply buy my tickets when I get to the theatre.

4. Be Selective. When I was younger I would go to the movies fairly often. However, now when I have the time, I only go when it's a movie that I'm super excited about seeing. Then I'm not wasting money seeing any random movie that's released.

I know about the theatre incentive programs but I don't go to the theatre enough to take advantage of the benefits of those types of membership programs. These tips may not work for everyone but they do work for me.

Geek on a Budget: Learning to Make Good Decisions about Money

Most of us are not millionaires and billionaires so we can't buy everything that we see. Which means we have to make smart choices with how we spend our money. Case in point, I was at the comic book store yesterday and the owner showed me five near if not mint condition She-Ra figures that he recently bought from a seller. I would love to buy them because I know they would make a great collector's item and they are in excellent condition but it's the price that's stopping me. It's a lot of money perhaps too much money for something that will only sit on a shelf.

This had me thinking about what's the best way to make good financial decisions. How do you know when to pass up on something or simply go for it? I know my collector's heart would love to have those figures but my fiscally responsible brain is saying absolutely not.

Since saving money is important to me, I guess that has to be one of the top factors in most of my money decisions. I'm not a financial expert but I'm making a more conscious effort to learn as much as I can about money. I want to figure out the best ways to save and earn money and to make sure I have money saved up for emergencies and for my future.

I still haven't made my up my mind on whether or not to buy the She-Ra figures but I'll let you know when I do.

Geek on a Budget: Simple Cuts Can Save Money

As I'm getting ready to start my holiday shopping I decided to cut back on my personal shopping as well. I will admit it, I'm guilty of shopping a little too much but since I'm serious about building up an emergency fund and saving money in general it made it easy to start cutting back.

I've recently made a few cuts the first is with my weekly comics that's why this week's list only had 11 books on it. Because up until now I've had at least 20+ books per week on my list and trust me that adds up big time. I'm also cutting back on buying Funkos because seriously do I really need yet another one? Those little figures are around $8 - $10 each or more depending on where you buy them. Sometimes you might find them on sale but if you buy a lot of them throughout the year, that really starts to add up.

I recently bought a Funko Moana figure and two more which I will post soon. I decided to take a break from buying any more at least for a while. I had this Aha moment when I noticed online all these pictures of shelves, bookcases and display cases filled with Funkos. I started feeling like this was Pokémon, where people think they have to catch or in this case buy them all. Whether they realize it or not some have spent hundreds to thousands of dollars building up their collection. And when you think about it the only one benefiting from our Funko obsession is the Funko company itself. But in their defense, the company does not force us to buy the figures we make those decisions ourselves.

Financial success is all about building good money habits and making cuts are a simple way to saving money. These are the first two areas I'm making cuts to I plan to go through the rest of my expenses to see if there are other areas. I feel that as consumers it's up to us to determine how we spend or not spend our money. I don't want to feel like I'm blindly give away my money without questioning because of the things that interests me.

Geek on a Budget: Is Social Media Ruining Your Budget?

Social Media can be fun and a wonderful resource to stay connected with family and friends, find inspiration, promote your business, read breaking news, make new friends, etc.

However, there is a downside to social media and we geeks are not immune to it such as being envious of what others may posts. How often do you scroll through your feed and see that someone posted envy worthy pictures? Whether convention pictures of celebrities, hard to find statues, lavish or unique vacations, rare collectables and books, etc. Although, there is nothing wrong with looking at the pictures, however there is a problem when you try to keep up with the Joneses as the old saying goes.

Why do people feel the need to try to keep up with others? Why does someone else's life or lifestyle spark envy in some? I find it very interesting that people are willing to buy stuff they can't afford all so they can try to impress others. Unfortunately, I think a lot of it has to do with how many retweets, shares and likes they receive from posting something. They have built up this lifestyle or image and have to keep spending money to stay ahead and others are following in their social media footsteps to stay competitive.

But not everyone who post stuff is bragging or trying to impress others, they generally are excited just to show off their latest find or to talk about an item they are interested in. I consider myself to be in this category. 

What can you do if you have that drive to buy stuff only just to boast? I have two tips that may help:

1) Try not to be influenced by what you see on social media. Mainly because most people have cultivated a certain image and are only showing you the high points of their lives. Spending money trying to live like them is not going to work in your favor.

2) Next time you are about to make a purchase, determine why you're buying it. Is it for yourself or to impress others? If it's for the latter then perhaps reconsider your motive for wanting to buy it.

As I said before, Social Media can be fun but one thing that's not fun is going broke trying to impress others. 

Geek on a Budget: How to Save Money on Buying Weekly Comics

As a comic book geek, I get asked plenty of questions and one that's asked the most is: what advice would you give to someone who is new to reading comics? Seeing as though it's Comic Book Wednesday it seemed appropriated to post this Geek on a Budget related post.

Depending on how many comics you buy during the week it can be rather costly. So some advice I have for new readers which I hope will save you some money is this. I would recommend seeing if the comic book store you frequent the most has a Customer Loyalty Program.

With new comic books out every Wednesday and depending on the program, you can easily save a good amount of money. But be sure to ask questions about the program before you sign up, it's good to find out what benefits are or are not included. You also want to find out if the program is free or one you have to pay to join.

If you're wondering if these programs are worth it? I would say yes because if you're buying comic books on a weekly basis you may as well save some money while doing it. Again depending on the program you may also be able to save money on trade editions, collectibles and more. So please speak with the owner or an employee at your local comic book store to see if there is a Customer Loyalty Program.

Geek on a Budget: "Shut Up and Take My Money!"

How did the phrase "Shut Up and Take My Money!" become so synonymous with Geeks? I don't know how many times I've seen someone post that in regards to something they want to buy. But yet I never see anyone say they will save their money instead.

Why are so many of us Geeks so quick to want to hand over our money? Could it be the thrill of the chase to acquire the item that has us forking over our money? Maybe you see something you don't have in your collection or maybe it's impulse shopping? Whatever the reason, many of us are willing to spend our money on something instead of saving for our financial future.

Hey, I'm not immune to shopping, I see things all the time that I want to buy. As a collector, I understand the sensation of finding the ultimate find. But lately I've been thinking that with companies cranking out more products, nearly everything now feels like "the ultimate find". The strange thing is I have been passing up on items. It's a funny feeling putting something back on the shelf or opting not to place something into my online cart. I don't know, it's weird but I realized that I don't need or want to buy everything.

I still buy stuff but now I'm more willing to save my money and only get the items that I really want. My point is, I'm trying not to get taken in by every new product that's being released. I don't want to impulsively hand over my money. We Geeks need a new phrase because Shut Up and Take My Money! isn't doing anything good for us but it is doing something great for Geek Consumerism.

Geek on a Budget: 5 Ways to Save Money

It's a wonderful time to be a Geek, companies are creating more and more merchandise of things that we want and love. And I know we love buying our stuff whether it's comic books, collectibles, video games, etc. However, I was wondering if we're putting the same amount of effort into saving for our futures as we are in acquiring merchandise. Because unless you have a mint condition first print edition of Action Comics #1, don't expect to retire on the value of most of our stuff. Granted there are some exceptions for items that may increase in value over time. But there is no definitive way of predicting what items may turn out to be valuable.

So, this got me thinking about creating a new column where I could point out or discuss financial tips that could help us Geeks. It led me to create Geek on a Budget, and the purpose of this first post was to discuss ways we geeks can still enjoy buying our favorite stuff while putting money away not only for our future but in general.

When I think of not having enough money saved, my go to image is always of Carrie Bradshaw. In Sex and the City's fourth season 16th episode "Ring a Ding Ding", Carrie didn't have enough money to purchase her apartment. As much as I love Carrie Bradshaw, I don't want that to be me or you. That episode showed that all of Carrie's financial mistakes finally caught up with her. She had been living beyond her means for quite some time. Her closet was jammed packed with designer clothes, shoes, and accessories yet she didn't have enough money in the bank for the down payment. But I think she learned something about herself besides finding out that over the years she spent a total of $40,000 on shoes. She learned that for one thing she had a good friend in Charlotte (she's the reason Carrie was able to buy her apartment) but she also started a second career as a freelance writer to increase her income.

So what can we geeks do to avoid the Carrie Bradshaw Effect? Not wanting to have my shelves jammed packed with books and collectibles with nothing to show for it. I decided to come up with five money tips to help you (as well as myself) not only save money but perhaps make us look at our geek consumerism in another way.


1) Financially Match Your Geek Purchases

If possible, put the same amount of money you spend on a geek purchase in the bank. For instance, whatever the cost of your weekly comics simply put that same amount into your saving account. Same goes for anything else geek related you may purchase. This tip might make some second guess buying a $300 statue when you realize you have to put that same amount in the bank.



2) Save for Big Ticket Items

As a collector, I have seen some of the high quality statues and action figures that are out there and I can understand why so many want them. There is a Hot Toys Captain America figure and a Hot Toys Black Widow figure that I would love to buy but both are over $200 each. I simply can't see justifying spending or charging that much money on two items. I am currently saving up to try to get them but if they sell out before then. Oh well, it won't be a big deal.

Another big ticket item is attending Comic Cons. They can be rather expensive especially if you're going to ones that are out of town. You have to factor in so many costs from attending the event to traveling and hotel accommodations just to name a few. However, if attending one of the big Cons (that may be out of state) is something you really want to do, then why not save for it.



3) Put a Freeze or Limit to your Collectibles Budget

What's the highest you can afford to pay for collectibles? It will depends on your budget, whereas one person may be able to afford to pay up to $1000 someone else can only afford $20. You have to know what you can safely afford to spend without wreaking your budget and the thing is you have to stick with it.



4) Weigh your Wants and Needs

This tip doesn't mean you can't buy anything it's just to help you be aware of what you're buying. And that you're not shopping out of boredom or letting your moods make your decisions. We all know what we need to buy: food, shelter and clothing. Not to mention taking care of our bills. So that leaves everything else as a want. We have to make smart choices in what we buy so we don't end up broke or in debt with a lot of stuff. So as you're looking at yet another statue, t-shirt, book or action figure, ask yourself is it something that you need or want?



5) Be Careful going Cold Turkey or Doing Extreme Money Challenges

As with dieting, going cold turkey may cause in some cases, you to overspend if you drastically cut yourself off from small indulgences. For example, doing this Essentials Only Challenge started out great I was able to stick to the plan and only buy what I needed. But then my challenge recently hit a snag, I ended up overspending on a book purchase. Cutting myself off from buying books backfired. Because although I had a gift card, I went over that limit and had to put the remainder on my credit card.

I'm at the point where I'm really considering ending the challenge. It's mainly because I have come to realize that buying something every now and then is actually a good thing. And that there is no need to stop shopping (or doing extreme money challenges) if we follow good money management. This tip I feel will save you money because you won't overspend from lack of shopping.



I hope that when you go shopping you take these five tips into consideration. My goals is that we geeks can become as wealthy as Bruce Wayne and still be able to buy some of the things we want without feeling like we are as broke as Peter Parker by the end of the month.

Essentials Only Challenge Update

I thought I would post an update on my Essentials Only Challenge. What have I learned so far from taking this challenge? Well, it's not as hard as the No Book Buying Challenge I tried a while back. To be honest my resolve with that challenge had crumbled at the very start. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mindset for that challenge. However, this time everything seems to be going rather smoothly. I'm finding it's not so hard to cut back despite seeing a lot of stuff I would like to buy.

As great as this challenge is going, the only problem I've had at the moment is when I go to the comic book store. For some reason my challenge goes right out of my mind as soon as I step into the store. I'm generally good at saying no to purchasing anything that's non-essential even when I go to the bookstore (yeah, I know I should not be going there) and have an arm full of books. I do put them back before I leave despite really wanting to buy them. Perhaps it has something to do with talking myself out of buying them. Regardless, I don't end up buying anything.

Yet, I can't seem to do the same thing at the comic book store. Yesterday, I bought an Ahsoka Tano action figure (which I had on hold from last week) and a hardcover Superman comic book from the 90s.

I think I'm going to let last week (meaning yesterday) slide because counting today I have been on this challenge for 29 days. I have not been buying anything else (aside from the two Funkos I bought last week from the bookstore) that have been non-essentials. When I go to the comic book store this week, I will try my best to stick to my list and to bypass the collectables, which will be difficult. For instance, I did see a Harley Quinn action figure on the counter yesterday. Which of course I wanted.

The lesson I learned so far is that it's pretty easy to not buy non-essential items that is unless you're a true shopaholic. The desire to buy stuff doesn't really go away, you just learn how to get your spending in check. 

Scooby-Doo Meets Impulse Shopping

I am no longer allowed to go anywhere near Amazon.com. Why you may ask? Because I just ordered the complete series of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and seasons 1 and 3 of What's New Scooby-Doo? (I already had season 2). Plus, a few of the Scooby-Doo animated movies I didn't have.

As you can see I was on a bit of Scooby-Doo kick. I figured I would go ahead and complete my collection.

Buying all of that Scooby-Doo stuff wouldn't be a problem if I hadn't already ordered seven books a couple of days ago. Yes, the glory of overspending. I guess on that note, it's a perfect segue for the next book I will be reading "The Year Without a Purchase" by Scott Dannemiller. I will be reading this tomorrow.

I guess I've been ordering and buying way too many books (and non-books items) lately. I don't need to ask the Scooby gang where my money's gone, since I know exactly what happened to it.

I know I talk about trying to save money quite a bit. But this time I'm finally going to get serious about it. First, starting with cutting back on shopping and from there I will have to stick with my budget and not go over it. It's the impulse shopping that I need to watch out for because honestly that's the cause of a lot of my shopping sprees. I certainly have more than enough books and taking a break from buying new books shouldn't be too hard. My goal is not to buy anymore books until May. That seems reasonable.

I only have one exception:

My weekly comics are not included in the book buying break.


With that settled, time to start saving!

Wish me luck.

~ Book Girl

Is there anyone else who needs to cut back on shopping? Or are there any tips you would like to recommend?

A Challenge To Calm My Book Buying Frenzy

I can't believe it, my mother just compared me to Carrie Bradshaw. But not in the way I had hoped such as her love of fashion or looking stylish but in comparison to Carrie's tendency to be a shopaholic. Well in my case, a bookaholic. She made the comment while I was in the process of ordering a few books (okay nine).

Nine books probably doesn't seem like a big order, however, I also ordered a total of 20 additional books over the past few weeks. And not to mention the odd few I've bought from time to time lately. What can I say, I've found some really good deals.

After I placed my order, I took a moment and decided that I'm going to go on one of my book buying breaks (for real this time) until October. And if I succeed my reward will be the Black Widow: Forever Red book which will be out in October. But I do have three exceptions: Storm vol #2, Red One vol #1 (both are out near the end of the month) and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl vol #1 (it's out in August). My challenge will officially begin tomorrow, Sunday July 12th.

In general, I don't normally buy that many books but lately I have and factor that in with my weekly comic books that's quite a lot. My comics are not included in the book buying break but I am going to cut back on those as well. Carrie once said in the sixth season 1st episode "I like my money where I can see it - hanging in my closet". I do not want my money to be found sitting on all my bookshelves, I have no desire to end up how Carrie did in the 4th season episode "Ring a Ding Ding" where she didn't have enough money to buy her apartment due to the fact that she had a closet full of designer clothes, shoes and accessories.

Which is why I am going to do my very best to stick with my goal. This break shouldn't be too hard for me since I have more than enough books sitting on my shelves that I haven't read. And not to mention I can borrow books from the library if there is something "new" I would like to read.

In the end, I think this break should be a good thing. It will give me a chance to save a little money and take a book shopping breather.

"I've spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!" ~ quote from Sex and the City season 4 episode 16, "Ring a Ding Ding"