Ok Guys I have been on here for a couple months and I have noticed that about once every couple weeks that some one poses the question “is this hobby coming to an end”, or they complain about the “cost” of the hobby today.
Well This is a hobby and does it really matter how much it costs if your happy doing what your doing?? I do lots of things that cost a lot more then MRR, and I will always do them because I enjoy them because they keep me saine. In fact here is a thought that comes to mind every time I hear some one complain about the cost of a hobby,
"When you have kids I don’t see alot of people complaining that little johnny just cost you another $150 here and $200 there for school or clothes. You love them and don’t care what it cost’s to bring them up the best you can. But I always hear joe complain when there is an increase in paint or an increase in this kit.
But what you spend on little johny is considered an investment in the future right? An when you spend that on him it leaves little for you to do what you want when you want. So what happens, people complain about the cost of this going up then the cost of that going up. Money really is the root of all evil, it depresses you when you dont have it. You spend it like it is water when you have it, then complain because you dont have it."
So to all those who complain the hobby is to expensieve… Think of it as an investment in your sanity… An forget about the cost as you will only give your self ulcers.
Yeah, the wife is on her soapbox, too. Am I spending too much on the trains? Well, every couple of weeks she goes for one of those “theraputic massages.” I asked what one of those cost, and then said, “Well, my trains are a lot cheaper on a monthly basis than that.” I splurged last month and bought a new sound-equipped loco. Turns out, it was exactly 4 massages worth of dollars. In the end, though, I’ve got a locomotive and all she’s got is another appointment. I think of it as another hour of layout time.
I agree 100%. Sometimes I see a post that is all about building a model RR and has very few if any responses while the post that are about the cost ,or something of the nature that has nothing to do with building ir operating a model RR will continue to run for 10 or more pages. My thoughts. Mike
I’ll respond to this one. I didn’t want to respond to the other thread, its title assumed the hobby was “ruined”, and I figured even posting to it was support for that idea.
I think you’ve got it right. It is a hobby, and we do it for fun. If it is not fun, quit! If it is too expensive, either try to spend less (see the getting by on less thread) or quit! If it is giving you satisfaction, and you can afford it, then stop complaining. What’s funny is there seem to be two sorts of rants, one that everything is too expensive, and the other that they got the wrong paint job on that model of loco, that version should have this detail or that detail…well I wonder why some things cost more?
On another forum there are bunches of scratchbuild project based on cardboard cereal boxes. They are N scale, generally, and they look great. That’s not too expensive. Sometimes we can slow down and enjoy the hobby more by spending less.
I agree, a hobby is an investment in sanity. Sometimes it is also a way to learn new things and skills. We learn history, electronics, geography, carpentry, art, and who knows what else. If we do it with kids we are solidifying those relationships. If we participate in the hobby with friend, we grow socially. None of us likes the cost to go up, but on the other hand the people and companies we are buying from (often very small companies) have to eat, too.
My conclusion is that you think it costs too much you need to look at yourself and prioritize a bit. Maybe slow down and enjoy other, cheaper aspects for a while. But please stop whining! [soapbox]
Many valid points. And I do keep finding ways to trim my hobby costs. The second hand loco market for istance. However I do find that this axiom holds true more often than not. Buy it when you find it because chances are you never will again, or if you do, it will cost twice as much.
I see a few familier faces here. I couldn’t agree more this is a hobby and being that we shouldn’t be whining about the costs. We should be having fun and if that fun costs money so be it. I think it’s worth it. Now… I haven’t even started my lauout upstairs in the attic and I already have over $2,000.00 invested in tools, supplies a couple of nice locomotives, a few peices of rolling stock and some nice kits. But mostly books and magazines. Am I complaining? No and the reason for that it is an investment in my sanity! I got back into this hobby because I didn’t like being this miserable SOB that I was becoming from all the stress and crap at work. I run a commercial Cabinet and Millwork shop and believe me there is a lot of stress and crap in that business. I have stopped reading the rants about the ruin and the expensive costs posts. Personally, it was depressing.
Some folks are taking things too personally and too seriously around here. I know I have a tendency at first to take things personally; I usually have to stop for a moment and think before I realize that in fact, it’s not personal.
The world is full of people who will try to tell you what you can’t do. Usually, it’s for one of two reasons:
Keeping you from doing it helps them justify their own inactivity or failure. Or,
They’re so insecure about what they have achieved, they can’t bear the thought of competition.
This holds in life as in model railroading. Remember, no one else knows what you’re capable of besides yourself. We should be able to filter the nay-saying from legitimate warnings from experienced modelers genuinely interested in helping us avoid making the mistakes they did.
I’ve never understood people who complain about the price of anything. It’s very simple, if the seller is asking more than you think his product is worth, don’t buy it. If you willingly part with your money, than it means you believe what you are buying is worth what you are paying for it. Both the buyer and the seller want what the other has. The buyer wants the seller’s product and the seller wants the buyer’s money. In order for their to be a transaction, both parties must agree how much of the buyer’s money he will have to part with to get the product. The seller is under no obigation to provide his product at the price the buyer wants to pay for it. That’s Economics 101. Free markets work.
Okay, I’m going to step up on the soap box and give a little bit of my own philosophy.
Here goes:
I agree with much of what’s already been said above. This is a hobby and we should all consider ourselves lucky that we have ANY disposable income. I’ve pointed out to my wealthy friend, who constantly complains about the price of everything, that he should realize that there are about 2 billion people on this planet of ours who survive on about $1.00 per day. These poor people have all they can do to give their kids a bowl of rice each day and maybe some meat on Saturday. Clean water isn’t available to most of them, let alone flush toilets, air conditioning, refrigerators, cars, and all those things we take for granted every day. Every night my wife and I talk about how lucky we are, and think about those less fortunate.
With that thought in mind, how can we complain about the cost of our hobby. I realize their are beginners out there who are young and don’t have much money. Many have children and between them and household expenses, there isn’t much left. I was there back in the 1950’s as a kid and I can tell you that my layout had sawdust painted green for grass and 1 house with a light in it for buildings. I still had fun and I’m glad that now that I’m retired I can spend more on the hobby than ever before. But, don’t forget that fun is not measured in how much is spent. Like the posting says “keep it in perspective”. I can get excited about going to a train show and buying just the right HO scale delivery truck for a scene I’ve created. Which brings me to one more piece of philosophy I’ve told younger folks over and over…you better get excited about the little things in life because those big things and events are few and far between and sometimes tend to be a big disappointment, probably because we were expecting too much.