What is your yearly budget?

[primatives]

Hey guys,

What is your yearly budget for Transformers? Do you even have one? How do you balance if you've got family? Curious to know!

[Ralph Wiggum]

Given that I now only collect TT G1 Masterpieces, my budget is whatever because the releases are far and few between now.

[SharkyMcShark]

I don't have a 'budget' so much as a list of forthcoming releases that I know I'm going to purchase, which I try my best not to deviate from on impulse.

For example right now it extends to

- WFCS Apeface
- The remaining Studio Series Constructicons (I have the first four already)
- Studio Series Shatter (jet mode)
- ER Wheeljack
- ER Starscream

I find that focusing on that keeps unnecessary spending down

(though I know I may be tempted on a whim with many of the coming Studio Series deluxes like the Arcee triplets and Soundwave).

[DELTAprime]

No budget really, but I put away $50 every fortnight in a separate savings account so that I'm not digging into my main account every time a new wave of stuff comes out.

[griffin]

I spend about $200 on average per week...



Yes... that works out to about $10,000 per year.
(well, I do add about 400 items to the collection every year, so it all adds up)


I used to buy a fair bit from Japan, but not in the last two years thanks to the rapid rise in pricing of Masterpiece toys, and the small amount of Japanese-only Transformers now that the main lines (Studio Series, Cyberverse, Generations) are all identical to the Hasbro versions.
But that saving has been offset by the growing number of exclusives not making to Australia since the collapse of ToysRUs, requiring a lot of importing and buying from inflated secondary markets.

[DaptoDog]

I try to limit myself to $4k. I buy only a fraction of Griffin in number (400!) but the average cost is way higher since I mainly buy Masterpiece.

[High_Q]

I don't have a budget for TFs.
I am not a completionist and mainly collect G1 MPs, G1 reissues and short-lived novelty lines (e.g. Q-TF, Disney Label, ReActions).
Last calendar year, i bought only two MPs (44, 45) and one reissue cassettron set. This year so far, I am expecting two ReAction TF figures.
Unless Takara or Hasbro reissues the multiple 1987-89 figures or releases many MP cars, I can't imagine spending more than $400/year on toys.

[Tha_Phantom]

I'm too scared to work it out, but let's say a lot.... I'm backcollecting as well as collecting current stuff so I pretty much spend money as soon as I get it. I never run out of things to buy.

[Sinnertwin]

As someone from the Ferrari F1 team once said, Budget? What does that mean?

[Dimi194]

I don't budget per se, but I definitely used to buy entire new waves without thinking by the case, which I've stopped doing to focus on only the toys I really want, which saves costs on extra, not super wanted figures.
When I know it's release season I'll put money aside to get the new figures, but that's it!