Are you embarassed by how much you spend on pins?

So, over the years I've noticed some fibbing when it comes to people saying how much they spent on a pin. If the person is trading away the pin they might fib that they gave/paid more than they really did and, while not honest, their motive makes sense.

But I have also noticed the opposite. I've seen people say that they spent x dollars on a pin when online activity actually says they spent way more. Despite ebay masking bidder ID's, there is still a way to see who won what and at what price....

So, I'm wondering....are people embarrased by how much they are spending on pins?

I know I don't like telling non-pin people what I spend because I know they will think I'm crazy. On the other hand, I think some of them are crazy for buying 500 dollar purses. So, to each their own. But so fib about it amongst "pin people" almost seems like an alcoholic at an AA meeting saying "I'm not an alcoholic"! :lol: The only thing I can think of is that people are still embarassed even though they are amongst people that would "get it".

So, where do you fall?

I do what I do and am not embarassed at anyting. Like you said, some buy $500.00 purses and stuff and I dont fault them for that.
I am proud of what I collect and have many hobbies I am nuts about. Heck, if people knew what I have spent on some elongated (pressed) pennies, they would freak but who am I to just and same with them.

And I guess pretty much everyone I know knows I am nuts and totally OCD so they expect it. I think non collectors are like WOW when you tell them how much you spend on pins and even a single pin but then they are interested to know more....usually. To some its like the justification where they are like, well, I guess I spend a lot on...............

So NO, not embarassed in the least. And some of those people maybe wish they could spend as much too.

I don't tell non-pin people what I spend on my pins - my boyfriend and family just roll their eyes. The one time I was absolutely mortified was quite recently after I thought I had linked my paypal to my credit card to purchase some pins. I linked it wrong and the money was over drawn from my account not once, not twice, but THREE times. $75 in fees and a huge scolding later...I try to be more careful LOL

I wish this was the one thing I spent money on...Sadly, i'm also one of those $500 purse/shoes (100+ pairs and counting!) people also :lol:

I'm not embarrassed about what I spend, because Disney and scrapbooking are my two vices. Everybody's got something: music, clothes, shoes, golf. I know at the end of the month, the bills are paid, and we have savings in the bank. However, I do sometimes wonder what people are spending when I see the pics on the Mail Day thread. Not that I'm immune, I know I have spent a chunk of our tax return on pins in Dec/Jan. I just wonder if that's normal spending, or like me, having a bit of fun knowing some extra cash on its way. I also have to laugh at myself, because when there was talk about splitting up the huge collection, I couldn't imagine dropping $600 at once. And then I spent $400 at Shane's sale, and was over $600 for the month.

Im not embarressed to say how much I spend on pins to anyone as at the end of the day its your own money so I dont see the need to feel embarressed if you spend a lot on a pin as if it makes you happy then why hide it.

Its the same as anything you collect really, as I used to collect comics and comic-related stuffs i.e. statues, variant covers, figures, clothes etc and thats an expensive hobby as I know loads of people that would throw there money towards a $300-$400 statue where some people would call them crazy and some wouldnt..

My opinion is, if the person is not a collector or anything then they dont get it, but if the person is a collector of something then they will most likely be on the same wavelength as you are, even though they still think your the crazy one to buy a $160 pin and yet youd think them crazy for spending the exact same amount on 1 comic book

We need one more option..

I purposely do not keep track of how much I spend. Therefore I cannot lie to myself or others.
The best form of denial

I don't say anything to non-pin people. They don't understand. But I can't imagine lying to fellow collectors. That's just not me. I couldn't believe it when I spent $60 on my Minnie as the Queen of Hearts pin, but I sure didn't tell anyone outside of those who'd understand! But, hey! I work 40+ hrs a week and they make me happy. What else matters?

Looks cool in my room, but I'd never admit to anyone how often I trade or buy pins (especially how much I spend) hahaha

But it's not that big of a deal if they found out- to me it's art.

kriscar said:

We need one more option..

I purposely do not keep track of how much I spend. Therefore I cannot lie to myself or others.
The best form of denial

Click to expand...

Hehe I love your way of thinking. I just spent $100 on one of my grails today and I have no remorse. I actually sold off a card collection I had since I was younger, and used that money to fund my purchase. So I basically traded in one hobby for another.

I wouldn't say that I lie to other pin collectors about what I pay, but frankly I'm just not the kind of person who is that open with personal matters like my finances. It's not that I'm embarrassed, I'm just a private person...

I keep my totals mainly from my parents. I'm a college student and they would be so mad to know how much I spent this quarter on pins. But hey, I got 3 grails!!! I just think people who don't trade don't understand how much things really are. So I usually just talk to Gillian and Ashley about everything I buy bc I know they'll understand. THEYRE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR ME TRADING!!!

LOL I dont lie about how much I spend on pins to other pin traders. Me and my hubby have an agreement however He doesnt ask how much I spend on pins and I dont ask how much he spends on his cars. Fair Trade for me. And I have spent 1700.00 on a pair of shoes before and I am afraid to wear them so whats the difference at least with pins I can get them out and hold them.

unibear said:

I wouldn't say that I lie to other pin collectors about what I pay, but frankly I'm just not the kind of person who is that open with personal matters like my finances. It's not that I'm embarrassed, I'm just a private person...

Click to expand...

I totally understand that. I don't usually broadcast what I'm buying either unless there is a specific thread on the topic and then I'll share. What just has me puzzled is that I've actually seen people lying about it, pretending they didn't know the value of a pin when they actually spent that much so had to know or saying that they paid half as much as they really did....it just boggles my mind. Why say anything at all? If you don't say anything then at least you aren't lying about it.... I also wonder if they would still lie about it if they knew that ebay wasn't as "private" as it appears to be.....

On another note, I love that nobody has selected "I don't spend enough for it to be an issue!" :lol:

unibear said:

I wouldn't say that I lie to other pin collectors about what I pay, but frankly I'm just not the kind of person who is that open with personal matters like my finances. It's not that I'm embarrassed, I'm just a private person...

Click to expand...

+2 for us

I just don't talk to non-pin people about pins in general- let alone about prices. I'll be honest with pin people if its asked, but I wouldn't volunteer it.

I used to collect Star Wars, as it was such a huge part of my youth, but I got so much grief from my family and inlaws about it, as well as my wife, I tend to be quite inverted when it comes to the pins. It's kind of like the elephant in the corner of the room, lol. I replaced one collection with another. So yes, I tend to be quite tight lipped when it comes to what I spend in pins.

Hah. It's kind of ironic that I just saw this thread. I just purchased a pin that, cost-wise, wasn't THAT much money, but I did hem and haw. But I really wanted it. I picked #2. I would not lie to a pin collector, but to everyone else, I try to avoid the discussion as much as possible.

kriscar said:

We need one more option..

I purposely do not keep track of how much I spend. Therefore I cannot lie to myself or others.
The best form of denial

Click to expand...

I have to second this. I know if I actually KNEW how much I spent on pins, I'd make myself crazy. So denial is best.

Love this thread. I was just having a similar conversation with dh on this type of thing a few days ago.

I picked the 3rd one but I guess I am in between 2 and 3. I would never lie about how much I spend on a pin or certain lot/set, etc. I am not ashamed of that. What I am "embarrassed" to admit to anyone (even myself) is how much I have spent in whole on pins since I started collecting about 6 years ago. WE NEED A SPIN-OFF THREAD ON THIS NOW...lol A POLL ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE INVESTED IN PINS IN TOTAL SINCE YOU STARTED COLLECTING. This, I would be interested in seeing. See I would always fund my pin purchases through selling things on ebay or craigslist to try and cover what I wanted or try and get some photography work here and there but I am a stay at home mom so I have no other personal income for pin purchases. Before dh got laid off his income paid all the bills, put a little away etc so I needed to make my pin money otherwise. Now that he is back at work he makes enough to just pay the bills so I am still at the only making a little here and there for pins...so where do I get the money for them? Credit cards!! They will be the death of me I assure you. Am I ashamed that I put my pins on a cc just b/c I find a good deal and really want the pin?? Absolutely!! My honesty/embarrassment for the day.... I have spent about $650 re-buying pins for my collection since selling my old collection which has not been so long ago. I am thrilled with what I have bought, love being able to slowly build my collection back up but at the same time thinking I am crazy for what I have already done.

Pins are like a drug or alcohol addiction to me, I swear. I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, don't buy the expensive purses or shoes, etc. I LOVE to collect though and it totally makes me happy. I started out at 4 or 5 years old getting together a massive collection of Happy Meal toys. I think I had a couple hundred of them by the time I was 7. As I got older it became barbie dolls (still have about 60-70 of those put away in my closet) and then onto the TY Beanie Babies. I used to have so much fun with them. My dh actually would collect some of them with me and my aunt was really into them so we would go out out all the time on beanie baby hunts and have breakfast. Dh and I (well, this was when we were just engaged) would go out to the flea market once a month when the store we liked out there would get in a huge shipment of the new stuff and sell it at retail (everyone else would jack them way up) and we would arrive at 5am to sit in line with all of our beanie friends, send a couple of people out for breakfast about 6 and wait there until the shop opened at 9am to get our beanies. We would have the MOST fun doing this and would still walk around the flea market for several hours doing a little trading and trying to buy a few of the older ones we wanted. I still have about 4 tubs of TY beanies, buddies and other TY products in the attic. DH has always collected sports cards but has in the last 5 years stopped but he still has quite the collection of them put away in the boys closet for them when they get a little older. We went to all of the sports card and toy/hobby shows all the time before the kids were born. They knew us by name when we would walk in...lol Anyway, when the beanies died down we got into Disney snow globes just before we did pins. We have about 30-40 of them but we just ran out of room...lol Then about 6 years ago the pins started. There has been no looking back since then. I have always and will always love collecting. I love the fun of it, the chase, the people I meet, etc. It is great!

Well, that was longer than I planned for it to be. I am actually a very open person and will admit a lot of things but admitting that I use cc's to buy pins I should not be buying is definitely on the embarrassing side.