Remember when everyone was talking about

[Guest smccown13]

Collecting these darn things has actually helped me a lot. In order to help pay, I started cutting down on eating out and now I mostly buy groceries and munch at work. Plus, I eat a lot less too. I'm about to start my Mars Volta collection, so shit is about to get pricey.

[Guest falloutcollapse]

I only buy hardcore/pop punk vinyl now, even though I enjoy all kinds of music. It's just an easy way to restrict my purchasing.

[swaty327]

I just started buying records again, so I've been buying releases that I want a vinyl copy of, and I've been buying like crazy the past few weeks. I've been waiting to buy some records until I find them at great prices, and that helps a lot. After I'm done playing catch up, its just going to be new releases or pricier older releases.

[lokithelion]

See I only buy what I'm going to listen to. I can't understand people who get into collecting variants for more than one band, and even then I can't understand people who start collect variants of bands that have been around for YEARS. Like if you start collecting variants of Alkaline Trio in 2009 you're a nut job, cause you've got so much expensive stuff to track down that I can't imagine it being any fun.

The only band I've ever collected was O Pioneers!!! and it's made my life better. They weren't a band I could just count on eBay and a bank roll to collect. I've only really traded for a few things, the rest I've had to build relationships with band members and label owners to get tests and hard to find colors. Shit I paid Aaron Danger's phone bill for a record once. And now I've become honest to god friends with Eric and Aaron (even though Aaron doesn't remember the one time we met face to face the prick) and I've been able to get to know people like Bryon Kiss of Death and Justin Underground Comm. It's really brought me back to the community aspect of punk. And I think thats awesome.

[thedavidescapeplan]

I'm cutting down on my spending quite a bit, but this is due to the fact I just got a bunch of records I've been wanting for quite some time. I occasionalyl buy variants depending if it's cheap and a record I know I will listen to a lot. I don't buy variants of every band I like, only of records I know I will play until the grooves are dead.

[mynameisdan]

problem is people are treating them like baseball cards or some shit... i mean look at the "for sale" lists... every one of them is like 85% multiple colors of records that were overhyped. You don't have to buy every release that comes out.. and thats the problem.. i can gaurantee almost all of the shit going up for sale has never been played... and was purchased because the person thought it was going to quadruple in value. Too many people view it as a contest.. the attitude of "i can never have a complete collection so i'm gonna sell off all the rest of it" is pretty retarded.. its like you didn't even care about the band to begin with.

i know everyones quoting this... but for real, this is it.

[Guest drahtuos]

i love music, and i love music most when listened to on my favorite format, the vinyl record! i've been collecting records for 3 - 4 years now and i'm very passionate about the hobby. as for giving up collecting if i couldn't afford it or whatever? no way, the collector spirit is deeply ingrained in me even before i started collecting records, it's just a part of who i am. the fact that music is something i truly love makes it that much more important to me and thus something i will never give up. and in these tough times i find myself buying more records than ever, credit cards are cool. look ma i'm stimulatin the economy!

[brokebackbrad]

i am jobless at the moment, so money is super tight. what i do is sell of what i dont really care about and spend only that money on new records. this is something i love doing, its exciting buying records. at times i used to spend to much but scaling back alot is about the only answer, or just hold off for awhile and pick it up in a few months when your more financially set.

[dannarchy]

There is only one band that I actively collect everything they release (variants included). I do it for the love of the band and the collection, not because of any idea of making lots of money off rare variants in the future etc. In fact, it's kind of like a money black hole, there is always something else you have to have... but I don't regret it.

Any other records I buy are ones that I want in my personal collection, to listen to and keep for myself. I admit though to having bought into the hype surrounding some releases in the past, so especially now that things have becomer tougher financially, I try and limit myself to albums I love and know I will play.

[machiel]

I always try to buy less, but it's very hard when you see something you want.