GAS : family intervention!

[sf]

My gas is probably the worst around. I've considered nearly every possible way of making money to buy cameras, I generally have a glazed over appearance (thinking about buying cameras), and I have a sizeable credit card debt to show for it. Well, things have gotten out of hand in recent months with the GAS growing to terrible size.

This week, the idea of buying a custom MP on credit. . . came to mind. More than once, and with increasing force.

Tonight, not surprisingly given my antisocial personality these past days, I was the target of an invervention. They told me that it needs to stop, that I need to get a grip. . . .

and they raided my wallet. They took all my credit cards. I had three. Now, I have zero.

So there you go. I'm 24 years old and already I've been forceably deGASsed.

 

[back alley]

wow!

ok, we will be hiding both of the classified sections on you for awhile...

joe

 

[ch1]

You should embrace the folks who took away the CC's.

I guess I got my first CC at about your age. It was nice to have "credit" but it was terrible too. Credit w/o income is a quick trip to financial hell!

Settle things up and obtain perspective. Don't let us old geezers here "talk" you into a GAS situation that you cannot YET afford.

All of this will come to you - but you need to give it time.

 

[wlewisiii]

Look at this as a positive experiance. Seriously. Pay off the debt you already have - it is not like you are trying to do art show work with a brownie box given the RF645. And only then give any thought to _any_thing else.

I speak from the same place - I have a major lens to pay off (40/2) before I consider anything more expensive than about $20.

Back up. Take a really deep breath. Then load a roll of your absolute favorite film in that Bronica. Go out and shoot it like there is no tomorrow. Soup it. Scan it. Oooh and Ahhh over it. Maybe eve post it somewhere. Then go to sleep and be a good worker bee tomorrow and so forth until it's all paid out. Easy? Of course not. But it is what you need to do right now.

You have to balance both sides of your life at the moment - fiscal reality vs. art sucks. Been there, done that, lived in a rat hole for too many f*ing years...

William

 

[sf]

You should embrace the folks who took away the CC's.

I guess I got my first CC at about your age. It was nice to have "credit" but it was terrible too. Credit w/o income is a quick trip to financial hell!

Settle things up and obtain perspective. Don't let us old geezers here "talk" you into a GAS situation that you cannot YET afford.

All of this will come to you - but you need to give it time.

I know. I'm not angry at all. Kind of a relief, actually. I think it's just funny that it happened.

 

[RObert Budding]

You already have excellent gear, George. So this is good - as long as you have pocket money for film!

My GAS is somewhat controlled by my need to send 2 kids to college (in 10 years) and a mortgage. But I do need a nice telephoto to shoot my kids' soccer games. And I need an RH Designs timer for my darkroom. And . . .

 

[darkkavenger]

I've got two debit cards, one for my czech bank account and one for my french bank account ... that means if there's 0 on my bank account, it stays to zero... sad, but keeps one close to the sense of reality.. 🙂

 

[taffer]

Yep, as Max, the 95% of my card purchases are with debit card. Actually, the credit one is more a sort of 'in case of emergency' or when debit is not accepted (to my surprise, VERY rarely) and to be honest I never asked for until the bank sent me one directly a couple years ago.

Drastic movement, but let some time pass and in the end you'll be way grateful they did that. So many people would be so happy to have others caring so much.

There's no point in getting ofuscated with gear, or in fact, with anything. I try not to think too much on the oncoming fishes nowadays, just try to be awake enough to do my best at fishing them when they pass swimming under my nose 😉

I keep mostly falling apparatously in freezing cold waters though, so much to my own fun 😱

Oscar

 

[Creagerj]

What does GAS stand for anyway?

 

[darkkavenger]

Gear Acquisition Syndrome

 

[kmack]

Set up a second account with your bank and use it only for emergency GAS. Any time you have spare change, unexpected money put it in the "camera fund".

 

[pesphoto]

Ive spent the last FIVE years paying off CC debt, so be careful it really can effect a good portion of your financial life. Now Im paid up , and use my bank's debit card only. If I dont have the cash on hand I dont buy! I jusut got my 1st CC in five years, only for emergencies.

 

[Pherdinand]

funny indeed, George.
By the way i thought you are older🙂 dunno why!

Did you sell the scanner?
Do as william sugfgested... SHoot some nice stuff with your existent gear, it will help in de-GASsing.

 

[jan normandale]

Shoot more buy less. More time acquiring stuff = less time shooting.

 

[rover]

You will be better for the intervention. I actually don't carry any credit cards with me other than when I am on vacation. With my debit card to take the credit card's place I force myself to live on a cash basis, and therefore within budget.

Take it slow, pay off the cards, and just burn lots of film with the stuff that got you into "trouble."

 

[MarkB]

Hang in there! I absolutely understand what you're going through. Having friends and family around to support you through this is a good thing!

 

[nyx]

Someone please tell my family to do this for me too! 😉

I don't use CCs and only buy if I have cash on hand...but I spend almost all my income on new gear. But with time, it gets better...I stopped buying things new (there are some exceptions - darkroom stuff from RH Designs for example) and I went from digital to film. That helped to keep it under control...until I needed/wanted some nice small camera for snapshots and travel...and this is where Hexar RF came :bang:

 

[pesphoto]

You can live without credit cards if you put your mind to it. Cut 'em up if you need to. It feels better when you take a little longer, save real cash and make your purchase. Done deal, no monthly payments and interest to worry about.

 

[dostacos]

My gas is probably the worst around. I've considered nearly every possible way of making money to buy cameras, I generally have a glazed over appearance (thinking about buying cameras), and I have a sizeable credit card debt to show for it. Well, things have gotten out of hand in recent months with the GAS growing to terrible size.

This week, the idea of buying a custom MP on credit. . . came to mind. More than once, and with increasing force.

Tonight, not surprisingly given my antisocial personality these past days, I was the target of an invervention. They told me that it needs to stop, that I need to get a grip. . . .

and they raided my wallet. They took all my credit cards. I had three. Now, I have zero.

So there you go. I'm 24 years old and already I've been forceably deGASsed.

tried selling your blood? 😀

 

[bob cole]

Gas

Gas

What does GAS stand for anyway?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


I'm glad somebody asked what it means...You guys use all kinds of weird abbreviations and I have to read maybe 10 different messages before I finally figure it out...In my business we were never allowed to use abbreviations because so many people don't know what they mean...regards, bob cole