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You can collect and not go into debt. Indeed, you can even upgrade your collection without going into debt. Sometimes and I have done this myself, you could even make money while continuing to upgrade your collection, but the late 1990s are over, so we won't be that ambitious. I will tell you what I did, and you can take away what you can use.
1. Never, never buy any non-consumable until another non-consumable has left the house. Keep a Post-It on your refrigerator or near your grocery list. Every time you sell something from your collection or every time you donate or throw out an old piece of crap, then you can put a tick on the Post-It note. Every time you buy something, you cross off a tick. No ticks, no buy. No matter how great the deal. This motivates you to clear out the older stuff and to sell, donate, freecycle, re-gift, or just plain throw it away. You find yourself wanting to keep ahead of the game, so you will have a tick free to spend when a REAL deal comes along.
2. Don't visit shopping sites for entertainment. Don't go to flea markets, shows, or stores for entertainment. Go only when you have "ticks" to spend AND cash in pocket. Pay only cash for collectibles and ask for the cash price. Sometimes walk away while dickering even if you don't want to.
3. Pick a focus for your collection. "Software" is a big category. What kind of "software" do you want to preserve and why? I don't know enough about it to give you examples in that area, but I used to collect anything that was well-priced and in good condition. No more. Now I only buy items that I KNOW I can re-sell or else I only buy items that fit into my particular collections. Before, I had books, dishes, bottles, fossils, minerals, toys, stuffed animals, you name it, I probably had one. I kept every Science Fiction book I ever bought. After, I sold all the fiction books that were not by my favorite authors and all the nonfiction books that I wouldn't use and re-use. I sold or donated every last one of the toys and stuffed animals, and most of the dishes and bottles. Finally -- and this is the fun part -- I made a catalog of the core of my mineral collection. I saw I had some inferior specimens from when I was a beginner. For instance, let's say I had 10 amethysts. I sold all the lesser specimens and kept the very best. In another case, I sold several dozen pounds of agate and then had plenty of cash to buy the one specimen I truly wanted. (I actually made money and income to report on that deal, whoo hoo.) Now, I realize that software gets dated, and you may not be able to resell the older parts of your collection. But if you have something truly value-less...be brave. Toss It Out!
4. Have a firm rule that if you don't have room for an item, you don't buy it, no matter how great this is. (Might not work for software but it certainly keeps me from over-spending.)
5. When meeting with other people who share your hobby, find out who is interested in swaps. I've gotten a few nice things this way at no cost, and it also puts me in contact with people who know where to get other nice specimens. Just knowing that lots of nice stuff is available and you CAN locate it again even if you don't jump on some EBay auction...that really helps stop you from panic buying.
6. Don't get into new hobbies when you haven't achieved what you hoped out of the old hobby. This is the hardest one to do but if you don't get strict with yourself, you will always be on the surface, and never enjoy getting really deep into an interest or having a real success or expertise with it. Life is short, and we have to make choices. If you have not pursued a hobby in many years, give yourself a weekend or two to go over the equipment and see if the spark returns. If it doesn't, sell that equipment and put the money into the hobby where the spark is still alive. You are going to find the deepest friendships and adventures by focusing on one to three hobbies rather than flitting from place to place and being a nobody in a thousand different hobbies.
7. Don't overlook your elders in your hobby. An "Elmer" as they used to call them in ham radio can be very useful in passing on information and even used equipment. This saves time and money, and builds connection with other people in your hobby. I know that clubs can be full of politics and back-biting, but dip a toe into the community from time to time to expose yourself to like-minded people.
If it sounds like I've said more about changing your life than about saving your money, I guess I have. These steps have gone far beyond taking my hobbies and collections from money drain to money producer. They have indeed improved my life and my connection with my hobby. I wish you the same good fortune.
The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72
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