how dou you cope with your frustration????

Let me just say I am posting this for no other reason than the fact it was on my mind and wanted to share so dont take it too seriously
I just did my nightly search on Ebay and once again I came across a card I would love to have but dont have anywhere near the cash to buy it
Being on disability makes aquiring new stuff really tough and like alot of us I really have to prioritize my spending in a major way
It is really frustrating at times like this but then I have to step back and realize how well off I am to have the things I do have
I am thankful for the ability to sit here in the airconditioned bedroom at this (albeit totally screwed up) computer and vent my frustrations when there are people out there who cant even come up with enough money to feed themselves or their family
I just want to say thanks to all of you guys here who take the time to share your knowledge and collections with those of us who arent quite in the position to be at that level yet and those of you who are having a tough time out there should know you arent alone

Brandon,

I hear you, man. I love your attitude and thankfulness for the things that you do have. Ernest Hemingway wrote books about people who have scars - visible or not - you might want to check out The Sun Also Rises. There's some people who would seem to have everything but are miserable. Being in a wheelchair, that is tough, man, I can only imagine. Do what you can to take care of yourself, be it the exercise you can do, eat right, etc. In the end all we've got are our family and friends, those who care for us. I don't have much wisdom but I hope this helps.

Cheers

Hi Brandon,

Interesting question you pose. I think as collectors, we are all bound to face certain frustrations at times. Most people I know have some kind of limitation on their collecting budget. Fortunately, there are a few options to lower the cost of collecting. Some include: accept lower-grade cards, place limits on the scope of the collection (ie. collect only certain players, or a certain team, or a manageable set), and/or go for more available cards as opposed to the rarer ones.

To use one example from my collecting, I was always a Red Sox collector, but I was looking for an E-card set to collect in addition. I ended up chasing the E92 Dockman set. I admit that it was not my first choice...I would have preferred to go after E90-1, for instance. But I decided that based on my finances, it was not sensible for me to try E90-1. Also, I never liked the Joe Jax rookie card and I would hate to sink thousands of bucks into a card I dislike for the sake of completing a set.

The E92 Dockman set has been a fun project, manageable on my budget, and I have a real chance of completing it (there are only 40 cards with no real rarities) in a condition I'm happy about.

Anyways, that is a long way of saying that I agree the money limitations are frustrating, but my way of dealing with that has been to tailor my collecting to better fit my financial resources. Setting reasonable, achievable goals results in more satisfaction overall for me.

Making a tight focus on your collection is the best thing to do. AS mentioned, having a realistic expectation as to what you can collect also helps. As time goes by and you get closer to completing your original collecting goal you can expand you collection. If you are like most collector, you need to do this because there is always that need to acquire something new for the collection.

I would normally breathe in, breathe out. Or I will just sleep my frustration. And when I wake up, well, it's still there. It's really hard. But what I do next is exhaust all the possible things to do to get what I wanted. Well, if it didn't work for me, i'll let it be.

I share your frustration Brandon. I'm retired from the military, 80% VA disability, unemployed for the last 15 1/2 months (basically since I left the military).

Every night, I see multiple cards I would love to get, but can't due to financial constraints. I just try to remember that in nearly all instances, another example of that particular card will show up in the future, hopefully at a time when I can get it. I also, like you, try to remember that I don't have it nearly as rough as many other people do.....while I'm not employed, I do have a steady income that allows me to pay the bills, and still gives me enough to buy a few cards each month.

Steve

southern comfort binge, and my dog's shoulder to cry on...