geekent's Buy Nothing Year

Oh August, bless you for your treasure trove of comedy and comics. My first official month out of debt and I could have went crazy with the spending, and I did, compared to the last 8 months at least, but I kept it fairly in check and the bulk of what was viewed or acquired was not out of my pocket. Getting paid-in-trade from my LCS for working the Toronto Fan Expo was pretty sweet, and if I meter my acquisitions over the next four months I should be able to make it through this entire year without having paid for a single comic book out of pocked (well, except for the one or two breakdowns at BMV books). Working the Fan Expo also afforded me the opportunity to do some immediate trade with the LCS, as on the Friday I recognized that a lot of people were asking for things we didn't have and that I had at home, so I brought them in on Saturday and got some immediate trade, which allowed Aden and myself to pick up some things without even yet dipping into our work-for-trade.

The LCS also had about 60 $0.25 bins filled with comics dating as far back as 1981 through to 1998. I noticed a lot of Legion of Super-Heroes and other curiosities that I've been pondering, and as I dug through my stack just started to grow and grow and grow. I had to stop myself (just before I got to the 40-issue run of Captain Atom) and I wound up with 180 comic books which even at 5/$1 is only $36(!). Of course, for all my hard work, they just let me walk home with them (better than them having to carry them back to the store). Wow... I probably don't need to acquire ANY more comics for the rest of the year. I still will, just, it's going to affect how much I bring home every week, knowing that I have so much to read. Of course, the books I got are runs with some gaps in them, so I'm going to have to dig around to fill in some of them (maybe there's more $0.25 bins to come?).

Finally, Aden, the little guy and I went to the Canadian National Exhibition, a loud and trashy place (where I saw a pregnant woman smoking...nice) which was an interesting experience and none that I need to repeat for a few more years. While there we wandered into one of the convention halls where there was a sales bonanza going on, including one area that was selling DVDs at 5/$20. I wanted to look, but, also knowing I'd be tempted, wanted to walk away. Aden tempted me in saying she'd pay for anything (and at $4 a pop it's cheaper buying the videos than renting). And thus we walked out with 10 +1 DVDs, some favourites (How To Get Ahead In Advertising, A Mighty Wind), some we've been meaning to rent (Munich, United '93), and two TV on DVD that satiate the Python fanatic in me (oh, and Mr. T in DC Cab, weee).

Anyway... a consumptive month after the cut.