I added up all my Poser expenses for last year and it's about twice what I thought it would be--a little over $700. At least I'm practicing more restraint this year and haven't even spent $50 yet. I'm putting more effort into indexing all the content I do have so that I won't spend a lot of money on items that I may already have a suitable substitute for. I recently rediscovered Jon Malis' old P4 RPG figures and they still hold up today as quality work (they're no longer at Animotions, so it doesn't appear that they're available anymore). It's so easy to dismiss the old P4 figures, but they're still very useful even today. I'm also starting to get frustrated with buying more and more stuff only to have it sit on my hard drive and never get used. It's nice to have it all should the muse ever catch my need to use them, but the cost of buying what I absolutely need, even at full price, is going to be less than what I've been spending at sales for stuff I'm not using.

LOL - Ive only just started using poser last year, and lets just say that I too am very surprised at the amount of money Ive spent on poser stuff!!

I'm not even going there!! [lol] thefixer poser coordinator

I avoid thinking about it myself. Better for my sanity.

Only $700.00? ;) That's only $58.33 per month, or $1.91 per day, or $0.079 per hour. Heck you spend more than that on coffee, and way more than that on cigarettes. It's cheap entertainment compared to other forms such as going to the movies ($12.00 for 2 to 2.5 hours), dinner ($25.00 per person)... well you get the idea :) And with poser items you can reuse them over and over which makes the cost even less overtime :)

Gagonrich, I admire your restraint. I've spent a heck of a lot more than you. And like you, I have a lot of stuff I've never gotten around to using. I frequently think I should cut back. But I never do. :-P

Message edited on: 04/10/2005 06:06

only $700?? you lucky stiff! I wish I had spent only $700 last year...it cost me more to feed the Poser Beast than it would have to feed an expensive drug habit...the Poser box should be clearly labeled "WARNING: HIGHLY ADDICTIVE" L

Put it this way...I could quit/retire from my job if I stopped spending. LOL

I scare myself whenever I look at how much I've spent on Poser. So I don't look. I also sew, and in a book somewhere talking about the "fabric stash problem" many people get, I found the quote "Fabric has served its purpose if it has inspired you." Also many reminders that this is your pallet. A painter could paint with only the three primary colors, black, and white, but it would be difficult and horribly stiffling and the end result probably would not be as good. Likewise, a seamstress could sew with fabric she just has already lying around, but if a new one will make her project better, then why stiffle? I consider Poser to be the same way. A purchase is worthwhile if it's given me an idea, even if I never actually do it. (Remember, ideas sometimes need time to mature. It's sitting back there, simmering. Even if you haven't done it yet, you don't know when it will click and you will.) Likewise, even if I never use it, it's good to have unique items available. What if it's perfect for a project in two years, but is off the market by then? And this concludes today's lesson in Rationalization 101. I hope you took notes; there will be a quiz on Thursday. ^_~

If I were still smoking, and I quit many years ago, I would be spending at least 40$ a week on smokes. Now I spend that on Poser and my health is better! So, that's good, right?

I don't want to even consider thinking about how much I spend on Poser. I would prolly have a heart attack on the spot if I knew......... Angel1

Ditto FyreSpiryt! Same goes for work time. I've often spent a week building props and setting up a scene that went nowhere. But I always keep the PZ3 because sooner or later the props or the skills will save time on a needed image.

Look at it this way too...We have a large age range in the 3D community...so if we don't use it today we have 10-50 years(depending on your age) if not not longer to use what we have bought! Why not build up your libraires while you can....for one day finances/fixed incomes will take over & you won't be able to spend. I know...odd way of looking at things...this is what I tell myself :)

The thing that scared me most was that I had no idea that it was as large an expense as it was without realizing it. It's one thing if I knew outright that I was spending this much. I'm really not comfortable not knowing how much I eventually spent. I know that a lot of Poser users have spent considerably more than I have. I sure understand the various rationalizations. I can just as reasonably argue with myself that I can (and often do) get inspiration by just looking at what is available. I have seen some products get pulled from the marketplace, but most of the stuff I've placed on wish lists are still there. I do miss a bunch of Serrge's older products. I personally think he's been premature about yanking them. Unfortunately, since they were mostly for Michael & Victoria 1/2, it's not likely that they'll be on the marketplace again. Overall, there's not much that's gone forever. Eventually, there is bound to be a marketplace that caters to the older figures because their lower polycount still has a place in renderings. The extra oomph in computing power hasn't drastically eased the process of working with and rendering complex scenes. I'm a ratpacker by nature. I hate throwing things out. It's not unusual that I've let my spending get mildly out of control with Poser. The one big difference between collecting software products and physical products is that there is always a possibility that physical products will increase in value and have some nostalgic collector's value. My Poser collection will never increase in value because I don't have a right to sell anything I've bought. It was worth seeing how much I spent because I can now exercise a little more control over what I spend in the future.

DON'T look at the total expenses, you're likely to go jump off a cliff. $700? Wow, that's a low number. I beat that just in this MP, let's not talk about DAZ, 3DC, PPros, RDNA, etc.... And I've been at it since '98, long before they even opened this store here. You don't wanna know how many hairstyles my Poser people have. Or lingerie sets, etc. Shoes? Characters? Pose sets? SciFi props? Nature stuff? Furniture? Oh boy... :] Fish

I went on two buying sprees in one year... I spent well over $1,000. One of which was over $1,600. Had to go rehab and now my spending is $0.00.

I was able to do that because I'm sooo backed up with content, it's a shame. Some are still NEW and never been opened!

Message edited on: 04/10/2005 13:08

Opps! I did buy Poser 6. I must be slipping. Yeah, it's still on the shelf in box. Rehab?

Yeesssss, My Precious. They thinks they's is tricksies with the words, but we knows the truth, Precioussss. They wants it, they do. They gots to have it. But its ours, Precious, yes, it is. But they wants it to, all shiny and new, and it looks so nice with all the Other Preciouses. It does. Preciouses and Preciouses, but we know where the -Real- Precious is, don't we Precious? And we ain'ts gonna tell...

I dont count how much stuff i bought since my Poserstart last year in May.Must be a few thousand bucks.I better not count.Poser is a very addictive hobby gg

This is why i'/m soooo glad i learned to modle in Rhino. I have no income (thanks a whiole lot overseas outsourcing... grumble) but if i see something i really like that inspires me but i can't afford i can use rhino to make something similar to it .. (Besides that the market places all cater to the mil figures and i still use posette which no one modles for :) ) but i imagine learning to modle has saved me thousands of dollars .. (if i had it to spend)

Much as I want to take up modeling, it still ultimately comes up to a time versus money issue.

Dale B, Thanks for the laugh!