Co-worker making me feel guilty about wanting the 40d

[Stefan A]

I guess I am just venting here, so bear with me. I work with a man who is about 15 years older than me. We have known each other and have worked closely for 13 years. Our relationship is one where we can pretty much say anything to each other and get away with it. He is a very frugal man and he knows that I tend to be...well, not as frugal :). So he feels he needs to be my conscience whenever I want to spend a large sum of money. He knows that money is tight with me and he always wants me to think of my future.

But damnit! - I want a 40d! :). And he just goes on an on whenever I bring it up about how the camera I have is good enough (rebel xt). How if I were selling pictures than perhaps it would be justified. How I just don't need it. So now I feel all guilty even thinking about buying it. The sad thing is that he is right (the guilty part of me talking). The xt serves me well and for a non-pro like myself, it's good enough. But I don't need to explain to any of you the advantages. The problem is, those advantages are really not necessities.

Yeah, I am my own man and I can do whatever I please. If I get it, he will be disappointed in me. But I shouldn't let that bother me - right? I would say many of us don't actually NEED an upgrade from a 1 year+ old camera. But it's a hobby!

So anyway - I don't have any questions for you, just wanted to vent. I'd be willing to hear any similar stories or comments.

Stefan

[tiktaalik]

There are always people who think they know better than you do on how to spend your money or live your life.

I say **** em.

Don't buy into the passive-aggressive cr@p about him being 'disappointed' in you. Don't feel guilty. Buy your camera and enjoy it. Wear it proudly and flaunt it.

[BillsBayou]

Buy the camera and sell pictures of him on-line.

[DimensionZero]

I say buy it!
And while you're at it, buy me one too!

That'll show him! :D

[Stefan A]

Ken that was great - A big LOL on that.

Stefan

[Curtis N]

Ask yourself this rhetorical question:

How many people, when viewing their financial position at retirement age, look back upon their life and wish they had spent more on rapidly depreciating gadgets used in their hobbies. How many people wish they had spent less, and invested more?

Nothing wrong with having a hobby. Determine how much money you can spend on your hobby without sacrificing your quality of life in your declining years. Then make decisions based on your budget, not Canon's press releases.

[John_B]

Stefan A,
My opinion is:
If you want it (and can afford it) then get it and you will be happy.
If your not sure if you want it, then don't get it.
Yes you probably could live without the 40D, but you could probably still breath and eat without your XT also.
But don't let someone else make the decision for you.

[the_incubus]

If you spend money like you have a hole iny our pocket then it might be a good idea to listen to him. Has there been other situations when you wanted to get somehting he said you shouldnt but you got it anyway and regreted it later on, or vice versa? You have to ask yourself that question.

[mellowd]

If you say money is tight then it might be better to lay it off for a while. If you can afford it and want it then buy it.

I'd love the 40D but I simply can't afford it (just bought a canon 10-22mm) so I won't buy it till I can

[Jason77]

your money is just that - your's to do what you want with it. if you have the extra cash and you want it, there's no reason why you shouldn't get it or be made to feel guilty about it. its nice to think about the future and retirement but who's to say you're going to make it that far? there's no reason to deny yourself if you have the means. besides, you could always sell your xt if you feel you'll never use it again.

[Snapman]

There are two sides to most arguments and only you can properly decide what to do. It could be you are weak at making financial decisions and your colleage is genuine in his desire to protect you from yourself. On the other hand, you might be wise in wanting a 40D. Myself - I've got a 20D with which I'm very happy and have no temptation to upgrade - I'm in my sixties and know that a new camera would only make me happy for a short while, so I choose to spend money on other things.

Take an objective view of your life - whether you're able to pay your mortgage / rent and essential outgoings and still be left with some money for a rainy day. If you're happy that you can, then spend some of your excess on toys. However, if you decide you'll end up in deficit, don't :)

[Snapman]

Ask yourself this rhetorical question:

How many people, when viewing their financial position at retirement age, look back upon their life and wish they had spent more on rapidly depreciating gadgets used in their hobbies. How many people wish they had spent less, and invested more?

Stefan, Curtis has a good point, I for one look back with considerable regret because because I spent money on toys - money which I could have invested and used to provide a much better future for myself - I don't, for instance, own my own home :(

Which do you think you'd rather have in your retirement Stefan - a nice comfortable home which you own or memories of a succession of gadgets which only gave you happiness - not security - for a fleeting time.

[Snapman]

If you say money is tight then it might be better to lay it off for a while. If you can afford it and want it then buy it.

I'd love the 40D but I simply can't afford it (just bought a canon 10-22mm) so I won't buy it till I can

And you probably think the Boks will beat us on Friday - the trouble is you may well be right - let's hope it's a decent game :)

[Stefan A]

You all have very pragmatic advice. It's all true and it makes sense. Thanks for the wake up call everybody. Fortunately, I am not one of these types who doesn't know when to quit. With most hobbies, once I get to a certain level, I tend to be happy with what I got. The mid level prosumer level is where I want to be and I really have no big desire to go full frame. Eventually I will upgrade my xt. Whether I get the 40d or the 50d or whatever, we will see. If I bought the 40d right now, at least 3/4 of the price would have to be credit. So I will wait.

Stefan

[mellowd]

And you probably think the Boks will beat us on Friday - the trouble is you may well be right - let's hope it's a decent game :)

The Boks will demolish England :) I'm looking forward to it! Should be a class game :D

[JAZZ D.P.G.]

Ha Ha, this sounds like me when I first got into digital.

I waffled so long on spending the money, which I had available, that the next version came out :-)

Want a 5D, can afford it, will use it, and still waffling on spending the money. Some things never change. What was that I hear about 5D Mk II?

[gjl711]

Hmm.. sound as if he is offering sound advice. You yourself say you don't need it, your current setup is working well, and your strapped for cash. The only argument for is that you want it.
Well, I want a nekid blond dancing on my desk, but I'm not getting that either. ;)

[the_incubus]

Hmm.. sound as if he is offering sound advice. You yourself say you don't need it, your current setup is working well, and your strapped for cash. The only argument for is that you want it.
Well, I want a nekid blond dancing on my desk, but I'm not getting that either. ;)

for the right price im sure you can ;)

[ForumForker]

OK, here's my take. And I'm 56 years old. If the 40D makes you happy go for it. Life is fragile and unpredictable. I know a lot of people who worked until age 65 and saved their money. They didn't live another 5 years. The kids got to spend it. Remember, the one who dies with the most toys wins. Go for it!

[S.Horton]

OK, here's my take. And I'm 56 years old. If the 40D makes you happy go for it. Life is fragile and unpredictable. I know a lot of people who worked until age 65 and saved their money. They didn't live another 5 years. The kids got to spend it. Remember, the one who dies with the most toys wins. Go for it!

May your last check bounce.

;)

[NarrowSoul]

Really, it's your own decision. I am but a lowly 15 year old, but I know a couple things about economics. From experience of wasting about 80% of my income on cameras so far in my job (a few paychecks...), that wouldn't really be smart for you. But that's my point; I don't have a car or anything else to do really, and now I'm secure in what I have, so just tailor your spending to what you have or need. You don't need the 40D, lord no; I won't be buying it for a long time. But think about it... The prices of the 30 and 20 should be dropping soon... *devilish smile in thought of world domination* And really, outright purchase isn't the only way to go. Start trading up, clean out your old hobbies that didn't go so well in a garage sale, clean your house out, whatever. Yeah, that was a bit broken in purpose, but I got to tell a story, so awesome. Just my $.02.

-Hank

[CH3NO2]

Ask yourself this rhetorical question:

How many people, when viewing their financial position at retirement age, look back upon their life and wish they had spent more on rapidly depreciating gadgets used in their hobbies. How many people wish they had spent less, and invested more?

For me it's enjoy now as who knows if I will make it to retirement age. This could be my last post, you never know. Everyone views things differntly.

[gjl711]

For me it's enjoy now as who knows if I will make it to retirement age. This could be my last post, you never know. Everyone views things differntly.
There has to be a balance and you have to plan for both. Taking the ant approach and just packing it away is no better than taking the grasshopper approach and spending it all now. As the OP stated, what I have serves me well, and, don't actually NEED an upgrade. Given those two statements, why upgrade? Manufacturers work real hard to convince us all that we need their new product and that the old product is somehow now inferior. It’s all too easy to fall into that type of thinking, always chasing the latest and greatest with little to show.

[pwm2]

If 3/4 of the price would be credit, I think you should wait. Give it some time. Collect some money (without some of the money paying interests). Reevaluate in 6 or 12 months. The 40D price will go down. Your cost will go down if a larger percent is cash. You might find a stunning offer on a used 30D. There may be a 45D just around the corner.

If photo is "just" a hobby, I think it is a good idea to avoid buying the equipment with loaned money. What could be worse than having an accident with the equipment (and no insurance to cover it) and stand there with broken/lost equipment and still paying the card company? When I go "toy-crazy" and buys something, I want to be able to hold the thing in my hand and say "mine".

[gjl711]

..There may be a 45D just around the corner.....
There's a 45D just around the corner? What's it going to have? ;)

[JWright]

If someone asks me what camera they should buy, I try to give them a reasonable reply, based on what they want to do with it. If they choose to buy something else instead that's their choice. You can listen to what this person has to say, but if you want to buy a 40D, then the choice is yours, not his. If he can't accept that, then it's his problem... Ultimately, what you buy is non of his business.

[Mike R]

Why listen to a co worker, WE KNOW how you should spend your money. :twisted:
Go buy the 40D

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Us POTNers are never biased.....

GO GET THE CAMERA AND LOVE IT!

[Stefan A]

Again, lots of sound advice. I can't argue with anybody (although I like the advice of the people saying I should get it better:)) Yes, the fact is, I don't need to have the 40d. But we all can see the advantages of it over the xt. These are things that I would like, but don't have to have. Considering that bird photography is an interest of mine, I can see the 40d really coming in handy.

Anyway, to further torture myself, I went to Best Buy yesterday to give it a try. Just the feel of it makes me want it. Oh well. I think I should at least wait till the price goes down and my cash goes up.

Stefan

[tiktaalik]

Considering that bird photography is an interest of mine, I can see the 40d really coming in handy.
Stefan

If you're into birds then you need the 40D. Simple as that.

As for saving for retirement issues, what is $1300 in the over-all scheme of things? Get the 40D for your birds and then work on setting aside a little every paycheck for the future. You can have your fun and savings too.

[nwyman]

[quote=Stefan A;3920859]Again, lots of sound advice. I can't argue with anybody (although I like the advice of the people saying I should get it better:)) Yes, the fact is, I don't need to have the 40d. But we all can see the advantages of it over the xt. These are things that I would like, but don't have to have. Considering that bird photography is an interest of mine, I can see the 40d really coming in handy.


Not to add to your pain, but as we got into this hobbty about the same time, I can sympathize. I had absolutely NO intention of getting a new camera - didn't even know the 40D was in the works until I stumbled across all the fuss on the eosdigital forum on August 27th or so. Next thing I knew, it became a competition to see if I could find one - and I did. It has made a difference to my shots.

On the other hand - I'm sixty, fairly secure for the rest of my days and have a dwindling amount of pin money to play with. I have macular degneration, so far only affecting one eye and want to see what I can while I can. So our situations are a little different.

This hasn't helped at all, has it?

[gjl711]

...Anyway, to further torture myself, I went to Best Buy yesterday to give it a try. Just the feel of it makes me want it. Oh well. I think I should at least wait till the price goes down and my cash goes up.

Stefan
Do what I do, every payday, toss some amount, maybe $100 or so into a separate account. Any $$ you make via photography, toss into the account. After a couple of months, your there. ;) then the decision becomes not “should I spend”, but “what am I going to spend it on?”. That decision is much more fun to make. :)

[bacchanal]

If you're into birds then you need the 40D. Simple as that.

As for saving for retirement issues, what is $1300 in the over-all scheme of things? Get the 40D for your birds and then work on setting aside a little every paycheck for the future. You can have your fun and savings too.

I went to college and put a down payment on my house on about $3000 that my parents invested 25 years ago or so. Investing early in life can certainly pay.

What does it cost to open an IRA, $2500?

[Master-9]

Go buy the the 40D!!!!!!