Money, money, money...

[Queen of Mudcrabs]

I am a jobless student that still ives with her parents. I don't have any student loans or scholarships yet and my only income is the 500 NOK that is my monthly allowance. 500 NOK is about 85 dollars/63 EURO/55 GBP.
I really miss my hometown up north. I had two jobs and a total monthly income of about 350 dollars. Those were the days... *Sigh*

Even though I love collecting CEs I got to be very picky about what I buy because of my budget. If I am going to buy a CE it has to be a game that fulfills my criterias.

1. Comes from a franchise that I love. Examples: The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Assassin's Creed, Thief (although that franchise never had a CE ), Splinter Cell and The Longest Journey.

2. I get my money's worth. Soundtrack stuck on a bonus dvd? 'Exclusive' developer diaries that have already been posted on youtube months before the game is released? No paper manual? Cheap packaging? No thank you

3. The price is right. Not to be confused with 2. Sure, the CE can include all the standard stuff, a fullscale replica of an in-game weapon, a duster and a real gold pendant but if the pricetag is way above my budget and will leave me skint for the rest of the year I will have to pass on that.

4. Don't blend in with the crowd. I want my CEs to come with something truly unique that you can't find anywhere else. I want a fullscale (and high quality) replica of an in-game item. Perfect examples are the platinum chip (FO: New Vegas), The Alan Wake Files (Alan Wake), the Codex (AC: Brotherhood) and the dice, coins and letter (The Witcher 2).


How does CE collecting affect other stuff? My parents are really nice and will often invest in my crafting hobbies and pay for my clothes. Not that I do too much shopping anyway I don't buy designer clothes, expensive makeup, handbags and other girly stuff so future boyfriends don't have to worry about that ^^

I guess the only major impact on my other purchases are the games I buy that are only standard editions. I haven't bought a new release in months though so that haven't been much of a problem. I tend to buy mostly used games and I am also pretty picky about the games I buy if the prize is above 15 bucks. If I am interested in a game but I don't want to pay for it I just watch playthroughs on youtube or illegally download it.

Nah, just kidding. I don't watch playthroughs on youtube. How silly is that?

And just a little off topic: Am I the only one who just loves this smiley? ->