GAS is a real pain

[elassi]

and how many nights did you sleep on the sofa?

Let me put it like this: It became a part of my ass.

[yellowmix]

Create a spreadsheet of all your purchases. Name the spreadsheet GAS. If you don't have a spreadsheet app, use Google Sheets.

You are logging, at a minimum, the item, price you paid, date, and category.

You will create an auto-calculated cell for the sum you have spent. Put it in a really big text size. Make it the first thing you see when you open the spreadsheet.

You can get fancy where it totals amount spent per year/month/day of week, what categories you've spent on, make graphs, etc..

When you see the numbers, they don't lie. When you see the spending patterns you can strategize around them. Also, when you have everything you already have listed, it becomes harder to rationalize a similar purchase. But ultimately this comes down to self-discipline.

[OzoneJunkie]

Even though this is an old subject (but new thread), some good ideas and thoughts here.

And definitely got some good chuckles as well

[HanafiH]

Life's a GAS.

[mgw38]

This:

The closest solution I've come up with is to set a monthly budget for music-related purchases. You're gonna spend the money anyway, but if you stay within your budget, you will at least keep four walls and a roof over your new gear.

and that:

Create a spreadsheet of all your purchases. Name the spreadsheet GAS. If you don't have a spreadsheet app, use Google Sheets. You are logging, at a minimum, the item, price you paid, date, and category.

(I personally don't maintain such a "GAS" spreadsheet but I keep a very detailed personal finance log about every single cent I spend. And that log has a "music production" category.)

Also, create a "shopping" spreadsheet listing all the things you would like to purchase along with the price you would be willing to pay. Sort of the above spreadsheet idea but logging into the future.

The most important thing I would recommend is forcing yourself to a cool-down period in order to avoid impulse buys. Whenever an item comes up for sale that I could see myself buying I put it onto the "shopping" spreadsheet (if it is not already there) and then wait for a week or so before actually following through with the purchase. More often that not, I end up not making the purchase at all.

I consider myself lucky in that I have a nice monthly budget I can work with. But I still need to restrain myself. With the above strategies I managed to avoid having regrets about what I purchase. Pretty much everything I have I would most likely buy again. There are a few exceptions, but almost all of them were of the "you have 24 hours to get this item at 90% off" flash sale category, and that usually meant only a few bucks anyway.

[sl23]

Some folks are overcompensating because of their lack of knowledge (sound design/mixing/mastering), I said some, some are just chasing nuances that appears to them like big magic dragons, for the first ones there's solution and hope, to invest in their knowledge, second ones, my condolences.

That, my friend, is spot on!

[vurt]

nowt wrong wi' chasing dragons.
not in the zammo way obvs.

[sl23]

haha not seen Grange Hill for years!

[Mushy Mushy]

[sl23]

I'm a bit upset! What's the punchline of your Signature

[Mushy Mushy]

I'm a bit upset! What's the punchline of your Signature

No punchline, just a friendly recomendation should you wish to expand your horizons to a level infinitely beyond what you can currently comprehend.

[ATS]

I'm a bit upset! What's the punchline of your Signature

No punchline, just a friendly recomendation should you wish to expand your horizons to a level infinitely beyond what you can currently comprehend.

I know this totally sounds like a Dad, but I did a ton of lsd growing up and that is BS. In my opinion anyhow. I know a lot of people believe what you wrote.

[Mushy Mushy]

I know this totally sounds like a Dad, but I did a ton of lsd growing up and that is BS. In my opinion anyhow. I know a lot of people believe what you wrote.

Let's not go too far offtopic but my reply wasn't really sincere, rather a lighthearted comical response to the previous poster. I never go around preaching things like this. I have never had an outwardly religious experience with them (that is BS I agree), however they have allowed a huge amount of introspection (for me personally anyway).

Regarding the signature, it's there because I thought it was funny (originally in Peep Show and sampled by God himself, Simon Posford), not as a "kids, try drugs" thing.

[ATS]

I know this totally sounds like a Dad, but I did a ton of lsd growing up and that is BS. In my opinion anyhow. I know a lot of people believe what you wrote.

Let's not go too far offtopic but my reply wasn't really sincere, rather a lighthearted comical response to the previous poster. I never go around preaching things like this. I have never had an outwardly religious experience with them (that is BS I agree), however they have allowed a huge amount of introspection (for me personally anyway).

Regarding the signature, it's there because I thought it was funny (originally in Peep Show and sampled by God himself, Simon Posford), not as a "kids, try drugs" thing.

I guess just a sore spot for me because I never saw it like that but did see tons of friends die from drugs

[Mushy Mushy]

I guess just a sore spot for me because I never saw it like that but did see tons of friends die from drugs

Yep, same here. Not tons but a few. Obviously there are different categories and each have their own levels of harm but psychedelics are by far the safest IMO, well below weed even. Lots more of my friends were f*cked up from that than anything else. However, none at all from LSD, DMT, mushrooms etc. That's not to say negative experiences dont exist (I know they do), just not in my own personal experience.