So, your collection is growing and new shirts have been identified. As easy as it is to identify what you want next, there is the small factor of applying a cost, in securing your next target. Some shirts will be deemed by some as smaller purchases, where as older, more vintage items can incur a very large cost.

Independent of your budget, you’re contributing to your own collection, with everyone having completely different reasons. Some of these could be;

Starting off – You are new to collecting and are enjoying the anticipation of the journey you’re about to embark on. There are huge opportunities out there, where you could be reunited with some shirts or encounter brand new ones.

Going through growth – The collection is well underway and you’re collecting further shirts. These could be new finds, a certain collection evolving or the start of a new club/era/size etc etc.

Finishing a collection – I’ve seen some fabulous collections on social media and there must be a sense of excitement, when you’re near the end of a certain journey. If you are only 3 or 4 short and these became available, then this could be a reason to make an exception on breaking your budget.

Selling – Some collectors purchase the shirts, to then sell in the future. From researching, a lot of shirts hold their value and also increase over time. While this method incurs a cost, the money could be made back quite quickly or generate a profit.

While this list isn’t exclusive to every collector, it’s important to recognise that all of the reasons above will require a financial commitment.

Now, the question is, how much do I budget each month?

While this again will be different for every person, it’s important to set a budget, so you can control your spending. While a spend cap won’t force you to stop spending money, having a boundary in place can act as a deterrent for your brain. If you go against what you told yourself, no one will call the police (hopefully), but you will provoke a negative brain state, as you have broken your own agreement. This could then lead to the negative questioning that you could ask yourself, which could then in turn, provoke you into wondering why you purchased the shirt in the first place.

At the beginning of the month, I sit and plan a number of things. Work, appointments and anything socially based that needs to take priority. After this, finances are (roughly) broken down and considerations are sought.

Focusing closely on the kit collecting, I’ll ask myself 3 questions;

Can I afford it? (How much of my budget will be gone if I make this purchase?)
Do I need it? (Where does it fit within the collection?)
Does it fit me? (I try to buy all of my shirts in my size, just in case I do actually want to wear them. There are a couple of shirts that I have made an exception on and won’t fit me)

If the answers to all of those questions are objective as possible, then I can make a fairly quick decision. The problems sometimes arise towards the end of the working month, when purchases have already been made and the budget has been significantly reduced.

When I’ve identified some shirts that I really do like, I have been fortunate enough to have a number of sellers, who were patient enough to wait until I had available funds. While this habit isn’t one that would sustain the long term, it is useful if the other party is happy to agree. One thing I made sure of here, was that I regularly communicate and stick to my word. We all know what happens, once someone goes back on their word…..
To finish, once I’ve spent my money on a shirt or a number of shirts, it is a nice feeling when what you expected comes through the door. As mentioned in a previous post, I do regret a couple of my purchases, but on the whole I know exactly what I want.

Next week, I’m going to start detailing a number of new avenues, that I’m going to start venturing down and I’ll be taking my shirts with me!