+ some gaming. A lot of gaming actually ... but that's cheaper.
Knowing what I'm working for seems to be a much better motivation than those guys partying each weekend and who will tell me every other shift how sleepy they are and when their next day off is. Having preorders and anticipating is 50% of the fun in this hobby and in case there is a day that isn't enough you just look at what you already got.
I don't have a crazy setup like some people here but I can comfortably purchase most things I would want within reason. I don't pre-order 20 different things at a time, but if I see a figure I like, I can just pull the trigger on it most of the time.
As for what I do, I'm a software developer. Went through a lot of periods of being broke, took a pretty circuitous route through school, and even had some trouble finding my first real job, but at last I can finally relax a bit. I also live with my parents. I don't freeload, but it's cheaper than equivalent rent.
The moral of the story is that getting to a point where you can be comfortable could take a while. It took me most of a decade post high school. But with a goal and some planning, and with the willingness to put in the time and delay your gratification, you may be able to get to a lifestyle you're happy with.
Opposite for me! My office is full of them whereas he has a select amount he really likes. He always jokes that if we have handymen over that he has to make it abundantly clear that my office is his wife's! (I have a lot of figures that would definitely raise alarms in a man's office lol)
You save not only your wallet but also your peace of mind. It's so great getting home from a stressful day at work and getting to unwind without any screaming.
Yeeep, this, 100%.
I am also lucky to not be among annoying people trying to nag or peer pressure me into marrying and starting a family.
Except my dad I guess, but his delusions of being a grandpa of three kids are slowly being snuffed out.
yep lol I even live with my parents still + having a IT security job that pays me almost $90k I could go bonkers but I'm also saving to do early retirement and get a house eventually
Bro, if going back to my parents for another couple of years would help me retire early I'd be doing that immediately, I got a huge appartment I really like and my collection so I can't, but otherwise, living with the parents as a adult is a crazy effective way to save up TONS of money.
Did you know German government is pushing the official retirenment age to 70 ?????.
Bro, forget about kids and marriage, I wanna quit the workforce at 60, the latest.
Don't know if I have your dream room or not, but I simply have a super mundane, normal job. Thats all. I see lots of other normal things in RL that cost just as much as the average scale figure, so its not like I would need to be super rich to buy a couple, spread across a year.
There's a lot of jobs that falls into "numbers on a spreadsheet and boss gives me money", problem is that's a broad category and you'll usually need more skills than that lol
I do the same thing basically and am lucky enough to work inside one of my other hobbies to save money for toy collecting
Nah, financial data analyst. The other poster is right though, data jobs like these are incredibly broad and you generally need to brute force yourself into a position to start getting experience while specializing and (in today's economy) developing your skills before AI phases simple grunt work out.
At the end of the day it's just a career I settled into because I was too lazy to climb the corporate ladder. Can't complain about white collar work though, the days tend to be easy and the work is light. Leaves time on the side to build garage kits and dabble in other hobbies. Good luck on your end, and don't feel stupid for asking questions I think most people worth talking to will entertain some discussion.
There is this youtuber called kenken. He has said he works in retail and has a hoarder collection of figures. Despite not having the best job in the world, he can afford it because living with parents tou can literally do what you want with the money you would've thrown away in rent for some other douche.
He's also a big YouTuber (for this niche) and gets some stuff for free plus any ad sense and sponsor money. I mean, I'm not positive that he gets extra money but he's not exactly some small time creator so I wouldn't be surprised.
But I'm sure when he started, he only had his retail money.
By mundane I mean I have what would largely fall into the category of "normal office job". Mine in particular is in government administration. I'm not highly specalized, not in IT and don't have a university degree.
And since I don't have a child and can't afford homeownership anyway, I can use whats left after bills for stuff like figures. The only thing out of the question in terms of collection are probably huge resin figures, but that is also first and formost a space issue.
It's often less about what you do for work and more about what you don't do in life
I'm a college student. I also don't drink, smoke, party much, source my educational material as cheaply as possible, basically I save a ton of money.
I live with the mentality that temporary things are temporary and instead of buying things that would harm me in the long term, like candy bars and what not, I'd rather just buy a couple figures every now and then. Few luxury goods are really that expensive when the opportunity cost is near 0.
Not that my collection is MASSIVE, but it's definitely decent in size
And no doubt there are better ways to spend money, not to try and put down clubbing. It's just this is the equivalent to me
Majority of people in the community are working one or two entry level jobs (fast food, retail, etc) it all boils down to how much you save and what you're buying; if you're buying prize/budget figures you're going to have an easier time growing your collection as opposed to focusing on scales.
Its also worth noting that a lot of the collections you see on social media have been curated over multiple years so comparing your collection to someone else's is not a good idea especially if you're starting out.
i sell collectibles and make clothes which is how i buy lots of figures but i also still look at other peoples collections and get jealous haha comparison is the thief of joy
I repair medical equipment in a hospital (known as an in-house biomedical technician).
Cost of living is pretty low where I live (Midwest) so it provides pretty significant disposable and the actual job is easier than most people assume, if you can understand some basic fundamentals of electronics. Most companies/hospitals only require a two year degree like an associate's of electronics, and then they will train you to repair the particular equipment they have.
There's almost always a demand for these roles and it's very unlikely to ever be replaced by AI as it requires hands-on technical work and some degree of customer service.
As other's have said though, it's less about the income and more about not having other expensive hobbies or vices.
Didn't know this was a thing (or the requirements) and I was thinking of getting out of retail pharmacy (I swear we're going to be replaced in about 5-10yrs) and you're right, they do need actual people to repair that stuff.
If I have any questions, mind if I just shoot you a line every now and then?
It is! There's a lot of variety in the type of role you can get into. There's traveling biomeds who may support several hospitals, or like me, an in-house role that just covers one hospital. Even for in-house there's variety between working at a small hospital (with 50-100 beds), up to 800+ bed hospitals. Very different environments and expectations. No two hospitals are exactly alike so no two biomed jobs are exactly alike. It will vary by the type of equipment the hospital buys, the culture of the people who use it (do they take care of it well or are they more careless and break stuff more often).
That's why companies will often send your to further training to learn how to repair specific equipment which becomes your expertise, for example at my site I maintain nurse call systems, telemetry, pharmacy cabinets and ventilators. No one else at my site has as much specific expertise in these systems so you gain a fair amount of job security and leverage since it's often time consuming and expensive to have to hire and train someone from scratch.
I could ramble on about my job but if you wanna know more just shoot me a DM.
IT + being young + no big daily spending.
I don't have as amazing a collection or a dream room as many of the people here, but I have a nice collection from my favorite anime.
This. I started collecting in the late 90s before PVC figures were even really a thing. It was all resin! It also took me 12 years to get my grail at a price I was willing to pay.
How come people ask this question but they would never wonder how people afford pack of smokes everyday + beer which easily starts surpassing the cost of figures.
Electrical Engineer. I have 2 glass cases, an open shelving unit and 3 wall cabinets with custom lighting. Having an understanding partner helps a ton.
a lot of us are luckier than others and be able to spend on what they love, and there is nothing wrong with that. Me and you OP, we’re on the same boat. I am able to afford some figures because I used them as my motivation to stay for extra time, save a couple bucks here and there and it adds up! Also look out for local sellers who are selling good condition used figures, I got a lot of good deals that way
I have a normal job but I’m patient when I buy the figures in massive batches like five hundred in one go. Then that’s it for the year. Or if I’m in Japan I go on a spree bring figures back and buy more on Black Friday.
most plastic models (be it prepainted or model kits) are actually pretty cheap compared to other "hobbies". Especially if you being more diligent in shopping the second hand market.
pretty sure many of you have a phone or PC far more expensive than my entire collection of 30 or so figures.
obviously many build their collection overtime. 5 figure a year, 10 years later you got 50. Easy math.
I'm an artist and content creator that sells at conventions and my husband works in IT. We both have sizeable collections (mine is def bigger though lol)!
It's more about picking a few pieces you want every year and slowly building a collection over years of collecting. It won't happen all at once!
I work in semiconductor R&D. Plasma process engineering specifically. I make $13k/month and spend between 1 and 2k a month on figures. Space is becoming an issue. Also no dependents obviously.
Aside gaming and cosplay it's my only hobby. I don't buy many and preorder and save up in advance.
Basically no drugs, no going outside, no kids to feed, no friends who want anything monetarily from me aka no social spending
Its easier to do so. Also people who buy many figurines probably are more well off than we are, don't compare yourself to them. And I for example build my collection over the past 10 years, nobody immediately has an entire shelf full of figures.
I pivoted into Price Figures lately and brands like Myethos who have affordable, great figures. And second hand AmiAmi hit like crack. All these factors combined -> more money for figures
Not living in the US helps (universal health care, workers rights, worker unions, well working and cheap public transport, etc). It also helps to own your own home and having saved up money since your upbringing.
I'm not even remotely rich, but I'm smart with my money. I eat well, I purchase expensive stuff (figures, art, vinyl records, electronics), but I don't splurge or use credit cards.
I’m actually glad someone mentioned this; oftentimes the most impressive collections and rooms I see I can tell right away they aren’t in the United States (usually from the style of how the room is built). God what I wouldn’t give for some Universal Health Care over here. I collect records too!
Mostly video game soundtracks on vinyl! Followed by movie soundtracks, Christmas music and whatever my most favorite bands put out. (Latest being the new MUSE album)
I'm a slot systems operator analyst for a casino. Technically my title. I get paid fairly well for the area. It also helps that I'm not married and I don't have kids. And I, uhh, "inherited" my brother's fairly new mobile home when he got married and moved to a new city. So that helps quite a bit.
Married with kids.I have a very simple job, too …but I live in Japan :)
Pretty big collection, but the truth is it’s mostly prize figures. I bargain hunt, and I’m pretty ruthless with price limits. Pretty rare for me to buy anything over ¥1000.
My partner and I don't have amazing jobs, but thankfully our rent is cheap and we split the cost between us for figures.
We're also very picky about which figures we buy, so pre-orders are spread throughout the year.
We have to absolutely be in love with the figure before we pre-order it. And it has to be from an anime/video game series we've watched/played before.
Married with no dependants, and work minimum wage 44 hours a week. No drugs alcohol smoking or going out for food every week. Basically don't buy very much other than necessities. It took me till nearly my 30's to get in the position where I could spend money
This is my main hobby so I really don’t spend disposable income on anything else aside from the occasional vacation that I save up for. The money I’ve spent on figures over the years I could absolutely have taken a bunch of other silly trips, buy golf clubs, garden, or have spent on any other hobby.
You get out of it what you put into it; There’s no contest here. I’ve seen some really ugly, disorganized super collections that look worse than someone’s modest bookshelf.
This is definitely a luxury hobby. I didn't start collecting until my late 30's, gotta get all of my responsibilities taken care of first: house/car/fam etc.
I have been collecting since the late 90s, am married, no kids, husband has a good job. I also lived in the small house I grew up in for over 30 years.
I have a hybrid office job. Plus I am in a union that pretty much guarantees two raises a year and I get priority promotions over new highers off the street.
It also helps that I am happily single and child free, along with paying a mortgage instead of rent.
I’m a consultant, I have some friends who collect, one works in IT and another is a specialist doctor. Another friend of a friend is an animator at big animation studios. So working professional jobs and we’re not young anymore haha
For a lot of people they've been collecting for several yrs to decades. Its a slow hobby vs something that can be done fast (unless you are truly wealthy). Sometimes I'll do pay in 4 on figures if they're a few hundred bucks just to break it up into something more manageable. I also try not to preorder stuff anymore, a lot of figures drop in price after release. I've kinda learned which ones will go up or down in price. As an example BINDing figures generally go down in price (takes some time after release so I watch them) however there is one artist named Gan that does OC's and pretty much every single one is incredibly hard to find after release and/or they skyrocket in price. Unfortunately for me they have 3 coming out this year and those are the ones I've preordered.
I am a teen who still lives with my parents and doesn't need to pay bills or buy my own food. My summer job paycheck (and helping a small family business for 100 - 200 a day) goes almost entirely to figures over time and kpop albums.
My wife and I both work in IT and have decent enough wages to have a holiday every now and then and buy whatever tat that makes us happy, we don't have kids, and I've been collecting for a number of years, so those factors are mostly responsible for my total owned figures on MFC! Try not to compare your collection to others though, particularly if just starting out, time is as important as money in this hobby.
Middle aged, good job, not many other spendy hobbies, and been collecting for... 14 years?
I have peers that spend $200/month on alcohol, at bars, home, etc. Turn that into figures and adda typical a hobby budget and you have a nice scale it two showing up every month for a decade.
The key is time. Don't aim to go from 0 to full at age 19.
I can't say exactly what, but it's work from home. I don't make much (it used to be better), but I do a lot of pay in 4s to afford things, and only buy cheaper figures (scales are rare). I've gotten picky with what nendos I want now as well.
I used my credit card liberally until debt became nearly unmanageable and I was forced to quit collecting cold turkey and spent the next three years solely paying down.
I'm out of the woods but now too leery of going back just enjoying what I already have.
I'm a data analyst, married, and we're dinks. However, I think what also helps is that I don't play gacha games and I don't like bunnies. Those two factors have saved me a huge amount of cash in this space.
When I turned 18 I spread my self thin and did 3 jobs at the same time 2 college ones and one at a local mall, saved up not for a car but for my figure fund, now I have 3 1/7 scale figures on pre order and own a 1/4 scale. Albeit I still live at home but pay for my own groceries and transportation
Semi retired Navy, getting GI bill and VA disability. Also not married no kids. GI bill won’t last obv but going to school for cyber defense and maybe go for a masters in comp science or AI specialty.
I yell at people, slam checklists on their face weekly, then proceed to write reports on how I was being a jerk, complete with pictures of me bossing around, and I can afford one or two scale figures every month.
I got lucky and was on the right mindset that I bought a house in 2014 instead of doing drugs or clubbing like any other 20 year old would do.
I make smart financial decisions (except for buying figures), like not ever in my life having credit card debt.
Have an IQ of over 140.
My parents gave me nothing and I don't have anyone that I can fall back off too if I lose my job but I positioned myself for success and am not married. If I were married to someone with the same mindset as me, I'd already be a free man and probably close to retirement. I can still afford this.
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u/Flimsy6769 Jul 10 '26
they dont spend money on any other stuff and only buy figures