The Cost of Nerddom

Being a nerd is expensive. C’mon, admit it, we buy a lot of things that most people would deem useless save for entertainment value alone. We each have our own nerdy pleasures, but beyond that most of us dabble in other facets. Not only do we buy the movies, games, books, but the memorabilia tied with each of our favorites.

I’ll use myself as an example. More than anything I’m a book nerd: classics, romance, science fiction, mystery…I know more than a few authors from each genre. Books are generally inexpensive, depending on when and how it was published. But, if you have a real love for them, you want more than just the “normal book”. No, you have to have the signed first editions, the box sets, the leather-bound editions. This when those bound beauties become quite pricey. Not to mention you need shelving space to house all of your treasures. So, what kind of bookshelf do I buy? The Shakespeare one, of course! And, despite my love for the realness of actual books, what else do I have to buy? A kindle. All of this adds up.

Not only am I a book nerd, but I also enjoy movies, TV shows, and video games quite a bit as well. One of my favorite movies is Nightmare Before Christmas of which I have stuffed animals, a pillow, a blanket, t-shirts and more. That’s more money down the drain. Don’t deny it, I know you can relate.

But that’s part of what makes us nerds: what would an Otaku be without shelves of anime and cases of manga? What would a book nerd be without their stacks? And what would a video game expert be without consoles and the games that follow suit? We wouldn’t be nerds. Yes, it’s a small fortune. And yes, we might feel guilty for a millisecond. But that’s before we remember how much we love it.

So what’s a price tag really worth if the things we buy give us more happiness than money ever could?