Does this need examples?: Crack Is Cheaper

If the trope is meant to refer to hobbies that are invariably expensive even with normal use, then some examples would be useful. Anime during the 90s is a good example, as the cost was just way out of whack compared to what you got. However, that would leave it open to obvious examples like collecting cars or airplanes, so it may have to be limited to hobbies any old person would be likely to consider.

If it is meant to refer to how an otakuish obsession will render even the most insignificant hobby into a bank breaker, then it doesn't need examples.

I don't see that specific examples strengthen it, besides the obvious mention of TCG's, miniature painting, and the like, which can go in the description as they are sufficiently general.

Legitimate examples of anything are in-universe.

Also, Lego, Tabletop components and DIY models are legitimate examples for RL.

I think the main problem aside from the natter is that there's also a lot of repeat examples. For instance, shooting/guns is mentioned at least three times, two under "sports" and one in "collecting."

I'll have to second what Silent Reverence and Nate the Great said; a standard of inclusion would cut things down and "a hobby that is particularly costly to maintain" with reasonable/moderate consumption seems like a fair requirement to me.

While plenty of it could go, I don't know if in-universe examples can carry the trope by themselves. And should they really, since it clearly began as a real life situation?

What's reasonable consumption? No two hobbyist are the same, when does the line cross into "unreasonable"

As are stamp collection, and even rock collecting, if you are hardcore enough.

Adding RL examples really does seem pointless to me, as you can end up listing everything and anything under the sun. In media examples are more interesting

Yes, if there aren't enough in-story examples, I see no reason for the page. We're about tropes, after all.

@Ghilz - Well, that's one thing this forum should decide, isn't it ? If we can't reach a consensus on what real life activities constitute the trope, then perhaps we should consider deleting most/all of it.

I personally consider "standard usage" something you are going to use reasonably often. Fer instance, that World Of Warcraft subscription so many people seem to pay for, or say, going to a Magic tournament every month.

Speaking of that, another criteria might be the strain a given hobby can place on your finances (though oddly, this may disqualify my own earlier example, since 15 dollars a month is comparatively light spending to some hobbies...) "Addictiveness" is, as you say, a rather subjective criteria.

As someone who doesn't spend (that) excessively on my hobbies, perhaps someone else could suggest better guidelines? Or we could work backwards from the more egregious examples people have already put forth (i.e. what makes, say, lego such a kick in the wallet)

edited 21st Nov '10 5:23:38 AM by CleverPun

Troper Tales are for personal examples.

"Comic Book Collecting is an unusualy expensive hobby" is a legitimate Real Life example of a trope, just because it originates from personal experience, and it could be worded as "I collect comic books, thus I discovered that it is an expensive hobby" it doesn't make it less tropable.

Every Real Life example, and even every in-media example could be traced back to the point when the editor personally saw something and thought something, but if it is shared with the rest of the audience, it is an objective example.

edited 21st Nov '10 5:24:00 AM by EternalSeptember

How about we keep examples, but heavily cut down on elaboration? I don't see why we need more than a couple of sentences to explain why some hobby is expensive. For example, Good:Fish keeping. Many newbies succomb to 'Multiple Tank Syndrome', where they buy a tank, realise it isn't big enough for their stock, then buy another and another and another.

Bad: One word: computers. Sure, the computer itself is cheap (some are even less than USD$300!) But then you factor in the virus protection (although there are good free ones, especially the ones stating with an A), the word processors (Microsoft, I'm talking to you!), games if you're interested in them (for the kids, their learning programs, because you parents DO spend on them!), a better mouse if you don't like the one that came with the computer, a better keyboard if you don't like the original (doubly wallet-hurting if you want mechanical keyswitches like the old IBM Model M, Dell AT 101 W, Northgate Omni Key, and Apple Extended Keyboard lines commonly had before keyboards started becoming regarded as a cheap commodity), power cords if the ones that it came with get cut or otherwise damaged, computer repairs, external hard drives, external DVD drives, the CD and DV Ds themselves (the blanks). Want more RAM for your computer? Get out your wallet. Want a better hard drive for more storage, or a solid-state drive for shorter boot/load times? Wallet. Oh, and don't forget when there is a new OS out there that most people don't have a choice on getting if they get a new computer. You COULD always not upgrade (which saves you hundreds of dollars sometimes), but then every one might look at you weird when you're still using XP and everyone else has Windows 7...and heavens help you if you're using a Macintosh, because most software generally won't support anything other than the next-to-latest version of OS X, if that! Or a Power PC CPU, if you're still using one! (As of this moment, we're currently on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which some programs already do require, though most still work with 10.5 Leopard. 10.4 Tiger is largely being phased out, and just FORGET about running anything on 10.3 Panther or earlier! To further accentuate the point, OS X 10.0 Cheetah was released around the same time as Windows XP, and while XP just gets free Service Packs, the ONLY free upgrade for OS X was 10.1 Puma. 10.2 Jaguar cost $130. 10.3 Panther cost another $130. 10.4 Tiger...just guess. 10.5 Leopard...you know the drill, but you'd better be packing a G4 867 M Hz or faster for it to work! 10.6 Snow Leopard at least subverts the usual wallet-hurting price of $130 for just $30, but you can forget it if you're running any form of Power PC CPU - Intel Macs only! And you thought Macs were expensive enough up-front...)

Bumping this, as the issue is far from resolved.

Why haven't we just moved everything over to Troper Tales or whatever yet?

There was talk of sorting out any in media examples but we never got around to it.

There were no in-media examples, so I just put the whole thing in Troper Tales.

And a good riddance.

It had examples at one point.

The thread can be closed now. There was one legit, in-universe example, the page image. I checked the whole thing.

So, leave exampleless or send back to YKTTW to pick up in universe examples?

Send it to YKTTW.

Did anyone shift this back off to YKTTW? Even if not the case, I think it's been resolved for a while now so a lock would be good.

It has plenty (not a lot, but enough to get it started) in-universe examples, so I'm hollering for a lock.