History Main / CrackIsCheaper

Additionally, because the in-roads and availability of material related to the hobby seems so tenuous, the FanBoy will be willing to pay inflated prices to ensure that material keeps being produced. Of course, the rise of the internet has proven there is a breaking point, as many anime licensees have found out: expecting people to pay $40 for a good seventy-five minutes of entertainment that can easily be distributed online may soon put you out of business.

* Taken quite literally in ''Series/TigerKing'' by [[ReformedCriminal former drug kingpin]] Mario Tabraue. Discussing his menagerie of exotic animals, Tabraue claims, “I sold drugs to maintain my animal habit.”

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Contestants are told ahead of time what kind of outfits to bring for the show, and these can get pretty pricey. Even if the queen can sew and only needs to buy materials, she would still be shelling out for expensive shoes (feminine heels in men's sizes are not cheap) and lace-front wigs. Drag in general can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's rare for a queen to be a full-time entertainer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen wishes to compete on ''Drag Race'', they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items, and many contestants borrow money from the bank, loved ones, etc.

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Contestants are told ahead of time what kind of outfits to bring for the show, and these can get pretty pricey. Even if the queen can sew and only needs to buy materials, she would still be shelling out for expensive shoes (feminine heels in men's sizes are not cheap) and lace-front wigs. Drag in general can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's rare for a queen to be a full-time entertainer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen wishes to compete on ''Drag Race'', they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items.

* ''Series/PawnStars'' shows the opposite side of this trope with some people who make a living off it. The Harrisons frequently buy things because they know they'll be able to resell them to collectors who are willing to pay huge sums of money for antique guns, classic cars, historic documents, pop culture memorabilia, etc. Though sometimes one of them will buy such items for their own collections, especially if Rick encounters a rare item connected to his idol Creator/SteveMcQueenActor.

* Right before the submarine is submerged in ''Film/CrimsonTide'', Creator/GeneHackman offers Creator/DenzelWashington a cigar with the admonition not to get too used to them, as they are "more expensive than drugs."

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': This the origin of Jonathan (the Scarecrow) Crane's AppropriatedAppelation. Crane spent all of his money on buying books, so he was always very shabbily dressed. As a result, his university colleagues nicknamed him 'Scarecrow'. When he turned to crime, he adopted this as his alias.

* Anime/BusouShinki, in-universe & in real life. Those cute little Shinki can [[IncrediblyLamePun blast your wallet.]] Their SpiritualSuccessor, the ''Anime/FrameArmsGirls'', has this crop up as well, both in-universe and in real life. In episode 4, when the girls start making their own 'rooms' inside a bookshelf, the Materia Twins end up using such luxurious and expensive materials that they end up using up Ao's first paycheck from Frame Advance. She's understandably angry with them for this.

''On back issues of The Flash."''

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Contestants are told ahead of time what kind of outfits to bring for the show, and these can get pretty pricey. Even if the queen can sew and only needs to buy materials, she would still be shelling out for expensive shoes (feminine heels in men's sizes are not cheap) and lace-front wigs. Drag in general can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's rare for a queen to be a full-time entertainer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen wishes to compete on a reality show or drag BeautyPageant, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items.

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Drag can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's actually rare for a queen to be a full-time entertainer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen wishes to compete on ''Drag Race'' or a drag BeautyPageant, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items.

* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'': Gwent is a recently invented trading card game in a fantasy setting [[spoiler:thanks to interdimensional elf shenanigans]], and Geralt can purchase extremely powerful cards by trading in his real hunting trophies. The game is so popular in-and-out of universe that a mob of angry villagers formed to protest official rule changes, and the game itself is now free-to-play on steam (and just as costly to buy actual cards).

-->'''Rosé:''' Invest in my drag. Just like all the rest of my fucking money at all times.

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Drag can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's actually rare for a queen to be a full-time entertainer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen actually does go full-time or enters a competition, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items.

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Drag can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's actually rare for a queen to be a full-time performer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen actually does go full-time or enters a competition, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items.

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Drag can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's actually rare for a queen to be a full-time performer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists (including contestants on the show) have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen actually does go full-time or wishes to compete in some manner, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items.

-->[Symone and Gottmik concur]

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Drag can be a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's actually rare for a queen to be a full-time performer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of drag artists have day jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (off-the-rack dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen wishes to compete on ''Drag Race'' or a BeautyPageant, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items, and some contestants have a harder time with this than others.

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Drag is a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's actually rare for a queen to be a full-time performer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of queens have mundane day-jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (thrift store dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen wishes to compete in a BeautyPageant or reality show, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items, and some contestants have a harder time with this than others.
-->'''Monique Hart:''' I came into this competition with glitter and Jesus!

* Often discussed on ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace''. Drag is a ''very'' expensive hobby and it's actually rare for a queen to be a full-time performer. Most gigs pay next to nothing, and the majority of queens have mundane day-jobs in addition to performing. While the average local queen who performs every other weekend can get away with frugality (thrift store dresses, drug store makeup, costume wigs, etc.), if a queen wishes to compete in a Beauty Pageant or reality show, they ''must'' spring for the higher-end items, and some contestants have a harder time with this than others.

Obviously, this trope doesn't just apply to "geek" culture. People can be obsessed with collecting just about ''anything''[[note]]Which is why this page is for in-universe examples only, because it [[TropeDecay turned into]] "The thing I like is expensive!" "Me too!" "And mine!"[[/note]], ranging from guns to sports memorabilia to classic cars and everything in between. The prices for some items can be absurdly high, depending on how rare the item is and how much money collectors are willing to shell out.

* In ''Series/SexAndTheCity'': [[AllWomenLoveShoes Carrie Bradshaw spends a]] ''[[AllWomenLoveShoes ridiculous]]'' [[AllWomenLoveShoes amount of money on shoes, and wears said expensive shoes pretty much everywhere]]. It´s deconstructed because instead of Carrie's constant shoe-buying being just part of the background of the series, it suddenly becomes a problem when it turns out she has tens of thousands of dollars worth of shoes...and not enough money to get a mortgage.

* This is a borderline Meta example since it's based on RealLife, but ''Series/PawnStars'' shows the opposite side of this trope with some people who make a living off it. The Harrisons frequently buy things because they know they'll be able to resell them to collectors who are willing to pay huge sums of money for antique guns, classic cars, historic documents, pop culture memorabilia, etc. Though sometimes one of them will buy such items for their own collections, especially if Rick encounters a rare item connected to his idol Creator/SteveMcQueenActor.
** On both ''{{Series/Pawn Stars}}'' and ''{{Series/Counting Cars}}'' the word "boat" is said to be an acronym for "Bust Out Another Thousand".[[note]]This is one of the three most popular jokes amount boat owners. The others being that a boat is "a hole in the water that you pour money into" and that "the two happiest days of a boat owners life are the day he buys his boat and the day he sells it."[[/note]]

* In ''Series/SexAndTheCity'': [[AllWomenLoveShoes Carrie Bradshaw spends a ''ridiculous'' amount of money on shoes, and wears said expensive shoes pretty much everywhere]]. It´s deconstructed because instead of Carrie's constant shoe-buying being just part of the background of the series, it suddenly becomes a problem when it turns out she has tens of thousands of dollars worth of shoes...and not enough money to get a mortgage.

* In ''Series/SexAndTheCity'': [[AllWomenLoveShoes Carrie Bradshaw spends a ''ridiculous'' amount of money on shoes, and wears said expensive shoes pretty much everywhere]]. It´s deconstructed because instead of Carrie's constant shoe-buying being just part of the background of the series, it suddenly becomes a problem when it turns out she has tens of thousands of dollars worth of shoes ... and not enough money to get a mortgage.

* ''Literature/DonQuixote'': This attitude is showed InUniverse (and deconstructed) by Alonso Quijano. At chapter I Part I we learn that he has acquired a lot of chivalry books (almost three hundred), and if you remember that the [[OlderThanSteam printing-press had been invented in Europe only some years ago]], it's a considerable feat. Unfortunately, Alonso Quijano is a ImpoverishedPatrician who sells part of his lands to buy more books. Then he takes his obsession the next level: Alonso Quijano will decide that it would be a great idea to become [[MeaningfulRename Don Quixote]]:

* The ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE18BewareTheGrayGhost Beware the Gray Ghost]]": [[spoiler:the villain is a toy collector who turned his toys into bombs to get the money to buy more toys]]

* ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'': This attitude is shown InUniverse (and deconstructed) by the baker Ragueneau. His wife Lise remembers a time when he was a normal person, a SupremeChef with a successful bakery. But then he became infatuated with the poets and his lifestyle. In the first act he trades pies for theater tickets. In the second act he accepts poems in return for his food, [[ConspicuousConsumption pays too much to an assistant for baking a pie shaped like a lyre]] and cannot renounce even one of his precious poems. He's completely ruined in the beginning of the third act, [[YourCheatingHeart abandoned by his neglected wife Lise]] and attempts an InterruptedSuicide.