Lockdown purchases - how rational are we being?

[iapa]

I think the subject covers it.

How many people are spending more time that usual looking new and/or used Astro gear?

Then buying “just because” it fills a gap, or likes useful, or “I don’t have one of those” - even when in the back of your head you know you’ll never us it.

[callisto]

Me deffo ☺️

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

The pandemic has brought some positives. I'm spending more time than usual window shopping because I have more time and money than usual. Nowhere to go and money earned that needs to be spent.

Superfluous items have been sold, the collection refined and kept to bare minimum.

I've enjoyed some fantastic observing sessions with new kit, had a go at photography and had more reading time with new books. 

There's just one more thing I need to meet my needs; a 'budget' goto mount with a higher payload capacity than the little AZGTI. The ES Exos II PMC-8 is a tempting price...

Edited April 27, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Stu]

Nope. I’ve made a few more purchases due to saving of petrol money, but nothing I won’t use. Latest purchase was a 31mm Nagler which definitely doesn’t fall into the ‘never use’ category.

[Astro Noodles]

I hardly spend any time lusting after looking at new astro gear on the internet. 😉

[JeremyS]

No comment 

🤣

[iapa]

Just now, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

The pandemic has brought some positives. I'm spending more time than usual window shopping because I have more time and money than usual. Nowhere to go and money earned that needs to be spent.

Superfluous items have been sold, the collection refined and kept to bare minimum.

I've had some fantastic observing sessions with new kit and more reading time with new books. 

There's just one more thing I need to meet my needs; a 'budget' goto mount with a higher payload capacity than the little AZGTI. The ES Exos II PMC-8 is a tempting price...

Hmm, yeah, although in my case it’s money not spend.

Through working from home monthly mileage has gone from 250 miles a week to 0, thats £30pw savings and  movement restrictions mean 6 miles to supermarket rather than 22 miles return, and the local one is free parking just now.

What do you do with £120pm? Buy something with Google pay in 3 of course

or a few months and it’s an Esprit 80ED Pro

My “default” mobile GoTo mount is my 5yo AVX.

[iapa]

3 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

No comment 

🤣

Unless it has a handle?

I have an Redcat 51 with red handle on it’s way

Only because the grey space at isn’t available

Edited April 27, 2021 by iapa

[Alien 13]

Not for me, I dont even go outside anymore although have spent loads on other stuff.

Alan

[iapa]

6 minutes ago, Astro Noodles said:

I hardly spend any time lusting after looking at new astro gear on the internet. 😉

Liar liar pants on fire 🔥

[scarp15]

At the tail end of lockdown, I did succumb to purchase a 3.5mm Delos off Ebay, worked brilliantly on past few evenings on the moon.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

9 minutes ago, iapa said:

Hmm, yeah, although in my case it’s money not spend.

Through working from home monthly mileage has gone from 250 miles a week to 0, thats £30pw savings and  movement restrictions mean 6 miles to supermarket rather than 22 miles return, and the local one is free parking just now.

What do you do with £120pm? Buy something with Google pay in 3 of course

or a few months and it’s an Esprit 80ED Pro

My “default” mobile GoTo mount is my 5yo AVX.

It all adds up. Stopping smoking saved me around £120 p.m., not travelling during the pandemic around £100 p.m. That's not including leisure travel savings. Cutting out take away food, another £100 p.m. That's quite a bit more to invest in a life long hobby without being extravagant or neglecting others.

[iapa]

4 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

It all adds up. Stopping smoking saved me around £120 p.m., not travelling during the pandemic around £100 p.m. That's not including leisure travel savings. Cutting out take away food, another £100 p.m. That's quite a bit more to invest in a life long hobby without being extravagant or neglecting others.

Hmm, yeah, I didn’t allow for the reduction in carry outs as we are both at home so have even more time for cooking real food, so, that £30pw as well.

I keep wondering how I have so much disposable at the end of the month these days…. Lockdown. Not the best way to save tho’ However, we rarely went as returning home c7pm and being in a rural area there’s not much to go to.

I stoped the tobacco habit about 20y ago now after 30yrs at it

Edited April 27, 2021 by iapa

[Dean Hale]

Most certainly yes and I've enjoyed every purchase whether it be new or second hand.

[PXR-5]

If stuff wasn't out of stock, I'd be broke...

[Basementboy]

Hard for me to say what effect lockdown has had on how rational I'm being, because it was also the moment that got me into astronomy.

But I do already own more telescopes than I have mounts for.

Rational, no. Rationalised, oh yes.

[The Lazy Astronomer]

Having only just started my journey into astronomy a few short months before the pandemic began, my lockdown spending on various equipment has been somewhat considerably higher than the pre-lockdown spending...

...But all absolutely necessary! 🙃

[BCN_Sean]

I don't think I've gone crazy, just quicker.  Before the lockdowns and curfew here I'd have probably had five or six hours a week to sit down and learn things, but now I can dedicate days at once to getting stuck in to learning things.  All in, I think I'm going to come in about a two hundred above my original envisaged budget on the initial build of the current rig as I've put a couple of things in that I'd not thought about until after seening things on here or practising with bits as they came in (like GPS on the Astroberry, as the Pi doesn't have RTC).

[Astro Noodles]

I have to be rational, otherwise this thing could quickly get out of hand. I have set myself certain goals, budgets and timescales which I intend to stick to. I have decided to limit myself to a budget of £1200 per year which can be increased by selling existing kit. So, for example, if I sell £500 of old kit I can have £1700 budget for the year. This doesn't apply to purchases of less than £100.

Year 1 has been for basic set up ( I have already blown 2021 budget so no more kit until next year).

Year 2 Optics - Aim to get a 70mm or so refractor

Year 3 Camera - An upgrade to something better than Canon 1100d

Year 4 Mount - EQ goto mount with 10kg imaging payload.

Year 5 Optics and so on

How long do you think I will stick to this schedule?

[iapa]

23 minutes ago, Astro Noodles said:

 

How long do you think I will stick to this schedule?

6 months max, as it will be getting to longer nights, and you will want to have a better mount/tripod/pier than you have, and probably ASIAir bundle for guiding and speed of setup.

Telegizmo cover - so you can cover quickly in case of showers.

Well, we need to get the best of the short windows we will actually have.

[iapa]

12 hours ago, Basementboy said:

Hard for me to say what effect lockdown has had on how rational I'm being, because it was also the moment that got me into astronomy.

But I do already own more telescopes than I have mounts for.

Rational, no. Rationalised, oh yes.

Me too, by 2:1,  4 mounts.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I bought a bino bandit a few weeks ago. I haven't used it yet.

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by LukeSkywatcher

[Paul M]

I have had a splurge over the last 12 months to get me dipping a toe in the world of imaging. I'm not sure whether timing was just a coincidence or I was looking for lock-down therapy.

Lock down did add to some existing stresses and I think immersing myself in imaging has been a necessary distraction (an frustration!).

So I think in answer to the question: maybe!

[iapa]

Just remembered that there is an ASI294MM cooled sitting in it’s box, several months old.

[iapa]

19 hours ago, JeremyS said:

No comment 

🤣

Does the foot on an Esprit ED80 count as a handle? 🏃 I’m gone