Sinking rent Money into Lego Star Wars

There is something about Lego Star Wars that causes adult men to hesitate in the toy section. The shiny packaging, the guarantee of small plastic pieces snapping into something familiar, it's all but futile to resist. And then there's the cost. A good set is worth more than a week's groceries. And if the money isn't just lying around idle, if it's spent on bills or rent or some other reasonable thing, the issue isn't one of Lego. It's one of what's worth it. Hobbies are not distractions.

They're what break the pattern from a cycle. For some, it's a membership to a gym or a nice bottle of scotch. For others, it's a plastic brick Millennium Falcon. The distinction is what others perceive society to look at. No one blinks at a fellow wasting money on sports game tickets or video games. But Lego? That's for kids, isn't it? Not on your life. The projects are complex, time consuming, fulfilling in a manner scrolling through a phone is not. Money for household items set aside is not hallowed. It's just money with an attachment.

Attachments can be reordered. The real question is whether waiting to move them later causes problems. When the rent is paid and the fridge is full, maybe the leftover cash can be for whatever brings a light. But if buying an AT-AT Lego set comes from skipping meals or not paying bills, then it's not the Lego. It's priorities, and plastic stormtroopers rarely get priority over electricity. There is also the feeling of spending. Guilt spoils the joy of new purchases. Opening a package should be thrilling, not a secret guilt.

If the money could have been spent differently, then that would make it guilty, and this activity won't be so enjoyable. Or, sometimes to bend is to take back control. Adulthood is made up of shoulds. Perhaps the purchase of the Lego is a small act of rebellion against them. Then there's the resale value. Lego retains its value extremely well. A number of the sets themselves actually increase in value over the years. It's not investing in stock, but it's not throwing money down the drain either.

Should later times grow hard, that sealed UCS X Wing could pay a bill or two. Of course, assuming whoever purchases it can keep from breaking it out of the box. And most Lego Star Wars fans aren't in it for the cash. Ultimately, it's not about Star Wars or Lego or money. It's about what someone requires in order to be themselves. For some, that is a shelf of ships they have spent hours constructing. For others, it is having the bills paid for before they are due. Neither is incorrect. The compromise is simply different, though.

Reference to image made below