When is it okay to buy something new?

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I want a PS4. Like, really, really bad. Problem is, every time I think about getting one, I convince myself not to because I'm afraid it'll drive me bankrupt and I'll be living on the streets. I know that's BS, I'll (most likely) be fine. Unless I, like, get into a huge car wreck immediately afterwards and have to go to the hospital, my bank account will recover within a couple of weeks, and I'll still be able to pay rent and buy food. Still, I know that if I do it, I'll feel guilty and feel like I wasted my money on something frivolous. What do you guys think? When is it okay to shell out the money for something new and shiny?

Is there game rental services in your area where you can rent a game for a month or so?

The PS4's price will not break you, its games will.

Personally I ll wait for Switch :p.

The only game I care about right now for the Switch is Breath of the Wild, which is also coming out on Wii U, which I already have. PS4 has a crap ton of games I want, like Final Fantasy XV, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Nioh, Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Final Fantasy VII remake, The Witcher 3, Overwatch, and Batman: Arkham Knight, just to name a few. I mostly use my Wii U to play classic SNES games.

As Boo says, what is the total cost for buying the PS4 and the games you want. How much time do you expect to need to play all those games? And compare that investment of time and money against other things you could be doing.

Can you pay for it in installments or put it on layaway? I believe there are game rental-services by mail but I do not know how affordable that is.

I've been priced out of video games pretty much

Paying for stuff on credit on installments is a recipe for staying poor. Stuff usually costs more that way through interest payments and extra fees. Aspies with executive function issues have to consider the very real possibility of late fees for being unable to send in the payment on time. Just what you need, another bill to keep track of!

I prefer to buy stuff on sale. I buy a lot of stuff for myself when stuff goes on sale for Christmas, as that is usually when the best deals can be had.

Why not just save up for it? That's part how I got mine and get the games I get. I saved all summer for the fall games that came out. Also if you have a bestbuy besr you there's the gamers club it's $30 but saves you $12 on each game. And you get points which adds up. They also give $10 in points for certain preorders. I've only paid $33 for most the game I've bought, almost half off.

Are you looking at the pro or the slim?

He might not be a Nintendo person. I'm not. Mean wii and Wii U only got like 4-8 major games in their short lifespans. Nintendo has a record of early and quickly abandoning their consoles(they're already planing to ditch the new new 3ds) also rather disappointed with the switch. I was excited early on when they talked about it was going be 4 times as powerful as the ps4. Though yeah about time they make a actual console like they use. Instead it's under powered again, has a short battery life and it'll be even shorter as it be constantly charging in the port which is killer for batteries. You can't even change the battery out. 6 hours is not enough batter life for a hand held console. 480p. From what is gathered so they can repurpose the left over Wii U screens. And game devolupers already talking about not making games again. What do we get another underpowered console that lack 3rd party games. Nintendo sure does like to make niche things. At least their advertising it better though. Nintendo has the money to blow though so they'll be around for another niche system in 2-3 years. Unlike Sony and Xbox who support their consoles years after their new ones comes out.

But I'm sure their get the most the same people who bought the Wii U. Most of whom have a PS4/xbox. People who grew up with Mario. Who it's worth buying a console to be able to play 2-6 games. For me that's not enough. There's 1-2 games on Xbox I like but it's not worth spending 250 dollars just to play those games. That's the draw 3rd party games along with 1st party games. Wii U was a utter failure.

Sorry op. Got carried away. I was hopeful the switch(before it was announced) would be the Nintendo system to draw me back since the nes days.

I got tricked by the Wii and even by Sony vita.

When you feel like it, and have the money for it. As long as you don't prevent yourself from, say, paying your rent.

A technique for buying yourself desired things without guilt is to pair a partial reward, with a behavior that you want to increase. Let's say you'd like to get more exercise. Make yourself a chart, and every time you exercise for 30 minutes you put down a check mark, or a sticker. When you have earned enough stickers or check marks, go out and buy the item, knowing that you have "earned" it.

That's just an example, it doesn't have to be exercise and it doesn't have to be a game console.

The only other thing I would add is look into both used games and used consoles. My adult kids have done that and saved big time. Obviously, you want to make sure an item works before you buy it so try it out. You can deal with a reputable store who has a short warranty or return period for defective items. Or you can try it out before you buy if dealing with an individual Another surprising place I've seen amazing prices on gaming stuff is garage sales, you might pay only a few dollars for something worth hundreds if new.

Ultimately you must decide if you're going to make this slightly bad but not reckless decision. I do this from time to time just because I want something. I say if you're usually pretty good with money and it won't keep you from eating, then buy it.

If you won't be able to pay rent or eat, then save up for it for 2 or 3 months.

I have this problem generally- knowing when it's acceptable or proportionate to make a large purchase. I default to "no." Trouble is, this happens even with things I actually need. Meanwhile, I happily blow money on cheaper things. I remember spending about £200 on books in six months, all the while struggling to use my old laptop that was basically broken. I've had to face it that my instincts about money are wrong. Which isn't unusual, but maybe most people are better than us at guessing what /other people/ would think is reasonable. (Whether those other people are always right is another matter.)

I'm trying to do something like this now. Forbidding myself to use the vending machines at work, and putting the money I would have spent there towards an electric piano instead. Which I've wanted for at least ten years.

That is a tough one, when your laptop is failing. It isn't an easy decision because the longer you hold off, the new laptop will be cheaper and better.

I think the problem might have sorted itself out, guys. I just my taxes, and I'll be getting a big honking refund on them, so I'll just buy it with that (plus some other things I also need), and still have some left over, haha.

Honestly, I find a powerful computer is a better long term investment than all; it's multi-purpose including powerful gaming.
A destkop pc is even better than most laptops for durability and selective upgrades every while; so it is scalable over a long time. It costs more than a console for first time though.

Most big titles are going PC too and are being superior in graphics too; strategy and FPS are best played with a mouse and keyboard - so suitable for more genres; and I just plug an old wireless xbox360 joystick for other genres; and when I plug it to the TV via hdmi I really forget it's PC while playing something like Assasin creed or Tales Of Zesteria (its sequel came to pc too finally!).

There are even rumors for FF15 on PC in the making too; after all most recent FF titles went PC before.
Steam makes great discounts sometimes; especially regional discounts And some cheap indies aren't bad.