I Have Bought Some Things... Have I Bought Too Many Things?

Even if I haven't been updating this blog, I have been thinking about it every week. 2019 ends today and, overall, I would say that it's been a good year economically. I have saved more money than I expected, and at the same time, I have made some important purchases for myself. Here's a comprehensive list:


Books & Comics

• Theory of Harmony by Arnold Schoenberg
• Tokyo Blues by Murakami
• Mot by Azpiri & Nach
• The Real Book

Games

• Electronauts (work reference)

Software

• None

Gadgets and Electronics

• Small computer speakers
• NVMe drive
• Xiaomi Pocophone (iPhone kaput)

Instruments

• Yamaha Pacifica 112J
• Taylor Academy 12e
• Fender Rhodes Mark II
• Moog Bass Murf
• Suzuki Melodion Andes 25F
• Roland JV2080 + 7 expansion cards
• Korg Electribe Synth 2
• Fender CB-60SCE
• Ibanez AEG10II

Total: 4000ish € (not bad at all!)

It seems like a lot of things, but... many are the kind of things that last forever! I still have to invest some money in remodeling the Rhodes, but it's been an instrument I've wanted since I know of its existence as a teenager. It's from 1980, so it needs some love (and money, and time).

Things I've done in 2019:

• Wrote music for lots of games
• Helped write an album that won't be recorded any time soon (rehearsals where fun tho)
• Wrote one complete game script and began another that still has to be completed in 2020 Q1
• Lots of side jobs.

 Things I want to do in 2020:

• Do a demoscene comeback for Revision 2020
• Less side jobs to focus on my own projects
• Find the time to code a little bit again and try to publish something by my own

And I guess that's all... Did I buy too many things in 2019? Well, I have to say that at least I didn't buy many things I didn't need!

Christmas shopping is always depressing for me, so doing a little annual review on "controlled" consumption makes me feel a bit better. I don't know if I will continue to update this blog one day, although I don't have any reason to delete it either. Who knows what New Year's resolutions await us for 2020?

Thanks for reading!

F--- the Makeup, Skip the Shower

This song is a mantra for me.

There is nothing to improve me
This is not a fucking movie
I am not a superhero
The one thing I want is all gone
This is not what I agreed on
This is not what I agreed on

Hey I've got a great idea
Let's go buy stuff from Ikea
Make us happy momentarily
It is oh so temporary
But the shadow's very vicious
It is oh so repetitious
But the shadow's very vicious
It is oh so repetitious
Repetitious
Repetitious
Repetitious
Repetitious

The fresh feeling's turning sour
Fuck the makeup, skip the shower
I know you don't charge per hour
But could you stay one more hour

Out of nowhere shit is reborn
Bout to blow up like some popcorn
Paid the price I need advice I
Paid the price I need advice I

Certain things just happen that way
There's nothing left for you to say
But I hope that
That you will stay
From this shit we could sneak away

Ending April

This month has been killer!

I've worked a lot in my side projects, writing more than 15k words for a visual novel and editing lots of VO clips! I had to spend lots of time in front of the computer, something that led me to suffer a contracture in the neck. After a couple of visits to the physiotherapist, I'm doing quite nicely again... I've invested a total of 70€ in two sessions, but it's money well spent!

The only project that has -kinda- been put aside is my live band. It's been hard to find time for rehearsals for three weeks... It seems that we are back on track again! We are going to record in studio in November (I have to think about how to combine it with my daily work...). I think it will be a very ambitious recording project. I have to study a lot, as I will be in charge of keys and bass.

We have begun the renovation of the kitchen of the house, so last 10 days have been kind of crazy! I have spent a fair amount of money on it, but besides that, I've just had some burgers and tapas with my friends and my wife. Social life is going nicely, but I need to invest more time with my family...

Humble Bundle Again

I have already written about Humble Bundle in this blog.

The selling paradigm of that web is brilliant: they offer huge discounts for themed bundles and give a percentage to charity. If one of the themes has a special connection with you... you're lost! While buying in the Humble Bundle Store may seem more ethical than in other stores, in my opinion, it's still not good to buy things you are not going to read, play or use. If you want to give money to charity... why don't you do that in a more direct way? In any case, I don't want to subject my acts of goodwill to consumerism.

Right now there are two interesting bundles that have caught my attention: 8-bit pixel Game Dev, and Classic Video Games by Boss Fight Books.

The first one is a massive set of tools and game assets that could be very helpful in game jams and short developments. The second one is a book collection about classic videogames. I already own the Spelunky one, and the Chrono Trigger one (which I'm going to give to a friend of mine as a present). I won't buy any of them because:

• I still got lots of books on my shelf that I haven't read
• I am working A LOT in games, and I don't have the time to invest in my own developments.

Items price: 13,30€ + 22,17€
Total savings: 2415,29€

Ending March

This month has been extremely productive. I've worked a lot, I have spent some time with family and friends and I have spent very very little money: I have just bought some plants for my new house and some presents for my parents and my wife. That's all!

We are going to make a full renovation of our kitchen very soon: new ceiling, floor, furniture, etc. so I am getting ready for a stressful time :) I am starting on my half-time job right now... I have to save as much energy as possible to get some work done in the evenings. I am already missing some time to do some exercise! Waking up early is extremely important so I can go home at 17.30 or so.

I haven't felt the need of buying anything this month. Some instruments and music-related gear come to my mind, but nothing too serious. I have discovered that there are some cool free albums in the Amazon Music app, so I can listen in my iPhone to lots of nice albums I like and I already own.

To sum up: this month has been very nice mentally, with a good routine which has provided me lots of stability. Next month I should focus on waking up early, doing some exercise and work as much as I can, so I can embrace the spring with some dignity :)

We are already 3/4 of the way!

Tokai Hard Puncher

This Tokai Hard Puncher looks awesome! I love the looks and "round" sound of these. I've been wanting a Jazz-Bass instrument for a long time. Original Fender ones are a bit expensive and I'm not a bass player so I don't know if there will ever be an ROI... These instruments should last forever if you take care of them, so it's not *really* that much money.

Why haven't I bought it? I've already bought a bass less than a year ago and I haven't found much time to play it. It's a really great bass that I bought for a bargain price to a friend.

I'd like to study some tunes I like and learn them on the bass, and who knows? Maybe I should record some videos recording myself and try to improve as a bass player :)

Item price: 625€
Total savings: 2379,82€

Ending February

Reminder: I talk from my own "first world" perspective. I can imagine how crucial some items can be for others in other places, cultures and/or different economic situations.

If you read this blog and find it ridiculous... that's its exact raison d'être.

When I was a little child, my parents used to tell me something like: "if we buy you everything you want, you won't be excited about having anything". While I know and understand what they meant, I no longer agree 100% with that idea.

Is it really OK to be excited about the acts of buying and having? The possibility of having new things shouldn't be the key to any kind of happiness. The act of desiring is in itself the root of the problem, the first step into a cycle that never ends.

The hardest point in this resolution is deciding what I would have bought or not. Should I blog about this item? Would have I really clicked the purchase button? ... Sounds dumb right? :)

Overall, February has been a quiet month, as I've tried to push my wishing to the minimum successfully. I've given away a book, I've sold stuff I didn't use, I've controlled the waste in my birthday and I've found a side job that will partially fill my evenings and weekends in a productive way. I've only spent some money on some burgers and beers! Trying to invest time with friends and family is the best!

In the bad side, I have had a lot of work so I couldn't invest much time in my personal projects, but I'm still looking for a good work/rest balance. I also need to exercise, because I've gained a bit of weight... Let's try to do better next month!

Fender Telecaster 72

This made in Japan Telecaster is on sale for 900€ in a second-hand shop I follow on facebook. I've been wishing a Tele for some years now, and this one looks great...

Playing guitar is one of my favorite activities ever. It lets me concentrate freely on one thing: my fingers, my whole body, and my mind are focused on the instrument and the music that I am trying to get out of it. Everyone should try the guitar or any other instrument!

I just have one electric guitar, a cheap Korean seven-string one, but I feel attached to it... somehow. I bought it after working for a whole week as a waiter at the local fair. That was my first job when I was just 22 or 23 years old!

I usually have my guitar in the studio, but yesterday, before seeing this ad, I took it home so I could practice and record something this weekend. Before going to bed, I spent some time practicing scales and other stuff on it and I've slept very relaxed and calmed... Of course, I was unplugged. Respect your neighbors! ;)

I'm going to try to record some personal music with the equipment I already have before buying anything new, so wish me luck (and inspiration)!

Item price: 900€
Total savings: 1754,82€

Giving Away: Teoría y armonía musical moderna vol 2

This book has been with me for so long... I remember that I bought it at a very difficult time when I left my first year at the University and needed to learn music in depth. I used to read it on my weekend trips to Cádiz, chapter by chapter, trying to grasp and visualize every chord. It was one of the first articles I bought online by the way :)

I have not opened it for a few years, and yesterday, after a conversation with a friend who was going through a hard time, I felt that this book could be good for him. This friend of mine told me about his need for having more free time and enjoying his hobbies. He told me that he almost did have no time to play music at home... You know, we all suffer that kind of moment, when we stop and think about what we are doing with our lives, and when we question ourselves about how dangerous the routine can be. When you least expect it, you're doing something you don't like and everything seems to make no sense. I guess we can blame capitalism :)

Books like this one can help you learn some theory concepts quickly, and that's incredibly rewarding! I think that giving it to him has been a good decision. I hope he enjoys and reads it as I did back in the day.

Selling Stuff: C-64s

I bought these two Commodore 64 units about seven years ago because I wanted to start writing music on them... The old SID chip sound is amazing, and even if old computer user interfaces are hard to deal with, I thought I could try and experience the ultimate 80s music writing workflow.

I just turned them on a couple of times to see if they worked. I never ever connected them to a monitor. And I had TWO units because one wasn't enough! How clever!

After moving the last December I thought that it was enough, so I decided that I had to sell them. There are lots of vintage computing nerds (in a good way) in my twitter TL, so I decided that it was a nice place to sell them.

My initial price was 35€, so many many people messaged me with better offers (they sell on eBay for about 30USD each). It was an easy deal to close: I ended up selling them in 60€ + shipping.

I still have many things I don't use so I will be thinking about what else should I sell really soon!

Managing Presents

The easy part of this project is not buying things for myself, but what about when others buy things for me? Christmas and birthdays are critical moments when it's especially hard to stop this kind of indirect consumerism.

When I first thought about this year's resolution, I had the idea of using every potential present as a way to get things that I really could need. I just turned 36 and some people in my environment do not feel comfortable with the idea of not buying any gifts for me. I tried to convince them, but since I do not want to be rude to anyone, I have accepted the idea of receiving gifts... with a bit of secret strategy: the new things I will get, will substitute items that I already own that are not in good condition.

I will replace my four-year-old wallet and some of my old jeans... and that's it! I have to check all my clothes and donate (or throw away) what I do not usually wear so I will replace those items in a 1:1 or higher ratio! It is the most positive way that has occurred to me :)

That's all at the moment! I will keep you posted on my progress!

Behringer Crave

Wow, Behringer Crave Synthesizer looks great! It sounds very nice and it's cheap (just 149€). It offers lots of wire-patching and knob-tweaking fun and I have felt sooo tempted :) This is the kind of sound toy I love.

I'm not buying it because I already have a Doepfer Dark Energy, which is something kind of similar (not really) and that I hardly ever use. I bought it years ago and have used it just for some sound effects and tracks.

Today I've also felt like I should enroll in a course (a very nice boot camp, for free, in my city). It seems like a great opportunity, but I'd better focus on my current projects: my game, reading, exercising, fixing my house, etc. I already have plenty of things to do!

Item price: 149€
Total savings: 854,82€

Ending January

The first month in my quest is finishing and it's going quite smoothly! I have just spent money on:

• Essential things for our new house (lamps and some kitchen hardware)
• Four lunches and three breakfasts (I shared my lunches with friends, so it's well-spent money)

I am enjoying some of my planned activities a lot:

• Rehearsals with my band are being extremely productive. I get so many good vibes playing music! It's very refreshing for me because I spend so many hours doing music alone... Getting involved in a common production feels awesome.
• My homebrew Game Boy game has officially started its development. I'm still thinking about the details, but there are many things that I can start coding.
• Work is going fine. I have been feeling a bit unfocused and kind of sad for some days, but I'm sure that it will be fine.
• I'm listening to records I already have: Khruangbin's "Con Todo el Mundo" is being an amazing inspiration. I've also been listening to Age of Impact by Explorer's Club and the original soundtrack for the Narcissus game series.

I would like to turn my dead-brain-mobile-times in my commute into reading moments. I'll get to that soon!

That is all by the moment. I hope I can keep my vision next month!

Humble Bundle - Computer Music Bundle

Everybody loves Humble Bundle. It is one of those websites that everybody likes. It offers a great selection of products at discounted prices. You can buy games and many other things such as books, comics, software, etc. The best thing is that you can choose what percentage of the money you pay will go to a charitable organization.

But beyond all these good things, there's a huge problem: it's a place where you spend money on things that you don't need. The mental mechanism is "perhaps I will need this in the future... It's really cheap now, so I'd better buy it".

Lots of friends of mine have a huge amount of unredeemed codes in their accounts and, of course, I also have bought some bundles with products I have never used, and that's like giving away my money: games I won't ever play, software I won't ever use and books I won't ever read.

This week there's a special bundle with audio-related books that looks very interesting, but after thinking about it a little, I decided not to buy it. I already have many unread books on the topic, and I would like to enjoy what I have. I want to finish some books I began some time ago!

Item price: 13,20€
Total savings: 705,82€

Analogue Super NT

The Super NT is a very cool gadget: an FPGA emulated Super NES. The design is really nifty and it offers really nice and modern features: digital output for video and audio, region free, options for scanlines, original accessories compatibility, etc.

It's a bit pricey, but that's because it's not a cheap one-chip-console clone. The basic pack, which includes a wireless controller plus a receiver, is 249,99USD, plus 49,99USD shipping to Spain. It would be wonderful to have it as a usable and collectible item on my shelf.

I thought that I could play all those games with my current setup: a hacked Nintendo Wii plus classic controllers (the best controller Nintendo has ever made). I can run every ROM with that, something that can't be achieved by the moment with this device because you need the original cartridges. I'll stick to that!

Item price: 249,99USD + 49,99USD (shipping) = 262,37€
Total savings: 692,62€

Cheeto's Magazine - Amazingous

I discovered this band today and I love them! This tune is really fun, interesting and well written. I like how happy they look playing their music, it's really inspirational.

I'm always happy to buy art from brilliant people, but I still have a lot of records to listen to so this one will have to wait.

By the way, yesterday I listened to this album while I was going back home. I have it since long ago, and I had never given it the opportunity of a full playback.


Item price: 25€ + 5,25€ (shipping)
Total savings: 430,25€

Kurzweil PC3Le

My initial idea was that it would be great to buy it as a backup keyboard for my rehearsals, but then I thought about how bulky and heavy these instruments are.

I'll stick to my Roland Fantom X6 for the moment, which has been with me for more than 10 years. There are lots of options in it that I don't even know about after all this time! 

I'm sure I'll enjoy learning more and more things about the instruments I already have.

Item price: 400€ (used)
Total savings: 400€

Welcome Message

Hi there! I'm Sergio, from Spain, and I work as a music composer and sound designer for media (games mostly).

Christmas is a moment when I usually stop and notice how much stuff I have. This always has a negative impact on me: I feel overwhelmed and kind of 'empty', purposeless. I've been thinking often how much we all try to be happy just by buying things. You start a new hobby, and very soon, you find yourself buying things related to that hobby, even if you don't find the time to enjoy it.

I've been reading a little bit about minimalism and came with the simple idea of buying nothing for myself in 2019 and trying to enjoy what I already have. I talked about it with a friend and she linked me the posts about "Depth Year" by David. I was happy to read that an increasing number of people has similar thoughts and feelings!

I've set a limited number of rules to my resolution:

• Not buying anything for myself (excluding food, drinks, hygiene goods and that kind of basic stuff). No clothing, no books, no films, no games, no instruments, no software, etc. No new material things, with a focus on what I already have.
• It's ok buying things for others (presents).
• Making a list about all the stuff I'm 'tempted' to buy and note the price.

As making a simple text list could be a bit boring, I thought about blogging every item I feel tempted to buy, so I can keep a nice archive of this experience and share it with everyone out there.

I hope that all of this can happen naturally without too much trouble! I would like to find more peace and joy in what I love doing and delete the impulse to seek happiness in consumerism. 

Best of wishes for all of you!