What's In Your Wallet?

My wallet must be pretty much empty at this point, based on the amount I've funded toward the Xbox 360. One person chided me when I was still indecisive toward purchasing the machine, stating that whenever he wants to buy a new system or videogame, he just does it.

Simple. Except it isn't.

I partly wanted to avoid this, as I would have remained content on my monetary ignorance, but here is the breakdown of all my Xbox-related purchases, all within a singular September shopping spree.

1. Xbox 360 Premium (with HDMI port): $360 (rough estimate after tax and irony)

2. Gears of War: $40 (thanks to a previously unknown CompUSA special)

3. Bioshock: $50 (Ebay)

4. Dead Rising: $28 used (after coupon)

5. HDMI Cable: $16.66 (monoprice, the cheapest place to get cables)

6. Ethernet Cable: $4.51 (same)

7. Halo 3: $60

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: $8.00 (since you can only buy points in increments)

9. Optical Audio Outlet: $20 (normally $50, though I found a Gamestop employee nice enough to sell his after hours)

10. 1 year subscription to Xbox Live Gold: $35

Total: $622.17.

Pricey, but not quite as high a number as I initially expected, thanks in part to coupons and discounts and whatnot. However, this October won't be a spend-free month either, as I eagerly await purchasing The Orange Box, Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Then in November there's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Mass Effect.

This could be a record year for my video game spending budget, but with a new well-paying job, I don't feel very guilty about it. Although I did miss my chance to earn a $750 bonus from work, I still have one more chance to earn at least $500 extra. Anything to help cover the costs from last month would be greatly appreciated, but I'm not holding my breath on earning any bonuses, since I worked so hard for the former and ended up empty-handed.

But fortunately, my wallet is nowhere near empty, so I'm thankful for the job regardless.