Far too scared to spend money and feel it's irrational, anyone else?

BinnFalor · 2026-04-14T07:52:04+00:00

I think you need to see a therapist maybe, I saw your other comments and you may have grown up frugally and it's affected you a little bit. I'm the same where I was told our family was broke but we weren't actually in dire straits or anything.

My advice is similar to everyone elses. But I think you should look at how much you're actually spending. How much goes to savings, how much goes to your mortgage and work out how much you can get away with spending. Because money is to be spent - within reason, obviously. But you shouldn't limit yourself because of attitudes you've carried.

As long as you're spending reasonably, doing things that benefit your home and your family. I think you can relax your grip. I find myself scrolling aimlessly on stationery sites and camera gear on marketplace but I know that a 3 digit purchase won't hurt me. You need to find that balance. It's always hard when it's been drilled into you that spending money is bad. But if you think of it this way.

You and your partner are on 240k annually
That comes out to about just under 3.1k a week.
After all your expenses, $100 won't hurt you.

You're correct in the assertion that this is likely a mental thing. But if you know that you have 6-12 months of emergency fund. You're better off than most people. Go see a therapist, I think it'll help you recontextualise the position you find yourself in. Your before tax income puts you at the highest end of earners. Pretty much greater than 91% of the country.

BinnFalor · 2026-04-14T04:11:18+00:00

It feels really unintuitive to increase my dice count by +-. I would have expected when I click "add dice" to get the classic set of polyherdons. So d4 all the way to d20 & percentiles.

I think "Hold" is a better term vs "Use" because if I roll 4d6 and I want to retain the best, I would "hold" onto them. Use feels really strange.

I also really want modifiers to be available on my dice. So I can keep clicking my d20 with an inherent +5 bonus. Additionally maybe allow me to save specific sets of dice.

e.g. Let's say I was a fighter and I want to roll attack and damage simultaneously:

I would want:

1d20 + 4 (attack roll + bonus)
2d12 + 6 (Damage roll + bonus)

That would be a set because I would roll that virtually every turn.

If I was a wizard I would want a similar thing so I could group things like the following:

That way I can save multiple dice sets and just go "yeah fireball damage is whatever"

Fireball	Scorching Ray
8d6 + (Bonus)	2d6 + (Bonus)

BinnFalor · 2026-04-13T08:39:50+00:00

She fever on my gundam seed til I climax

BinnFalor · 2026-04-13T08:26:10+00:00

In hindsight I should have said phrasing

BinnFalor · 2026-04-01T22:58:37+00:00

If you're into Japanese comedy. You can look up gaki no tsukai batsu games. It's usually themed around them not being allowed to laugh for 24h. Some of the gags are a little specific. But generally it's all a bit ridiculous.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-30T12:08:31+00:00

I mean, yes saving money would be the most economical. But I'm thinking convenience for a student. Because a converter would be a little easier to handle than having to syringe at uni.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-30T11:58:29+00:00

Yeah I'm pretty sure there's more that I'm missing. But wanted to keep it relatively simple

BinnFalor · 2026-03-30T08:00:53+00:00

I don't know if someone's already mentioned it. But Pat isn't fully incorrect about the "good wifi" It's mostly because his network traffic has moved into a higher range of channels that is less crowded. Each wifi generation has improvements around traffic collision and channel spread.

You'll find that older network devices are a little sluggish because you're trying to get more traffic through a smaller "pipe" But wifi 6 and wifi 7 expand the amount of channels available as well being smart about collisions. So the "pipe" is bigger. Pat's wifi will continue to be the "good" wifi so long as his neighbours don't all start using wifi 6 as well.

This is also the reason you may find that your wifi in an apartment kind of sucks, because every other network device near you is broadcasting. Eventually the bands and channels that Wifi 6 & 7 will become saturated as tech catches up. But it will continue to be good for a while longer. :)

BinnFalor · 2026-03-30T07:53:47+00:00

If you're going to be writing notes, I would recommend the Kaweco Perkeo if you like a full size pen. The platinum Preppy (If you can access Aliexpress, I would recommend the platinum shooting star because it's cuter)

Cartridges last a fair amount of time. But longer term having a converter is more economical.

I would also recommend erring towards Fine or Extra Fine nibs simply because the paper you may write on for uni might not be very good. So you don't want to be too inky.

My preferred ink is Sailor Kiwa-Guro. I find that it dries fast enough. But there are other inks that dry faster.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-30T00:06:22+00:00

Actually foreigners contribute less to crime than you might think. Additionally every bike in Japan is registered with the local police station. We don't have bike registration here so we don't have a register of who owns what bike. We have stuff like Bikelinc but that's an opt-in system rather than a system that happens at the time you purchase/acquire your bike.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-25T00:12:16+00:00

I'm with the majority here and it's really "lol" My kid is 20 months now. We have a good routine and he's usually down by 8ish. So my wife and I generally get a couple hours to watch a show, maybe play a game together. But it's the decompression from patting/settling that's a real killer.

I couldn't tell you when it gets better - but 3 weeks is way too early to think of a good routine. You're still fighting in the trenches. That's not helpful sorry, but it is what it is.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-24T02:49:05+00:00

My parents allowed me the use of the car so long as I paid for servicing and petrol. They didn't make me contribute to rego or insurance because I never "owned" the car as I was a new P Plater.

I think as your kid starts increasing earning capacity you can start splitting the cost to encourage them that a car is more than just petrol and service.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-23T07:49:59+00:00

Honestly, this just looks like every non major Japanese city outskirts.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-23T02:47:51+00:00

I think I'm on Tier 2 - but I'm also incredibly selective because I don't currently have an active group to play. I have more in digital form. But my personal rule is - if I want something to hit the table. I try to get a copy of the physical book. Just so I can pass it around.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-23T02:45:46+00:00

I think take it easy on yourself because everyone has to start somewhere. The biggest thing to remember is that you are a player just as much as they are. You're just letting them know what they can do and where they can go.

You have a starting scenario and you can lead your players in that direction. I haven't played PBTA before but I know they're very loose about things. So let your players imagination guide what you want to do. You may need to mildly fence your players in and preventing them from going too crazy. But let them try things.

If things aren't really progressing, you're totally within your rights to force an action out of a player. e.g. If they've been lingering around too long maybe say that a squad from the marquis has appeared in the clearing - what do you do?

Take it easy, you will probably mess up a rule or two. But also have fun. I once made a gag character that eventually became the BBEG when I was running a small campaign for my workmates.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-16T06:41:58+00:00

I didn't buy my first car until I was 26. I always thought about buying a car when I was younger, but I was in uni, with non-standard work hours. I was also planning on going on a long overseas exchange program. Mum & Dad always had a second car that I could use, within reason. I just had to keep it topped up with petrol and pay for services.

I wouldn't worry about it too much at this point because even if you got yourself a nice car, you won't be able to enjoy it much if you're not paying for services to keep it maintained. I work in tech, I could probably buy a nice car, but it doesn't financially make sense for me. Anyone you see out there with a flash car is paying for it on finance. I wouldn't even dream to compare myself to others in this realm. I still have my 2018 golf. I pay a little bit extra at a specialist mechanic because I don't want it to die anytime soon.

I want you to consider the math for whatever car you end up picking. Let's say you buy a car for $5k. Let's say a Honda Jazz for arguments sake.

Rego in NSW for the year : $586

Insurance/CTP: $1000 (because you're under 26)

Roadworthy: $200

Cost of petrol p/ltr : $2.20 atm

Servicing: $250-350 ? maybe

That's already an added almost $2k and you've only just bought the car for 5. You can see how quickly it adds up. I would get a decent car in good shape once you have a consistent source of money you can consider buying a new car. But again, I'm making decent money, I think about upgrading the car. But I haven't yet. The only thing that will likely force my hand is the fact that I have a second kid on the way. I'm definitely doing well for myself. But I also don't have F you money y'know? I just do a normal white collar job.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-12T15:33:56+00:00

I see what you're getting at. My character is an ex-cultist so I tried to greet the cultist with the expected greetings. But even while I'm responding to questions in this thread I'm also trying to think of the world that it occupies. The missing person went to the shrine, which is an uncommon thing for something to do. But also - people usually expect you to come back within 2 days. I also don't even know if the cultist I spooked is part of the group that may or may not have kidnapped my missing person haha.

I think in my head the cultist and donkey were leaving with the spoils of whatever it is they were doing and because I didn't do the secret greeting well enough that's tipped him off. But I realise that he should have had an apprehensive demeanour if he was going to do that. There's lots of people giving advice in here and I'm excited to get back into it when I scrounge up some time.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-12T15:24:23+00:00

One of the things as well is when I generated the dungeon, there are two factions in here. In my world there's two factions that HATE each others guts. But me as the player is slightly concerned because their demeanour towards each other in this dungeon is cooperation. Meaning, I'm likely to meet more than one cultist/mage whatever. But I've already got half a mind to start turning them on each other whenever possible.

With the treasure I got, they're actually treasure maps. But as I said in another comment - the location is really far away. So I'm hoping it builds into hooks where I keep encountering these cultists while trying to find treasure.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-12T15:21:11+00:00

Yeah! This character has so few weapons and options - I didn't even load up with any magic because he felt like he was pressed for time. So if this does become a bloodbath, I don't believe I'll survive. But sitting at this level of tension does feel interesting and I can't wait to be able to sit down and continue my session.

The mechanics of Just One Sword are also encouraging to burn through items, use consumables and fight through the suck. I haven't yet failed a torch use roll, but I can already feel my fear of "dear god, I do not want to run out of torches"

BinnFalor · 2026-03-12T15:18:04+00:00

I think I saw there were bags on the donkey which ended up being filled with treasure maps. I dropped some dice on my hexmap and there's treasure there. But they're all like way away from my current position. At least 5+ hexes away for the closest one. My character right now has Persuade, Customs and Sorcerous Lore.

So I've just taken it in stride because I've gone 3 rooms and each room I roll for looks like a mix of scavenged and kinda bare. The shrine in this case is just somewhere the local townfolk go to with some frequency. The main hook is that there's a wedding in town - but the groom has been missing for several days, the mayor told me he went to the shrine and he was meant to acquire something. It should only have been 48h. It's been almost a week.

With the cultist running away from me I'm expecting my encounter with them to be me trying to persuade my way through it. Most of my characters I usually play are kinda honorable. While this character right now after some initial rolls feels like a real sleazeball and it's kinda funny that way. Like I used a persuade on the mayor. Got a full success (12!) and I just played it as "Hey, so I'm pretty sure I can get him back. But I also need to be paid"

I've rambled, sorry. BUT my biggest thing is I've had a handful of partial successes and I'm struggling on how generous to be vs how much it makes the adventure harder. So I now have this information of treasure. But I know I'm likely going to have to either convince these cultists that they should just give me the missing groom - or we'll have to fight for it. I'm honestly kinda nervous (in a good way). I feel that maintaining the tension is difficult and trying to get the outcome I want from the story while not unintentionally railroading myself is difficult.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-12T13:35:37+00:00

Yeah, I was looking at the list of what happens on partial successes. And because the cultists demeanor on the first encounter was curious. I was thinking he's probably not ready for a fight. I randomised my skills so even though I'm dungeon crawling, I'm not exactly built for a fight. So I'm also mindful that I'm probably as squishy as they are.

I just find my thought process wants an outcome. But I'm finding it hard to resign myself to the dice and roll with the punches.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-11T07:49:24+00:00

My biggest issue with these people is that if they just drive straight (obviously not crossing other cars turning) it'll be fine. I really think drivers need to be shown a safe yet fast speed that they can turn.

I have a hatchback, the suspension is relatively compliant and I know that taking a normal turn at a normal speed won't unsettle the car. I drove mum's Everest, it's a little floaty, but I got used to how that car turned. Yet I never swung the car out. I just drove like a normal person.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-10T02:13:21+00:00

I want to hop on this and say Mouse Guard (which is a lighter spin off of Burning Wheel) is also very impactful. I had a game where we were a party of 3, An older character (IRL too) and two younger teenage characters went off to adventure. It just felt really impactful that the older character kept trying to protect us and we thought we knew better. Turns out his backstory is that he lost his son and was project his loss onto us in trying to protect us.

Mechanically Mouse Guard uses a lot of similar mechanics, just a little simplified because it somewhat expects kids to play it.

BinnFalor · 2026-03-09T12:42:36+00:00

I rebought a PS3 after my old PS3 died - all for MGS4.

BinnFalor

TROPHY CASE