I got bit by the magic bug in May of 1995 and ever since then up until a few years ago I "PURCHASED" and then took a step back and was overwhelmed with the drawers full of apparatus.
I even bought shelving and cases to accommodate VHS tapes, DVD's, cases of playing cards etc. etc. etc. Around 2020 I started to sell it and moved a BUNCH. I still have quite a bit but
it's manageable, to a degree. Granted I was working several restaurants and performed a decent amount of shows BUT did I need all that stuff??

I still get tempted when viewing the "Latest and Greatest" and yes purchased a few things but not even close to my habits in the past.
So, my question, when you really look at what you have already purchased, packet effects, wallets, coin gaffs, lecture notes, downloads, past DVD's gimmicked decks
and all that stuff that made you hit the buy button, do you REALLY need it all? Do you still buy more even though you have way more than you will ever use and perform with?

If so why?

I spend most of my magic budget on books and props rather than "tricks," which I rarely consider wasted.

But I do own an unreasonable number of playing cards, and I occasionally get on a buying spree.

I tend to buy more when I'm unable to perform, to feel as though I'm still doing something related.

Interesting question.

I never bought all that much, even when I was performing. I practically had Tannen's and Abbott's catalogs memorized (this was way before the internet), but I mostly looked for items that would fit the specific acts I was putting together. I also made a lot of my own props over the years.

Once I got serious about it, I bought mostly books, especially on showmanship and illusionists.

Although some may not admit it but we all seem to have those bins of "magic stuff" in our storage room.
Am just your typical amateur magician like the majority here I believe. And one does feel guilty for being a magic hoarder.
But I try to justify it that is just my hobby. All this time I spent on magic I could have equally picked a hobby like golf or bowling.
You never hear a golfer or bowler comment about how much money he spent on his hobby.

I would think the difference is that a golfer or bowler probably has one or two sets of clubs or balls and spends most of their money golfing or bowling, where magicians tend to spend their money collecting magic stuff. It's a different hobby.

I mostly collect overpriced books. And cards. Overpriced cards and overpriced books.

I also had an excuse in that my tax preparer told me that if I didn't spend money on business related tax deductible items I would owe more to Uncle Sam.

The other reason is I wanted to know the secrets. I was a fishing addict at one point and had to have the newest lures, rods and reels, etc. When it came down to it most of the stuff I bought was just stored. I only used the basic stuff but it fed a need.

Just like the magic stuff. I've since recovered.

I've thought quite a bit about this as well. I guess it's all relative. Some people might buy a new Harley motorcycle, some may buy seven guitars, some might buy a golf club membership. That said, it is easy to spend quite a bit on magic. However, you can use it to bring joy to many others!

Like many others, I have more than I'll ever likely be able to study and perform.

I learned very early to distinguish the difference in my tools and my toys.

Magic for me has never been a hobby. It has always been a professional pursuit. I never enjoyed the little intricate devices or methods or whatever. It was only about performance. Magic was the medium through which I was able to communicate with my audience. I had mentors like Jay Marshall who had me working at the magic shop and learning through the books but not pushing toys on me. Charlie Schulien never did a trick he wasn't taught by someone like his father directly. He had no magic books. Everyone I was around were simply workers.

I have other hobbies, magic is not one of them. I own nothing that is not in my act. I do not have anything collecting dust on a shelf. I fish, golf, go to hockey games and basketball games and so forth. I spent 30 years of my adult life on the road, generally in a foreign country. Collecting magic whatever that just sits in a house thousands of miles away from me made no sense.

Good for those who do enjoy magic as a hobby or as a professional pursuit that they started as a hobby. There are SO many avenues to go down in this hobby that it can interest almost anyone. I have always said that if you want to keep a kid off drugs, get them into a magic hobby. The magic is so darn expensive, they won't have money for drugs!

I've mostly been someone who didn't really spend money on things that were purely decorative. Just like I don't read a lot of fiction, I prefer to invest my time and money into things I'll use.

But that's changed a little. I wanted to do something with my old apartment so I got a bunch of those magic poster postcards from the magic shop and framed them to put on the wall. I think they looked pretty classy, which is what I wanted, to have a reminder of the cooler and classier side of magic.
And since then I've gotten a couple Erdnase and other collector decks that are on display that I'll never use.

Okay, okay, so a few years ago I bought a Thayer Orange Vase from Stevens Magic Emporium during one of their estate sales. I first saw the thing in one of Hoffmann's books as a kid and for some reason became fascinated by it. Now it sits on top of one of my bookcases along with a genii lamp I bought in Dubai and a few other items including three small plastic water glasses I sprayed copper to use in The Great Burtini's famous Cups and Mice routine in my avatar.