More Biking & More Money

This is the final blog I will write pertaining to hobbies. As the roadmap suggested, there were interviews pertaining to interests and community then hobbies. I thought this would be an interesting one because it begins the cycle of larger purchases. 

Blaine is one of my good friends that is into a lot of fun activities: he mountain bikes, long boards, and skydives (as a hobby...), so he has a wide variety of adventurous interests. 

He is a talkative person so it is easy to know a lot about Blaine, so the other day when he came over to my apartment and began talking about his new road bike I was surprised I hadn't heard him say anything about it before. I hadn't heard him talk about it previously but he noted that he wanted one for awhile as he was recently getting more into biking. So I was quite intrigued to hear about how he decided to go forth with the purchase. 
I know I have done a biking interview previously but found an interesting difference because previously it was more about maintaining a hobby (Clayton), while Blaine has gone forth beginning a new hobby. 

1. How did you decide you wanted to go forth in this purchase?

I decided to go forth with buying a new mountain bike because I had slowly been getting more and more into biking. Another factor that helped me make the decision was that I worked all summer and had some money to spend.

2. Do you set a budget for spending on this type of stuff? Did you change your spending budget after this purchase?

No I didn't set a budget, I knew I had the money, and someone had already offered to sell me the bike.

3. Have you forgone participating in other activities or purchasing other items in order to purchase this/these item(s)?

I definitely had to buy less coffee for a while but for the most part I only spent out of savings so it worked out perfect.

4. How much would you say your spending habits changed while in college?
(1-Not at all, exactly the same as before college. 10- It has done a complete 180 and I spend much differently)
Why?

I would say a 6) I definitely spend less often on unnecessary items but I also still have to spend a lot for common household items and food etc.

5. Do you think you will you continue to spend the same after college?

After college, I plan to spend about the same or less so that the first few years of making more money, I will be able to establish a good savings and establish a good foundation. Then later on I will spend more when money gets less tight

So for Blaine he spent mostly out of savings because there was an opportunity for him. The way he behaved was triggered by someone offering it to him. Do you think the opportunity of a well-priced bike was enticing to him to make a purchase he might've waited to make otherwise? Or do you think since he had been thinking about it, he truly just had good luck finding it? 

I often wonder if my spending habits changed in college because my parents weren't here to watch. They might've heard that I was buying something after the fact and didn't really have much say in it. If I came home with a brand new bike in high school they'd probably be shocked, but now I can text them a picture and that's that. Is it our new freedom? Do they trust us more with our money? Or is that just how things play out? More questions I do not have the answer to but will continue to ponder.