The Cash Flow Positive Gamer

S

Simoleon

CAG Veteran
In this day and age of deficit spending, I'm setting a goal of not spending a single dime out of my own pocket on video games. To do this, I'll have to make trades, hope for gifts, and make some shrewd buys and sells. The challenge will be difficult, especially considering the games that are on my wish list. Luckily, I can use my library as a cushion to build up cash and trade for other games.


:ps3:Wish List:
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • Modnation Racers
  • Uncharted 2
  • Battlefield: Bad Company 2
  • God of War III
  • God of War Collection
:ps3:Current Library:
  • Army of Two
  • Assassin's Creed II
  • Batman: Arkham Asylum
  • Burnout Paradise
  • Eye of Judgment
  • Fallout 3
  • Grand Theft Auto IV
  • Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
  • Guitar Hero World Tour
  • inFamous
  • Killzone 2
  • Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
  • Littlebigplanet
  • Madden 10
  • Metal Gear Solid 4
  • Rock Band 2
  • Rock Band: AC/DC Track Pack
  • Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
  • Tiger Woods 10
  • Uncharted
  • Virtua Tennis 3
  • WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008
Short of stealing games from a retail store, anything goes. I can buy and sell on Craigslist, re-sell games after buying them on the cheap, and other, more nefarious tactics. Feel free to share your own experiences, or let me know about a deal you have found that might help me stay... Cash Flow Positive!
 
Here are my first two transactions, when I came up with the goal of being Cash Flow Positive:

  • Trade-in on Amazon:
    :ps3:Modern Warfare 2 (+ $38.50)
    :ps3:The Orange Box (+ $7.50)
  • Running Total = + $46.00
Though this money was issued as an Amazon gift card, I consider this as good as cash. I shop there enough to spend $46, either on games or on other goods.
  • Purchase from Wal-Mart:
    :ps3:Assassin's Creed II (- $27.99)
  • Running Total = + $10.51
I have since seen AC2 dip down to as low as $19.99 on Gamestop. Bummer, but this game was well worth the $28 I spent on it. I highly recommend this game. A must-play, and much improved over the original.
 
My goal right now is to build a cushion so I can buy a few games if Amazon, Walmart, etc. come out with slick deals on GoW III or Red Dead. So I posted a listing for 5 games on Craigslist -- Batman: Arkham Asylum ($25), Assassin's Creed II ($20), inFamous ($15), Fallout 3 ($15), and Army of Two ($9) and I already got a few bites, and one sale:

  • Sold on Craigslist:
    :ps3:Batman: Arkham Asylum (+ $25)
  • Running Total: + 35.51
It was tough parting ways with Batman AA but maybe I'll pick it up again some day. I was really hoping to plat this one, but I just couldn't get past some of the challenge rooms with high enough of a score.

For the first time in a long time, I'm now just waiting to play a game. AC2 was the last game in a long backlog of games to be played. I still have to re-play Uncharted to get my trophies and Metal Gear Solid 4 is still sitting in a drawer unwrapped (waiting for long-rumored trophy support), but other than that, I now just have to bite the bullet and pick up a new title or make a trade.
 
if you don't want to spend any money on video games how about you just stop buying them. You are a prime example of what is wrong with this country, the " I gotta have it " mentality.
 
This would be way cooler as a Discovery channel series!!!!!!!!! Or Travel channel!!! This is still pretty interesting as a forum thread, though!!!
 
[quote name='Mizzou75']This is pretty interesting...I'm looking forward to following this.[/QUOTE]

Same here.
 
Hmm, a CAG keeping track of the red and the black? Nifty. I do this with many of my sales, though I find it's easier to be an inventory-positive gamer than a cash positive one XD
 
[quote name='Simoleon']Here are my first two transactions, when I came up with the goal of being Cash Flow Positive:

  • Trade-in on Amazon:
    :ps3:Modern Warfare 2 (+ $38.50)
    :ps3:The Orange Box (+ $7.50)
  • Running Total = + $46.00
Though this money was issued as an Amazon gift card, I consider this as good as cash. I shop there enough to spend $46, either on games or on other goods.
  • Purchase from Wal-Mart:
    :ps3:Assassin's Creed II (- $27.99)
  • Running Total = + $10.51
I have since seen AC2 dip down to as low as $19.99 on Gamestop. Bummer, but this game was well worth the $28 I spent on it. I highly recommend this game. A must-play, and much improved over the original.[/QUOTE]

Umm...$46 - $27.99 is $18.01...where did the other ~$8 go?

Meh, I could never do what you're doing I'm way too lazy.
 
[quote name='HaLLuZiNaTiOnZ']Umm...$46 - $27.99 is $18.01...where did the other ~$8 go?

Meh, I could never do what you're doing I'm way too lazy.[/QUOTE]

What $8? His math is correct.
 
[quote name='Mr Dude65']What $8? His math is correct.[/QUOTE]

If he's subtracting the $27.99 from the $46 he got from Amazon his running total at that point should be $18.01. If not like I said I'm not sure where the money for AC 2 comes from, or how he ends up with $10.51.
 
[quote name='rainking187']If he's subtracting the $27.99 from the $46 he got from Amazon his running total at that point should be $18.01. If not like I said I'm not sure where the money for AC 2 comes from, or how he ends up with $10.51.[/QUOTE]

Ya. I was looking at his post and thinking "Are my eyes bad? Does it say $18 or $10?"

Money from AC2 definitely comes from his Amazon credit, but he decided to just call it cash and not credit.
 
Good on you for keeping track. I keep a nifty spreadsheet for all game transactions so I know the current value of my collection vs. how much I've spent for each game (individually and on average).

Unfortunately, you're going to run out of steam unless you never add anything to your wishlist. If you started flipping, on the other hand, maintaining a cash flow positive bottom line is very possible if you're not too greedy about games you want.
 
[quote name='rainking187']If he's subtracting the $27.99 from the $46 he got from Amazon his running total at that point should be $18.01. If not like I said I'm not sure where the money for AC 2 comes from, or how he ends up with $10.51.[/QUOTE]

You are absolutely correct. Should be $18.01, not $10.51. This thread isn't going to last long if I keep shorting myself money! Correct tab will be reflected in the next update. Thanks for the correction.
 
[quote name='GuardianE']Good on you for keeping track. I keep a nifty spreadsheet for all game transactions so I know the current value of my collection vs. how much I've spent for each game (individually and on average).

Unfortunately, you're going to run out of steam unless you never add anything to your wishlist. If you started flipping, on the other hand, maintaining a cash flow positive bottom line is very possible if you're not too greedy about games you want.[/QUOTE]

You are exactly right, GuardianE. Like I said, it's going to take some creativity and some flipping. I already have a few transactions made that I'll update that will give me some much-needed cushion. It's more of a personal challenge, just to see if I can do it. It's also fun because it makes me "earn" my next purchases, instead of just buying whatever games I want.
 
[quote name='TiKi2']if you don't want to spend any money on video games how about you just stop buying them. You are a prime example of what is wrong with this country, the " I gotta have it " mentality.[/QUOTE]

If I'm trying to hold myself accountable for every purchase and trying to avoid going into the red (read: deficit), how exactly do I have the "I gotta have it" mentality? If anything, I am making myself wait for games instead of buying them on instant gratification.

I guess I just don't follow your reasoning. But if you think this thread will be the downfall of American society as we know it, so be it. :roll:
 
[quote name='Animal7390']on a side note, im looking to start keeping track of my purchases. does anyone have any special excel sheets that may help?[/QUOTE]

I could tell you how mine is organized, and it's done me pretty well so far.

For the columns in Sheet 1, I list:
Item (Transaction details)
Price + Tax
Trade-in/Sale
Earnings/loss (which simply auto subtracts previous two columns)
90-day Market Price (taken from videogamepricecharts.com)

On Sheet 2, I calculate (some of which is simply for fun):
Total Purchase costs (including flips) (SUM of column in Sheet1)
Total Trade-ins $/Sold Item $ (SUM of column in Sheet1)
Net Costs (Total Purchase costs - Total Trade ins)
Collection Valued at: (SUM of Market Price in Sheet1)
Total Savings: (Sum of Market Price- Sum of net costs)

I do this for all games purchased to keep and purchased to flip, so it maintains an inventory of all gains/losses. All I have to do is put in the total amount paid and the total amount sold... and it does everything else for me (and market price, whenever I get around to it). There's also additional information in mine about the collection, avg cost per game, savings with EDGE card, etc. etc.
 
Meh mine's divided by columns per system, games are marked in different colors bsed on if they get traded here, goozex, or sold. There's also a seperate column for Goozex/sold games.

Totals at the end of each column and totals at the end, expenses vs income
 
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