Black Friday vs Life: A year-long struggle.

Black Friday, oh how I wish we could play together.

I'm in kind of an assy situation this year, where my negligence has caught up to me and has threatened my acquisition of a new console. See, I mainly work as a security guard, and I find my job to be very depressing and boring most of the time as it largely consists of me watching a post with little to no human interaction. I also have a weekend job as a brand ambassador that is far less depressing but unfortunately provides far fewer hours. It also doesn't require a license, which is what brings me to my current predicament.

I only moved out a year ago, so I'm still trying to figure out my budget. It's hard to plan a budget when my hours are so all over the place, but I'm learning. Last year around this time, I spent a fair amount of money on a new TV, soundbar and PS3 since it was my birthday and my grandfather spoils me every year. However, my mistake was that I kept thinking I had money when I didn't throughout this year, I hadn't quite grasped just what my expenses were and so I really struggled with not having money when I needed it for a while. Recently, I've been much better with knowing how much I have (and how much I will receive), to the point that I am able to afford an Xbox One for Black Friday without having to worry about rent, food, or transportation.

When I saw the sale on the Microsoft Store last night, I got so damn excited. I saved most of my money for the month for a good Black Friday sale, and this is clearly the one for me: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msca/en_CA/pdp/Xbox-One-Assassins-Creed-Unity-Bundle/productID.306306500

Unity I hear isn't so fresh, but I am still an AC fan and I wanted to try ACIV on a next gen console, and the inclusion of any game for free (I got the Master Chief Collection) sealed the deal. I ordered it right away, and could hardly contain my excitement as I went to bed last night.

The only problem... I have to renew my security license, which also requires me to renew my passport since I don't have another acceptable form of ID for my application (I had thought my health card would be enough, but nope!). After all these expenses (incl. rent, bank fees and the 'Bone), I'll be in the double digits for a few weeks until I get paid again, and I'll need to request my vacation pay because I haven't worked for the past couple of weeks. Thankfully since it is the holidays, my brand ambassador job has doubled my hours for the rest of the year, but that is still only 16 hours a week. I'd really be scraping.

I've had such a stressful year, and Black Friday seems to be the one thing that came without any trouble, but as I wait for my order to be processed, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it. None of the games I'm receiving are must-haves, and I wouldn't be able to afford other games for quite a while, plus I am already sitting on a healthy backlog from my other consoles. On the other hand, it's a great price for a next-gen console with 3 completely free games, and I risk having to spend more for the same thing later on down the road.

So now I'm faced with a choice: begin this month with a fair chunk of coin, stress-free and Xbox-free, or penny pinch for a couple weeks and stay inside with my new console. I reaaaaaaly want dat next-gen, but I don't know if I want it enough to put myself through more monetary bullshit, however minor it may be in the long run. Plus, Boxing Day is another opportunity to get a console on the cheap, and I'll have my license by then, but I don't know if the sale will be as good.

And before anyone says it, I am not interested in the PS4 at all, and it isn't on sale for Black Friday anyway. I plan on getting both eventually, but definitely the Xbox One first.

That sucks so much to hear, duder. I would wait and keep the extra cash and not buy the Xbox so quickly right now for Black Friday. I bet there will be some solid Christmas deals, so that should be fine. Even if you were to wait until say January or so, a comparative $400 price point wouldn't be so bad by then. That security license sounds scary, and I'm sure there's even more extra bills to be paid anyway. XONE sure is really fun but ah, damn.. It would be scary to only have some change in your pocket for the month, I don't know...

As someone who grew up in a household rife with arguments over money, I'll take financial security over a new Xbox anyday and I can't help but think that anyone who wouldn't is more than a little crazy.

Keep your money, man, you can do without Halo re-releases and a mediocre Assassin's Creed game.

ALWAYS do the sensible thing when it comes to tight budget vs. video games.

Any time I've ever heard someone consider spending money on video games vs living expenses... I say do the responsible thing, especially for a new console with hardly anything new on it, a bad AC game, and halo re-releases (plus you can play them all on 360 except for 2 anyway).

I agree with you, I'm just frustrated because I know I could make this work, and I would be spending less now even if I budgeted a future purchase more evenly. It's just not as sensible as saving. I could buy a monthly transit pass and have a solid amount of cash in reserve for the month if I didn't buy it, instead of relying on tokens, change, and gift cards until my next pay and Christmas. But to me, that stuff is more of an inconvenience than a life-changer, I have proven to myself I can live like that already, especially for a short period of time with a brand new gaming console.

I'm waiting for my second pay cheque to come in tomorrow so I can really decide - I calculated my earnings, but if it's any lower than I'm expecting, I'll be canceling the order for sure. I'm still a little silly with money, but I won't be irresponsible.

Sounds like a "I'll be losing money if I don't buy it" argument.

I dunno, honestly, if you only moved out a year ago I'm not sure you've experienced sudden unexpected expenses. Financial matters are tough to plan for because something from left field can hit you at any moment.

I mean, buying a game system is a good purchase because you'll get a lot out of it. But living on the edge like that isn't a good idea if you have the choice to avoid it.

Ive been in your situation, technically still am though im doing better financially than two years ago, and i would recommend putting the one on hold especially for such things that are crucial to your main job. Im sure you can wait a couple months and maybe scrounge together more cash to better afford it then, and you'll be better able to enjoy it without so many worries hanging over your head.

Life gets a lot easier when you can get ahead of your expenses.

Living paycheque to paycheque is no way to live.

As someone with a whooooooooooole lot of penny pinching experience (poor student life), I'd say tough it out for a couple weeks, as long as it wouldn't put you in a situation where you have no roof over your head or food to eat. Mainly because of the whole "having to pay more for it later". Get it now, tough it out, then you won't have to buy it later. It will suck for the time being, but in the end you'd be glad you toughed it out. And once again, this is my advice based on this not leaving you in a very bad situation.

As long as you can manage to get those things you very much need, go for it. As long as the brokeness is only for a couple weeks like you said.

I'd say clear your backlog first. I should too. At some point you have to realize gaming is a very expensive hobby but unique in a way that you can pretty much enjow yourself with a healthy supplement of a backlog.

I took advantage of that same deal. It would really depend on where you live and how far you can stretch that $358, or close to that depending on your state's sales tax for online purchases, with the monthly cost of living there. If you're living somewhere where that amount could cover an additional month's rent, I'd say save the money.