Do you ever...

[Bold2013]

Spending money is good for the economy as a whole so if you want to help people buy more pens to create more jobs.

[Sandy Fry]

I agree, there are always going to be folks who have more than me and folks who will have less than me but I still feel a little guilty when I go out to eat, sign the check with my $2000 pen and then pass a homeless guy on my way to my car.

Here's the thing. You could have given that $2000 to the homeless guy or to a charity. Was this something you ever seriously considered? If you did, then I can see why you might feel bad about having decided to spend the cash on a luxury item instead. But if you were going to spend the money on yourself anyway, I really don't see why the fact that you spent it on a pen would be particularly problematic. So, if you had spent that money on eating out in fancy restaurants, or if you had spent it on renovating your kitchen, or if you had spent it on a vacation, would that somehow have been better (in a moral sense) than spending it on a pen? I don't see how.

I do see your point. But, MOST people would say that spending money upgrading your kitchen is a good idea and worth the money. I don't eat at fancy restaurants and rarely take vacation which is why I can afford to spend $2000+ on a pen if I want to.
Other than pen people, MOST folks will think you are nuts for spending anything more than a few bucks for a pen. My colleague at work asked to use my " fancy " pen to sign in..it was a $10 Parker Jotter ballpoint!

I know that there are things, that we in the developed world take for granted, that under-developed countries consider a luxury. To some of those poorer countries a simple bottle of water is a luxury and that is just a small example of why I feel a little guilty spending, to what most folks would say is, an obscene amount of money on a pen.

I hope that explains my feelings a little better.

Again, thanks for all the input. I honestly didn't think my post would generate this much interest.

David

[Miss Fountain Pen]

David (Sandy Fry), here's how I look at it. Poor people can afford only the basics (if they're lucky). Rich people can afford luxuries in more or less every aspect of life. But if you're somewhere in the middle, you get a choice: stick to middle-class staples in more or less every aspect of your life, or live below your means in some respects so that you could live above your means in others (while still breaking even overall). I choose to live well below my means in most aspects of my life, either because I simply don't want/need some of the middle class staples, or because their environmental impact is far too high for my liking. But because I save so much money that way, I get to indulge in our expensive but otherwise harmless hobby. Some people may think I'm nuts, but that's not a moral argument.

[TAYLORPUPPY]

Just an observation, Sandy Fry. You supposedly spent a minimum of 8 thousand dollars on 3 pens and you're asking if others feel guilty to spend 300 dollars. I guess as long as you feel a little guilty and you've cleared your conscience by thinking to your self that the money could have been put to better use, YOURE GOOD. What I have learned from you, is, if I see a frail animal, crying in pain, chained to a tree in the snow, and I'm on my way to spend 8 grand on pens, It is entirely okay just so long as I feel A LITTLE GUILTY about not helping that suffering little animal.

[kaisnowbird]

The way I see it, it's a personal choice.

I consider spending $1000s on pen or pens, which can be heirloom pieces and contribute to the continuity of tradition and culture of writing and arts/crafts, to be far more meaningful than spending $1000s on cigarettes, upgrading gadgets, and the latest games, etc.

I rarely donate to charities and much prefer to volunteer. This way I control where my contribution goes.

I rarely give money to the homeless. Where I live, many of the homeless would take the money (and welfare payments they receive fortnightly from the tax we pay) to buy alcohol, even drugs.

I make my choices and am entirely at peace with the reasons behind my choices. 100% guilt-free. YMMV.

[Sandy Fry]

Just an observation, Sandy Fry. You supposedly spent a minimum of 8 thousand dollars on 3 pens and you're asking if others feel guilty to spend 300 dollars. I guess as long as you feel a little guilty and you've cleared your conscience by thinking to your self that the money could have been put to better use, YOURE GOOD. What I have learned from you, is, if I see a frail animal, crying in pain, chained to a tree in the snow, and I'm on my way to spend 8 grand on pens, It is entirely okay just so long as I feel A LITTLE GUILTY about not helping that suffering little animal.

I think you missed the point completely. At no point did I say I had a clear conscience. I chose $300 simply because that appears to be a lot of money for a pen to a good deal of the members here from the posts I have read. You don't think spending $300+ on a pen is a little obscene to folks who are not into pens?
You know absolutely nothing about me other than I like pens and if you seriously think that I would walk past a suffering animal without helping it, you are sadly mistaken.
As to me spending $8000 dollars on pens. I gave up days off to work ( 6 days a week, 12 hours a day ) for the money to buy those pens. I gave up Christmas day and most other holidays so that my colleagues could be home with their families on those days. I donate money to a children's hospital each month...do you? I paid over $2000 in vet fees for my friends dog because she couldn't afford it. I donated $500 to the friend of a friend ( whom I never met ) so she could buy a human hair wig after going bald from chemotherapy. I send money to my ex wife in Scotland every month because I earn way more than she does ( no I do not have to and no there is no court order for alimony. I do it because I CHOOSE to. ) and no, we don't really get along very well.
How dare you judge me without knowing a damn thing about me and for me feeling a little guilty for spending money on a luxury item.

David

[TSherbs]

Let's

be

kind.

Sandy Fry, I share many of your sentiments. My way of looking at it is that "guilt" in this case is compassion with self-blame. The compassion, of course, is a wonderful emotion, and I consider it the face of God, both metaphorically and literally (and the Truth beyond words). "Self blame" is often injurious and inaccurate, and must be treated with some distance (and compassion). Water the compassion, grow the love. Hold the self-blame tenderly but avoid being hooked on it and feeding it. We all are finding our way toward our own ethic of wage-earning and spending. Good luck on your journey.

[sweetnightingale]

David,

The way I look at it is, it's a personal choice. You work hard for your money, so it's your right to spend it however you want and it's nobody's business what you buy or how much it is unless, of course, you disclose that information.

Growing up, we didn't have much, so I rarely got something "expensive." It's nice to now be in a position where I can have a luxury item like a beautiful fountain pen without worrying about where the next dime is coming from.

That said, both my husband (Hawk) and I volunteer (we are very active with the Lions Club) and we give to charity (Lions Club related things). Finding that balance helps us feel okay about feeding the pen madness. Sure, we're spending money on ourselves, but we feel we balance it out. Does that make sense?

I will say, we've gotten some strange looks when the topic of fountain pens comes up and we reveal what we paid for a particular pen. You're certainly right about non pen people feelings that what we spend on pens is an obscene amount of money.

[TAYLORPUPPY]

Sandy, I didn't judge you, you judged yourself, when you repeatedly mentioned that you felt guilty. I'm just impressed that you were able to set all that guilt aside and go ahead and make all those high dollar purchases. This must be something that has weighed heavily on you. After all, you did start this thread. I'm not mad at ya'. I can see that you are a very giving person. You've made that very clear. I'm impressed with all your acts of charity. I'd just like to see those high end, limited edition pens. The fact that you do so much for so many and you still feel guilty about your purchases, says only thing about you.. You're a saintly man. I'd still like to see those awesome pens

[KBeezie]

Hey folks,
Most of my pens are sub $100 but I have a few " high end " limited editions that are $3000+ and sometimes I feel that the money I spent could have been used for something less of a luxury. I work hard. I am single. I don't drink or smoke. Should I feel guilty for buying something that most folks would consider an obscene amount for a pen?

I couldn't hope for anything that's in the $3k range (I mean if I had that much laying around I have far more obligations I'd take care of). Some of my pens retail-wise if bought new would be valued close to a grand but as you know you certainly can't resell those for nearly the same price unless it's some kind of collectible unused.

If I spent that much (ie: $300+) for a pen brand new, I suppose I would probably feel a little guilty but not so much for the reason you do, most of my higher end ones were trades/barters which I slowly worked up to, the bulk of them are sub-100 or hovering around like yourself.

But all of the ones I have now except a Platinum Preppy were obtained second-hand/used.
The main thing I buy new are consumables (paper, ink, maintenance/restoration materials, etc).

The guilt if any is usually for spending a couple dollars outside of my means, when I should have known better.

[inklord]

The way I see it, it's a personal choice.

I consider spending $1000s on pen or pens, which can be heirloom pieces and contribute to the continuity of tradition and culture of writing and arts/crafts, to be far more meaningful than spending $1000s on cigarettes, upgrading gadgets, and the latest games, etc.

Great point that I omitted in my earlier post: I'd probably exclude objects of art created by craftspeople by hand, thus maintaining unique trades and skills as a part of the human cultural heritage, from my derogatory term 'pocket jewelry' that I used there... after all that money flows right into the pockets of the artisan, and seems well earned, to be sure.