[t206blogcom]

I've always felt blessed to have a healthy income to support my card collecting needs on top of the usual house/wife/life expenditures. I've always tried to keep my card desires in check and not purchase certain cards or wade into dangerous territory, even if I could afford it. Balance is key, especially when you're married, own a home and like to do other things like take vacations. With that said, every now and then I get caught up in auction fever and buy too much in a month. When that happens, I feel guilty, even if I'm not breaking the bank. So, I severely retrict myself during the next month so I don't blow through our funds.

My wife and I went home shopping today after we spent a couple of hours at the Chantilly show. Good thing I didn't buy much at the show, because what my wife wants for a home will set me back quite a bit. I'll more than likely have to sell a good portion if not most of my collection to help with a portion of the downpayment. Will it suck and be painful at times? Sure. But I find building a new home with my wife to be more important and more rewarding than hoarding cards. So, I'll probably be spending more time selling in the B/S/T and on eBay this summer than buying or attending shows. And that's okay by me.