r/Banknotes • u/20avril1889 • 1d ago
Question?
Should I quit collecting banknotes because I feel guilty spending money on my hobby?
I'm a banknote collector from Morocco, and collecting banknotes from different countries has become an important hobby for me. I love discovering the history and currencies of different places, and one of my dreams is to collect banknotes from as many countries as possible.
Recently, I've started questioning whether I should continue.
The reason is that there are people in the world who don't even have enough money to buy food, while I'm spending my money on pieces of paper that I don't actually need. I know collecting makes me happy, but sometimes I feel guilty knowing that the same money could help someone who is struggling to survive.
I'm not rich, so I can't make a huge difference, but I could use some of my hobby money to help others instead.
I don't want to make this post just to receive reassurance. I genuinely want to hear different opinions.
Do you think it's morally wrong to spend money on a hobby when other people are suffering? Would you quit collecting, reduce your spending, donate some money, or continue without feeling guilty?
I'd appreciate honest opinions, even if you disagree with me.
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u/PoseidonSimons 1d ago
all hobbies cost money. aaaaaaaaaallllll. if it makes you happy, don't stop.
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u/wordlessbook 1d ago
Everything costs money, don't stop collecting money because there are people out there who can't afford to meet their basic needs, because this way you would be increasing the number of people who can't afford to eat, not decreasing. Buying and selling money for collection is how many people make a living for themselves. You have a kind heart, but your head is a little off-place.
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u/CrashTestPhoto 1d ago
That's certainly a bit of a conundrum. And one I can totally understand.
I would like to say that hobbies are meant to bring us pleasure and tap into our interests, that help expand our minds with knowledge. They also always cost money.
If collecting bank notes brings you pleasure, and the cost of participating in your hobby doesn't negatively affect you r family, then continuing to do it can only be a good thing :)
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u/20avril1889 1d ago
Thank you, I really appreciate your perspective. You're right, collecting banknotes brings me joy and teaches me a lot about different countries and their history. I think I just need to find a balance and spend responsibly without feeling guilty about enjoying my hobby.
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u/Pure-Ebb-722 1d ago
Personally I couldn't stop It's one of the few things that makes me happy and without it I would feel a bit lost so If you feel similar keep collecting.
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u/Mauzersmash0815 1d ago
Hey man. Its absolutely a nice gesture to think about the people who have less than you. I dont think it's wrong to have a hobby and spend money on it. And also, having a hobby/this hobby doesn't stop you from doing good. You could donate some of your hobby budget towards a charity or good cause. Im sure even a little money helps them. (Besides, the people who have more money than they could ever spend should be the ones donating... instead they just gobble up more and more and make lifes more miserable). Life is short. So definitely enjoy it. And if you really want to, you can use your advantageous situation and do some good by donating or volunteering
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u/20avril1889 1d ago
I think you're right. I'll continue collecting banknotes, but I'll try to manage my budget better and find a balance. 😊 Thanks for your honesty:)
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u/Emergency-Document-5 1d ago
You are paying the money to somebody else, the money will flow into the economy either way
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u/Over-Willingness-933 1d ago
Remember if your clever with your building, you are generating as asset base which you can sell later or leave as an inheritance to your children.
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u/Typical_guy11 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you are worried about your spendings then analyze each transaction present and future. Dunno, buy less but more responsible.
I have few hobbies. Beyond banknotes it's scale modelling, books and music. Banknotes are not most expensive - until you don't pursue some kind of holy grail of banknotes world.
If you feel bad about your too high extravagant spendings you can also beyond collecting banknotes also support dunno Red Cross/Red Cresscent or other charity works. There are plenty of good initiatives which can be supported with even small sums.
There are no free hobby..
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u/obscht-tea 1d ago
However lovely your idea may be. Take a look at the distribution of wealth (not income). I reckon there’s a massive imbalance in Morocco too. What you do with a few euros makes absolutely no difference as long as those who could make a difference don’t do anything about it. If you feel bad about it – that’s where the problem lies, at the rich.
Otherwise, every single hobby costs money at some point. Even when it comes to jogging, you’ll probably find yourself thinking about buying the more expensive shoes. That’s just the way it is, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Or to put it another way: if it weren’t banknotes but your hobby was surfing, wouldn’t you end up in the same situation with your approach? I’m sitting here on the beach, surfing on my expensive surfboard and wasting time and money thinking about to quit… It would be exactly the same. So don’t worry about it.
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u/Bazishere 1d ago
I can understand that it is an expensive hobby. If you feel it is out of your budget or want to spend it on needy people, up to you. You can spend money on needy people and keep your hobby. There has always been needy people while people had their hobbies.
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u/WampaWithSocks 1d ago
Spending money, or having money in general, does not make you a bad person. These are not things you should feel guilty about. It is definitely good to be generous as well, but these two concepts are not mutually exclusive. If you feel you are going truly overboard on hobby spending, perhaps revisit your overall spending and reapportion your funds as you see fit. Just remember that spending money on yourself does not make you inherently bad, just as not spending money on yourself does not make you inherently good.
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u/OpenSim2027 1d ago
While I enjoy the artwork on many paper notes, one could obtain good photos of them and still enjoy the artwork but basically free instead of buying the notes.
This is the kind of thing where a framed photo works, you can't do that with other collectables like sculptures, coins etc
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u/cuteRedPandaaa 1d ago
I understand your point, but this is just the world we live in. If you are very compassionate then you can donate some money or convince your friends or someone to donate some money for some charities, and so on, I personally donate for charities who help poor people in war affected Ukraine, it's a good thing to do. But you will not save this entire big, vast world from anything. I'll give you an example. You own some clothes, they were likely produced in idk, maybe Bangladesh, for example, this country has extremely low costs of labour and it also uses child labour to sew and tailor and weave all these clothes and shoes. You need clothes. And you will buy clothes again and again in your life. You are paying for child labour, essentially, and fueling it, but you will not stop this entirely only by yourself as an individual. You can, of course, buy clothes not too often. But a rich family born 18 year old Jessica from the USA who shops for new clothes every single day and changes them for new ones every single day fuels this exact problem ten times more than you fuel it. And you will not stop Jessica. There are millions of such Jessicas around the planet. You are like Jessica Version Lite, you don't contribute a lot to the problem, but you will anyway, and I will anyway too, and your neighbours too. You can't save the planet by yourself as 1 person. Banknotes are really inexpensive to make, if you compare them to all kinds of shoes and clothes and accessories companies make in Bangladesh or even North Korea, and peddle them to everyone worldwide. So no, don't overthink it, you can lower your consumerism generally but banknotes are truly benign compared to Jessicas
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u/ozgoldebron 1d ago edited 1d ago
You should feel guilty if in the process of collecting those banknotes, you waste money you shall use for your or your family's basic or other urgent needs.
If the money is a surplus from your income (after counting your daily expenses and all urgent needs), then it's alright.
In short, buy banknotes only when you have leftover disposable income. Priority scale.
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u/GoCardinal07 1d ago
Following this line of reasoning, no one would ever engage in any hobby that costs money.
Instead, I would note that spending does not happen in a vacuum. When you spend money, someone else gains income. This income helps them be able to buy things, such as food and shelter.