You laugh, but out of understanding, lol.

I completely understand.  My only complaint is it doesn't fold.  that thing would be too big for my pockets

Being as how I don't carry my handhelds in my pocket, that's no biggie for me. Shoulder bag (not a purse!), backpack, tote bag, it's all good, lol.

Maybe wait to see if there's any Black Friday deals that will net you a free game. That would help the cost be not so bad.

Yeah, that's been a thought. Problem is, I usually avoid going anywhere on Black Friday if I can help it. It'll come, I'm patient.

My inner adult didn't kick when you wrote PSP was $20 off for PUR Members. Once I saw it, then it kicked in. 

The wants are not needs, even if sometimes it feels like they are the same. Once you pick up a job for the Winter, the 2DS will be there, but until then you have a backlog to keep you busy. 

Thanks for the support, Chris 

I understand your pain.  Try to stay responsible as long as you can. 

Yeah, sometimes being a responsible adult sucks, though.

But....  Fire Emblem, Etrian Odyssey, that animal town game, Pokemon.

I've still got the first Etrian Odyssey game unplayed on my DS Lite and Pokemon just isn't my thing, but I do want the new AC. But it will still be there when I can afford it.

I originally came here to tempt you into buying it like a bad friend...

But...
You should take care of yourself and have your needs in order over your wants.
If need... I understand this all too well.

Yeah, this being a responsible adult thing is highly over-rated, but I do like food, shelter, heat, electricity, and my car. Not to mention having two other mouths other than my own to feed.

     I've worked my game spending into my budget now so I can reign it in. Otherwise I start overspending. I end up overspending anyway sometimes, but having that number stare at me in the face makes me think twice next time. I do a straight 10% of income for fun stuff. It's for all needless spending, but games is what I've been using it for lately, and the occasional movie.

     It's really hard to resist the temptation. I know that all too well. Just remember how much free stuff is out there. If I was stone broke, I could still have loads of free games to play and talk about. Sometimes I like the limitations - less stuff to obsess over. As someone once said, "more money = more problems".

My problem is too many hobbies, lol. If I hadn't just gone on vacation for my annual fall music retreat, I would have gone for it. Christmas is coming, too. Maybe I can get my family to kick in on one for me.

The 2DS is a fine device. Hope you get one, one way or another.

Just wait til the first of the year it should be $99 or by Spring it will be $89.

And that would be a bad thing how? LOL. I can hope.

For you it would be good. I never said it would be a bad thing. It should have come out at $99 IMO.

Even though I kid about this I totally understand. Now that I've fallen from tons of disposable income to just paying the bills it has really hit home that I can't have a 3DS XL or a Vita and I won't be buying a Wii U despite the Mario game. PS4 is out too.

The only thing I don't care about not having is the Xbox none. Even though I've been enjoying using a Surface RT it's from work and it didn't cost me anything. I'm done giving money to M$.

That PSP deal is pretty tempting. But I hardly play my ds lite anymore as it is so its kind of hard to justify buying another handheld. Although it does have a lot of sweet exclusives. Damn this temptation thing is contagious. But your on the right track, gotta focus on priorities, those thing will only get cheaper anyway. I am guessing this government shut down thing has put you in the wringer. Sorry to hear that. But yeah hitting the back log is always good option. Had an attack of nostalgia and started playing FFVII again. I blame it on listening to the Other Worlds concert cd I got about a week ago. The first track is the into to...you guessed it FFVII,lol. Anyway good luck on your job hunt.

The shut down doesn't affect me, I'm a state employee. However, I'm a seasonal, and my season was over. I've got a bunch of options, so I'm not too worried.

I try to use the same philosophy as much as possible. I haven't been broke in the six years since I first got a job (which spans five years of college bills), but the only reason I have maintained funds is because I always put my needs first and my wants last. I'm also fortunate enough to keep a car off the "need" list!

I have countless things that I want to buy but having the spare money does not give me the time to use them. They'll most likely still be there in a year anyway, if not a lot cheaper!

Price drops are wonderful things, aren't they? 

I'm in a similar position. I have about 100 available for leisure for a few months. That's actually not much, considering that includes any non home cooked meals, snacks, movie tickets, any venue that charges a fee, etc. My PS3 needs fixing in order to play the (disc based) games I already payed for. Don't know if it's worth the 80-100 it may cost to fix it right now, or settle for a new download game and save the rest of the money.

You're in a tighter position than I am, I think. I have a job offer already, just not my first choice - more of a fall-back if nothing else pans out. Sounds like maybe you should go for the new dl game and save the rest of the money. But only you know what's best for yourself. Good luck, and keep me posted on how you're doing. We all gotta stick together during the hard times.

a person able to tell the difference between wants and needs is a big step up in this world. Way to be an adult about it. I agree, I'd want to get a big ticket item too but my current sitation has me holding back. INdeed it is hard to play a game in a cardboard box. Where will you get the eletrical plug?