Am I a "fake fan" or am I just really cheap..?

You know those videos or images online where it's just walls completely full of statues, posters, books, plushies, and other merchandise all dedicated to one character or fandom? I always see those and wonder how on earth a single person is able to fill a space with so much merchandise, and I also always wonder why I haven't done it myself yet. One of my own friends in real life has a shelf full of figurines and such that they bought with their allowance, and I always have to keep myself from asking just how much their parents are spoiling them. 

For context, I really like splatoon(Nahhh really?), I work minimum wage during the summers and babysit during the school year, and a lot of the money I make goes towards college. I've never gotten paid by my parents before, and it's likely the only money I'll ever get from them will be inheritance. One annoying part of being a splatoon fan is that it seems like getting physical merchandise of the game is nearly impossible unless you're willing to cough up 40 dollars for shipping or go to Japan itself. Despite this, my social media feed decides to force videos down my throat of people with every single amiibo, custom joycon, plushie, and CD ever produced. It made me start to question if I should just be more dedicated... I mean, if splatoon is really my favorite thing, surely I'd be willing to spend more than just my free time on it.. 

But then I had a realization.. This is basically like those "Buying every iPhone ever made for 1 quadrillion dollars" videos but catered to broke teenagers. Assuming I get paid 100 dollars for a week of work and split it up into 70 dollars for gas(ouch), 20 dollars for college saving, and 10 dollars for whatever I want, it would take me approximately 3 weeks to buy the Squid Sisters Amiibo, 6 more weeks to buy the splatoon pro controller, and who knows how long to get a Callie plush (that little thing is in HIGH demand). That is a lot of time and dedication for what some might say is a very small collection of goods, and despite all the love I feel for the fandom I just can't give up all that money, especially when I have other things to spend it on like birthday gifts, clothes, and the nintendo online subscription allowing me to play the game in the first place. 

I guess some people might call me a fake fan, some people might call me cheap, and some people might tell me that I'm definitely using this as an outlet to complain that some people have more money than me (which is probably true). I think my conclusion for today is that the internet is fake and Christmas is coming up soon so I should focus more on giving to others than complaining that I don't have enough. 

For my questions of the day I've got...

1. Do you have a figure collection or character shrine? What characters do you have?

2. How do you handle jealousy?

3. What do you want for Christmas this year? 

My answers ~

1. I don't have a collection but I did get a hatsune miku figure from my friend last year as a birthday gift, and I love her very much. 

2. I complain and then I express gratitude that I'm not a starving child in Africa, just like my mother taught me to... <3

3. Same thing that I've wanted for years.. Literally anything pokemon or splatoon themed