How Much Has CDing Has Costed U (monetary, emotionally, time, etc..) & How U Save?

[Esteafanie]

My 1st tread...Here I go!!!!

After much thought, I am wondering how much of a toll, good and bad, has CDing taken on my life; money-wise, time-wise, emotionally, etc.... I'm still calculating and so far have manage this :

-Money: $......(still adding up, between purges and one time buys)
-Time: ......Hrs (still adding up, but can manage at least 10yrs, not full time CD, but dressing for 1 to 2hrs +prep at the time)
-Emotionally: ......(personally the toll has been mainly the anguish of being in the closet, but all goes away as Steafanie looks back in the mirror)

The way I save:

-Money: Buying on Ebay, JCP, TJM, Marshalls, Macy's, CL, GoodWill, Online various...
-Time: Practice, Practice, Practice (Make up and Tucking). Having all my colors on one shelf,
-Emotionally: Expressing Myself all the time!!!

Now that I review my post , is kinda subjective , none the less, a great practice for reflection about the road less traveled...

Still loving it!!!!
Steffy

[Karren H]

To me the monetary cost doesn't really mater... What ever I can't spend will go to my kids after I die! Lol.

Time wise.... As I get older I wish I had all the time I wasted back.... Not that all the time I crossdressed was wasted time....

And emotionally.... It hasn't really effected my emotions much... (I'm a coal heartless biatch). ......but I'm sorry that it hurt my wife and effected he emotions....

[Lorileah]

It has cost me

In money.-more than 2000$, less than a million Closer to the 2000 (but no REAL close).

Time, I wish I could save the 1-2 hours each time I dress, but it really has not cost me time I would not have spent doing something equally silly

Emotions- Hmmm Sometimes I am happy, sometimes sad. The cost? I kinda wish I had spent more time with my GF as Lori. She loved Lori as much as she loved the male me. I just thought I was being selfish when I dressed. It turns out I was selfish NOT dressing (I found so many things she saved from her time with Lori)

[Beverley Sims]

$2000 in monetary value not really wasted.
Lost time being in the closet probably 2to 3 years, procrastinating, hiding and other lesser activities.
Emotionally torn up within myself a bit but not as bad as some.
Fortunately an understanding wife.
This counts for all.

[Cynthia Anne]

Dolar wise; too much! Time wise; most of my life! Emotionally; well it is meeee! I'm out of control!

[kimdl93]

As others have said, the cost hasn't been consequential in financial terms....I could easily spend more on a lot of other, more typically male activities...and I have to wear some clothes. So really only the wig and forms ...well and make up...are arguably excesses.

The emotional costs were all borne early in life, when I punished myself needlessly for being different. Now, I live my lif without those old demons....and use my time dresses , which is most of my time, the same as I would otherwise.

[Jackiefl]

I'll try this, Money............thousands of$.......Time........more than i would have thought possible without a supporting wife.............Emotionally.........Priceless

[Darline]

I've only come out of the closet and I'm broke, lol But every minute I spent as Darline is better than the last. I do feel shy and affraid of what people think of me, but expressing myself as the women I am on the inside will always be worth every dollar, every minute and every tear I've shed.

[wanagione]

Over the years Money= $$$$, Time = as it was said already, all my life, emotionally, $$$$$. I wish I had come out way sooner than I did.

[StarrOfDelite]

I've probably spent something around $5000 on clothes, shoes, wigs, makeup, and accessories. The money, except for the purges, is unimportant. I would have blown it on something else which almost certainly wouldn't have been as satisfying or necessary.

The time is really hard to calculate, since it's especially difficult to estimate the hours spent online chatting or shopping. Since it's been all mostly enjoyable I have no complaints.

Emotionally, the coming to grips with gender identification and sexual orientation was not pleasant, but in the end I think I'm better adjusted, more balanced, stronger, and maybe happier than if I'd never looked to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[Eryn]

It has cost me some money, but that disposable income likely would have gone to other things.

It has cost me time, mostly reading this forum

It has also brought me greater understanding of myself, introduced me to great friends with whom I share something very special, and taken me places where I never would have gone otherwise.

Last, but definitely not least, it has brought me closer to my wife. That alone makes it worth it.

[KellyJameson]

For me there has not been any cost because there has not been any human cost.

My temperament is such that I require a great deal of solitude so that I may explore the universe inside my own mind. I enjoy others but do not need them in ways that would require I compromise my life in such a fashion that it would create inner disharmony.

This freedom has resulted in inner peace and no conflict with others who would demand I change for them. Those who share their lives with me do it with the full knowledge of who I am and they always have the same freedom I do to choose to stay or leave so the emotional costs have been zero.

Materially the cost is minimal because I like shopping in second hand shops for the same reason people pan for gold. This combined with my interest in making clothes
and my clothing costs are probably less than what the average man pays yearly to clothe themselves.

If you think about the money one spends on various forms of entertainment you can be highly entertained by going out in public and being the entertainment,watching people watch you,so you can make money by saving money and in theory paying yourself to CD.

[Tera]

Just dropped $150 on some new clothes in preparation for the parents being out of town. It's gonna be tight but I just have to watch the rest of my spending until my next payday which isn't really so hard. The tough part is waiting and hoping they actually leave!

[jillleanne]

Well I have avoided these questions all my life I guess for the obvious reasons. I will try to be somewhat serious however, just for you on this subject.

Money: Absolutely no idea what-so-ever but realistically, probably in the range of $ 50,000.00 plus/minus 5 g's.

Time: Again, no idea really. As a child it would amount to say 10-30 minutes a day. As a teen, off and on probably an hour or two a day. As an working adult in the closet, an hour or two a day, and after leaving the closet, probably 3 days a week average. Now retired, I average 3-4 days a week en femme most of the year depending what country I am in. Some countries are more accepting than others.

Emotionally: Not sure this can be measured. Having recognized being tg from near birth, sooooo many ups and downs over the 58 years, so many days of mental pain asking 'why' as a teen and young adult, so many days/hours buying, wearing, undressing, stashing, making excuses/lies, so many days wishing, to reaching the point of finally figuring it all out, of knowing and totally accepting who I am without question, of having a totally accepting s/o who understands completely, to living without the fear of lies, of being caught, of hatred, of bigotry, of jealousy or of ignorance; I'm not sure that can be measured. We have finally come to realize, all that matters now is honesty, health and happiness and that is what my s/o and I both strive to achieve each day of our lives together. It's hard to make a comparison when this is the only life I've known.

[sonna]

money comes money goes i could always make more.
time will pass know matter what im doing.
all emotions will pass and i could always make more.

[Contessa]

Not enough in all aspects. I lost so much of my life not doing anything for myself. Every thing I do now is only me aligning my life. Although it does not seem to be any thing special to anyone else, it is to me. I am now whole. There is no money lost as I shop in thrift stores mostly. Money can't buy happiness but it will buy any or every or some of the things it might take to get you there. Time is all I have and not very much of it or what I would consider what I need to sustain my happiness. Emotionally I could put more into it if I chose to, so I have come up with a plan to make my life meaningful. I am this way, I do love me and I need to make me happy too. I am Contessa Marie H. and I am pleased to meet you now who are you?

Tess

[RainyNightGirl]

Worth every second and every cent. I love being a girl.

[SuzieLod]

Time? Quite some, but then I have the time and enjoy spending it in these pursuits of ours.
Money? Not much really, and as to how do I save well....I dont, but then I live below my means anyway to begin with, never had a need to increase my expenses until they met my income.
Aggravation? None, love it

[brenne]

When I got into it 10 years ago I'd quickly spend hundreds of $$ on CD (makeup, clothes, one trip to a town to get a professional TG makeover...) - in fact "it's so expensive" was one of my excuses for purging ...

I'm trying to go easy on the money lately (I'm a lot more used to "living frugally" anyway, since I don't have that kind of income...), but a lot of my clothes were given to me

But as far as time spent doing it or thinking about it - yeah, lots. I wonder if it's an obsession, but then I have supporters (including GG's)

[Cheryl T]

In $$ I have no idea and really don't want to think about it ... might scare me silly.

In time spent ... I have no idea (there's a theme here) and I really don't care. This is ME. It's who I am and how can I limit that.

In emotional cost ... greater than I could ever total. 99% of that cost was before I was 40 and although I wish I could have that back to spend elsewhere it seems it was an investment in myself that was not wasted.


How I save ... I'm more frugal now and only buy clothing that I can wear when I go out. No more items that are thrill items. No French Maid uniforms, No Wedding Dress (although my heart cries for one), no costumes, only everyday things that let me be the woman I am inside.
I don't waste time now. Where I used to "steal" a few moments or hours for myself I no longer need to do that as my wife is fully accepting (god bless her).
I don't spend my emotions on thoughts of WHY or worries about others knowing. These are now invested in my marriage and the returns are so much greater.

[PretzelGirl]

Calling it a toll has a negative connotation to it. Have I spent thousands? Yes. And we should be able to spend it on ourselves. Have I wasted some? Yes. Some of those clothing choices were awful. But if I was golfing, the shot choice that put the ball in the water would be about the same level of waste to me. These are learning choices.

The time? No toll there. It has all been about self-discovery and in many cases, just plain fun

Emotions? Well, I accepted myself pretty easy but I would be lying if I said my stomach didn't get in knots when it was time to come out to someone no matter how positive I approach it. But life is an emotional toll in all that we do, so why should this be an exception?

[ArleneRaquel]

Money wise thousands so far, in emotional ways not much at all especially now that I basically live 24/7, I'm at peace with myself and feeling fantastic emotionally.

[Sallee]

Dollar wise like most say is probably too much but you can't take it with you and it has been fun
Emotionally it has cost probably my loved ones more than me but that is their problem. don't mean to be cold I know it bothers my wife.
time wise Tons of wasted time if you figure cross dressing especially in the closet is time wasted. But what is wasted time any way?