Money

[Arner]

Money has not played a big part in "Buffy" before Season 6, but now that its importance has been brought up, a few other thoughts have occured to me.

A useful co-incidence that Xander (the Scooby from the poor family) was not interested in going to college.  Or are there more grants available in the US than people on the other side of the Atlantic think?

Where did all Giles's money come from? He had enough to live for a year without visible means of support, and buy a shop at the end of it.  Even with a double salary (librarian and Watcher) that would be good going.

Anya had money left over from being a demon.  How does that work?  Do all demons have all the money they want?  Why didn't Anya invest the demon-money the way she did her wages, since that was so successful.  Or maybe she did, and lost the lot on one bad day.

And that's a nice room Tara has, considering her (poor) father has now presumably done as she asked and stopped supporting her.  She doesn't seem to have a job.  It would be nice to know how she pays her college fees.  Perhaps witchcraft has more practical uses than we are normally shown.

I'd be interested in any thoughts anyone has on any of the above points.

[Rogue_demonhunter]

You have brought up a couple of interesting points and I think a lot of us have noticed it.

One of the points I agree with you on is Giles. Where did his money come from??? People can argue all they like about him being a Watcher and that pays loads. But it doesn't pay a lot, Wesley was stuck in the US because The Council wouldn't pay for his flight. Does that sound like a high paid job?

Tara does have a very nice room but I suspect that she use's her grant money for that kind of thing, same with Willow.

However pre-Season 4, Xander had a lot of cash he was buying things here and there, a new car, getting info from Willy, big doughnut runs etc...
HHHmmmmm I dont think Xander couldn't afford to go to college I think it just wasn't his bag baby....

[Mephisto]

If Wesley didn't have enough money for a flight home how the f**k did he buy his motorbike?

Also Xander's car wasn't exactly a luxury model didn't it break down not too far down the highway?

I do think the Giles cash situation was strange. If he owns his apartment/house and had nothing like a mortgage or rent to pay it is conceivable that he could live if he only had to pay electric, food etc. But then how the hell does he buy a shop? The only thing I can think is that it must be dirt cheap as most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have a life expectency of about half a season so no-one is interested anymore.

[Arner]

Rogue_demonhunter said:

Tara does have a very nice room but I suspect that she uses her grant money for that kind of thing, same with Willow.

However pre-Season 4, Xander had a lot of cash he was buying things here and there, a new car, getting info from Willy, big doughnut runs etc...

I'd like to pick up a couple of your points.  First, I didn't think US students got grants.

Xander had pocketmoney type money, not going-to-college type money.  He once had to tell Willow he couldn't afford to get what she asked for from the magic shop, and this obviously embarrassed him a lot.  He had to borrow a tux for the big dance, his clothes made hm a laughing stock, his face showed horror when then others suggested hiring a limo, he asked to be reimbursed for bribing Willy, etc.  Admittedly, he also sometimes had money: the car, Cordelia's dress, etc.  But one of the points we are expected to pick up is that buying a dress for Cordelia, or a box of doughnuts for his friends were sacrifices for him, not the easy "Daddy please give me a few hundred more dollars," that it would be for Willow.

I agree that he didn't want to go to college, but I think that that was a useful coincidence, because he could not have afforded to go, even if he had wanted to.