POV: You're a ghost hunter explaining to your mate why you spent £500 on thermal imaging equipment

Me: It's essential for detecting temperature fluctuations that indicate spectral presence, mate. The sensitivity is calibrated to -

My mate: You bought a thermal camera to film your nan's bathroom to see if it's haunted, didn't you.

Me: ...the sensitivity is really quite impressive -

Anyway, what nonsense justifications have you lot been giving your partners/parents/mates for your paranormal investigation budget? I feel like half of us are just one awkward conversation away from being on a "problematic spending habits" intervention show.

My partner thinks I'm mad but at least I've convinced her it's a "hobby investment" rather than admitting I've spent more on ghost gear than on actual holidays. She's seen the credit card statements. It's not going well.

Just tell them it's "fieldwork equipment for environmental monitoring." Technically true? Nobody asked me to specify which environment or what I'm monitoring for. My mum accepted it immediately and stopped asking questions.

Honestly the best part is when you find out that regular people just... don't understand why you need seventeen different detection methods to confirm what you already know is there. "Just take a photo then." Thanks Karen, I'll add that to the peer-reviewed methodology I've definitely read.

I've just accepted that my mates think I'm eccentric at best and genuinely losing it at worst. Last month I spent £150 on a digital voice recorder "upgraded for paranormal use" (it's literally just a normal recorder) and nobody even bothered asking anymore. They just nod and back away slowly.

The worst part is when you actually need normal equipment. I'll be like "Can I borrow your decent camera?" and they're like "Don't you have seventeen thermal imaging setups?" YES BUT THOSE ARE FOR GHOSTS SHARON, I NEED ONE FOR NORMAL PHOTOS.