Frugal long lasting hobbies?
Breaking Wind
read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby and I've
found this to be mostly true.
I've been playing video games for most of my life but have now almost
completely stopped. I'm disappointed in the direction they are going.
Its mostly war games where people kill each other. Games in other
categories, even the ones that are good have the been there played that
already feeling. Some guys seem more interested in getting trophies than
trying to go out and find a female. I still love watching movies though.
Last summer was all about kayaking. We had a lot of fun with the cheap
inflatable kayaks. I realized though that I can only go down the same
river so many times until it also gets repetitive. Since I'm not into
fishing the boredom comes even faster.
Growing up I had aquariums off and on. Fun for a while but then it just
ends up being another chore. Would be more fun just to visit Shedd on
occasion. This is a hobby I doubt very much I could get back into.
Recently I was bored and decided to buy a r/c plane. This was a mistake.
The air field is very far from my house and its small. Trying to find a
day when I have time to go there and match that with good weather turned
me off. Not to mention the endless money pit this hobby would be. I'm
debating right now on getting back into the cars as they are cheaper,
sturdier, and more versatile. Its sort of like a video game but you play
in the real world and have to maintain your stuff which is fun. Again
this could end up being a one summer thing.
I always enjoy getting out my telescope. I haven't put both feet in yet
but this is a great hobby. I'm mostly limited by working nights. I may
start exploring this one a bit further.
So what does everyone else do for fun?
h
a character flaw. Video games, RC stuff, stamp collecting, etc. all fall
into that category. Get off the damned couch and actually DO SOMETHING.
Lou
"Breaking Wind" <n...@where.com> wrote in message
news:4be8a359$0$5247$c3e...@news.astraweb.com...
> I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal and fun long term? I
> read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby and I've
> found this to be mostly true.
>
>
> So what does everyone else do for fun?
>
last a lifetime, and different things interest different people.
In the past, I've taught at the local community college - two or three
nights a week, depending on the class. I guess you could call it frugal -
my only expense was for gas, and they paid me. It was a blast for a while,
but after five years or so I tired of it and stopped.
Gardening held my interest for several years. You can grow food and/or
beauty. I wouldn't call it frugal, though it might be if your soil
conditions are better than mine.
Overlapping that was home improvements - paint, wallpaper, light carpentry,
that sort of thing. Eventually, that gets used up - everything's in repair,
and looks the way you want.
For my current "hobby", I joined a gym. I go and workout every other
evening at a minimum, more often if by some chance I'm bored. I don't know
if you'd call it frugal or not - I have to pay for the gym membership, but
I'm betting that the cost will be offset by the health benefits. So far,
for instance, I've been losing anywhere from one-half to two pounds a week,
and I've had measurable gains in strength and endurance. I'll never be an
Adonis, but any improvement is better than none.
I'm slowly leaning toward learning to play the piano - that might be
something I'll take up in the next year or two.
Bob F
> I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal and fun long term? I
> read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby and I've
> found this to be mostly true.
>
> I've been playing video games for most of my life but have now almost
> completely stopped. I'm disappointed in the direction they are going.
> Its mostly war games where people kill each other. Games in other
> categories, even the ones that are good have the been there played
> that already feeling. Some guys seem more interested in getting
> trophies than trying to go out and find a female. I still love
> watching movies though.
> Last summer was all about kayaking. We had a lot of fun with the cheap
> inflatable kayaks. I realized though that I can only go down the same
> river so many times until it also gets repetitive. Since I'm not into
> fishing the boredom comes even faster.
If you have good whitewater nearby, get a hardshell playboat. There are endless
skills to learn, and you can spend all day at a good playspot, doing 360's,
endo's, piroettes, cartwheels, etc. Plus, you can surf the same wave forever, or
at least until your buddies chase you off. It's way bettter than floating down
the river in an inflatable.
I spent 15 years kayaking 2 or more days a week, including 3 16-18 day trips
down the Grand Canyon. Find a good local kayak club, take a good class, and get
out there.
Michael Black
> I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal and fun long term? I read
> that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby and I've found this
> to be mostly true.
>
First, some people are frugal so they have money for important things like
hobbies. They'd rather save money where they can to free up money for
"extras" that actually give them something.
Second, if you're just following hobbies around, then maybe that's the
real issue, a good consumer. You get more out of the thrill of the new,
and the buying that's needed to get into the interest, than in the hobby
itself, so you may just jump to something "that sounds neat" and then
lose interest because you haven't made the hobby your own.
Third, within the framework of any hobby, one can be frugal. Go to the
library for the books rather than buy the books, or at least buy the
books at used book sales or stores. If you need to buy things, you can
buy used and indeed most hobbies have outlets where people do buy
and sell related to the hobby. You can make the hobby frugal by applying
your frugal skills, looking at what's needed and then trying to find
cheaper solutions. Indeed, once you move to the level of creator rather
than consumer, you can sell your knowledge, well certainly in the old
days many people fueled their hobby interests by writing about the hobby
for magazines or even books, though these days I'm not so sure the
situation is the same. Or they'd sell on the side, becoming a service
to the hobby (and incidentally themselves), making a little profit or
at least not losing money, by selling items related to the hobby.
Finally, being frugal can often be a hobby in itself. It was raining
this past Saturday, so there weren't many garage sales, but I skipped
one indoor community garage sale because of the rain. That nagged at
me a bit, wondering if I missed anything, yet it also reinforced the
fact that I like to go to garage sales for the sake of getting up early on
Saturdays in the nice weather and walking around (which gets lost when
it's raining). I get something out of going to garage sales even if
I don't find anything I'm interested in.
I got a GPS unit last fall at a garage sale for five dollars, one that
doesn't have a map overlay feature. So it's more like a navigation device
than the current "electronic maps" that one can buy. For five dollars,
it was really cheap to get a GPS, and learn about it. We all need
new stimulous, but better that someone else pay the Big Bucks for
the item that they won't get much use out of than for me to do it.
Is gardening, particularly vegetable gardening, a hobby or frugality?
Some people get great pleasure out of growing things, yet if they
are growing food it can also help to provide food. Yet done as a hobby,
for the pleasure, one is more likely to get something out of it than
if they feel they "ought to" for the sake of frugality.
For some people, fixing that faucet so it doesn't leak is a chore. For
others, it can be a fun thing to do, made better by the realization that
one can save money by doing it yourself.
Michael
The Real Bev
> photography a while ago due to the cost of buying and processing
> chemical-based film. I have been into photography for decades. I love
> walking around for hours on end shooting photos.
Excellent! We used to do that, but now I just shoot what looks neat when I
happen to have my camera with me. Digital is SOOOOO much better and you don't
have to take care of masses of prints.
Learn to play a musical instrument, preferably a portable one.
Tennis -- minimal expenditure and a lot of exercise.
Skating ditto.
Bicycling.
I got hooked on skiing over 20 years ago, but you can't really call something
you do fewer than a dozen days a year a hobby.
--
Cheers, Bev
============================================================
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexdroog70/2701038371/sizes/o/
Bob F
> Shawn Hirn wrote:
>> Breaking Wind <n...@where.com> wrote:
>>
>>> So what does everyone else do for fun?
>>
>> If it wasn't for digital cameras, I would have lost interest in
>> photography a while ago due to the cost of buying and processing
>> chemical-based film. I have been into photography for decades. I love
>> walking around for hours on end shooting photos.
>
> Excellent! We used to do that, but now I just shoot what looks neat
> when I happen to have my camera with me. Digital is SOOOOO much
> better and you don't have to take care of masses of prints.
>
> Learn to play a musical instrument, preferably a portable one.
> Tennis -- minimal expenditure and a lot of exercise.
> Skating ditto.
> Bicycling.
>
> I got hooked on skiing over 20 years ago, but you can't really call
> something you do fewer than a dozen days a year a hobby.
I didn't ski for Dec-Feb due to a knee problem, and got in 21 days this season.
Get with it.
The ski meetup group I found helped a lot - easy carpools.
Of course, being retired and the cheap weekday pass helped.
Bob F
> I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal and fun long term? I
> read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby and I've
> found this to be mostly true.
>
> So what does everyone else do for fun?
I play a lot of volleyball. Several commumity centers nearby have games for
$2-4. Buy a net and set it up in your yard or a nearby park, and start inviting
your friends and their friends. I hosted a weekly game for 20-25 years that was
a very positive addition to my life. At least once a week, I got to see a bunch
of friends and get some good exercise. I frequently ride my bike to the
community center games to make a real exercise thing out of it.
Napoleon
wrote:
>So what does everyone else do for fun?
1. Make my own beer and wine (3 years)
2. Walk and backpack (20 years)
3. Refinish old furniture (10 years)
4. Garden (10 years)
5. Workout (20 years)
Hobbies usually aren't cheap or frugal and that is ok. I'd rather
spend money on my hobbies than spend it on something else. Life is too
short not to do something you enjoy at least a few times a week.
Michael Black
> In article <4be8a359$0$5247$c3e...@news.astraweb.com>,
> Breaking Wind <n...@where.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> So what does everyone else do for fun?
>
> If it wasn't for digital cameras, I would have lost interest in
> photography a while ago due to the cost of buying and processing
> chemical-based film. I have been into photography for decades. I love
> walking around for hours on end shooting photos.
>
That's certainly something that has become more frugal. I used to have a
35mm viewfinder camera, I got it thirty years ago this summer just before
a trip. For a few years I'd take pictures, and then it just sort of
faded out. Too expensive for the film and the development, and since i
was just starting out, I wasn't getting in the practice that I needed
to be good at it. The feedback process wsa too long, even with quick
development, how soon I got the film back after I took the pictures
depended on whether I used up the film fast or not.
With a hand me down digital camera, I no longer worry about film, and can
see the results right now. If I take a few pictures today, I can use
them later, rather than either use up the film or wait for it to be
finished. I find I use the camera for things I'd never do with film,
like take a picture of something I've taken apart so I know what's inside
without opening it again, or taking pictures of something to show what
state it's in at a given time, since the files are datestamped. And
that's all because I can have the pictures the moment they are taken.
Michael
John Weiss
Kayaking, rowing, sailing... Find a different lake or river.
Build a boat...
Rod Speed
> I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal
Walking, growing your own fruit and vegetables, brewing
beer, making your own marmalade/jam etc, renovating
houses, rebuilding old famous cars etc etc etc.
> and fun long term?
All of the above.
> I read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby
Bet thats straight from some journalists arse.
> and I've found this to be mostly true.
I havent.
> I've been playing video games for most of my life but have now almost completely stopped. I'm disappointed in the
> direction they are going. Its mostly war games where people kill each other.
The only game I play is Freecell Pro and I've been doing that for a long time now.
I mostly do it when 'watching' videos and recorded live TV, mostly docos.
> Games in other categories, even the ones that are good have the been there played that already feeling. Some guys seem
> more interested in getting trophies than trying to go out and find a female.
> I still love watching movies though.
I dont, havent watched one in years and I watch very little fiction either.
Dont read much fiction either.
> Last summer was all about kayaking. We had a lot of fun with the cheap inflatable kayaks. I realized though that I can
> only go down the same river so many times until it also gets repetitive. Since I'm not into fishing the boredom comes
> even faster.
I was into light plane flying for a long time, owned one. Hardly frugal tho.
Tho the way we did it was quite frugal, we had a commercial pilot
dry hire it and that paid the costs and one of the other owners used
to do aircraft maintenance as a job and did ours for no cost.
> Growing up I had aquariums off and on. Fun for a while but then it just ends up being another chore.
Dont find that with dogs tho. The main problem is that once you
get one that leaves the rest for dead, its hard to get another as good.
> Would be more fun just to visit Shedd on occasion. This is a hobby I doubt very much I could get back into.
Yeah, me too with fish.
> Recently I was bored and decided to buy a r/c plane. This was a mistake. The air field is very far from my house and
> its small.
> Trying to find a day when I have time to go there and match that with
> good weather turned me off. Not to mention the endless money pit this
> hobby would be. I'm debating right now on getting back into the cars
> as they are cheaper, sturdier, and more versatile. Its sort of like a
> video game but you play in the real world and have to maintain your
> stuff which is fun. Again this could end up being a one summer thing.
> I always enjoy getting out my telescope. I haven't put both feet in
> yet but this is a great hobby. I'm mostly limited by working nights.
> I may start exploring this one a bit further.
> So what does everyone else do for fun?
See at the top.
Samantha Hill
Baking bread
Knitting from recycled yarn that you reclaim from cast-off sweaters at
thrift stores
Sewing duffel or tote bags from thrift-store sheets for foster children
to use to transport their things from home to home so they don't have to
use garbage bags.
Bird watching, hiking, etc., in your own neighborhood
Collecting recipes or other of information off the internet
Volunteer work at local nonprofits
(and of course participating in newsgroups and mailing lists, right?)
Gordon
@news.astraweb.com:
> So what does everyone else do for fun?
Model Railroading. But it's not exactly cheap or
frugal.
Patricia Martin Steward
wrote:
>If it's not something where you are actually moving, it's not a hobby, it's
>a character flaw. Video games, RC stuff, stamp collecting, etc. all fall
>into that category. Get off the damned couch and actually DO SOMETHING.
Well, that was helpful.
--
Das Internet is nicht fuer gefingerclickend und giffengrabben.
Ist easy droppenpacket der Routers und overloaden der Backbone
mit der spammen und der me-tooen. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei
die Dummkopfen. Die mausklicken Sichtseeren keepen das Bandwidth-
spewen Hands in die Pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das cursorblinken.
Breaking Wind
> Second, if you're just following hobbies around, then maybe that's the
> real issue, a good consumer. You get more out of the thrill of the new,
> and the buying that's needed to get into the interest, than in the hobby
> itself, so you may just jump to something "that sounds neat" and then
> lose interest because you haven't made the hobby your own.
>
This sounds exactly like what I've been doing.
> For some people, fixing that faucet so it doesn't leak is a chore. For
> others, it can be a fun thing to do, made better by the realization that
> one can save money by doing it yourself.
>
It does seem like I always need to do something around the house. I
guess you could call that a hobby. Some guys are obsessed with their
lawns. I didnt know how to work on anything before I bought a house. Now
I'm learning a little bit at a time.
I agree with anything that gets you off the couch is a good thing.
I'm looking into some other places to kayak at the moment. I love riding
bikes but hate riding around cars. Last summer when I was out on the
path a bike ran into a stopped car at a intersection. I think he was ok
but he looked like he was in extreme pain and was taken away in the
ambulance.
Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions.
Michael Black
I thought of that in thinking further about the question.
The issue seems to be that the original poster takes up a hobby, then
loses interest, and since most hobbies require that you buy something (be
it binoculars for birdwatching or material for sewing), that kind of
serial hobbying can be expensive, if you don't get that much out of
each hobby.
So in my previous post, I tried to suggest how to minimize the cost.
And one way is to sample the hobby without making an investment, and
hobby clubs are one way. Model trains was an example I thought of,
because the clubs here get together once a year and put on a public
display, which can be interesting in itself to visit, but which might
also give an indication of what's involved in the hobby, and whether
it's something to pursue or not.
I gather some of the clubs have permanent setups somewhere, so involvement
in a club might allow for participation without expense, or at least
without having to have a full blown layout. There's lots of skills
invovled with model railroading, and each of those skills have a potential
to be a hobby in itself.
Other hobbies also have clubs, and sometimes public displays, so one can
sometimes sample the hobbies. I don't know whether they still happen, but
there was a time when local groups would put on a hobby show, where all
kinds of hobbies would set up to present them to the public.
I doubt someone with a Radio Controlled plane would let a novice fly it,
but I imagine someone could get a try at an RC boat or car.
Hobby groups also can be a source of used or unwanted hobby related
material, offsetting the cost of entry into the hobby. And a place
to sell off the hobby equipment when the next hobby comes along.
Michael
Dan Birchall
> I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal and fun long term? I
> read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby and I've
> found this to be mostly true.
I've heard from academics that it's a good thing to have one or two
things you do your whole life, but also to try a new side hobby every
decade.
I disagree with some folks who say that hobbies require movement. Many
hobbies - reading, writing, sewing, board games, computers, etc - don't
require much movement if any. But there's a word for hobbies that are
more active - "activities."
On the activities side, depending what sort of landscape you find yourself
in, things like hiking, swimming, biking, etc... I have a good bike that
wasn't cheap, but will last me a very long time (it's already lasted 12
years) as long as I stay out of the path of cars and trucks.
Less-active hobbies... several of those I listed above (but not sewing)
as well as puzzles - crosswords, jigsaw, cryptograms, logic puzzles,
sudoku, etc. Some situations, such as loooong flights, do not lend
themselves to the more active hobbies.
> I always enjoy getting out my telescope. I haven't put both feet in yet
> but this is a great hobby. I'm mostly limited by working nights. I may
> start exploring this one a bit further.
I work nights too... fortunately, I work around astronomers. :) But I
don't have a telescope of my own. :(
In general, I think a hobby that requires few trappings, or ones that
you can purchase high-quality ones of that will last a lifetime, can
be frugal.
--
Oh, wicked, bad, naughty, _evil_ Dan! He is a _naughty_ person...
h
"Dan Birchall" <nob...@imaginary-host.danbirchall.com> wrote in message
> I disagree with some folks who say that hobbies require movement. Many
> hobbies - reading,
??? Reading isn't a "hobby". It's something everyone should do, like
breathing.
Breaking Wind
> There's lots of skills
> invovled with model railroading, and each of those skills have a
> potential to be a hobby in itself.
I have a train set as well. Sometimes I bring it out for the holidays.
This hobby is all about building the scenery around the train.
> I doubt someone with a Radio Controlled plane would let a novice fly it,
> but I imagine someone could get a try at an RC boat or car.
Actually you can link transmitters so the instructor can flip a switch
and take control of the plane. I ended up buying my own and wish that I
hadn't. Its a lot of fun but when you realize how very easy it is to
loose and not just break it I have a hard time accepting that much loss.
Even experienced fliers loose their stuff. There are cheap planes but
the electronics still cost good $$. I've actually had a car for 8 years
but haven't used it a lot lately. Since this will be my second round
with the hobby maybe I do have a real interest in it.
Breaking Wind
OldRoads
Fixing up old bicycles.
Find them at yard sales, put on new tires and tubes, tune 'em up and
sell them on craiglist!
Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles
http://OldRoads.com
Dan Birchall
Yes... but not everyone goes to the library's circulation desk, asks
how many books they're allowed to have out at once, and then checks out
that many at once, week after week. :)
Fortunately, my kid has inherited this behavior... although when she was
smaller, I did have to limit her to only checking out as many at one time
as she could personally carry.
Everyone should breathe, but not everyone should hyperventilate, or try
to hold their breath for 5 minutes, or... :)
--
"The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the
surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90
million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some
indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be..." - Douglas Adams
Coffee's For Closers
>I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal and fun long
>term? I read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a
>hobby and I've found this to be mostly true.
>So what does everyone else do for fun?
Gardening. I don't calculate any dollar-value for the time
spent, and the supply of vegetables eventually "pays for" the
basic tools and so forth. Starting cost is very low. Doing it
for about seven years or so.
Reading books from the library. Free, with occassional small
fees for branch transfers, etc. Doing it for over 20 years,
although largely reduced due to the next item.
Reading online - a LOT. Included in the cost of the ISP
connection needed for work. Doing it for about 15 years.
Doing volunteer work. Some areas have organisations that match
up people and positions, for free. Or just Google for
opportunities in your city. My cost is weekly bus fare. Doing
it for about two years.
A few years ago, I took weekly Tai-Chi classes, and should
probably start up again. The cost is low.
Also, when I have time, I'll buy a lower-priced digital camera,
for a project taking photographs of the city where I live. Maybe
get around town on a bicyle for that.
--
Get Credit Where Credit Is Due
http://www.cardreport.com/
Credit Tools, Reference, and Forum
Patricia Martin Steward
<Usene...@THE-DOMAIN-IN.SIG> wrote:
>
>Also, when I have time, I'll buy a lower-priced digital camera,
>for a project taking photographs of the city where I live. Maybe
>get around town on a bicyle for that.
Try freecycle.org -- you might get one for free.
Thomas
Visit geocaching.com
It is a very addictive, healthy AND frugal hobbie.
stew...@gmail.com
> I was wondering what kind of hobbies are frugal and fun long term? I
> read that a person usually spends 5 years or less on a hobby and I've
> found this to be mostly true.
>
> completely stopped. I'm disappointed in the direction they are going.
> already feeling. Some guys seem more interested in getting trophies than
> trying to go out and find a female. I still love watching movies though.
>
> inflatable kayaks. I realized though that I can only go down the same
> river so many times until it also gets repetitive. Since I'm not into
> fishing the boredom comes even faster.
>
>
> The air field is very far from my house and its small. Trying to find a
> day when I have time to go there and match that with good weather turned
> me off. Not to mention the endless money pit this hobby would be. I'm
> debating right now on getting back into the cars as they are cheaper,
> sturdier, and more versatile. Its sort of like a video game but you play
> in the real world and have to maintain your stuff which is fun. Again
> this could end up being a one summer thing.
>
> but this is a great hobby. I'm mostly limited by working nights. I may
> start exploring this one a bit further.
>