What you do with your spare time has a big impact on where your discretionary income goes. That is why it is good to have inexpensive hobbies. If you are a spender though even inexpensive hobbies might be expensive. It is wise to look at how much you spend on your hobbies and determine if you can do them cheaper without significantly impacting your enjoyment of them.
For example three of my favorite hobbies are running,long-distance backpacking,and blogging. These hobbies can be done on the cheap but many people spend a lot of money on them. My only running expenses are around $30 for a good pair of running shoes and perhaps one or two race entries a year. This makes it an inexpensive hobby for me. If you buy $100 running shoes,all kinds of special running clothing, and enter a 5k every weekend then it is going to be an expensive hobby. I don’t think the extra money spent results in much,if any, extra enjoyment though.
Long-distance backpacking takes more money but I don’t do it as often so it is still possible to do it inexpensively. I acquired most of my equipment little-by-little as I found good deals. When I went on my first long-distance backpacking trip(270 miles) I had about $300 worth of backpacking gear and supplies which is what some people spend on just one piece of gear. Most of my gear worked fine and I was appropriately equipped for the hike. There are lots of sources of information on the internet detailing how to get equipped cheaply. I especially like ” Cheap Gear – How to Dirt Bag and Deal Shop Like a Professional”.
Blogging is even better than an inexpensive hobby-it actually makes me money. My costs for this blog are roughly $21 a year for the hosting and domain name. By shopping around and getting a great deal on hosting I don’t have to make much money to be profitable. When I started this blog I wanted to keep the advertising to a minimum and I’ve been able to do that since my operating costs are so low. I do occasionally wonder how much money I could make if I fully monetized this blog but for now I’m keeping it as is.
These are just a few examples. There are plenty of other hobbies out there that can be done inexpensively or can actually make you money. You just need to plan your spending and do it wisely.
Alas, as a larger runner, if I tried to run in $30 running shoes I would end up crippled for weeks. (That is the voice of sad experience, there…) I generally DO have to opt for shoes with retail prices which lead into the three-figure range, although I tend to find them on sale and that works out well for me. It’s worth it for me to have the added insurance that I will be able to run on days 4-5-6-and-7… I also tend to buy two pairs of shoes at once and alternate wearings. It really adds to the overall life of both pairs!
Jerry
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