Choose Your Hobbies and Activities Carefully
Hobbies, activities, and pastimes can be a budget buster. Look at your hobbies for a moment-- Are they expensive? Do they produce a positive by-product?
I try to look for hobbies that are inexpensive and produce multiple benefits for me and my family. Want some ideas?
How about:
- Fishing-- Low cost, fun, and tasty (and the scraps make good compost for the garden)
- Gardening-- Growing vegetables from seed is a challenge, but the taste and the savings are tremendous
- Hiking-- Low cost and good for you
- Cooking-- Tastes great and more filling-- for you wallet!
- Collecting sea glass-- Free and decorative, and good exercise beach combing
- Collecting stamps and coins-- Free if collecting from circulation, educational (each stamp and coin has a story in its design), and possibly profitable
- Walking-- Sightseeing, good exercise, and mentally refreshing
- Art and Photography-- Relatively cheap, entertaining, and decorative
I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
Hobbies I avoid scuba diving, skiing, and any other equipment intensive activities-- they can consume you.
I avoid gambling-- once in a long while maybe, but generally not a financial healthy hobby.
Always ask yourself if it is inexpensive and will it provide other benefits?
Posted by DDFD at 8/28/2008 9:55 AM 
Categories: Money Savers, Activities, Simple Living, Frugality, Personal Philosophy
Tags: Money Savers Activities Simple Living Frugal Frugality Personal Philosophy
Categories: Money Savers, Activities, Simple Living, Frugality, Personal Philosophy
Tags: Money Savers Activities Simple Living Frugal Frugality Personal Philosophy
Have to comment on skiing! What a thrilling activity! This past weekend, my daughter was invited by her friend, and right away I suspected the time was wrong since the snow had already been melting for a week – but a phone call to the ski area elicited a response that they had a 60 inch base. Even in August, they would say so, probably. Anyway, we eventually figured out that she would have to pay $35 to get in, plus $30 to rent skis, plus $18 to rent boots. It would have been her own money and although I made a strong case that this was unwise, I also told her that I would not overrule her decision. If she wanted to spend two months’ allowance for five hours of skiing, well, she might learn something.
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