I'm Gonna Do What I Want...

Let’s face it.  Some people have some very weird hobbies.  There’s nothing we can do about it.  Cosplay, Toads, Bigfoot Research, UFO hunters, paper clay, bouncy ball collectors.  Granted, some are really cool, like watching Curling during the Olympics.  But some are weird.  But the thing is… people because obsessed with all their weird hobbies.

In fact, some of the obsessions have a huge impact on the wallet.  For example, there are hundreds of people that spend over $100 a week on a fish tank.  The fact that people even have to budget out their hobbies and do it monthly is a huge deal to show just how much people spend.

The thing is, I want people to keep their hobbies.  There are tons of people that have had to give up their beloved hobbies because they could no longer afford it.  In fact, there have been lots of studies that have shown the different amount that people spend monthly or yearly.  Check out this graph.

In the end, how much is too much?  I would definitely not recommend that you spend your rent money on them, even though I know that some people do.  I can’t give you a percentage of a budget.  Actually, speaking of a budget, it would be a really good idea to make your hobby a line item in your budget.  I do for my obsession… but that’s a different post for a different day (tomorrow actually).  It used to eat me alive.

Gardening is actually considered the most expensive hobby.  I haven’t been in a gardening store recently, so if anyone can let me know just how much people can spend on that, I would really like to hear it.  Seriously.  I’m curious.  I always thought that kitchen gardens and that type of thing would save money.

What I do know is this: gamers spend a lot of money.  I have a 17 year old brother that has an Xbox 360.  And Xbox Live.  Which means that for $45 a year, he gets to play online.  But he still has to buy the games to play.  They’re easily $60 a piece.  I have a Wii.  Those games are ridiculous!  Talk about budget eating!

Anyway, this week is all about saving money on your hobby.  I’ve picked out 4 that I’ve found that can really affect people our age, but there was no way in the world I could cover them all.  There are too many out there.

But if your hobby does not come into plat this week, please don’t discount me.  Many of the different ideas, tactics, and strategies can apply to your particular hobby!  Just think about it for an extra 30 seconds.

PS – if you know of, or have yourself some weird hobby, let me know!  I love hearing about them!