Hobbies and their Expenses

Hobbies are an essential part of our lives. We enjoy doing hobbies that get us to be more active, mentally and physically. On top of it, you get the opportunity to network and meet new friends. The downside of hobbies is that there are costs associated with most of them. This is where you have to include them as part of your budget. Most of us do believe that hobbies and entertainment is money well spent. It would be ridiculous for one to just keep penny pinching and worrying about money. This will make you go gray pretty quickly and make your life pretty dull. I am saying that everyone should have some sort of a hobby and add some excitement to your life.

Expensive Hobbies of Mine

I’ve got a few hobbies that I dabble into to. I enjoy photography, golf and playing soccer. Currently I play soccer on two different teams and golf about four to five times per month. Photography I got into last year, when I purchased my first SLR camera.

I enjoy golf a lot, but it does add up every month. A typical golf day costs roughly $40. If I golf about five times per month, that ends up being roughly $200 per month, but it’s worth it. Golf has become a big part of my life and it gives me the opportunity to get together with some friends. I guess you can say, when I golf I’m in my element. So, do I find it worthwhile? Sure, in every sense. On top of it, spending some money on the equipment, such as golf clubs, balls and tees adds up as well.

Second hobby that I dabble into is soccer. I’ve played the game my whole life and grew up with it. I even coached kids in different age groups for about six years. Each session of soccer costs roughly $120 and with four sessions per year, that works out to $480 a year. Much like with golf, I enjoy soccer a lot, because I am in my element when I play. I enjoy the exercise and the challenges of winning.

Third hobby that I dabble into is photography. I purchased my first SLR camera last year. That set me back about $550. Like any other hobby, it sometimes gets the better to seek out and purchase new equipment. Hence, why I’m in a bit of a dilemma. Do I go out and purchase a new $600 lens? Haven’t decided yet. I’ve been able to prolong the purchase, because I admit that I’m still a novice photographer. I still need to learn the basics, but at the same time this new lens will give me a whole new dimension in shooting photos.

Turning a Hobby into a Business

When I started blogging last year I simply did it as a hobby. I wanted to use Finance Fox as a way to share my journey out of debt. Fortunately with some hard work and luck, I’ve been able to turn this hobby into a profitable business. Despite me turning this hobby into a business, it has also kept me focused on my personal finances and given me the opportunity to learn more about personal finances from other blogger. Furthermore I’ve met some people that I would have never met otherwise. Finally turning blogging from a hobby into a business has given me opportunities to freelance write and host advertising for money, while working on improving my writing skills along the way. A $200 initial investment, sure has paid it self over and over again.

In the end I fully support hobbies and expenses associated with them, as long as they don’t break your wallet. For example, I’ve always wanted to play hockey, but spending well over $1000 per season on being part of a league and equipment I could never justify. Instead I play soccer, golf and shoot photography. Most importantly having these hobbies in my life make me feel happy and that’s why I don’t mind spending the money.

Do you have any hobbies?

Eddie