# How expensive is your hobby? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 29, 2025, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139 "2025-12-29T12:55:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/121 "2025-12-30T16:31:20Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > So seriously, concerts. I go to over 150 shows a year. Some are like $20 or even no cover shows at clubs in town. Some are front row at larger venues for over $300 or more expensive charity gigs. This is my son’s hobby as well. He doesn’t go to as many as you, but this year he has attended about 50 shows. He and his friends have flown across the country to follow some of their favorite groups on tour for a week or so. (Which is impressive, because they all work full-time.) I think going to concerts and staying in hotels in NYC and Boston throughout the year to see them is his main entertainment expense. > [@Jegpeg](#): > > My expensive hobby is scuba diving. > > I live in Scotland and virtually all the diving here is club based where you are expected ot have your own equipment. > > My main equipment for local diving cost about £4000: drysuit, (£1300), BCD (£800), Regulator Set (£600), Computer (£300), 2 Tanks (£400), Prescription Mask (£200), Fins (£100), weights (£70). I also dive abroad so spent £300 on a wetsuit for that. That is one of my hobbies as well, but I’m not quite as invested. I prefer to dive in tropical locations (which involves flying there), and typically rent much of my gear (including BCD, regulator, and tanks). I do have my own mask, fins, snorkel, dive computer, wetsuit, safety gear, and mesh bag. For a while, I was taking a dive trip about once a year, but now am only doing one every 2-3 years. Due to this infrequency, I figure it’s better to have someone else maintain the BCD and regulator. But I have considered buying my own at some point. My main hobby, though, is downhill skiing. I usually ski about 25-30 days per year. It’s a fairly expensive sport, including the gear (boots, skis, poles, helmet, goggles, jacket, pants, baselayer, etc.), plus maintenance costs (i.e. ski tuning), lift tickets, travel expenses, etc. This year, I’m doing two flyaway ski trips to Switzerland and Banff with two different ski clubs, plus another week-long trip to Maine. I will probably spend about $10K this season. Other hobbies of mine include cycling, which is mainly expensive for the initial purchase of bikes (road and mountain) plus ancillary equipment, but I typically get many years out them. Finally, I like to hike. The gear for this is comparatively inexpensive, including hiking boots/trail runners, day pack, hiking poles, and the [ten essentials](https://www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/outdoor-resources/the-10-essentials-what-to-pack-for-a-backcountry-hike/). I also do some overnight backpacking and canoeing, and that is somewhat more expensive. One of my biggest issues is where to store all of the above. I have a spare bedroom which is basically a gear locker. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > My current hobby is building Lego. ETA: This is one of my son’s hobby as well (and a former hobby of mine). He builds 1-2 large sets every year, and has been doing this for the last 20+ years. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/122 "2025-12-30T16:40:39Z")
> [@Turki-lurki](#): > > Y’all are killing me. Only one other ham radio operator?? I’m here! Although I’m temporarily radio-deficient. I sold my HF rig and all its ancillary components back in the summer. Mostly because I got _really_ tired of fighting the antenna battle. I have a small lot, and I’m (fortunate?) enough that it’s dense with palm trees. Anyone that’s seen a palm tree swaying in the breeze can imagine that in a storm, they just thrash the hell out of any long-wire antenna. Last big storm last rain season saw the trees pull down my EFHW _and_ the stub mast on the peak of my roof. Anything more significant roof mounted (a big vertical, a yagi, whatever) does not past the wife-approval test, and quite frankly, I don’t want that either. I plan at some point to buy one of the cool portable QRP rigs and operate remote. The noise floor at my QTH is terrible thanks to solar panels anyway. Would love to do some POTA/SOTA work. At least in theory. Other expensive hobbies? I collect expensive hobbies _as a hobby_, or at least it seems that way. Motorcycles, vintage typesetting machines, guitars, cars, vintage cameras, mechanical watches, airplanes, boats. Not all at once, mind you. But if a hobby can financially ruin you, I’ve probably dabbled. 73 de N6WK! ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/123 "2025-12-30T17:42:50Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > $2K Rickenbacker bass, How do you like it? I read so many conflicting reviews. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/124 "2025-12-30T17:56:27Z")
> [@robby](#): > > > [@GuanoLad](#): > > > > My current hobby is building Lego. > > ETA: This is one of my son’s hobby as well (and a former hobby of mine). He builds 1-2 large sets every year, and has been doing this for the last 20+ years. For those who may not know, there are large Lego sets that are basically for adults or older kids and may contain well over a thousand specialized pieces. For example **[the Saturn V kit contains 1,969 pieces](https://www.lego.com/en-ca/product/lego-nasa-apollo-saturn-v-92176)** (in recognition of the year of the first moon landing) and is over 39" tall when assembled, with separable stages. That particular product is now retired, though. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/125 "2025-12-30T18:09:44Z")
I would enjoy the hell out of building one of those sets but to the point of obsession like doing the whole thing in three days straight. It’s best that I stay away. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/126 "2025-12-30T18:33:12Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@robby](#): > > > > > [@GuanoLad](#): > > > > > > My current hobby is building Lego. > > > > ETA: This is one of my son’s hobby as well (and a former hobby of mine). He builds 1-2 large sets every year, and has been doing this for the last 20+ years. > > For those who may not know, there are large Lego sets that are basically for adults or older kids and may contain well over a thousand specialized pieces. For example **[the Saturn V kit contains 1,969 pieces](https://www.lego.com/en-ca/product/lego-nasa-apollo-saturn-v-92176)** (in recognition of the year of the first moon landing) and is over 39" tall when assembled, with separable stages. That particular product is now retired, though. The set my son built last year was a [Lego model of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris](https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/notre-dame-de-paris-21061). It had **4,383 pieces**. An aftermarket light set was sold separately. [https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/notre-dame-de-paris-21061](https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/notre-dame-de-paris-21061) > [@hajario](#): > > I would enjoy the hell out of building one of those sets but to the point of obsession like doing the whole thing in three days straight. Yes, that pretty much what my son does after Christmas for the rest of the holiday break. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/127 "2025-12-30T18:40:03Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I would enjoy the hell out of building one of those sets but to the point of obsession like doing the whole thing in three days straight. It’s best that I stay away. Hard same. I’ve had a few Lego encounters over the past couple of years, including a delightfully complicated Technics set full of gears and articulated parts. I love focusing on the build. The problem comes when I’m done. I don’t actually want what I built. I don’t want to display it, I’m not gonna play with it, and it’s real unlikely that I’ll get around to building something of my own out of the parts. It just becomes unwanted clutter. I end up dropping it all off at the local thrift store. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/128 "2025-12-30T18:43:26Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > The problem comes when I’m done. I don’t actually want what I built. I don’t want to display it, I’m not gonna play with it, and it’s real unlikely that I’ll get around to building something of my own out of the parts. It just becomes unwanted clutter. Also same. We should each buy one and then meet at Harry’s to swap! Of course taking it apart for the next person to rebuild would be way too painful. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/129 "2025-12-30T18:46:59Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Hard same. I’ve had a few Lego encounters over the past couple of years, including a delightfully complicated Technics set full of gears and articulated parts. I love focusing on the build. > > The problem comes when I’m done. I don’t actually want what I built. I don’t want to display it, I’m not gonna play with it, and it’s real unlikely that I’ll get around to building something of my own out of the parts. It just becomes unwanted clutter. I end up dropping it all off at the local thrift store. To each his own, but I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to display something that you spent many hours building. BTW, looking through the Lego catalog of specialized model kits, I’m impressed by the imagination these people have. Such a very wide variety of models! The most elaborate I’ve found so far is **[Hogwarts Castle](https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/hogwarts-castle-71043)**, with 6,020 pieces and a cost of USD $470 for the kit. ETA: Never mind! The Eiffel Tower kit has 10,001 pieces and costs $630. The Millennium Falcon has fewer pieces but costs $850. The Titanic model has 9.090 pieces and costs $680. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/130 "2025-12-30T18:50:38Z")
One of my hobbies is photography. It’s become increasingly expensive for relatively little benefit. I decided to bite the bullet and buy my first “mirrorless” camera last year, a Nikon Z8, which was somewhere in the $3K range. I then needed to buy a couple of lenses, which were over $4k total. I like the camera, it’s become my go-to, but I find that the images I get from it are really not much better than my old D800E or even my D7200 - and it’s much bigger and heavier. Still - I feel drawn to buying more gear, for some baffling reason… ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/131 "2025-12-30T18:52:07Z")
Now you’re on to something. Of course I don’t need much of an excuse to want to go to Harry’s. To complete this plan, though we need a third-party. Somebody who enjoys the taking apart. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/132 "2025-12-30T18:52:32Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > To each his own, but I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to display something that you spent many hours building. I’m an extreme minimalist and I don’t like clutter. They’re cool but I don’t see being proud of putting together a puzzle from easy to follow instructions. If you designed your own Lego model from scratch or you made something cool as a woodworker it would be a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/133 "2025-12-30T18:55:01Z")
> [@robby](#): > > The set my son built last year was a [Lego model of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris](https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/notre-dame-de-paris-21061). It had **4,383 pieces**. I built that one in July 2024, but it was eclipsed by the _Ghostbusters_ [Firehouse HQ](https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/firehouse-headquarters-75827): at 4,634 pieces, it’s the biggest set – in terms of piece count – that I’ve assembled so far (it was also the $1000, hard-to-find, retired set I mentioned in my first post). The Tropical Aquarium that I finished earlier this month comes in 3rd, with 4,154 pieces. Those are the only three I’ve built with 4000+ pieces. The biggest sets on my wish list are the Millenium Falcon (7,541 pieces; $850), the Death Star (9,023 pieces, $1000), and the Eiffel Tower (10,001 pieces; $630). Displaying the completed sets definitely becomes a challenge, but I tend to buy first and figure it out later…so far, I’ve always figured it out. I just got the Motorized Lighthouse on Sunday, and have no idea where it will go. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/134 "2025-12-30T18:57:00Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > To each his own, but I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to display something that you spent many hours building. I fight a constant battle against the accumulation of _stuff_. And while my home is no museum, I strongly prefer the stuff I put on display to have more visual impact than a jagged blob of mass-manufacture plastic. I enjoy building the sets, I admire the ingenuity in the way some of the more technical pieces go together. And I have a lot of respect for the custom build people have done. But it’s not for me. Lego builds are ephemeral in the same way as crossword puzzles. I don’t keep a book of my finished crosswords either. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/135 "2025-12-30T19:01:49Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’m an extreme minimalist and I don’t like clutter. They’re cool but I don’t see being proud of putting together a puzzle from easy to follow instructions. It’s not that much different from putting together a traditional but elaborate plastic model, like a model airplane kit. The difference with the latter is that you have to break off small parts from the plastic “tree”, glue parts together with styrene cement, and in most cases have to do a fair amount of careful painting and applying decals, but you’re still following instructions. And those other steps are messy. As for minimalism, personally I thrive on clutter! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/136 "2025-12-30T19:04:35Z")
My hobbies are pretty cheap, but that is mostly because I have managed to make them cheap. I ski a fair amount, and skiing has gotten pretty expensive these days, even if you don’t travel to get your fix. I’ve got this particular tiger by the tail, however, because I’m in my 22nd year of being a ski instructor. Not only does it not cost me anything, but I get paid to ski. Yeah, I have to teach a lot of little kids, but I get a fair amount of satisfaction from that, so it’s not like it’s a huge sacrifice for me. I get to free ski as much as I want, plus I get discounts on gear, food, and passes for family and friends, too. If I had to pay to ski as much as I do, it’d cost me thousands every winter. My second hobby is judo. I run the school, and it’s based in a municipally-owned building. We are not officially a city program, but I guess you could say we’re ‘city adjacent’, and the space costs us nothing. Since I’m the Big Cheese, I pay no dues, and in fact the club pays for my continuing education. A new uniform every few years will set me back about $300 or so, but they last a long time, and at my age, I may not need to buy another ever again. Again, if I had to pay, it probably cost about $1000 to $1500 per year. Not a lot, but not nothing, either. A third hobby that I’ve recently started is fishing. I like to fish, I don’t care if I catch anything or not, but I’m inclined to keep and cook anything I catch. Just being at the ocean, lake, or river with an excuse to sit and do nothing is enough for me. I’ve been using gear that I’ve either had for years and hardly used, or inherited gear from my dad and brother, who were both more avid than I. I think this year I’ve spent the most of any year, buying a couple hundred bucks worth of lures and tackle. I don’t consider cooking to be a hobby, because we have to eat. I do love to cook, though. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/137 "2025-12-30T19:04:55Z")
More or less. Those old model airplane or whatever strike me at needing more skill because of the painting but I don’t have very much experience with either. I almost got the Lego jazz club over Covid but couldn’t pull the trigger. ---
**Author:** ![Turki-lurki](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turki-lurki/32/7168_2.png) [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/138 "2025-12-30T19:05:19Z")
Vintage typesetting equipment!? Respect. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/139 "2025-12-30T19:20:04Z")
I restored a Linotype and a Ludlow and ran them as a hobby, occasionally supporting local letterpress shop with typesetting needs. Definitely a very small community of folks running these machines still. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139/140 "2025-12-30T19:32:20Z")
I’m impressed, too. The Linotype is an amazing machine, probably one of the most complex purely mechanical devices ever widely used. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-your-hobby/1026139.md?page=8)