My husband posts on a messageboard for gamers and game developers, and this question came up. So he calculated all he had spent on games and game related stuff (mostly additional add-ons and extra features, and an additional harddrive). He came to a total of 902 euros, that equals about 1100 dollars. he asked me if I thought that was a lot. I said that less then 100 dollars a month for a very fulfilling hobby didn’t sound expensive.
But then again, I don’t have an expensive hobby, unless you count fixing up our home. I certainly spend about 100 dollars a month on that.
So, just to get a bigger picture: how much did you spend on your hobby in 2008?
Most of my hobbies are relatively inexpensive. I probably spent at least $700 at the garden center and about $500 on yarn. I’m not including things like books and music, or home remodel projects. That would add a few thousand to it.
I don’t have a hobby, but I can tell you that my son spent about $1200 on on-line gaming (mostly Xbox Live). So that sounds about right, and not unreasonable for the enjoyment they get out of it.
Probably $200-300 over the course of the year–needles, yarn, other knitting supplies. If any of it seems wasteful to me, it’s because I spent money on yarn which I have not yet knit–and am buying new yarn rather than knit the existing stuff.
That seems indeed the most expensive hobby someone can have. And it’s a thin line between “solid investment in my property as a new homeowner” and “making the house better to live in” and “stuff I think makes the house more perfect, but I’m the only one who cares.”
All in all, in 2008 I spent 15.000 USD on a much needed new kitchen (the old one was forty years old, crappy originally, and it was falling apart). Besides that, I spent about 200 on average every month for the handyman, Home Depot and Ikea combined. All for small improvements and repairs.
I’d say I spend less than $100 a month on quilting; maybe $600 a year? I should probably track that since I tend to underestimate! It is my main source of diversion and keeps me alive so it’s worth it.
I’d guess I spent $1000-3000, depending on what you count as a hobby.
$300 on Magic cards and tournament entry
$100 on Video games
$150 on Dancing
$400 on Skiing/Snowboarding
Is normal exercise a hobby? $200 on Gym membership
Is movie watching a hobby? $200 on Netflix.
I could reasonably count the $1500 I spent on a TV as a hobby expenditure, too. I mean, all I do with it is watch movies and play video games, both of which are reasonably considered hobbies.
Let’s just say a lot more than your husband spends (but not a horse!! ;)) - in my case, I was buying guitars and gear. I almost always fund it by selling some of my existing gear, so the incremental out-of-pocket cash is kept to a minimum each year…probably ~$1,000…