# Suggestions for a new weekend hobby with the wife (NEED ANSWER FAST!) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2011, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210 "2011-02-22T10:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/21 "2011-02-22T21:22:24Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > 1. Geocaching ([geocaching.com](http://geocaching.com)) is fun, and can be cheap if you already have a GPS or a GPS enabled smart phone. Cheaper and low tech is letterboxing ([http://www.letterboxing.org/](http://www.letterboxing.org/)). Spots for either can be found online and the actual activity costs nothing. > [@Hello\_Again](#): > > [Geocaching](http://www.geocaching.com/about/)? You do need a GPS, but once you have that, you have everything you need. Good answer! Let’s play! ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/22 "2011-02-22T21:42:34Z")
Get of the couch and go for a walk down to the beach and laugh at the freaks. Free. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/23 "2011-02-22T22:18:18Z")
Board games. I’ve been playing games with the kids every night recently and we have a blast. Get a few awesome European games like Carcassone and Ticket to Ride - the great part is that you talk a lot. Really brings you together. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/24 "2011-02-22T22:39:29Z")
Let her watch her crappy dramas while you play games. I recommend World of Warcraft. (then again, I tend to be more of a loner. If I had to spend every waking weekend moment with a significant other, the relationship would be doomed from the start) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/25 "2011-02-23T01:23:05Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > 1. Model building. (Very, very expensive. My wife wants to do jigsaw puzzles, I want to do plastic models that range from $200-400.) $200? :eek: What kind of models are you talking about. The ones in my local hobby shop are a lot cheaper than that. As for puzzles, find a thrift store and buy some there. My local store has nice puzzles from 99 cents to $2.99. The most expensive one I ever got there was a 3D puzzle of San Francisco, in its original wrapping, for $20. It sold in catalogs for $60. Another possibility - restaurant survey. Go to a restaurant with a cuisine beginning with every letter of the alphabet. We started doing this - Afghan, Burmese, Cuban, … Once you get to Z start over. When I retire I think we might start a project going to every restaurant within walking distance of our house - which is probably about 50. Might not work for you. Definitely agree with the board game idea. How about gardening? Takes a lot of time, good exercise, cheap, and has rewards. If you have some big museums near you, join one and really explore it - the way you can’t on a day trip. Memberships are cheap if spread out over many visits. You’ll also get invited to events there, like lectures. Get a language tape and learn a new language together. Learn to program. Build a web site. Do genealogy. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/26 "2011-02-23T01:51:37Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > 1. Roller blading > 2. Cycling > 3. Swimming > 4. **Gut the XBOX Kinectics and shake your booty** Actually this sounds good. We have a Wii already, and we can rent games from Blockbuster. > [@sisu](#): > > Get of the couch and go for a walk down to the beach and laugh at the freaks. Free. We already do 1 hour of walking per day, 2+ on weekends. That’s one reason we’re so busy. > [@Zsofia](#): > > Board games. I’ve been playing games with the kids every night recently and we have a blast. Get a few awesome European games like Carcassone and Ticket to Ride - the great part is that you talk a lot. Really brings you together. My wife is a really poor loser, and she also doesn’t like when I tone down my play to let her win. Also, for most competitive games we play together, she just likes to make shiny colored things move around, she doesn’t really concern herself with winning. Cooperative games though are more our bag. In other words, when we play tennis, it’s better if we play on the same team rather than opposing teams. Gardening is definitely out. ☹ I inherited a green thumb from my parents, but my wife has the finger of doom. One time, my mother gave us a beautiful plant that had lots of flowers on it. She left it in the car for less than 30 minutes on a hot day and killed it. One time I gave her another plant, and it refused to flower for over 2 years. She tried cacti once, but they literally jumped out of their little pots and killed themselves. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/27 "2011-02-23T01:59:05Z")
Why do you have to be doing something together? You must be newlyweds. You’ll get over it after the second month of marriage. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/28 "2011-02-23T02:04:18Z")
make a baby and then you’ll never worry about free time again! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/29 "2011-02-23T02:16:18Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I had the same question. [The very first site I found](http://www.scalehobbyist.com/?gclid=COPrhN2SnKcCFRN-5QodTTS9bg) has lots of kits for under 20 bucks, hardly anything over 50. I only clicked on two categories (people and buildings) and found a castle kit almost $200 on the first page, so it probably depends heavily on the type of models he has in mind. **Superhal** , do you plan on having kids? You might take your interest in models and make something that might be cherished by your kids or nieces/nephews one day: a dollhouse or scale garage. Done well they’re time consuming and while often quite lovely to look at they have the practical purpose of entertaining kids too. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/30 "2011-02-23T02:45:41Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I only clicked on two categories (people and buildings) and found a castle kit almost $200 on the first page, so it probably depends heavily on the type of models he has in mind. > > **Superhal** , do you plan on having kids? You might take your interest in models and make something that might be cherished by your kids or nieces/nephews one day: a dollhouse or scale garage. Done well they’re time consuming and while often quite lovely to look at they have the practical purpose of entertaining kids too. We used to do jigsaw puzzles but the last one nearly killed us. Iirc, it was a 10000+ piece puzzle of a dolphin made up of smaller pictures. It took over a month (I was unemployed at the time and working on it full time) and at the end we framed it. We haven’t done another since. I don’t know if we can do a large project like that again. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/31 "2011-02-23T02:46:42Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > make a baby and then you’ll never worry about free time again! 😉 That’s another reason we’re so busy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/32 "2011-02-23T03:45:06Z")
[Miniature painting](http://minipainting-guild.net/) for fun and profit. There are people who will pay good money for a well painted army. Anything from confederate soldiers to space marines. ETA: Not to mention elves, dwarves, & dragons. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/33 "2011-02-23T04:35:38Z")
On our weekends in, my boyfriend and I usually do separate things. He’ll play PS3 or watch sports, I’ll bake cookies or knit or whatever. We still enjoy each other’s company and talk to each other while we’re doing our own thing, but we don’t feel like we have to be engaged in the same activity all the time. We usually do something together in the evenings. Lately we’ve taken to watching documentaries together on weekday nights. It gives us stuff to talk about afterwards. (I tried making my boyfriend watch Secret Garden with me, but he was horrified by the inanity.) ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/34 "2011-02-23T04:49:32Z")
Do an evening class together Book club BDSM stop-motion animation pretend the floor is fiery lava recreational trespassing and/or parkour bus to anywhere build a jacob’s ladder card games backyard assault course make a treehouse goth your home water rockets ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/35 "2011-02-23T08:45:23Z")
Ran some ideas past her: Wii games: she said I cheat. Camping: she thinks the outdoors is too dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/36 "2011-02-23T13:10:52Z")
Last time I saw my sister & her boyfriend, they introduced me to their new pastime: Bowling. No great jocks, they’d been looking for a non-couch-potato hobby. I hadn’t bowled since a few games in high school, but I enjoyed tagging along. It’s pretty cheap–especially if you find bargain nights, etc., at a local alley. You _could_ join a league & buy equipment–or just show up as a couple, rent a lane & use the balls provided. Rent some shoes. If you suck, nobody cares. And the snack bars offer drinks! ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/37 "2011-02-23T13:40:39Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > > [@China\_Guy](#): > > > > make a baby and then you’ll never worry about free time again! 😉 > > That’s another reason we’re so busy. 😃 Because you already _have_ a baby, or because you’re trying to _make_ one? I mean no disrespect, **Superhal** , but it sounds as if your wife is shooting down ideas faster than you can suggest them. Maybe she doesn’t really _want_ to give up her TV shows. At this point it might be best for you to go ahead and pursue a hobby that interests _you_, and if she doesn’t want to join you she can watch her shows. It’s OK. Really. Having some separate interests isn’t going to tear your marriage apart. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/38 "2011-02-23T14:03:52Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > …plus we have to schedule our weekends around the show (have to be home when it starts, have to cancel events that might cut into the start time.) (Sorry for the double-post, but I’d forgotten I wanted to comment on this.) Do you have a DVR, or even an old VCR? I’m not anti-TV – I watch plenty of it myself – but don’t let it run your life. There’s no reason you have to sacrifice other activities on the altar of Korean dramas. Watch when you want. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/39 "2011-02-23T15:04:51Z")
My husband and I recently decided to build a bookcase. Neither of us had much experience, but he had his dad’s tools, and we figured we could figure it out.\* It turned out to be quite fun! It took us several weeks, and we did make mistakes, but in the end we produced an actual bookcase and it doesn’t look half bad. If you already have some tools on hand, this would fit your budget. \*First lesson: don’t buy the warped board. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210/40 "2011-02-23T16:37:06Z")
Get involved in the arts. Find a local community theatre or choral group and go start volunteering on putting together their shows/concerts. You can usually select your level of commitment and if you just want to show up and paint sets a few weekends a month they’ll be happy to have you, and if you want to do something more, they’ll be happy with that too. Theatre people are great, if often quirky, and you’ll get more social time as you get to know them better. Enjoy, Steven [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-a-new-weekend-hobby-with-the-wife-need-answer-fast/572210.md?page=3)