Day 113-Cheap-ass Hobbies

Day 113- Cheap-ass Hobbies

Hobbies are important, I think. After all, idle hands are the devil's playground. But mostly, hobbies allow you to express yourself. They let you explore new ideas and build a life that is more fulfilling.

But hobbies can be expensive. They can clutter your life. They can be pretty darned useless.

So, I present to you my four principles to a cheap-ass hobby.

These are four ways you can tweak or grow a hobby that is fun, fulfilling and inexpensive to your livelihood.

1. Make a hobby out of something you have to do anyway. Lets face it, you still have to eat. You still have to wear clothing (for now). You still have to do a lot of things. So why not make it fun? If you have to eat, learn how to cook well. That way you enjoy what you are eating. If you have to wear clothing, why not learn how to make it? That way, you can save money and take pride in what you wear? Just last week, I wrote about how I turned shaving from a chore to a hobby.

2. Have a free hobby. There are loads of free things to do if you just know where to look for them. If you look in the back of your local free and alternative papers, you can find all sorts of free shows, gallery openings, concerts, etc. But don't forget about other free things that are always free. Instead of buying a new book or DVD, check out the library first. Check and see if your city offers free swimming pools, public beaches, or public parks. My new free hobby is making tourist maps for friends and family on google.

3. Have your hobby pay for itself. Thanks to the internets, we can get a bunch of free stuff and craft it into something beautiful and then resell it. So, if you are craft oriented--if you knit or papercraft or make jewelry or sew, you can get things and then sell it to folks.

4. Share a hobby. Sharing is a great way to save money on a hobby. Split on bulk supplies. Or trade techniques instead of taking a class. Or borrow materials from a fellow hobbiest.

With these four principles, you can be a master of cheap-ass hobbies. And every Wednesday, we share cheap-ass hobbies for you to try. Or ways to make your hobby even cheaper.

Competency Moment for the Day: I ran to work today. Well, mostly. I probably ran for about 1/3 of the time and then walked the other 2/3. Not bad anyways.