Comments on: 15 Examples of Finding Ways to Enjoy Your Hobbies with Minimal Spending

By: Shauna

Shauna — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:22:49 +0000

I wanna add to the scrapbooking. I work at a printshop where we thow away scrap cut offs all the time on nice paper stocks. the same stuff you buy at a store for 5-6 dollars in a package. I bring them home to scrapbook with and there is tons so much I I cant use it all. I see it go to waste and it bugs me. Visit your local print shop and ask if they will save the scraps for you. You will have more than enough in a weeks worth of time to do 100 scrapbooks for free.

By: Tamara

Tamara — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:05:42 +0000

I…uh…collect stamps. It’s something my late grandpa got me into. I have the original album he gave me when I was 12 (I’m 27 now) and all I have to buy are a few pages to put the previous year’s stamps on, and those only run between $8 – $16.

I’m not uber-serious about my hobby, like having to track down rare issues and such. I buy them in bulk. I got 10 lbs of unsorted US stamps on eBay for $50 last year. You know how small stamps are? Yeah. Imagine what 10 lbs look like.

I think hunting through the box for stamps I don’t have is half the fun of it! It’s like uncovering a little treasure.

Oh, and in that box? Found a stamp from 1860.

By: DB Cooper

DB Cooper — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:03:20 +0000

@Dizz/Dave M: As a coach, I’ve read lots of articles on barefoot running vs. shoes, etc. Of course it’s a huge debate. My runners (cross country) usually run barefoot a couple times a week – but not long distances – generally just strides on the soccer field (well groomed, flat, manicured). I love barefoot running, but have yet to move toward it for my longer distance running. I do plan on trying more of it this summer.

However, most of my running is on rural roads – lots of glass shards, etc. Plus, here in Michigan, there are about four months of the year during which the temps are in the teens or lower – frostbite would be an issue!

By: Dave M

Dave M — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:33:51 +0000

@Dizz/DB: I was wondering if this was going to turn into a barefoot running debate! :-)

By: RobD

RobD — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:08:30 +0000

As a craft hobbyist (miniature soldier gamer) I know *all* about accumulating stashes of projects that would take years to finish. In practice, the most frugal thing to do would be to finish everything before buying anything new…but it’s more humanly realistic to limit oneself to buying one new thing for every one or two finished, and any sort of sensible limit will keep the overall costs reasonable.

By: Sheila

Sheila — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:58:13 +0000

Regarding pets, you can foster a pet from your local shelter. Usually the shelter will provide the food, equipment and medical. The foster parent has little, if any, expense, but gets the gift of unconditional love. Of course, you have to make sure you are okay with letting the pet go to another home, or you can end up adopting it yourself. If you travel, fostering is a great way of having a pet when it’s convenient for you. Once my cat is gone, I plan to foster because I like having animals around, but the bills that come with them might be a bit much after retirement.

By: mary

mary — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:23:53 +0000

Re: I completely agree with you regarding pet surgery. That being said, both of our dogs (dachshunds) have had back surgery (with no pet insurance d/t pre-existing condition for the breed). Before they did, I would have thought people who did that were crazy. Having not grown up with pets, I didn’t understand how attached you can get to a dog until I had one (my refrain-do we really neeed a dog?)
But 3 yrs/4yrs after the surgeries, I would probably do it again,given the money is there. All members of the family realized that by doing this, there would be less money for vacations or other activities and they still said to do it. One of the dogs bounced right back,but the other still has weakness in her back legs (walks like a drunk sometimes)but she is just the most lovable thing! Caring for animals teaches responsibility and compassion, two qualities I value in my kids.

By: Dizz

Dizz — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:44:15 +0000

@#37 DB

I run barefoot and I have absolutely no knee problems.

By: Vicky

Vicky — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:38:31 +0000

@ John S,

Part of being a good pet owner is knowing what you’re willing to do.

If your dog gets cancer, and he’s 12, and you dont’ want to operate or do chemo and instead opt to euthanize? That’s fine. That’s your choice, and as long as the dog doesn’t suffer – then it’s a good choice, and you’ve done right by the dog.

Also I agree – indoor cats cost way less simply because they don’t get as much exposure.

However with dogs – it’s EXTREMELY important to keep them current on vaccines, but make sure you check what vaccines are available. Where I am, the rabies and DHPP are available in 3 year shots, rather than 1. If you go around other dogs, EVER, you need the bordatella shot (kennel cough), and if you have squirrels in your yard, you should consider lepto. Fleas and ticks get on dogs if they step foot on grass, and heartworm takes just ONE mosquito.

And above; a big dog doesn’t eat that much XD My Great Dane eats 4 cups a day. I know some dogs who eat twice that much who are much smaller.. (That is not a testament to their health, though)

By: sylrayj

sylrayj — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:28:28 +0000

About handcrafts, consider alternate sources for materials, such as thrift stores and your own closets. If you cannot resist that $22-per-ball of utterly fabulous and amazing yarn, get just one ball, and combine it with something more affordable or use it as trim. Several yarn sites offer free patterns, and libraries may carry the craft magazines. I completely agree with others’ plans, to work WITH your stash, instead of working FOR your stash… :) Personally, I try to use up 2-5 balls of yarn for each one I buy. In theory, this should go through all of my stash, but I keep receiving yarn as gifts, and whenever someone gives up on trying to learn how to knit, I benefit from their stash-uncluttering efforts.

By: John S

John S — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:59:46 +0000

I disagree with #16 Jules somewhat. I’m not saying people should “choose a pet to be frugal”, but rather, I don’t think that living on a budget means you can’t enjoy your pet and be a perfectly good owner.

I have a 12-year-old cat who hasn’t been to a vet since she was spayed at 6 months. Her health is just fine. If she were to fall ill for some reason, of course I would bring her to a vet. But I am not a believer in shelling out for regular check-ups just because the vet recommends it. I simply don’t agree that that is necessary for an indoor pet who is never exposed to any foreign element.

Just walking in the door of a vet costs at least $50. Heck, my cat is probably far more likely to catch a disease in the vet’s waiting room while waiting for her “healthy” checkup, than cloistered at home. Pets don’t contract diseases from thin air, they get them from other animals, or from transfer off your hands if you’ve been visiting someone else who has pets. This is one reason I always wash my hands first thing when I get in the door, no matter what.

And I’m terribly sorry about Jules’s cat’s renal failure, that is very sad. How much you’re willing to pay for a pet’s medical problems is a very personal decision. Every pet dies of something, so we all end up having to make that choice eventually. I love my cat and I am definitely not looking forward to that stage of her life. I tend to suspect, however, that when the time comes, I will not be inclined to spend very much money on prolonging a terminal condition; in addition to being expensive, it would just break my heart dragging out a long good-bye over several years while I watch her health degenerate. Not to mention, there is a financial threshold above which my responsibility to the humans in my family comes first, and I have to harden my heart and say “ok, X dollars is our limit, and anything above that, we just can’t afford to spend on Fluffy’s medical problems.” It may sound cruel but that’s a reality even in *human* health care sometimes. Just ask any HMO administrator.

You’re welcome to throw back in my face that this makes me a horrible pet owner, and if I can’t afford to (or am unwilling to) mortgage my house to operate on my pet to prolong her life by a few months, that I’m going straight to hell, and/or I don’t deserve to own a pet. I’m sure there will be some who feel that way. I respectfully disagree. I think it’s perfectly congruent to be frugal and financially responsible, AND be a loving pet owner. Before open heart surgery for pets existed, people somehow managed to own pets just fine. I think pet health tends to be a bit over-managed anyway, these days. Just my opinion.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:41:12 +0000

I personally do not consider my cats a “hobby.” They’re family. And much more frugal than children.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:31:17 +0000

Having been board gaming and thrift storing both for 8+ years… I have found a few real gems (maybe once or twice a year) at thrift stores, but most of what you find at stores isn’t all that good. Maybe I’m being elitist? (I’m into “strategy games” and not the “party games” that are typical of mass market.)

What’s great about boardgaming is, for the price of taking four people to the movie, you can buy one game that could keep those same four people entertained for many, many hours.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:26:52 +0000

We like to camp. But I’m not a tent and sleeping bag kind of gal and neither is my DH. Instead, we bought a pop-up camper to make sure that we really liked camping. The next year we traded in the pop-up for a barely used 2 yr old 20ft travel trailer! It has brought our family much joy! We don’t take big fancy vacations to Disney or anything like that…but we do love to go camping. And we go camping several times a month. We keep it stocked with the basics at all times. In the summer, we just need to add the perishables to the fridge inside the camper, hook up the camper to DH’s truck and off we go!!

I also like to scrapbook. It’s easy to get caught up in the newest paper or do-dad. Digital scrapping is fun but I don’t want to sit in front of a computer more than I already do…I like the tactile feeling of paper, glue and scissors! I also bought a Cricut(with a gift card) Expression die cut machine and add cartridges as I can afford it but pay no more than $30 per cartridge(they retail for $89.99). Each cartridge has numerous designs, shapes and some have alphabets that I don’t really need to spend alot on individual embellishments. I cut my own!

By: matt

matt — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:22:43 +0000

For golf you can check with your company, I know here we have a corporate membership to all the area golf clubs, and it rarely if ever gets used because the VP that was the golfer has retired. They do a lottery for the passes that the upper management doesn’t use, but they don’t advertise it, you have to ask around to get into the lotto.

By: Carol

Carol — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:54:08 +0000

Pets (dogs) as hobbies can make you do alot of walking which is good for your health and the dog’s. I love walking my dogs.

By: DB

DB — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:21:42 +0000

The problem with many of these “hobbies” is that they become lifestyles – obsessions, almost – and then can become almost consuming. There have been times in my life, and even now, when some of these on the list have cost me great sums of money…

Hunting – used to absolutely live for it. Firearms, ammunition, *quality* clothing, gear, licenses, travel – none of it comes inexpensively. My cost-per-pound of game meat was not even worth computing!

Fishing – see above for hunting…

Golfing – even with inexpensive clubs and playing the cheaper courses, golfing just once or twice a week throughout the season can really add up.

Camping – especially when you add the kids…sleeping bags (x4), food (x4), various equipment, quality tent (lasts much longer than the cheapies), camping fees, gas…

Someone mentioned biking…a decent bike is a money pit just like a car is…of course, I love to ride, but the more you ride – especially mountain biking – the more bike parts you need to replace.

Someone mentioned running…I run just 30-40 miles per week, but even that requires me to purchase a new pair ($100) or running shoes every 3 months (should be replaced every 300-500 miles. With the shoes being the only thing between me and the pavement, I insist on a quality pair of running shoes – discount brands will put you on the injured reserve. Enter a race once or twice a month and the race fees eat at your budget.

I know that each of these can be done more frugally…but not really!

By: Lily

Lily — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:59:07 +0000

Love my doggies. I like to take them to the park and spend a couple of hours enjoying them watching them play and run. Gets me outside to enjoy sunshine. A pretty frugal and fulfilling activity.

By: Evita

Evita — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:50:30 +0000

About pets: if you really want to be frugal, do not choose a huge dog! big dogs EAT a lot.
I am a cat person myself and the biggest saver is to feed my three kitties high-quality cat food. Your kids will not thrive eating low-cost junk, your pets won’t either (a lesson learning from my student years when I fed my cats grocery store stuff….. big mistake).

And try to keep your cats indoors to save on vet expenses (yes, they get hurt or they will fight with other cats….. ask me how I know!).

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:23:41 +0000

Boating is an awfully expensive hobby. I’ve heard it said that the two happiest days in a boater’s life are the day he buys his boat, and the day he sells it. :)