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Saving Money on Your Favorite Hobby

July 23rd, 2009 · 1 Comment

Hobbies are wonderful things. Whenever I have a spare hour or so, I love to lose myself in one of my projects. The problem is, though, that supplies for my latest hobby can be pretty expensive. Sometimes, I’m sure my husband must cringe a little when he knows I’ve taken up a new hobby. In an effort to keep our budget in check and to keep from trying his patience, I’ve found a few ways to mitigate the cost of hobbies.

Start Small – The first rule I’ve learned is to curb my enthusiasm for new hobbies for a little while. For instance, when I decided I wanted to take up knitting, I didn’t rush out and buy every new-fangled type of knitting tool I could find. I bought a basic pair of needles at a garage sale and some inexpensive yarn at Wal-Mart. Then, I took out a few books from my library. For under $5 dollar I had everything I needed. Later, when I realized that knitting was not going to be one of my favorite hobbies, I was glad that I hadn’t spent a great deal.

Trade with Friends – Do you have a group of friends who share your hobby? If you do, you can share your love and cut supply costs by hosting a “swap” party with them. Scrapbookers are especially good at this. Have your friends bring their supplies, their current projects, and their enthusiasm. You can trade paper scraps and enjoy yourselves all at once.

Get the Most out of What You Have – Since supplies are so expensive for most hobbies, be sure to use the things you’ve already purchased to their utmost. Care for your tools so that they will last a long time and save scrap materials to use for future projects.

Purchase Supplies on Sale – When you do have to purchase supplies, you should plan ahead so that you can take advantage of sales at your favorite craft store. Gosh, I’ve been known to plan my purchases at Joann’s Black Friday sales a month or two in advance. Use coupons and sales to keep the cost of your hobbies from taking over your discretionary budget.

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1 response so far ↓

  • 1 dawn // Jul 23, 2009 at 10:26 am

    Well, let’s face it, we all only have so much spare time, after work and family obligations, to devote to hobbies, so before you take up a new hobby and run out to the store for supplies, you might want to sit down and consider expenses in advance.

    For instance, runners spend a lot less money on their hobby than golfers. Someone who wants to get their pilot’s license and learn how to fly will spend more money than someone who collects ceramic figurines.

    If, like most people, you have more than one interest, you might want to consider which to pursue in light of expenses.

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