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Thread: Cost versus satisfaction of Hobbies

  1. #1
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    Cost versus satisfaction of Hobbies

    This summer I was involved in three "hobbies". Wet shaving, woodworking, and Coleman lanterns. I got into wet shaving and joined a forum and gradually while reading the posts there I realized I would "need" hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stuff if I wanted to be respected in that community. I recently wanted to shave my head so I bought a bag of disposable razors. A few days later I was in a hurry and needed to shave so I just whipped some shaving cream on my face and grabbed one of the disposables and presto, I was shaved. It was an enlightening experience, kind of like when Percy Jackson stops eating the lotus flowers. What have I been thinking? The same is true, but not to such an extent, in woodworking. Since my wife cross stitches I am also familiar with that hobby and the forums a little; it is also true there but not to the same extent. I have found in Coleman collecting it is not true at all; what gains the most respect in Coleman circles is the ability to fettle an old lantern and get it running again. I have decided to rank the hobbies I know in terms of what they cost versus the satisfaction you gain from them, with low cost and high satisfaction being the goal. Woodworking ranks low simply because of the cost of admission; it has a very high satisfaction rate.

    1) Coleman lanterns
    2) Counted cross stitching
    3) Woodworking
    4) Wet shaving

    What do you think?
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "You don't have to give birth to someone to have a family." (Sandra Bullock)




  2. #2
    Interesting topic Moses. Im not sure where you want to head with it, but as I read your post I started thinking about the cost of WW as a hobby, and the why of it. Heres my $0.02, anyway.

    Before I got my first real job, I built decent, functional stuff with a circ saw, jig saw, hammer and nails that gave me pleasure/satisfaction. It was first apartment type stuff, but I enjoyed building and using it. Years go by and, because I had some disposable income, I started buying some stationary tools. That makes certain jobs easier, but I dont think I could truly say I HAD to have any of it. Then I discovered hand tools. Sigh. Its real easy to get carried away there - and I probably have to an extent. But I get just as much satisfaction - and good work - from a refurbished old Stanley plane as I do from one of my LVs. And I paid much less for the Stanley. Woodworking does have a cost - you have to have SOME tools and lumber CAN be expensive. But I think that sometimes the cost of a hobby is self inflicted, not necessarily required. (Theres a lot of guys making nice stuff from pallets, for example.)

    A buddy of mine does bicycles. When I ride on a weekend, I use a $100 Kmart-type bike. He rides $3000 composite bike that is equipped with strain gauges and Lord knows what else. Another friend is an outdoorsman - believe me, you can get just as carried away with camping and hiking gear. Cars, guns, even stamp collecting - you can make it expensive. But it doesnt have to be so, in many cases.

    I dont know anything about collecting Colemans or wetshaving, but I agree that Cross-stitch can produce beautiful things for a relatively low entry price.

    Im looking forward to hearing other folks describe hobbies with low cost/high satisfaction.
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 12-20-2014 at 8:13 AM.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  3. #3
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    Moses

    I raced bicycles for many years, not so much a hobby as a lifestyle, and now have many thousands of dollars hanging from the water pipes in my basement.
    Woodworking is pretty cheap compared to racing bicycles.
    I guess right now Woodworking and music are my only "hobbies".

    As an aside; One of my various jobs as a kid was assembling the pump/gas valve bodies for Coleman Lanterns in a factory. Haven't touched one is almost 40 years, but I built a zillion of them one summer.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  4. #4
    I used to be in freshwater fishkeeping hobby,had 4-5 huge aquariums,my wife used to say our basement was more like a pet shop lol.
    I guess there's no such a thing as a cheap hobby,if there is then some one is not paying attention to the potential opportunity of making money on it.

  5. #5
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    Hobbies/avocations are certainly dependent on "disposable income", but it's important not to buy into big generalizations around high cost of entry in many cases. Since SMC is a woodworking forum, I'll go in that direction. Yes, we "can" put a lot of money into our shops for tools and what not, but there can be equal satisfaction and amazing craftsmanship that comes from simple tools...obtained for free or at low cost with a little elbow grease added...and free or low cost materials. While we're all human and "tool envy" certainly can come into play, there's no actual reason one cannot enjoy woodworking with a modest budget if they want to. Woodworking doesn't have to entail making large furniture or cabinet installations. It can be small, personal projects made entirely with simple hand tools. It can be carving/whittling...most folks can afford a reasonable quality knife and a stone to keep it sharp. But even those large projects can be done via simple methods and modest tooling. We each need to set our own expectations and remember that the journey to the end result can take many different paths.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    A hobby should provide diversion and satisfaction. We all have to be realistic about what we can afford and how deep we need to get in order for the hobby to satisfy us. Certainly if a hobby brought me levels of angst and longing as opposed to peace and fulfillment I should pick something else. I am quite sure that I have still not spent what I spent on golf before I admitted that I just was not going to get any better at it .

    This doesn't mean I don't drool over "really cool stuff" but, even if I had it, I have no where to put it. If I had somewhere to put it, my interests would be so diverse that I would spend all my time fooling with things and not much time using them. That being said I do know people who spend their entire hobby time "getting ready" to do something. As soon as the are "all ready" they lose interest and move on to something else. We all pick the part of an activity that we enjoy and all forms are valid in my opinion . . . some I don't understand but, that's OK too.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moses Yoder View Post
    This summer I was involved in three "hobbies". Wet shaving, woodworking, and Coleman lanterns. I got into wet shaving and joined a forum and gradually while reading the posts there I realized I would "need" hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stuff if I wanted to be respected in that community.
    How in the world do you sink hundreds of thousands into "wet shaving"?

    I have several "hobbies" none of which am I absolutely gung ho about. WW, photography, biking, kayaking, salt water fishing, boating, they all ebb and flow like the wind, always there but sometimes one really hits me for a bit. Right now I am hitting a peak in my hobby of church audio/video, the difference being that I get to play with, mostly, other's money. The cost of one ski boat will eclipse most any WW shop. With today's new generation smartphones, one could get into photography on a shoestring, as no longer is a darkroom required. It is all about composition, the equipment is a bonus, just like planing with a 24" stationary machine vs an old Stanley.
    Last edited by Ole Anderson; 12-20-2014 at 10:36 AM.
    NOW you tell me...

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ole Anderson View Post
    How in the world do you sink hundreds of thousands into "wet shaving"?
    That's what I was wondering.
    I, as well as most here, have thousands into WW machines. Can't imagine shaving costing that much.
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  9. #9
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    Interesting topic.

    Something that I find kinda funny about WW as a hobby (or rather a trait nearly common/universal to all woodworkers) is we general are frugal and have a mentality that we can do it better for less. And almost all of us started with very little knowledge and/or tools but still felt we could do it better for less.
    I got cash in my pocket. I got desire in my heart....

  10. #10
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    I noticed you mentioned being respected by forums. Why? Do it for your own pleasure not to show off on the Internet.

  11. #11
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    Interesting question. For my hobbies in order of least expensive to most expensive (considering both time and money - I don't have a lot of spare time):

    Futball (soccer) - cheap: Ball and Shoes
    Playing guitar - expensive over lifetime, but cheap now (basically strings)
    Woodworking / metalworking - expensive over lifetime, moderate to expensive now (largely materials, I really don't need more tools - sacrelige I know)
    Reading - expensive. I read a lot.

    Ato the enjoyment quotient, I find these the right mix of enjoyment to cost for me. I had other hobbies, but the others didn't measure up (time and/or money.
    Shawn

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  12. #12
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    i probably spent thousands of dollars flying rc aircraft. eventually i realized my skill level was not enough to justify the continuing outlay of cash every season. so thats it, i have sold all of my stuff and have no interest left for the hobby. Funny how that cycle of interest and apathy works. My main passion now is computers and that seems to fit me quite well for now.

  13. #13
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    Although I can sell a custom surfboard for up to $5k, a kayak for $6k, and a boat for $30k+, for me it's not about making money. It is about the joy, and that is priceless. I am about to drop at least $60k on a shop that will mostly support the hobby, although it is planned that in retirement (many years away- still young) it will be supplemental income. If I break even I am more than happy. The closest we come to God is when we create. Think about it- what really separates us from animals is the ability to create. I love to create, and it is worth it to me to pay $10,000 for hand tools that allow me to continue to do so, or much more for a workshop to do it in. Do I need hardwood floors instead of plywood? Of course not, but looking at the wood every day inspires me. I think of the many years that the tree took to grow the unique pattern of rings, and I want to do it justice. Sorry for getting religious, but for me it is religious. I think of how God created the wood over many years, and I am the one privileged to see it for the first time as I open it up. I feel honored to do the wood justice. The tree sacrificed its life for my art, and I am entrusted to do it justice through my creativity. Can you really put a price on that?

  14. #14
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    Miscellaneous hobbies are for dogs that don't fish.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  15. #15
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    I have almost as much into kites as I do machines.
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