Author Topic: Hobby ideas?  (Read 7581 times)

thereserve

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Hobby ideas?
« on: November 27, 2016, 09:10:15 PM »
Hi

I'm wondering what you guys do for hobbies.

Also, when you say its a hobby do you do it totally as a time-waster/rest, or is it something you calculate carefully to improve your life. I have something of an obsession with spending every available block of time on productive pursuits, so I find it hard to "switch off" with my free time.

I think I need a hobby that I can do while resisting the temptation to try and get serious about it.

JLee

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2016, 09:14:46 PM »
I like to go places.

When I'm not traveling, I try to spend at least one night a week at a dance.

« Last Edit: November 27, 2016, 09:16:47 PM by JLee »

sol

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2016, 09:23:28 PM »

alpenglow

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2016, 10:59:33 PM »
Reading. With the library, it's free. I everything, novels and nonfiction and short stories and academic books/journals. Painting (watercolor mostly, some acrylic), drawing, collage. I used to be into needlepoint but not so much these days. I definitely recommend a creative hobby though. My mom played violin, and my grandpa whittled. It's just nice to be able to make something. Also, internet. Tumblr... I love using it to look at art and photography. Postcards. I think those are my main ones.

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2016, 06:13:54 AM »
I garden, raise chickens and breed meat rabbits. All of these are fun, creative, and pay for themselves without too much trouble.

I read voraciously. Used to write fiction a lot but I have bad carpal tunnel. Now that my kids are a bit older I need to see if voice dictation will be workable to get back into it.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2016, 07:07:23 AM »
I think I need a hobby that I can do while resisting the temptation to try and get serious about it.

What about just walking in the forest and when the season is there, start picking 1 or 2 types of edible mushrooms?

In our community there are posts set up in the forest that you can try to find. Or you could do Geocaching, which is for free.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2016, 08:08:53 AM by Linda_Norway »

Heroes821

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2016, 07:17:49 AM »
Definitely not mustacian, but I love to golf as a hobby. I know a lot of retired people get unpaid jobs doing the work at courses for maybe 2 days a week and then they get to golf as much as they want for free.

Since I'm more focused on FIRE now, my free time hobbies are focused more on video games with free multiplayer or tabletop games.  Games like Pathfinder RPG (D&D but better) have open gaming license so all of their content is free online for anyone to use. Play with kids or friends for hours of very cheap entertainment.  As a player and not a DM you really only need 2 sheets of paper, a pencil, and a $5 set of dice that will last you forever.  Probably the cheapest take your brain off of things creative hobby I can think of.

Ben Hogan

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2016, 07:56:17 AM »
I'm a golfer too, have not made any money off it yet, hoping to be teaching golf in the future, except it's a dying sport along with the economy.




Heroes821

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #8 on: November 28, 2016, 08:09:22 AM »
I'm a golfer too, have not made any money off it yet, hoping to be teaching golf in the future, except it's a dying sport along with the economy.





Interesting, the last few years I've ran into many new golfers, I've never gotten the impression it is dying. And being on the MMM forum the economy is so not dying.

Poundwise

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2016, 08:57:31 AM »
Knitting is a great hobby for people who hate unproductivity or waiting. I can knit while reading or watching TV, and it's very portable. It can be as inexpensive or expensive as you like... you can commonly pick up a whole lot of yarn and needles off Freecycle or craigslist, or you can decide that you only find it worth your time to knit cashmere. I don't know if you're a guy or lady, but there are lots of men who knit these days too.

MichaelB

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #10 on: November 28, 2016, 09:10:28 AM »
Also, when you say its a hobby do you do it totally as a time-waster/rest, or is it something you calculate carefully to improve your life. I have something of an obsession with spending every available block of time on productive pursuits, so I find it hard to "switch off" with my free time.

I think I need a hobby that I can do while resisting the temptation to try and get serious about it.

Who says that time-waster/rest and something that improves your life are mutually exclusive?

I've enjoyed vegetable gardening a lot. It doesn't have to be a huge time suck, depending on how much you plant. It just might save you a bit on groceries. It gets you outside and doing a bit of unchallenging physical labor. I personally find the work in the garden FAR more rewarding and cleansing than anything I do at my cubicle job.

Syonyk

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #11 on: November 28, 2016, 09:27:23 AM »
I'm wondering what you guys do for hobbies.

Small electronics development (Arduino, Raspberry Pi stuff, design my own boards).  Flying (Cessnas) - not cheap, but worth it for the range of places it can take us.  Working on my vehicles - saves a lot of money vs taking things to a shop, and if I do take something to a shop, I can smell bullshit a mile away.

Soon: Gardens, chickens, and possibly an aquaponics greenhouse.

Quote
Also, when you say its a hobby do you do it totally as a time-waster/rest, or is it something you calculate carefully to improve your life. I have something of an obsession with spending every available block of time on productive pursuits, so I find it hard to "switch off" with my free time.

I think I need a hobby that I can do while resisting the temptation to try and get serious about it.

I somewhat disagree - I'm the same way, and have been getting more aggressive along those lines.  I pick interesting things to do "for fun" that give me skills I think will be useful in the future.  The small electronics work is towards an end (replacement battery management boards for a particular brand of electric bike), the flying gets us places, and the gardens/chickens/etc will give us, if not a lower food cost, a better handle on what we are eating, where it's coming from, and a radically more resilient food chain (less dependent on the grocery store, able to scale annually as needed).

And I read, a lot.  Mostly non-fiction, though I'll occasionally toss a novel into the mix for variety.

thereserve

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2016, 10:10:12 PM »
Quote
I don't know if you're a guy or lady, but there are lots of men who knit these days too.

Hey - I used to knit in 2nd grade and got tonnes of giggles because I was a boy. and my wife has crochet stuff so I was thinking of trying that soon. Gender is so irrelevant to this, though, its funny you'd bring that up cos old-fashioned people still giggle.

Quote
Who says that time-waster/rest and something that improves your life are mutually exclusive?

I've enjoyed vegetable gardening a lot. It doesn't have to be a huge time suck, depending on how much you plant. It just might save you a bit on groceries. It gets you outside and doing a bit of unchallenging physical labor. I personally find the work in the garden FAR more rewarding and cleansing than anything I do at my cubicle job.

Currently growing Zuchini and beans, jasmine, frangipani, and succulents in pots. This gets me and the kids outside. Due to kids though its more of a chore getting into the garden sometimes. Still a worthy pursuit and helps me to relax. Love the reward of seeing the plants change, and they do so surprisingly fast!

Quote
I somewhat disagree - I'm the same way, and have been getting more aggressive along those lines.  I pick interesting things to do "for fun" that give me skills I think will be useful in the future.


I'll tell you my thoughts here:
1. I have lots of serious hobbies and the learning curve is not so steep anymore. I want my brain to get the payoff of learning interesting new things.

2. To remedy this, I have been doing a new hobby (Thanks for the ideas guys, the winner is:..) garageband-based music making. Specifically ambient/soundtrack/background music. Since I play guitar I tend to think of the "songs"(verse/chorus structure) I can play and that's where it ends.  Now I've challenged myself to pretend that I do not play guitar at all when undertaking this activity. This kind of forces me into a different mindset and i truly feel its "for fun". That really helps to get the stress reduction I needed.

3. Related to 2. but I previously did a little soldering project for fun and I got some electronic stuff, I'm hoping to do a DIY "iRig" type device that lets you play electric guitar straight into a 4-pole audio jack. It's with some future thought that I'll do this, since I do want to work with audio electronics and guitar related stuff in future. It's also something that will save me money, requires prep, and will teach me a physical skill. It's way different to the garageband-based music project above but still related.

The point I am focusing on is that for me it can be hard to put something into a "for fun" mode, since I want to work towards one day and not waste any time... But all work and no play means no relaxation and that's what's getting me nowhere too.

HPstache

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #13 on: November 28, 2016, 10:45:47 PM »
I recently started wine making as a hobby.  So far I really like it, its decently cheap and it makes a lot of new friends!

FINate

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2016, 10:58:46 PM »
Also, when you say its a hobby do you do it totally as a time-waster/rest, or is it something you calculate carefully to improve your life. I have something of an obsession with spending every available block of time on productive pursuits, so I find it hard to "switch off" with my free time.

I think I need a hobby that I can do while resisting the temptation to try and get serious about it.

A hobby for me is neither of these, it's something I do because it's fun, challenging, and I enjoy it immensely. I take my hobbies seriously - that doesn't mean spending huge sums of money, but I actively work to improve whatever I'm doing. I don't see this as improving my life per se, just improving at a hobby simply because it's fulfilling to do something well.

Over the past couple of years I've taken up hunting which for me combines archery, rifle, and wing shooting (shotgun). Each quarry and method of take has its own learning curve, but there's also a lot of overlap in techniques and concerns (for example, scouting and patterning quail during deer season). I spend a lot of time pouring over topo maps and Google Earth and reading regulations, reading field reports, and learning about the biology and ecology. I'm in the Western US so most of my actual hunting days involve long hikes off trail in stunningly beautiful wilderness and long periods of watching wildlife. It's physically demanding and requires patience and self discipline, but also very rewarding. I can easily spend 16 hrs hiking and watching and it's amazing how quickly time passes when I'm in the flow.

The physical demands of hunting are motivation to stay in shape throughout the year, which is part of the reason I also mountain and road bike, both of which I enjoy on their own. Add in some backpacking, fishing and peak bagging, and now there's a large number of combinations for outdoor adventures: backpacking + hunting, backpacking + fishing, backpacking + peak bagging, hunting + fishing, mountain biking + fishing, etc. All different and challenging, but all related and never boring.

MichaelB

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2016, 06:42:03 AM »
I recently started wine making as a hobby.  So far I really like it, its decently cheap and it makes a lot of new friends!

Nice. How long does it take to make a bottle? I think it would be cool to get into it, but I've seen recipes that are supposed to take a year to age. Kinda sucks to wait a year, then realize you screwed something up. You gotta make mistakes to learn, but that's a pretty long learning curve, you know?

Poundwise

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2016, 08:32:53 AM »
Quote
I don't know if you're a guy or lady, but there are lots of men who knit these days too.

Hey - I used to knit in 2nd grade and got tonnes of giggles because I was a boy. and my wife has crochet stuff so I was thinking of trying that soon. Gender is so irrelevant to this, though, its funny you'd bring that up cos old-fashioned people still giggle.


It's true, but back when I had time to do knitting circles, there were often a couple of guys wielding the needles.  I recently read an article about an 86 year old man with cancer who knit 300 hats for premature babies.  I always feel very smug when I sit down to watch a movie and have a scarf or hat finished by the end of the flick.  There are endless free patterns and YouTube instructions for learning how to knit, too, if you need a refresher. Go for it!

FLBiker

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2016, 08:42:05 AM »
I read, play guitar and sing, run and meditate.  I also like vegetable gardening, but we've got a 1.5 year old so that's kind of fallen away.  When she's a bit older (and toilet trained) we'll get back into camping / hiking.

Some people go nuts spending money on guitars, but you absolutely don't have to.  Running is kind of expensive (for me) because I need heavy duty motion control shoes that cost ~$150.  I only get a pair every year or so, though.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #18 on: November 29, 2016, 08:42:59 AM »
Hi

I'm wondering what you guys do for hobbies.

Also, when you say its a hobby do you do it totally as a time-waster/rest, or is it something you calculate carefully to improve your life. I have something of an obsession with spending every available block of time on productive pursuits, so I find it hard to "switch off" with my free time.

I think I need a hobby that I can do while resisting the temptation to try and get serious about it.

My hobbies:

- mountain biking
- road/city biking
- kiteboarding/surfing
- fly fishing
- camping [usually to pursue one of the above]
- photography [usually to document one of the above]
- blogging [usually to report on one of the above]

I do these activities because I love to do them. But I screen out activities that do not involve me doing exercise. I love board games and RC cars, but I intentionally do not pursue those as hobbies because they will encourage me to be sedentary.

I'm currently getting 4-6hrs/week of exercise in the winter and  6-10hrs in the summer. I find at those levels I'm staying healthy, but I don't think I would be happy with my health at lower levels and given my free time any new non-athletic hobby will eat into this exercise time so I screen them out.

I have a motorcycle and if I had more free time I might do some motorcycle trips, but since that would interfere with my human powered interests I only use the motorcycle for trips I would have driven my truck for.

The photography and blogging are obviously non-exercise time, but since I need to be out and about to generate the material I document I'm okay with that. Having sweet photos and well documented trip reports motivates me to get out on new adventures. Additionally I feel positive about getting other folks stoked to be outside and moving their bodies.

Once I am not working at all I may take up a couple non-athletic hobbies because I'll have so much more free time that I'll be able to be as active as I want to be and still have additional time available.

MichaelB

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2016, 09:26:11 AM »
Quote
I don't know if you're a guy or lady, but there are lots of men who knit these days too.

Hey - I used to knit in 2nd grade and got tonnes of giggles because I was a boy. and my wife has crochet stuff so I was thinking of trying that soon. Gender is so irrelevant to this, though, its funny you'd bring that up cos old-fashioned people still giggle.


It's true, but back when I had time to do knitting circles, there were often a couple of guys wielding the needles.  I recently read an article about an 86 year old man with cancer who knit 300 hats for premature babies.  I always feel very smug when I sit down to watch a movie and have a scarf or hat finished by the end of the flick.  There are endless free patterns and YouTube instructions for learning how to knit, too, if you need a refresher. Go for it!

I'm a guy who's knitted before. It's very relaxing--disengages your brain, helps you to do the quiet sort of subconscious thinking that is so hard to do with all the distractions these days. The simplest stuff--like a scarf--you can do after 10 minutes on YouTube. But there's always more to learn, more complex patterns you can learn and execute. And if you get good at it, it's great for gifts, and you can probably turn a bit of a profit selling stuff.

zinethstache

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2016, 09:41:36 AM »
I grew up with one main hobby - riding and showing horses. As an adult, I bought a "registered" Quarter Horse and spent 25 years in a very serious competition hobby. It was very expensive but I then added a second hobby - a business in which I made products and vended at the shows I competed at. This hobby grew, and grew. Paying for the horse and then some.

Now I am retired from both due to severe back issues (yes they likely were part of the reason for this).

I papercraft and color now. I plan to monetize this via my redesigned website, and teaching. I don't plan to start the monetizing effort for awhile because after FIRING (End of Jan), I am going to slow travel for a time.

I do also love to play Disc Golf, Read, DIY any number of projects, play computer games, slow travel in our trailer (we already live in it fulltime).

I personally like a mix of hobbies, some that make money and some that are pure time wasters.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #21 on: November 29, 2016, 08:07:49 PM »
Don't be surprised that you still set aside sedentary hobbies once ERed. ...snip... Now saving the sedentary pursuits until old age.

That wouldn't bother me at all. :)

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #22 on: November 29, 2016, 08:47:26 PM »
I enjoy cooking, hiking or anything outdoors, travel, scrapbooking, collecting board games and drawing. I also have a YouTube channel which I very much enjoy making films and editing them, it's enjoyable and doesn't cost anything (downloaded a great free editor).

HPstache

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #23 on: November 30, 2016, 12:00:51 PM »
I recently started wine making as a hobby.  So far I really like it, its decently cheap and it makes a lot of new friends!

Nice. How long does it take to make a bottle? I think it would be cool to get into it, but I've seen recipes that are supposed to take a year to age. Kinda sucks to wait a year, then realize you screwed something up. You gotta make mistakes to learn, but that's a pretty long learning curve, you know?

It only takes about a month to make a batch of wine (typically 5 or 6 gallons, or 25-30 bottles)... but it is best if you let it age for about 3 months.  Some guys go crazy and let it age for 6 months, but as far as home hobby wine making this is about the extent of "wait time".  You are tasting it well before 6 months, so you'll know you screwed something up long before the big wait.  Check out Winexpert "Eclipse" kits, they are always popular in the home wine making community.  They are a little more expensive, but worth the extra money.

merlin7676

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #24 on: November 30, 2016, 12:24:27 PM »
Quote
I don't know if you're a guy or lady, but there are lots of men who knit these days too.

Hey - I used to knit in 2nd grade and got tonnes of giggles because I was a boy. and my wife has crochet stuff so I was thinking of trying that soon. Gender is so irrelevant to this, though, its funny you'd bring that up cos old-fashioned people still giggle.


It's true, but back when I had time to do knitting circles, there were often a couple of guys wielding the needles.  I recently read an article about an 86 year old man with cancer who knit 300 hats for premature babies.  I always feel very smug when I sit down to watch a movie and have a scarf or hat finished by the end of the flick.  There are endless free patterns and YouTube instructions for learning how to knit, too, if you need a refresher. Go for it!

I'm a guy who's knitted before. It's very relaxing--disengages your brain, helps you to do the quiet sort of subconscious thinking that is so hard to do with all the distractions these days. The simplest stuff--like a scarf--you can do after 10 minutes on YouTube. But there's always more to learn, more complex patterns you can learn and execute. And if you get good at it, it's great for gifts, and you can probably turn a bit of a profit selling stuff.

I'm also a guy who crochets.  It's very relaxing and yarn isn't that expensive. Sometimes I do it solo and just "let my mind wander". Other times I'll be doing it while watching tv or something. I even take it to the coffee shop when I want to "be on my own but still around people".  Get a cheap drip coffee and just kind of unwind. When the weather is nice, I'll even take it to the park and enjoy the outdoors. 
Lately I have been using my all the spare yarn and plastic grocery bags from friends and coworkers to make blankets and mats for homeless people now that winter is here and the weather is colder/wetter.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2016, 12:27:13 PM by merlin7676 »

Syonyk

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #25 on: December 01, 2016, 09:15:24 AM »
Check out Winexpert "Eclipse" kits, they are always popular in the home wine making community.  They are a little more expensive, but worth the extra money.

I know quite a few people who do their own alcohol and most have said, "Get a kit if you're starting out, because there's plenty of other things you can screw up in the process without having to worry about ratios."

Then after a few successes you can start experimenting and going your own way.

I still recall a hot pepper wine I had a number of years ago. :)  That was fun!

trachma

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #26 on: December 01, 2016, 10:03:11 AM »
I sing in a band (by far the cheapest way to go — no equipment expenses!), garden (raising all our own veg and some fruit, eggs, honey), and read, which I have way more time for now. Sometimes I’ll do some local theater, but that comes and goes. I also enjoy a good hike!

MgoSam

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #27 on: December 01, 2016, 10:14:24 AM »
I kickbox, and recently started BJJ (at the same gym).

This is something I wouldn't advise unless you are looking to get really into it because it can be time-consuming. I absolutely love it, so for me the expense of the gym is a price I'm happy to pay.

katscratch

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Re: Hobby ideas?
« Reply #28 on: December 01, 2016, 07:58:51 PM »
I am definitely a person that constantly wants to learn new things, which has sometimes led to spending money on the front end of learning when I could've slowed down a bit and still enjoyed the process.  So for me researching hobbies tends to be a time waster (because I do get a bit obssessive) while participating tends to enrich my life in some way. 

I've always enjoyed camping and hiking, and recently found a love for bicycling.  I feel like these are hobbies where I can take some time to acquire supplies at a slow pace that will match my increase in skill.   

I love reading, and use the library for loads of Kindle downloads. 

Cooking!!  I used to view cooking for myself a very boring chore -- as I've slowly learned my own food preferences, I now regard this as one of my favorite ways to relax.  I'm still very slow, but I truly relish the feel of a knife against a wooden cutting board, or the scent of spices when they warm up in a pan.