Author Topic: How to pay for your hobby?  (Read 10728 times)

Cooper

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 3
How to pay for your hobby?
« on: February 21, 2012, 03:51:45 PM »
Hobbies can often be expensive, especially for those most passionate and involved in their chosen hobby. How do you subsidize the cost of your hobby?

I've fallen in love with an expensive hobby: snowboarding. I've been at it for over 16 years and I can't see myself not snowboarding as often as I can. It's addictive, but in a good way. It's not a cheap hobby at all, but I have found ways to pay for my expensive habit.

Current costs for equipment, lift tickets or season passes, clothing, and transportation can all add up to an amount that puts snowboarding into mega luxury categories. A hobby the purist mustiachians would likely avoid.

Let's take a look at the average price for a snowboarder:
new snowboard: $400
new boots: $200
new bindings $200
lift ticket (one day): $60
season pass: $400
jacket: $200
pants: $180
transportation (100 miles round trip for me): $14 per day for gas and snow tires $300+ (which should last 3 years)

I've been working as a part-time snowboard instructor for the last 10 years. I work on one weekend day each week and a few holidays. It's provided me a way to cover nearly all my costs for equipment, season pass, and transportation. In addition it's given me a lot of personal satisfaction and great friendships with people that share similar interests as me.

While teaching snowboarding doesn't pay much I usually earn $30-40 for teaching half a day. I get the other half as free time to snowboard carefree!

Tickets/Season pass: as an employee I receive a season pass for free.

Equipment & Clothing: I get discounts as an instructor (40-50% off new) or I buy slightly used during the summer on craigslist and ebay (usually 60-80% off). You can keep equipment for several years as well.

Transportation: I've found a few college students that want a ride to the mountain, but don't have the coin to purchase snow tires for their own car. They will pay me around $5 per trip to cover all or nearly all of my gas costs. I purchased four slightly used snow tires for $100 on craigslist and have used them for the last 2 winters.

So to recap the costs for a snowboarding mustachian:
snowboard: $150
boots: $70
bindings $70
season pass: $0
jacket: $60
pants: $50
transportation (100 miles round trip for me): $4 per day for gas and snow tires $100 (or $33 per year if I replace every 3 years)

If I teach 20 days per season:
Total annual hobby expenses: $513
Typical income for year: $600-800 (pretax)

I think a large part of the mustachian ethos is to live life in an enjoyable way, to maximize fun while minimizing costs. I think with creativity one can enjoy expensive hobbies, while still maintaining their mustachian status. I'm interested to read what others are doing to subsidize their hobbies/sports/passions.

td

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 12
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2012, 07:42:32 PM »
This isn't an answer to your question, but your hobby keeps you healthy and active, which has many benefits including financial in terms of reduced health care down the road.

I'd say as long as it isn't significantly hindering your financial goals, I wouldn't worry about the costs of such a hobby.

If you were talking about shoe shopping or coin collecting I would have a different opinion.

Ramses

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 10
  • Location: CA
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2012, 08:00:52 PM »
I can relate Cooper. This has been my first year snowboarding and after going to the mountains 10 times, I can see how could it be a very expensive hobby.

I take a simple approach. Shop tickets with discount a few weeks in advance or going 1/2 day at night (something like $28 for a lift ticket), go to places that offer "after two tickets, 3rd one free (I also won a two-lift tickets raffle) and use my efficient 11 years old 36mpg vehicle to go up and won the mountain.
As far as equipment, it was quite affordable. I was lucky enough to have a friend acquire snowboarding pants and jacket for me as a gift. I purchased new boots on sale at the end of last season (about $100), A cheap beanie and some gloves from a drug store were adequate. I purchased a used board with bindings off CL for $25 and spent the summer reading about sanding, painting and tuning snowboards, and then did just that.

My theory was: If I suck at snowboarding, I will suck equally on a $400 board or a $25 board. The opposite should apply.
At the end of this season my board is ready for a new sanding process and painting design.
Also spent the summer analyzing snowboarding videos, taking youtube lessons and then applying the concepts at the mountain.

Finally, I spent no money on other hobbies/pleasures. My expenses so far are extremely low so that's all my advice

dancedancekj

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 78
  • Location: Nebraska
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2012, 08:28:29 PM »
I have two hobbies that kind of pay for themselves, or at least contribute a bit of cash flow. Both are biological in nature - aquariums, and gardening. What's kind of cool about both of these hobbies is that you can literally create something from nothing *it's ALIIIVE, mwuahaha*. No, literally, you just pop a couple of seeds in the ground or buy a couple guppies, and all of a sudden without thinking you have something of value.

Given that I am an avid aquarium hobbyist. I utilize my aquariums as both my visual pieces (I have aquariums in place of my TV, artwork, and as focal pieces of my living spaces) as well as light sources in the rooms they are in (if I have to have the light on to see, might as well be having it serve several functions instead of just for visualization).
I have both saltwater and freshwater tanks. The freshwater tanks have provided a bit of income for years. I have bred a lot of tropical fish, and have also grown a lot of aquatic plants that I can then either resell on Craigslist/Ebay (check out Aquabid for some of the more outrageous sales regarding rare fish and plants) or trade in with my local fish store for either a discount, profit, or a favor.
I've sold some of my excess guppies, swordtails, and cichlids for a couple bucks here and there. Common aquarium fish aren't all that practical, but one can raise some of the more prolific fish for generations on mere pennies for food, heating, and water changes (instead of having to buy new fish every generation). Some of the more pricey fish, such as the African cichlids from Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika have a decent market, and one would be able to sell juveniles or adults for a bit more if you can find a market for them in the local area.
Aquarium plants are also an interesting venture, since some of the more lucrative items can be shipped around the country or even overseas. Creating a business would probably require a semi-tropical environment and acres of greenhouse space in order to turn any sort of profit, but I can make a few bucks here and there from extra trimmings or rootings of plants, as well as trading for new plants, fish, or supplies.
I just started a small 2.5 gallon saltwater reef tank with an LED light bulb. My idea was not only to just have a reef aquarium for my personal fascination, but it again, serves as a desk lamp for ambient lighting, as well as a propagation tank that I will be able to sell coral fragments or "frags" from. A small 1x1" frag of coral can bring in $20, and for some of the more quick growing corals this can be a very easy way to make a little cash, since with the new LED technology electricity use for lighting is very low (compared to metal halides or fluorescent bulbs) and the saltwater mix is mere pennies for a small saltwater reef.
The freshwater tanks, in addition to providing me with pleasure from watching my fish breed, grow, and flourish in an artificial environment, also provide me with nutrient-rich water for my houseplants and my gardens, which is the second hobby of mine.

Gardening is awesome, since it allows me to spend time outside. I cut down on the time spent on my lawn watering, feeding, weeding, and mowing since I am slowly covering it with hardy perennials. Composting reduces the waste generated from the kitchen, aquariums, and junk mail. Veggie gardening in an efficient manner allows me to cut down on the costs for my food, enjoy fresher produce, and give me satisfaction at accomplishing such a primal and simple task.
It's almost alchemical in nature. I can pop a seed in the ground, water it and watch it, and it grows before my eyes. I might start referring to my garden as my "Green Mustache" this summer, because just like some investments, it automatically throws off great benefits with a little bit of work and thought.
But really, it is magical. I can take a plant, such as a catnip plant (Nepeta sp.) and divide it into several sections, then plant all those sections. Give it a season, and I'll have 4 plants of the same size. Give me a box of sand, some rooting hormone, and several stems of the catnip plant, and I'll have 100 little plants that will grow to the same size in two seasons. That sunflower I planted? It just generated 100 new little seeds that can then become a 100 little sunflowers that will generate 100 little seeds themselves the next year! I could sell the seeds, give them to a new gardener, or swap the sunflower seeds for something different online.

Given that perspective, every other kind of hobby seems kind of expensive in a sense :)

Balance

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 47
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2012, 12:18:58 AM »
This isn't an answer to your question, but your hobby keeps you healthy and active, which has many benefits including financial in terms of reduced health care down the road.

I'd say as long as it isn't significantly hindering your financial goals, I wouldn't worry about the costs of such a hobby.

If you were talking about shoe shopping or coin collecting I would have a different opinion.

I agree with td.  My hobby of choice is golf and basketball.  Both of these activities keep me healthy. For some golf is an expensive sport but I normally play at a local courses that give out daily deals especially if you play twilight hours like me and my buddies. We normally play for $20 a round, we always walk it and never take a cart. $20 for 5 hours of exercise and entertainment to hang out with your buddies and blow off some steam is relatively cheap.  If we were to go out to a bar or a sporting event we would easily pay much more just for parking alone. My other hobby basketball is relatively free.  Sometimes we rent out a gym which costs $5 per person for a 2 hour rental. I would never go into teaching golf or coaching basketball as I run my own business and my time is better used taking on more fee work. I use my hobbies as an escape from work.

Mike Key

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 247
  • Age: 41
  • Location: Nomadic
  • Entrepreneur & Adventure Seeker
    • Tiny House - Big Backyard
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2012, 05:41:33 AM »
I thought the whole point of FI was so I could enjoy my hobbies and pursuits. And not be burdened by debts and trying to pursue my hobbies at the same time, thus being stuck in the cycle of paycheck to paycheck.

I think most people in life try to have it all at once which is why they get stuck. For me, a little delayed gratification means I'll get to enjoy all this, by waiting while I take care of other business.

velocistar237

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1424
  • Location: Metro Boston
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2012, 06:42:27 AM »
My hobbies are/were thrifting (get clothes for cheap for myself, can resell clothes for profit), photography (expensive, can take better product photos, have shot weddings and headshots for profit), weightlifting (cheap, good for me), and hiking (easy to keep cheap if you do it locally). I've also done geocaching, sewing, and a few other things I forget. Too many hobbies, too little time.

Ideally, a hobby could support itself without effort, but we fall in love with them often regardless of cost, and giving them up would be on the level of deprivation. It seems like you've done a good job containing the costs of a potentially very expensive hobby.

Keep good track of hobby related expenses and make sure you're not fooling yourself. If the expenses are getting too high, figure out a different way to do it or a similar hobby that you can do cheaper. Jacob from ERE does competitive sailing. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Matt K

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 332
  • Location: Canada
    • Krull Photography
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2012, 06:47:10 AM »
Mike, I don't think the activities we enjoy need to be delayed - we just need to be smart about how we spent our time versus our money. If we want everything done and handed to us ready to go (semi-mature plants, guided ski vacations, hung artwork) it can be a huge money drain. But when you are willing to put a little muscle into it, it doesn't have to be a debt-inducer.

One of my goals is that my hobbies should all be cost-neutral going forward. I don't need to earn money for my time (it is a hobby after all), but I'd like to cover my costs. I'd thought of getting my instructors certification for snowboarding as Cooper has done, but in the end I didn't want to make the time commitment to teach two nights a week and weekends. In the summer I teach Mountain Biking, but since I'm also using that as an experience to learn how to run a business, it is currently not doing so well on the "cost neutral" front - first lesson: self promotion is F***ing hard.

I enjoy writing, and am trying to do that on a regular basis. While it doesn't cost me anything, I still get a great deal of pride when someone feels my work is worth paying for. So far I've had one (paid) article printed in a magazine.

On the arts and crafts side of things, I enjoy making jewelry (well, assembling beaded jewelry, which I call the finger-painting of the jewellery world). The tools are cheap ($30), and depending on where you get your supplies, they can be as expensive as buying a completed work (buy through a store front, pay $15-$20 for the materials to make a nice necklace), or dirt cheap (local ebay seller: $4 for same materials). A necklace comparable to what I do sells on Etsy for betwen $25 - $45. So hopefully once I've got a few more pieces I'm sufficiently proud of, I'll start offering them up there.

Its amazing how pretty much any activity that produces something (whether it be painting, assembling beaded necklaces, or raising fish) can earn a dime. Chances are, if you make it, someone out there wants it, but doesn't want to put in the effort to do it themselves (seedlings! it never ceases to amaze me how much people pay for a germinated tomato plant). And if you don't make it, but it takes skill, there is a market to teach it - and teaching is incredibly rewarding in its own right.

onehappypanda

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 238
  • Location: Columbus, Ohio
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2012, 06:59:34 AM »
I think for me it's just a matter of containing the costs and considering the benefits.

Biking is a hobby for me, and it does come with costs (the bike and maintaining it). But it more than pays for itself in the gas and parking money that it saves AND it's good for my health.

I consider fitness in general a hobby, and I'm always looking for free or reduced ways to stay fit and active. So I run ($90/year for shoes), bike (see above), and take a lot of online/podcast fitness classes because that's a load cheaper than taking classes in a gym. And the benefits: health, energy, stress reduction.

Reading/writing are hobbies but I try to keep costs low. I get most of my reading material from libraries, so it's free. I do most of my writing on my computer, though I do have a cheap "idea book" that I carry around with me, but it lasts quite awhile. Someday I would like to develop a little side business informally coaching/editing the promotional writing for small businesses or young professionals around me, but right now I don't quite have the time.

I suppose there are more expensive hobbies I've love to get into but they just aren't realistic for me right now, in my financial situation. Someday when I have more of an income and more financial freedom I'd like to check those out.

So in general, I guess my answer is: if a hobby saves me money and/or can be done cheaply, then I'm all over it. I leave more expensive hobbies for more prosperous days. I do think some hobbies can be turned into money makers but for some people that might reduce the enjoyable, relaxing aspect of the hobby itself, so I tread with caution there.

MsLogica

  • Guest
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2012, 07:52:50 AM »
I'm quite lucky in that my hobbies are fairly cheap.  I read, play the piano, blog, do gardening and dabble in photography.  I'm not sure that I could re-coop money on these hobbies, although I can and do sell books sometimes.  My hobbies are for fun, and I am happy to spend some of my wages on them.  I don't feel that they need to be self-financing.

I guess that if I did do a sport like skiing or snowboarding I might feel a little differently, given the costs involved!  But then, if snowboarding was the main way I spent my free-time, maybe I could justify that cost.  When I bought my new piano after Christmas, I looked at the cost of the model I wanted, worked out how many hours over the year I would probably use it, and calculated an hourly cost of the item.  Assuming I only practised for two hours a week, the piano would cost me £4 an hour of practising (also assuming I only used the instrument for a year, which I won't.  It was a life purchase!).  I thought this was reasonable (a piano lesson would cost a lot more!).  I find these quick calculations a good way for me to judge the value of what I'm adding to my life.

palvar

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 73
  • Age: 11
  • Location: Philadelphia
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2012, 08:14:50 AM »
...and take a lot of online/podcast fitness classes because that's a load cheaper than taking classes in a gym.

I've never thought of fitness podcast - that sounds great.  Do you have a recommended one to follow?

Guitarist

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 210
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Kansas City
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2012, 08:17:08 AM »
Playing guitar (and a few other instruments) and lifting (recently started).
I bought a bowflex from some friends who rarely used it, and though I like it, I will probably sell it to buy some free weights and a bench when I buy a house. It does quite a bit but it still has limitations.
In college I was in a band. Though we did get paid for gigs, eventually a couple of the guys (we were an 8 piece ska band) got on a power trip. A few people left due to graduation and the two guys used it as a reason to overhaul the band. They didn't pay me my share of our earnings so I got diddly, other then the experience, which was fun for the most part. I was pissed more about the deception then anything else, as ska wasn't my true cup of tea. But since I've jammed with some friends but never did any paid gigs. My parents got me two of my guitars. Since I paid for my Fender Strat (first big purchase I ever made and yes, American made), a resonator (cheap deal off musician's friend), and a Fender P Bass (from a friend of a friend, got the bass and its amp for $300, college students gift from mom and dad probably and they needed money I guess).
I haven't really bought anything since I graduated which is fine because I have all I need.
Now I've focused on learning some of the free recording software that's out there to put down some ideas I come up with and hopefully turn them into songs. If I really want to I could try to make money off it. I'd like to form a blues/rock band and do a little gigging on weekends but I haven't put a lot of time into looking around for people to play with. I've also been interested in learning to play the drums, if I can't find anyone to play with, I figure I can record all the instruments myself!
A hobby is a hobby. If it can make you money great, but as long as it's not a money pit, you should be able to put some money down on having fun. Just be reasonable and always weigh the money you spend on it vs. the days it takes away from early retirement.

Val

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 13
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2012, 08:22:31 AM »
I agree with Mark... I don't think hobbies and activities we like should be delayed until we achieve FI. The ultimate purpose of FI is having time to do the things you like!
I enjoy painting and I am in the process of improving my technique with acrylics. I could enroll in expensive studio classes, join a group painting trip to Tuscany, or hire a private art instructor, but all of these options would certainly hinder my early retirement goals. However, instead of postponing my desire to paint, I'm using high quality tutorials and self-learning training materials for free or very cheap on the internet. I still feel I'm feeding my passion and that I'm becoming a better painter with time.
As with most things, it is a matter of finding a balance between your short term desires and your long term FI goals.

Mike Key

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 247
  • Age: 41
  • Location: Nomadic
  • Entrepreneur & Adventure Seeker
    • Tiny House - Big Backyard
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2012, 08:50:27 AM »
Well I don't think a car hobby is practical for me at this point in time. Not everyone shares the same hobbies, and some hobbies spending loads of cash is unavoidable. For me, I've been wanting to purchase and rebuild a VW Westfalia Vanagon. The cost of that hobby is far greater than my camping, kayaking and rock climbing hobby. Thus my delayed comment.

Mrs MM

  • Administrator
  • Bristles
  • *****
  • Posts: 367
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2012, 10:00:05 AM »
It's great to have hobbies as they are a key part to enjoying your retirement! 

My expensive hobby is crossfit.  The cost ranges from $120-150 per month, depending on the type of membership I get.  I opted for the cheapest one so that I get to work out twice a week + one extra day on the "FREE" day that my gym has.  I also turn off my membership when I'm away, so I save about 2 months of the cost per year.  That's still $1200 per year though, but it supplies a lot of social time (which is sometimes lacking being a parent) and plenty of fitness.

Another hobby that costs me money is gardening.  I probably spend between $100-$400 per year on this, depending on the year and the plants and materials that I end up buying.  I love gardening though and it is a family activity that we all do together.  Plus, we can produce some of our own food this way.

Other things I enjoy are hiking, camping, biking, and traveling.  I think that hiking, camping, and biking are things that save money, as I don't drive out of my way to do them, or we do them while traveling.  The traveling part though can get very expensive.  We have been limited in our traveling due to having a child, so we try to stay local and do road trips and more simple kinds of travel (instead of jetting off to Europe or Australia, for example).  Luckily we did plenty of travel before having a child, so I got some of it out of my system.

Mostly, I enjoy the simple things in life... the day to day moments.  Reading a book, going to the library, going for family walks, cooking (just learning to like this more these days), etc.  If I feel like I'd like some thrills, I go mountain biking.  I used to ski a lot, but haven't been at all since having our son.  I don't miss it at all and these days, ski passes are way more expensive than they used to be here (over $800 for a season pass, I think) and the experience is often negative with crowded lift lines and traffic there and back.  It's not worth it for me anymore.

Matt K

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 332
  • Location: Canada
    • Krull Photography
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #15 on: February 22, 2012, 11:22:36 AM »
I used to ski a lot, but haven't been at all since having our son.  I don't miss it at all and these days, ski passes are way more expensive than they used to be here (over $800 for a season pass, I think) and the experience is often negative with crowded lift lines and traffic there and back.  It's not worth it for me anymore.

Skiing (and snowboarding) can be incredibly expensive activities. But I've been amazed at how much savings there are to be had by finding ski groups.

Most my local ski hills offer four person night-ski season passes for about $100 per person (versus $350 - $600 for a single full season pass). Night skiing bonus - much smaller lines!

A few years ago I joined the local Military/DND ski club (I'm a civilian) for $20/year. This entitled me to roughly $10 off any day pass at any local hill, and I could get any of the package deals without having to find three other people. They even rent gear for $80/season.  They've since opened up to the public, so anyone can join (http://www.ncskiclub.ca/). It's a pretty good deal for families not wanting to buy gear for their growing kids every year.

Not counting gas to the ski hill, you could do a full season of skiing, gear included, for $200. That's not too shabby.

The Nortel ski club managed to out last their company, and I've gone on a ski trip with them. We bussed down to Whiteface. Cost was $65 per person (a day pass was $66, so I saved a buck and got a free round trip).

Local ski clubs are an amazing way to trim the cost of skiing to something far more manageable.

So, while it doesn't answer Cooper's question of how to you subsidize skiing, something he's got figured out, it may help someone else looking to save some money without giving up skiing.

Ben

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 123
  • Location: SC
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #16 on: February 22, 2012, 11:46:44 AM »
I teach a liesure skills class at my local university, which gives me enough extra cash to justify travel/equipment for my ultimate frisbee habit.

totoro

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2188
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2012, 02:24:14 PM »
My boys snowboard and ski.  It is quite expensive but we get around some of the costs by doing two one-week inclusive packages at the ski mountain each year. The cost is $300 each kid for five days 2x a year ($600 a year total each kid) and it includes full-day lessons, lift tickets and equipment.  It would be less expensive if we lived closer to the place we ski and the kids could join the school team.  In Canada I get a $500 fitness tax credit per child and so the actual cost is about $420 each for the two weeks.

Anyway, both of them are quite good now and we'll continue this and see if they can become instructors later on if they want to continue and get paid to do it.  It would be a fun weekend job while they are in college/university.

For us adults, we have taken up fishing.  We have a small fishing boat and go prawning, crabbing and fishing at a spot about 20 minutes from us.  Costs us a bit but we get to eat the catch.  We also garden a fair bit.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10880
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #18 on: August 07, 2012, 11:57:38 PM »
I guess that's why I spend more time on some hobbies like cooking and reading and exercise, which are free or nearly so, and less on quilting.  Then again, I built up a quilting stash years ago before I got frugal.

205guy

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 25
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2012, 11:07:20 PM »
Hi, first time poster here. I just wanted to say that there are 2 sides to this debate: making money from your hobby (the original question) and keeping it cheap. In the first case, people are objecting to the fact that even if you are teaching snowboarding, it's no longer YOUR time. But it sounds like the OP enjoys the teaching part (others might not) and it adds another aspect to his love of snowboarding (passing on the skill and meeting people of like mind)--so win, win. I often think that when there are very nice solutions like that (teach part-time, get a free pass to save money), it might be worth pushing yourself (stretching your comfort zone) to give it a try. I've been in a somewhat similar situation, I tried, and didn't enjoy the teaching so much. Later, when family came along, it was downright impossible, because it was THEIR time as well.

But one suggestion I had to make skiing and snowboarding cheaper: skip the lift ticket and go randonnée. Again, not for everyone, but your mind and your body will get more exercise, and you will become one with the moutain. You could still teach if you wanted to (essentially become a mountain guide--though that may invovle some certification) and then you're making money again.

Posthumane

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 396
  • Location: Bring Cash, Canuckistan
    • Getting Around Canada
Re: How to pay for your hobby?
« Reply #20 on: September 06, 2012, 03:15:27 PM »
I'm going to revive an old(er) thread here as this is something I've been trying to tackle lately. I have some very anti-mustachian hobbies that I accrued during my lifestyle inflation years (post university, making good money for the first time, must buy into everything I've wanted to do...) and I would like to reduce their costs. The most expensive one by far is flying. A few years back I took flight lessons (very pricey) and soon afterwards I bought an airplane. I paid for about half of it in cash and half line of credit, which I paid off last October. I probably would have paid if off sooner but the operating costs of the plane turned out to be much higher than my expectations. The first year I paid close to $10k in maintenance alone, and over $4k the year after that. This year I've reduce the maintenance cost significantly by finding a private mechanic who could work with me, letting me do most of the labour and inspecting/signing off on it, which brought my maintenance cost down to $1.2k. Now, that's still quite a bit and my overall expenses for running the plane for a year (maintenance, fuel, oil, insurance, parking, etc) comes out close to $10k even with doing most of the work myself.

I did a YMOYL type evaluation earlier this year and decided that, while I like flying, the amount I'm spending on it doesn't bring me an equivalent amount of happiness. After that I've been trying to sell the aircraft, but it hasn't moved yet (aircraft are much slower to sell than cars, especially in a down economy). However, I've recently come to an agreement which will allow me to fly basically for free, and maybe even profit a bit by adding value to the aircraft. I'm going to be "sharing" the aircraft with a few student pilots over the next few months. The amount they are paying me will cover not only their direct operating cost but also the fixed costs of the aircraft (maint, insurance, etc) which means any flying I do will just be for the marginal cost of fuel and oil. There is also a good chance that their payments may cover some upgrades to the aircraft which I'd been putting off, which will hopefully increase its value for when I do finally sell it.

It's a win-win situation as the students get a cheaper aircraft to fly over renting one for their lessons or buying aircraft individually, and I split my costs several ways. This is something people could do with other expensive hobby assets which aren't used all the time, such as boats, RVs, or whatever else excites you. I suppose a person could even start a small coop with a few people for things like expensive camera gear if they have a photography hobby. I've been thinking of something similar to support my vehicle/building hobby by starting a communal workshop/makerspace, but I don't yet know how to go about doing it.