What is your most expensive hobby?

[badhabits]

Watches. I've spent more on those than anything else. After that it's probably fragrances. As a family, our travel budget far exceeds all other hobbies.

Oh yeah, that's a slippery slope. I backed off but still have 5, not including 3-4 vintage from younger days.

Pocket/folding knives is another, we've touched on that before. Thankfully, as a lefty the choices are quite limited.

 

[pluribus]

I would say music concerts and festivals.
In the past it used to be just for myself, but I have a 21 year old daughter and a 16 year old son and they "still" like to go with me. I'm kinda of a heavy metal freak, so, any chance I get I travel and stay in hotels to watch some gigs. I'm not a camper person nowadays. I already spent 750€ on tickets for 2024 to surprise them on Christmas.

 

[Poul Hansen]

Buying, restoring old guitars, mandolins and ukuleles but I can't find many interesting ukuleles worth restoring and restoring vintage high end road bicycles and building lightweight bikes. I just finished a 4.4 kg bike project.
I have a Mandolinetto with that other girl on the back in the post

 

[ksiegel]

I've got maybe $ 3 grand invested in ukes, spare strings, parts, books, etc..

$14K in my biggest hobby. I have $6K in firearms, $5K in ammunition, and $3K in assorted parts and gear.
Yes, I'm a "gun nut". I conceal carry, and I have one of those Evil Assault Rifles; though mine is for the little .22, not military caliber.

I shoot a lot better than I play ..

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I haven't had time to go to a range in over 25 years, so my carry permit stays locked up with the hardware, unless and until I have the opportunity to practice. The bulk of those are .22 plinkers, anyway, not something I'd even consider carrying loaded.

 

[oldjazznut]

I haven't had time to go to a range in over 25 years, so my carry permit stays locked up with the hardware, unless and until I have the opportunity to practice. The bulk of those are .22 plinkers, anyway, not something I'd even consider carrying loaded.

Be sure to keep it renewed. In my state it's $50 for five years, I get my fourth one in July. I mail a form and money, they make sure I've behaved myself, and mail the new one. If I let it lapse I'm back to square one. My carries are a comfortable .32 caliber. My magnum days are over.

 

[rwsmythe]

Racing blue water sailboats. Had a 35' J105 15 years ago. It was a blast, but between marina fees, hauling her out annually, new sails, miscellaneous repairs...time and money sink.

Astronomy. It is not expensive until you turn around and notice that your scope multiplied, got bigger, mounts had to be upsized, and adding cameras meant adding a mount computer, auto focuser, etc...etc...

Of course, before the boat there were musical instruments...I found that I had a very strong preference for certain instruments depending on which genre I was playing. Not the cheapest way to go about things, for sure.

 

[TerryM]

Leading up to ukuleles it has been cars, then old racing bikes, high-end home stereo, and with a sprinkling of watches thrown in. At least I haven't spent anything on those since uke addiction took over.

Edit: somewhere between 10-speed bikes and stereo stuff there was a ~5 yr run of flyfishing gear. Rods, reels, waders, vests, nets, pincers, clippers, lines, tippets, books, rod blanks, guides, thread to build my own rods, and flies, flies and more flies.

 

[ailevin]

When my five boys were younger, I used to say that my money was mostly tied up in food and childrens clothing. Since retiring and getting all the kids through school and beyond early life crises, I actually more discretionary funds even though my sensibility is that everything has gotten so expensive.

I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy other hobbies, and I think about them in terms of initial investment vs. continuing investment. I think amateur astronomy has been my most expensive hobby in terms of equipment. Once I settled on telescopes, eyepieces, and mounts (notice the plural) the only continuing expenses are fees and occasional assessments to belong to a small group that owns a dark sky facility about 100 miles from here, and the gasoline to travel there and back. A more recent adventure with birding led to investing in high quality binoculars and a lesser amount in books. A good quality grinder and espresso machine and plumbing it in was initially expensive, but now it is only the cost of coffee and parts now and then--I do my own repairs. The amateur astronomy, birding, and coffee gear all have a fairly long lifetime and none are expensive to keep up, though there are other continuing expenses.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

I’m a confirmed cheapskate. I suppose my hobby (and I do indeed enjoy it) is making stuff last as long as possible.
I still have and use the same two Zebco fishing reels, stringer and tackle box I owned as a teenager.
owned the same Browning rifle, Winchester pump shotgun, and Beretta 9mm short (.380) pistol since 1990.
My primary car is 16 years old, and runs as well as it ever did.
My Husqvarna Model 35 chainsaw is over 35 years old and the kill switch finally went bad today. In other words, it wouldn’t stop running until it ran out of gas.

 

[peanuts56]

Probably golf, ukuleles and African Percussion.
We’re both retired, no children, worked hard and invested wisely.
We have enough to pay for what we need and also for some of the things we want. Lot to be thankful for.

 

[Jan D]

The amount I have shelled out for my small family of ukuleles is ridiculously low compared to the amount I have spent on celtic harps over the past 24 years. Even my small, 30 year old harp cost more than my most expensive ukulele. Now that I think about it, pretty much every other musical instrument I’ve ever owned has cost me more than my most expensive ukulele. Of course, I had an actual salary coming in during those years. Retirement is wonderful, but it eviscerated my disposable income and introduced me to much more affordable instruments. I figure I’ll soon be considering plastic penny-whistles and ocarinas next.

EDIT: I was saved from what could have been my most expensive hobby by the existence of public libraries and the advent of the Kindle. As a frequent, and fast, reader, there is no way my meager life earnings could have supported my voracious appetite for books. My name is Jan, and I am a recovering English major …

 

[Kenn2018]

Cumulative, books are far and away my most expensive hobby. And I don't mean rare books. I have literally purchased and gotten rid of tens of thousands of books over the years. Fiction & non-fiction. Hardcover, paperback and now electronic.

It's very difficult divesting of my books for our upcoming move. Up to over 1000 and that's less than half of what we have in the house.

I have collected compact disks since they first came out. I was up to 5,700 but have begun to get rid of them. A very eclectic collection, though at 2200+ Jazz is my largest genre.

 

[captain-janeway]

Mopeds. A stable of 40 yo bikes need constant work, hunting for parts etc. You need multiple bikes because they break down often. Mo peds, Mo Problems.

 

[eternal tinkerer]

Used to be mountain bikes. Since 2004 I've had a whole string of custom mountain bikes - some with full suspension, others front suspended, still others with no suspension but fat and sort-of-fat (plus) tires, some that had smaller wheels and folded for travel, and a couple that carried cargo including small children. Among those were a few frames I designed myself and then sent to fabricators to weld in the exact geometry and fit that I specified.

These days my most expensive hobby is the experimental and collecting part related to playing ukulele. Doesn't have to be, but I'm kind of ok with it!

 

[miqbri]

I guess food, if you would consider eating out a hobby
For a 'real hobby', definitely firearms. That ate about ~$20k between 2020 and 2023, though I am little over it and getting rid of most of my guns. It's just pretty expensive with the ammo prices ($100 per range trip) and I am not having that much fun shooting paper over and over.

Other than that, no expensive hobbies really. Maybe I will turn ukuleles into expensive one but I would first like to learn to play at least a little..

 

[Wiggy]

Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Medical is starting to add up for both of us, travel has diminishing returns compared to the cost, and normal home bills, taxes, and maintenance are "through the roof," so to speak.

On the bright side, I have little I need to spend on my hobbies consisting of very capable PA/DJ systems, down to one motorcycle, many things that go "bang," and music media. New music has gotten so bad that I rarely purchase anything new, but still actively collect CDs. I sold 90% of my LPs. I still run O27 trains and that also is in the "don't need any more" state.

Wifey's sewing obsessions are in relative stasis (just got her a new Brother Innov-ís Stellaire w/XJ2 upgrade + fabric, fabric, fabric) and should stay that way for a while. Well, except for the fabric part

Right now the challenge is obtaining and keeping 3 reliable family vehicles going. New? Fugget-about-it!

Oh, ukuleles! I'm fortunate to be happy with those I have. I do yearn plan to invest $500 in another, post holidays.

 

[pmorey]

I have to say, for only two pages so far, this is one of the most interesting threads I've read!

 

[badhabits]

Used to be mountain bikes. Since 2004 I've had a whole string of custom mountain bikes - some with full suspension, others front suspended, still others with no suspension but fat and sort-of-fat (plus) tires, some that had smaller wheels and folded for travel, and a couple that carried cargo including small children. Among those were a few frames I designed myself and then sent to fabricators to weld in the exact geometry and fit that I specified.

These days my most expensive hobby is the experimental and collecting part related to playing ukulele. Doesn't have to be, but I'm kind of ok with it!

Oh yeah, I had a folder that I took to Italy a few times...got it after taking a full size roadie, what a PITA! Any SS/single speeds in that collection? FG/fixed gears?

 

[DownUpDave]

I love this thread, so interesting to see everyone else's hobbies and "obsessions", I'm no different.

First was downhill skiing, owned lots of different pairs of high end racing skis and the cost of skiing all ads up. Then hunting and shooting, competitive bench rifle shooting, want more accuracy......spend more money, all custom. GOLF....in a huge way, again lots of sets of clubs and then green fees.

Now it's guitars and ukuleles. At least l don't drink, gamble or chase women, got the best already, married 40 years.

 

[badhabits]

Oh boy, there's another...when I lived in Denver. Gear (new skis/snowboard & bindings every couple of years), lift tickets (a $30 day ticket was expensive then, lol), trips. 30 days was always a goal and we got real picky with snow conditions. There was (is?) even a shop that sold only ski and golf gear!