(Topic ID: 304541)

How much does your hobby cost?

By cottonm4

2 years ago


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    There are 98 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 2 years ago

    1) Pinball machine. Buy the pin, perhaps for a premium price. And then play play play play.

    ( I restored my 1st pin 2.5 years ago and have been playing it. A lot. Have not spent another dime on it. Just play. And keep clean.)

    2) Hunting: gun(s), annual license, ammo, vehicle transportation. Lodging fees. etc.

    3) Fishing. It is not as cheap as you think and can get quite pricey.

    4) Power motor boating. Described as a hole in the water you throw money into.

    5 ) Radio Controlled Airplanes. I heard this gets expensive.

    What other money eating hobbies can you think of that makes pinball look like a very good entertainment value for the dollar?

    Stay home. Play pins. Save Gas. etc.

    I think pinball has a bright future.

    12
    #2 2 years ago
    Quoted from cottonm4:

    What other money eating hobbies can you think of that makes pinball look like a very good entertainment value for the dollar?

    6) Marriage?

    #3 2 years ago

    Hi-fi enthusiast (I hate the term audiophile). Vinyl is super expensive. $10,000 in vinyl is a fairly small collection, so it adds up quick. My gear has been the same for many years and has actually appreciated in value.
    Golf-I don’t really like the game all that much but being out with my son and my buddies is priceless. The experience itself is super fun. Total money blackhole though.
    Guitar-I don’t play that much anymore but you can get pretty caught up chasing gear. Pinball came around and most of my guitars were rolled into pins.
    Guns-ammo prices and loosing my shooting buddy has pushed this hobby on the shelf.

    #4 2 years ago

    Wasn’t there another thread similar to this? Became a bragging rights/who had more money thread?

    #5 2 years ago
    Quoted from cottonm4:

    What other money eating hobbies can you think of that makes pinball look like a very good entertainment value for the dollar?

    Lives steam engines modeled after railroad engines. Per pound one of the pricier hobbies. Depending on gauge can be extremely heavy. And a minimum of 800 hours of machining to make. Often a heck of a lot more.

    LTG : )

    #6 2 years ago

    I guess it depends on what you would define as a hobby/collection...but my main hobbies are pinball (obviously), guns, records, fishing, disc golf, and NFL football (The Dallas Cowboys are my team).

    I enjoy my bourbons quite a bit as well, and I also have quite a collection of art, coins, movies, Legos, 3A figures, and Hot Toys figures.

    For the purposes of this thread, however, pinball would easily be my most costly hobby. Maybe I will collect cars or rental properties down the road and pinball will become the #2 most expensive

    #7 2 years ago

    I almost forgot to mention American whiskey, specifically bourbon. If you think people are greedy in this hobby….loads of idiots flooded the hobby paying thousands of dollars for bottles they won’t even drink.

    #8 2 years ago

    32 years ago I spent $100 for my main guitar that I play every day. I've gotten more enjoyment out it then anything else, the most twang for the pluck if you will.......LOL.

    John

    #9 2 years ago

    I don’t know. Us EM guys look over the wall at the current pinball hobby and wonder how you can afford it.

    #10 2 years ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    Lives steam engines modeled after railroad engines. Per pound one of the pricier hobbies. Depending on gauge can be extremely heavy. And a minimum of 800 hours of machining to make. Often a heck of a lot more.
    LTG : )

    I bought my husband a G scale live steam engine kit, and that alone was more than an EM in great condition! The ride on ones fascinate me, and I occasionally think about putting a small loop in our back woods, but in reality, I probably would just tell my husband to keep it at
    this club: http://pvls.clubhosting.org/

    #11 2 years ago

    1. Car collecting. Don't even want to discuss.. haha

    2. Bourbon collecting. Can be fun to track stuff down and the clubs associated are also a good time. Starting to have the same effect as pinball, rarer bottles have skyrocketed.

    3. Vintage coin op equipment. I collect the history of my business so most games we already have, I am usually looking for very old things. Pre war stuff

    4. Currency. Rare bills or unique bills and coins. More people are in this than usually. Seems like a huge influx during covid.

    #13 2 years ago

    Photography is pretty comparable to pinball. You can easily spend $20-$50k building out your kit. If you are a collector and you start buying Leica and medium format cameras you can easily get $100k into the hobby. It is actually kinda funny... you'll see some dentist with a $4000 camera with a $3000 lens and they are shooting shots in auto mode.

    Videography can blow the doors off of pinball in terms of cost, but most people aren't looking for production style video equipment.

    Golf.... Country Club fees... yeah. Also another hobby where you see people buying very high end equipment without a clue how to use it. In my former career I worked for a golf company and one of the jokes was when a guy who can't break 100 goes out and buys a $1500 set of forged irons.

    #14 2 years ago

    Racing cars - transportation, tires, brakes, fuel - it all adds up very quickly. Due to covid, we haven’t been out as frequently.
    I also have a small collection of cars, but the maintenance on those garage queens pales into comparison of the bills you rack up while racing.

    My wife collects handbags which, like pinball machines, seem to hold their value very well or so she tells me.

    #15 2 years ago

    Classic cars = money pit

    #16 2 years ago

    Original film props. You can get some nice smaller pieces for $20, or you can get something incredible for almost $3m (an original R2D2 droid and a Darth Vader costume were in the upper end of the range).

    Probably the bulk of iconic and interesting pieces tend hover in the $2k-$25k range. Epic, rare, and sought-after pieces can hover in the $35-$250k+ range.

    #17 2 years ago

    I had a corvette addiction. But with covid, the z06 prices rose so high because you could not get a c8, so I sold for a nice profit. If pinball stays like this much longer, I might cash out a few as well. Its hard for me to turn down a solid profit.

    #18 2 years ago

    I have had every hobby under the Sun. But for the past two years it's been gold and silver. Can't watch precious metal videos or find myself placing a order.
    Now it's just gold.
    Hunting it in creeks. Metal detecting. Buying it weekly.
    Still souping up guitars, dabbling in solid wood furniture, restoring vintage powered equipment.
    Building the Land Cruiser up too, just about finished going through every inch of the thing, really expensive.
    But the gold coins are fun. Cost? outrageous.

    #19 2 years ago

    My business partner is big on golf as a hobby.
    I mean he golfs a lot, like really a lot.
    He spends a ton on clubs, travel, green fees, hotels etc.
    We have talked about each other’s hobbies quite a lot, and we both agree that I will get a better return on my investment in the pinball hobby then his investment in golf.

    It’s really all relative though.
    It all boils down to decimal points and tax brackets.
    People spend what they can afford to spend on their hobby’s.

    #20 2 years ago
    Quoted from phil-lee:

    I have had every hobby under the Sun. But for the past two years it's been gold and silver. Can't watch precious metal videos or find myself placing a order.
    Now it's just gold.
    Hunting it in creeks. Metal detecting. Buying it weekly.
    Still souping up guitars, dabbling in solid wood furniture, restoring vintage powered equipment.
    Building the Land Cruiser up too, just about finished going through every inch of the thing, really expensive.
    But the gold coins are fun. Cost? outrageous.

    I mentioned earlier that I collect coins, but gold coins are definitely the best. I used to have a mentor that had an amazing collection of ancient gold coins. Roman and Greek coins were his favorites, and his collection was STUNNING.

    19
    #21 2 years ago

    Hobbies shouldn't be measured in dollars.

    Hobbies should be measured in value, in the happiness they bring you.

    I suspect most pinball fans here are ahead on this.

    LTG : )

    #22 2 years ago

    My other hobbies are pretty mild, price wise. I've collected books for a long time and have libraries on three floors of the house. Mostly reprints of old newspaper comic strips, and many (many!) books about music, pinball and video games, cinema era cartoons, classic movies, and lots of those enormous 5lb. coffee table type books on history and science. When moving here one moving truck was half books, and couldn't get over 50 mph because of how heavy they all were. I really need to thin the book collection out at some point, it's a bit ridiculous. Sounds expensive but I don't deal with first editions and other collector stuff, I've always bought used, on sale, etc., and still have books I bought 30 years ago.

    I have a large vinyl collection back in storage in NJ while I've been listening to mp3/Spotify/etc. mostly for the last 20 years. I buy way too many games for Steam, Switch, and Xbox, but it's still a drop in the bucket compared to pinball. I like wine and cocktails, but don't go nuts with the fancy stuff. Wine between $10-20 a bottle, and for my beloved Negroni, Total Wine sells a Campari alternative that's half the price and tastes about as good.

    #23 2 years ago

    Video games and VR. Looking to get new graphics card to take my VR to the next level. Want to start whittling down my steam library of games I havent played. Huge wishlist and will binge buy games on steam sales. Just sitting there waiting to be played.

    Woodturning. Bought a desktop lathe a few years ago and really enjoyed turning bowls and anything else I could think of. Since I have moved i dont have power down in my shop. When I eventually do I feel ill be back out there doing random woodworking projects.

    #24 2 years ago

    Previous Hobbies:
    Skiing (Both water and snow), Golf, Bowling, Adobe Photoshop/Premiere/After Effects/Illustrator/Encore. I still dabble a little in PS/AE/Illustrator, but I've forgotten a lot.

    Current:
    Pinball (obviously), and pinball electronics. I've enjoyed (and been frustrated by) developing new devices for my classic Bally/Stern collection. And I've even made a few dollars on a couple of the products I've created along the way. I also enjoy sim racing, although I haven't had my rig set up in a good while so it may be moving into the previous column.

    Future hobby:
    I along with a couple of other guys have purchased a piece of property and are working on opening a pinball bar. This is after a couple years of trying and failing to secure even a rental property. I had given up then this spot fell in our laps at a great price. Now I'm both excited and scared shitless of what the next few months of my life are going to look like.
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    #26 2 years ago

    Marriage?

    I thought marriage was the end result of THE hobby.

    #27 2 years ago
    Quoted from Dayhuff:

    32 years ago I spent $100 for my main guitar that I play every day. I've gotten more enjoyment out it then anything else, the most twang for the pluck if you will.......LOL.
    John

    For value for the dollars spent, 32 years on a $100.00 guitar is a winner.

    #28 2 years ago

    I don't put a monetary value on my hobbies. If I enjoy it cost is irreverent. I have over 50 pinball and arcade games in my collection. People always comment on how much it is all worth. I tell them I didn't do it for the money, I enjoy the hobby for the games themselves.

    #29 2 years ago

    Other than pinball, I'm interested in public transport, travel and photography.

    My current camera is an entry-level Nikon D3300 DSLR camera, usually paired with a 55-300mm lens (and an alternate 18-105 in a carry case). All in all, I'd say it's about £400 of kit, but it's been fairly heavily used for the past two years I've had the camera so it's more than paid for itself.

    Travel wise, I probably spend in the ballpark of £60-80 a month or so, mostly on bus and train tickets. When you can get a four-week ticket for £45 that covers every operator in my region, it's a nice way to waste time when I'm not attending uni or doing other things

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    #30 2 years ago

    I play a lot of golf, but I’m using the same set of Hogan forged irons my wife (then fiancée) got me for Christmas about twenty years ago, I upgraded my driver and woods only recently. My son now plays with me and he’s on the school golf team so we spend a bit on greens fees during the good weather months.

    I also play the violin and I take weekly lessons, every week for the last five years. My current instrument wasn’t cheap, more than a NIB pinball machine. Learning to play music has added something to my life satisfaction that I didn’t even know was missing.

    #31 2 years ago

    Classic cars was the first addiction.

    They always need something but I enjoy them. Nice to have a lot to choose from like wearing different shoes.

    #32 2 years ago

    I pretty much gave up on all my hobbies and now just look forward to sitting on my ass and doing as little as possible for what life I have left. I still have unfinished crap out in the shop, I've got unused R/C crap collecting dust in the barn, along with what's left of my toy train crap. My Harley sits on the porch and haven't cranked it up in almost 2 years. I'm about to sell the jeep. Still have muh guns and ammo but am saving it all for the coming collapse of society so I don't shoot for fun any longer.

    #33 2 years ago
    Quoted from Coindork:

    My business partner is big on golf as a hobby.
    I mean he golfs a lot, like really a lot.
    He spends a ton on clubs, travel, green fees, hotels etc.
    We have talked about each other’s hobbies quite a lot, and we both agree that I will get a better return on my investment in the pinball hobby then his investment in golf.

    Typical golf nut. Resort golfing is fun, but very expensive. I would suggest for the guys who have the money to go to the manufacturer to get fit in Carlsbad. Fujikura makes some of the best shafts in the world. They allow players to be professionally fit by tour fitters. Unbelievable experience for a good golfer as they have all the different manufacturers nearby, so the very latest everything. The difference between a good club pro fitter and a tour fitter is about the same as a club pro vs a tour pro. Although they can help anyone, the biggest difference is for around 5 handicaps and below. A couple of rounds at some nearby great courses on a trip to Carlsbad with a tour fitter would be as fun a golf outing as any. Because you go home and can consistently hit the ball better after playing golf in great weather.

    #34 2 years ago

    I’m a huge History nerd. Just went back and got a History degree just for fun and got paid to do it (Post 9-11 GI bill). I don’t particularly care for History books, but generally love History podcasts. In the past few years I’ve finished a 200+ episode podcasts on the History of Rome, World War 1, The Russian Revolutions, and World War 2. Some anecdotes in those are things I’d never heard of, like a German submarine popping up in Baltimore Harbor in 1916 before the USA joined WW1, unloading tons of industrial dyes in exchange for tons of rubber, nickel, and other strategically short war materials. Learning History is world building to me. The more I learn, the more the pieces fit together. My son (10) is getting into it and I really enjoy teaching him about the subject.

    I’m an education nerd in general, that History degree was my fourth, all of them paid for by scholarships and/or employers (except the first, thanks Mom and Dad). I am also big into certifications for work holding over a dozen big IT certs (PMP, CISSP, CCSP, CISM, etc.). These are all paid for by work and I am one of those crazy people that enjoy working on these. Working on CYSA+ now.

    I am a big fish nerd. I’ve only got a 50 gallon saltwater tank right now, but it is established enough that I am taking coral out of it to sell/trade on a weekly basis now. Big upfront expense, but more than paying for itself now.

    I am also really big into science fiction and fantasy. I am a few months away from watching every episode of every series of Star Trek with my wife (life goals). I have been pouring hours into reading Sanderson, Jordan, Corey, and have a lifetime more to read.

    There are not enough hours in the day for all my fun hobbies.

    Also… pinball and multicades. Big upfront expense, but I’m way “up” on paper, so how much does it cost really?

    #35 2 years ago

    My hobby is watching other people in their hobby. Its pretty cheap and generally pretty entertaining! Also, Pokemon!

    #36 2 years ago

    Too Much! These days.

    Not sure if the linkw ill work, but the Hobby of exotic Puzzles has an Auction up now.

    https://market.cubicdissection.com/search/hpfeat/?limit=80&sort=price_desc

    Fortunately, Ive been at it for over 45 years, and I can spend years before or if I solve many,
    Its been a Joy, Great Friends, and a very Good Investment.

    1979380_10203437132992014_2010089676_o (resized).jpg1979380_10203437132992014_2010089676_o (resized).jpg
    #37 2 years ago
    Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

    Too Much! These days.
    Not sure if the linkw ill work, but the Hobby of exotic Puzzles has an Auction up now.
    https://market.cubicdissection.com/search/hpfeat/?limit=80&sort=price_desc
    Fortunately, Ive been at it for over 45 years, and I can spend years before or if I solve many,
    Its been a Joy, Great Friends, and a very Good Investment.
    [quoted image]

    WOW. Huge!

    #38 2 years ago

    Building a hotrod is a money pit, never ends you always want to go faster. I purchased most of my 60+ pinball arcade machines 10 years ago so I doubled my money on this hobby, so pinball cost me nothing

    #39 2 years ago

    Pinball has become the most expensive hobby I mess with and I am selling everything I can make good profit on. The real money pit for pinball is shipping cost and mod cost. STI shipping is $600+ now and toppers are running $1000+ and goofy light strips are $600.

    Crossfit/fitness: $150 per month membership and the occasional pair of shoes and shorts. I built a entire crossfit gym in my new house with all top of the line Rogue equipment for less than a Godzilla LE.

    Boating/jetski/water sports: I purchased 2 lightly used jetskis for less than a Godzilla LE. They each hold 10-12 gallons of gas which last me 2 weeks depending on what we are doing. Way more fun than pinball.

    Fishing/Hunting: pretty cheap overall. Lake is in my backyard and tons of places to hunt all around me.

    #40 2 years ago

    Funny thing is that also the hobby s I enjoy the most also giving me headaches. So much stuff everywhere , always bitching when things go wrong, stress when I die where my shizzle goes to.....

    Sometimes I wished I did not like all that much and just sell my shit and go play with coconuts on a remote island

    #41 2 years ago

    Any hobby you enjoy is great until you blur the lines and start considering it an Investment. If a hobby is only fun if it appreciates consider a 401k or CD.

    #42 2 years ago

    My piano cost about $50k and I have probably another $2k in piano books. Lessons over the years adds up too. Still costs more than my pinball habit.

    #43 2 years ago

    I suppose I'm lucky, my hobby is pinball game design, and because I do it virtually, it don't cost me a penny!

    Best things in life really are FREE.

    #44 2 years ago
    Quoted from daveyvandy:

    My piano cost about $50k and I have probably another $2k in piano books. Lessons over the years adds up too. Still costs more than my pinball habit.

    Wow nice, what kind? I have two Yamaha uprights but I bought them used, so I'm only $2500 into it.

    #45 2 years ago

    My hobbies:

    1) Pinball
    2) Jazz piano (pretty cheap)
    3) Reef aquariums (250 gallons, pretty expensive)

    #47 2 years ago

    Records. Did a lot of yard saleing before I had kids so I managed to pick up some very desirable albums for dirt cheap. Those days are long gone though (because of kids and people know about records being valuable)

    I've sold probably 3000 albums in the last ten years. I'm down to about 250ish now

    #48 2 years ago
    Quoted from radium:

    Wow nice, what kind? I have two Yamaha uprights but I bought them used, so I'm only $2500 into it.

    It's a 1917 fully restored Hamburg Steinway Model A Grand. Not to bad for being over 100 years old

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    #49 2 years ago
    Quoted from radium:

    My hobbies:

    3) Reef aquariums (250 gallons, pretty expensive)

    I used to have a reef aquarium about 25 years ago. Berlin system. Would love to see a pic of your setup!

    #50 2 years ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    Lives steam engines modeled after railroad engines. Per pound one of the pricier hobbies. Depending on gauge can be extremely heavy. And a minimum of 800 hours of machining to make. Often a heck of a lot more.
    LTG : )

    My wife's late cousin and their family were huge into the Live Steamers here in Los Angeles. Started back in the day by Walt Disney and others who had the money to put into it - definitely not a cheap hobby. To just get started if I remember correctly when I asked back in the 1990s it was $10,000-25,000 for an engine. Plus side is the hobbyists run their rigs on tracks in a park and you give killer free or low cost train rides to the general public but down side always seem to be repairing things.

    http://www.southerncalifornialivesteamers.org/

    A lot like care and feeding for older pinball machines .

    Back to the question - it doesn't matter what the hobby costs as far as I am concerned. If it brings you joy and spending the money isn't cutting into your rent, mortgage, car payments, insurance, food, medical costs, savings have fun with it. There is always someone with more money than you and someone with less and each person can work out their own joy in life and not worry about how it stacks up with others.

    Except for - serial marriage. That can be an expensive hobby after divorce and child support but then again life has it's expenses .

    There are 98 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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