Most of the time I’m pretty frugal when it comes to my hobbies (my goal for the “hobbies” line item in my budget is $100/month or less); however, I do think it’s worthwhile to spend more on better equipment if it means you’ll spend more time on that hobby or get more enjoyment out of it. For example, when I first started sailing with my boyfriend I didn’t have the proper gear (wetsuit, footwear, etc) and was often wet and cold. The next season I spent the money on two wetsuits even though I knew I wouldn’t use them more than a few months that year, but my enjoyment of the activity went way up because I was comfortable and my hands weren’t getting torn up from the lines because I bought proper well-fitting gloves. Likewise, I know I cycle more than I would otherwise because I like my bike and it’s comfortable to ride. There is something to be said about waiting to invest in good equipment until you know you enjoy the activity and will engage in it often, but sometimes the equipment is the limiting factor and can needlessly put a person off.
However, I do enjoy being a bit of a cheapskate and if you can make secondhand work for you, or get away with skimping on certain things without impacting your enjoyment or usage, then why wouldn’t you want to save the money?
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Most of the time I’m pretty frugal when it comes to my hobbies (my goal for the “hobbies” line item in my budget is $100/month or less); however, I do think it’s worthwhile to spend more on better equipment if it means you’ll spend more time on that hobby or get more enjoyment out of it. For example, when I first started sailing with my boyfriend I didn’t have the proper gear (wetsuit, footwear, etc) and was often wet and cold. The next season I spent the money on two wetsuits even though I knew I wouldn’t use them more than a few months that year, but my enjoyment of the activity went way up because I was comfortable and my hands weren’t getting torn up from the lines because I bought proper well-fitting gloves. Likewise, I know I cycle more than I would otherwise because I like my bike and it’s comfortable to ride. There is something to be said about waiting to invest in good equipment until you know you enjoy the activity and will engage in it often, but sometimes the equipment is the limiting factor and can needlessly put a person off.
However, I do enjoy being a bit of a cheapskate and if you can make secondhand work for you, or get away with skimping on certain things without impacting your enjoyment or usage, then why wouldn’t you want to save the money?
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