Help me find a hobby

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Mike Rotch

Mike Rotch

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I need to find a hobby. Although I collect rarish books, that doesnt count and I have been wracking my brain to try find something that doesnt require big $$$. I am very competitive and would like some sort of combat/human challenge aspect in the hobby.

I have investigated archery, but with bow and arrows I'm looking at $600 for something decent which is a bit much. What is that martial art discipline that uses the bamboo "swords"?

Thanks. 👍
 
I know the feeling Brad!

I was looking for a hobby a while ago and all of them cost at least NZ$400! They were: Archery, RC Car racing and the rest I can't remember.

But if you want a good hobby you might just have to pay the price for it...
 
I also priced RC cars :eek: Also $400 upwards :grumpy:

I hear you on the price, but it is still a lot to fork out....
 
Speaking of Kendo, I appreciate the advice given in an episode of Highlander where Duncan tells a female immortal to always defend with the part of the sword that's nearer to the hilt because it's the strongest part of the blade. And to strike with the weaker part nearer the tip.
 
That makes sense.

I'm guessing a kendo sword will also cost upward of more then i want to spend.
 
I have been told that you don't find a hobby but a hobby finds you.
In otherwords...Don't force yourself into a hobby. Figure out what you are interested in and what really piques your interest and see what's available in that field. Talk to others who are interested in that same type of thing before spending a lot of money.If it's something that you are still interested in and are willing to make the commitment then save the money up and make the investment.
(my 2 cents)
 
That is sounds advice. I guess that it wold have something to do with war militaria based on current interests. I will keep an open mind though and keep on looking till something tickles my fancy
 
I was in a shop on saturday that had a stack of em. 42 - thats a lot. A lot of dust to keep away too :D
 
They all live in the boxes they came with, so no dusting for me ;)

Between me and my old man we've almost got 100 of them
 
Dont like dogs. Unless they are small ones, and then they mustnt bark. My brother has a border collie that like to jump on you. :mad:

100 x Aus$35 = some handsome cash
 
Fish Tanks.

I'm not sure of the availabilty where you are, but for cheap money you can set up a tank. Pick the right 10 gallon tank and you can build into something that will astonish people.

Take a look at www.nano-reef.com for a few ideas. They've got people running anything from 2 gallons on up.

Keep in mind, that some of the people on that site have done amazing things and spent amazing amounts of money. The nice thing is that it all goes incrementally and it's beautiful each step of the way.

For instance: This seven gallon tank
tankfront1.jpg


The only other suggestion that is cheap is plants. You can start with one of two and grow them into 5 add a few different variations, adjust lighting, water nutrients and hybriding flowers after a while. Easy to get into, easy to do and limitless as to what you can end up with. It's nice to know that you can start with a piece of a plant and still have it growing 20 years later.

AO
 
I've always been into astronomy, but it seems that interest level is proportionate to equipment cost. I have an inexpensive telescope but it just doesn't cut it for objects beyond the solar system, although I got some great views of Saturn and Jupiter and four of it's moons, but that gets al little old after a while. And I don't have thousands for a bigger telescope.

I'd also like to take up cycling as a hobby, but that's another expensive one.

I collect Mutoscope cards, but collecting isn't really a hobby, in my opinion.
 
Originally posted by milefile


I'd also like to take up cycling as a hobby, but that's another expensive one.
Click to expand...

i've always been into cycling, been a member or several clubs in my time and into some amateur races in mountain bike and road/audax...

nowadays i like to throw a small backpacking tent and a few things on the bike panniers and head out into the highlands for a few days of cycle touring....not a TV or radio or mobile phone for days....bliss...

like most things you can do it on the cheap but the more you spend, the better your experience will be...


Mike, get a small silent dog....a terrier...
 
Originally posted by Mike Rotch
That is sounds advice. I guess that it wold have something to do with war militaria based on current interests. I will keep an open mind though and keep on looking till something tickles my fancy
Click to expand...
I'm not a big fan of collecting diecast and things like that, but I loved actually building models; particularly military equipment and aircraft.
bradley_top.jpg


These people make great model kits. You can get nice, highly detailed 1/35th scale kits for $25-$30, and maybe another $50 worth of tools and supplies to get going.

It's not very physical, but it's a great way to spend time in the evenings or on rainy days.
 
Astronomy can be cheaper than you think, I've used people's telescopes before, but nothing beats a simple pair binoculars for about $30-100. No tripod, no heavy equipment, and you can literally take them anywhere. Get yourself a good star book or two (I reccomend the Audoban Guide to the Night Sky Book for about $12), or something more specialized (since you live on the other hemisphere of the earth).


Heck, I started coin collecting from family members who travelled the world and didn't care about all the old "loose change" they collected over the years. It cost me nothing, and coins from other countries that aren't worth more than a few cents are about as cheap and interesitng as collecting can get.

You can make websites out of MS Notepad, and pick up a great deal of what you need for free on the web. There's tons of tutorials out there.

As said before, do what interests you. And virtually anything can be a hobby.
 
u consider art or my favourite...photography? just find urself a decent slr camera on ebay. mine is like 19 years old but it works as well as anything u can buy now for $800 (i got it from my parents). it'd be especially nice if u could find urself a darkroom to develop the film urself since then u can experiment further
 
I guess I have four hobbies:
- Web design
- Cookery
- Photography
- Driving

I think it's easy for any hobby to become very expensive very quickly, if not in fiscal terms, then in time consumed. I think I would still be really busy if the day were 40 hours long.
 
Originally posted by GilesGuthrie
I guess I have five hobbies:
- Web design
- Cookery
- Photography
- Driving
- Scotch whisky
Click to expand...
You forgot one.
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
I'm not a big fan of collecting diecast and things like that, but I loved actually building models; particularly military equipment and aircraft.
bradley_top.jpg


These people make great model kits. You can get nice, highly detailed 1/35th scale kits for $25-$30, and maybe another $50 worth of tools and supplies to get going.

It's not very physical, but it's a great way to spend time in the evenings or on rainy days.
Click to expand...


I think im going to consider that...I was also looking for something like that.

My grandfather died and he was a great model builder. He gave me a 1/24 scale of a 1984 Ferrari Testarossa. Ive always wanted to do this but ive been too busy.

Thanks Duke! 👍
 
I to think model buiding and collecting is a great hobby ,But i only do cars and trucks.only ever built one plane "the memphis bell"I currently have around 75 or 80 unbuilt and around 40 built .But i have been building for almost 20 years . Its a great hobby you can do very reasonable.Well good luck and have fun with what evr you decide
 
You don't want a hobby, you want an interest.

"Hobbies cost money - interests are free." - George Carlin

May I suggest building models? It's not terribly expensive, and does require a good deal of your time.
 

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