I know this is probably kind of a strange question. But first, a little background...

For the past two years I had been stuck at a horrible job. Therefore, much of my free time was taken up with applying to other jobs, lol. Hubby and I had also just bought a house and we had a lot of work to do to it, and we were trying to recover financially... so, moral of the story, I've been pretty tied up these past two years.

However, I just got a new job a couple months ago and I love it. I have flexible hours and better pay. The house still needs work... but much of the important stuff is done and I feel like I can take my time working on small projects as needed.

So now, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I have some free time and a little extra money to do something fun. I don't have kids, and I feel like this is a perfect opportunity to take up a hobby. However, I am running into a problem. Frankly, there are too many things that interest me! I don't even know where to start. For example, just at my local arts center, there are classes I would love to take on:

- Yoga
- Belly Dancing
- Cooking
- Baking
- Art
- Jewelry Making
- Photography

Tomorrow, a friend of mine is taking me to a trial Body Pump class (she got me a free pass) and there are other fitness classes I would also be interested in.

I may have a little extra money, but I am certainly not rolling in it! I can really only afford to take maybe one class at a time. How do I decide? Where do I start? Do you have any hobbies? How do you choose where to invest your time and money?

I need help, lol.

Well they call me Betty Crocker at work.......I love baking. I have cut way back though due to lack of time. I am actually fairly disciplined when it comes to eating the treats (licking the bowl is another story hehe)

I just love it, but do what interests you most. If you can try them all go for it, and then decide!

Put them all in a hat and draw one? IDK. It's hard to give advice when you don't know someone. I will say, baking might not be the best thing to learn while trying to lose weight.

If it were me, I'd go with belly dancing. I've always wanted to learn. I'm not you though, so...

I guess I'm not really being helpful. Sorry.

My friend who is also dieting, bakes constantly! I, for one, could never have the will power but she enjoys it so much! And, her trick is to freeze one of everything she bakes. That way, she doesn't feel like she's missing out and has a reward to look forward to at the end

Well, since you already have your list of things that interest you... organize them in order of cost to do.

Then try them out one at a time as you can afford.

It's ok to be "window shopping" through classes and hobbies. You may find you want more of something and want to take the new round of classes, while you are ok with a single round of another.

Experiment and have fun!


A.

If you want to stay financially sane, be cautious about photography. One of the most expensive hobbies around. I often have to pull myself off the camera supply sites and remind myself that I CANNOT afford a $1,000 lens even if I reaaaalllyyy want it.

If you just want to take snapshots and improve your composition and maybe post-processing technique, the class may be worthwhile (assuming you have a dSLR; some point and shoots don't have all the functions that a class may require, but you could probably get away with having it regardless), though. But if you're looking to get into it as a serious hobby, it can be frustrating if you're broke (which I am LOL).

I knit and crochet. It is inexpensive. You can teach yourself from Youtube and free downloads on the internet (lionbrand has a tutorial for each). Hooks/needles are fairly cheep and acrylic yarn is cheep. There are groups you can go to, some at local libraries, or you can find (possibly) a group on Ravelry. I only mention this b/c you listed jewelry making, so besides the physical stuff you seem to want to keep your hands busy. Jelewelry making can get expensive. I knit and crochet to keep my hands busy at lunch at work and around the house at night. I enjoy both lots and have been doing both for many years. Good luck with what you find to put your "extra" time into.

I love baking! I bake all the time even though I never want what I make. My fiance is perfectly happy eating anything I bake.

Writing is my absolute favorite thing to do, besides exercising and playing video games that is I find it incredibly relaxing and love it do it when I'm stressed. I don't know if I ever plan to publish anything, but my friends and I have fun swapping our stories around. Writing is also free. I just open up my computer and type or grab a notebook and start writing.

What relaxes you? A hobby should be something you really enjoy. Find what you like doing now (or what you liked doing when you were a child/teen) and see how you can turn that into a hobby.

Congrats on getting out of your horrible job !

Photography is a wonderful hobby. I agree with Rainbowgirl that it can get very $$$, especially if you get into the big cameras, workshops, etc. But it can't be beat as a form of artistic expression. You don't have to have an expensive camera, you can even use an i-phone. Lots of great photographers are self-taught. Set up a project for yourself and see where it goes. Some people go out to take the dog for a walk; I go out to take the camera for a walk. Or you can set up a vase of flowers and some fruit and work on still-life photos.

Enjoy !!!

I suggest one of the sports. You are on 3FC to lose weight I assume... shouldn't yoga or belly dancing the best choice?

I would go with one of the sports too like yoga or belly dancing.

If the idea is to make this into a lifestyle change, then incorporate it now when you have the money to learn and make it a part of your life.

Photography and cooking/baking will always be there later.

Best advice is not to spend a lot of money until you try something out for a bit and know you'll like it. Many things can be started off quite inexpensively, but I'm known to go all out and not much sticks. Cooking and nutrition are my current hobbies. I know regardless of whether I'm eating healthy or not, I still love to cook. I've invested some good money into kitchen stuff.

I've also tried knitting, which is pretty inexpensive. It didn't stick. I tried jewelry making, which lasted a bit longer, but still, not long enough when you factor in how much I spent.

I'd really try to find something related to the healthy lifestyle you are aiming for. Do you have a gym membership? Try all the different classes they offer. Do you even kind of like cooking? Search the web for recipes that fit into your current diet. Do you have a dream to run (or jog) a 5K? Maybe take up the couch to 5k program.

Finding a hobby can be challenging. I keep trying to find new things, but in the end, I love to cook. And it can be so much fun cooking for the people that you love.

Oh! And photography...that is so expensive. It's fun, but it can be very challenging. I've probably spent $1500 on that...only to find out that it's fun, but I don't really have a drive for it. So beware