I have what is probably to most an unusual hobby, but there are actually a lot of people who do it.
I am what is known as a "sweeper," that is, I enter sweepstakes as a hobby. The best part about this hobby is that it can be profitable. Lately I've been on a pretty nice win streak; I've won a Keurig 2.0 350 coffemaker & $300 in Community Coffee gift cards, a $1000 HomeGoods gift card, $500 in cash, a smart phone & 3 months free Cricket wireless service + $100 AMEX gift card (I'll probably sell the phone & 3 months service), and numerous $25 gift cards to various restaurants and grocery stores. That's just what I can think of off the top of my head, and this has just been in the last 3 months. I've been doing this for 10 years and I estimate the value of my winnings over those 10 years at about $50K.
But I'm a rank amateur compared to some others I know; I have one friend who has won 4 vehicles. And I know of others who have won much more than that.
Some of you may have seen specials on TV about this hobby; I actually have met some of these people that have been on these shows because we have yearly conventions. (none of them are as crazy as they try to make them appear; it's reality TV, after all).
If you are interested in learning more you can PM me.
What about photography or photo editing? A couple years ago I REALLY neded to learn something new. I took one graphics art class at a local college (I qualified for a grant even!) I have sense taken a couple more online classes. They are great because I can take them when it works out for me.
I keep orchids. They're inexpensive, pretty, and they can thrive on both benign neglect and with a lot of babying, so I can devote as much or as little time to them as I like.
My hobbies include:
-Photography - it started off as a hobby with a cheap camera, but I've since purchased good equipment and make some money on the side by doing photo shoots for folks (mostly those who have horses and want pictures of them at shows and the like)
- Reading - like you, I'm not certain I consider it a hobby. It's something I do daily, and it helps me unwind though.
- Writing - I read a lot. So I also write. I've participated in National Novel Writing Month and other writing challenges. They keep me feeling useful.
- Shelling - when I'm on the coast (which isn't too often) I always find a beach and comb it for shells.
- Model Painting - I have a few friends who do model painting for board games they enjoy. That takes a LOT of precision and is relatively cheap. I've gone a step further and repaint model horses (the Breyer models). This is my new hobby and I do it while watching TV.
- Putting together homemade wreaths. I LOOOOVE to hang a wreath on my door, and decided I wanted one for multiple occasions and seasons. So I have started making my own. It's relatively cheap - especially if you scour Pinterest for money saving ideas. The last one I tried was using a pool noodle for the form. It worked quite well.
- Dollar store craft kids - I know they're for kids, and I only ever do them with my boyfriend's son, but they're actually a lot of fun and I keep most of my finished products, no matter how silly and cheap they are.
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I'm a big fan of finding cheap hobbies. My go-tos:
Guitar/Piano (borrowed)
Pub quiz - trivia games at bars, I enjoy the social and brainy parts of the game and have one drink
10$ drawing workshops where they hire a nude model
Snowshoeing
Indoor herb gardening -
Learning things from Youtube - so many great channels once you get started!
I also need a hobby. I do like to read, to draw, to practice sports. but my university takes it all from me. I have to study continuously. every single day, I have to study. there's nothing else I can do than studying because my university teachers seem to think that I am having no other things that I can do than studying for university and sometimes, judging by the homework they give us, it seems that those teachers think that we do not need sleep at all. and because I ALWAYS need to study, I want to eat. I've noticed that each time I'm studying for like 2-3 hours I am CRAVING for sugary food. F*** university. no time for hobbies, no time for losing weight, no time for anything!
