Hobbies that Make You Richer
If you’re like me, your spare time is precious and in short supply. We all know that there are only so many hours in the day, and there’s never enough time to do everything we want to do. So, every day, we must make choices. But even the most insignificant seeming choice can have a major effect on your wealth.
When it Come to Building Wealth, Every Choice Matters
Think over all the various activities and hobbies you love. Chances are that some of those activities make you poorer, while others actually make you richer, whether you know it or not! Here’s a brief sampling of hobbies than can help you grow wealth:
- Gardening - Growing a vegetable patch, an herb garden, or some fruit trees is fun and relaxing, and will also save you money on your grocery bills.
- Exercise - Pick your favorite kind. The health benefits cannot be overstated, and they will save you enormous sums in medical expenses over the course of your lifetime.
- Fishing - Catch a free dinner from time to time. I’ve recently taken up crabbing, myself. There’s nothing like homemade bisque, especially when you caught the crabs yourself!
- Crafts - Make your own furniture, drapes, blankets, quilts, or anything else you enjoy making. You’ll save a bunch of money, and love the stuff you make far more than anything bought in a store.
- Blogging - Most any blog with a decent readership can earn at least a little income from ad placement.
- Hiking - pick up a book on edible plants
and harvest some free food while you’re out in the field.
- Brewing - If you’re a beer lover like I am, make your own.
- Cooking - Cooking is very relaxing, and home-cooked meals are almost always cheaper than prepared foods or restaurant fare.
- Online Poker - It can be very profitable if you’re good.
This list is by no means exhaustive. Chances are you can think of many other fun things to do, that don’t feel “financial” at all, that nevertheless make you wealthier in your pocketbook as well as your soul.
Now here’s a sampling of activities that make you poorer:
- Video games - They cost money and eat up precious time. (This one is a personal weakness of mine. I am working on giving them up.)
- TV - There was a great article published recently called How to Earn a Million Dollars by Not Watching TV. Tell your cable company to shove it, and throw your TV in the trash where it belongs.
- Movie Rentals - They may be cheap, but they’re not free, and take up a lot of time.
- Eating Out - Expensive and unhealthy.
- Online Poker - Very expensive if you don’t have the skills or discipline.
Now I’m not saying you should give up every single activity that you love that also costs money. But it comes down to this — when faced with a choice about how to spend your limited free time, why not give preference to your hobbies that actually make you richer? You’ll still be doing what you love, while taking one more step on your path to personal financial freedom.