Why are hobbies so expensive!

Does anyone have the answer? It can’t just be the hobbies I’ve chosen to do over the year that have all been expensive! 
Previous hobbies rock (semi precious) collecting, sewing, embroidery, knitting, jewellery making, beading, woodworking. Still do all of them occasionally . 

Disclaimer GARDENING IS NOT A HOBBY! it’s a passion, necessity and good for your health.


I’ve just worked out for my next crochet project I want to make, will cost me £23.08 + P&P for the wool (January sale prices) £ 6.41 for the pattern. 

Don’t even get me started on Bobs hobbies. Wood turning ( longest running hobby), bee keeping (new hobby, money going out the door, not a bee in site!), orchid collection (previous hobby), ferreting (got bored, I had new pets). He’s worse than a bloody child! 
Makes me feel better about my £30 ish crochet project     . 

Anyone else? Or is it just me?

Luckily my two main hobbies usually have a return at the end of them! Trout fishing gains me a trout now and again. As yet I have failed to find a gold or silver hoard with my metal detector (I live in hope) but the beaches can be quite fruitful at times!

On the bright side I would imagine bee keeping should surely be quite lucrative for Bob once the hives are established? Often fancied it myself!

My hobbies are seed and book collecting They're not really hobbies but a way of life.
I'm sure that your next crochet project, costing about £30 will have a much higher value when its made. Value doesn't come from the price you could sell it for, but from the pleasure that it gives you in making it and, possibly, using it afterwards.

Very 'Deep' veggie. I forgot about the books. I am finally on the sixth and final tome of Earths Children. It has taken me over a year to get this far as I got the full set two Christmasses ago!
The huge tome I am reading just now is Mark Bowdens Guests of the AYATOLLAH. Author of Black Hawk Down which I have also read.Totally enthralling book. 

I have Earths Children for bedtime reading and a book in the front living room plus a book in my den in the back all on the go at the same time! I also have a full bedroom devoted to books and the attic is also getting filled up with  them!

I love to knit, but really don't want to use man-made fibre - acrylics etc - from an environmental standpoint. Plus pure wool is so much more pleasant to knit with and to wear. Considering farmers get nothing (or have to pay) for their wool, why is it so blooming expensive to buy? Particularly British wool. If I pay upwards of £7.50 for 100g, then a decent sweater is going to cost around the £60 - £70 mark, more if I use more than 1 colour. Wool jumpers last a long time, I still wear an Aran I made in the 80's. Maybe I need to find a new hobby....something that doesn't require the purchase of craft materials or equipment...

For patterns I scour the internet for free ones or make up my own. SC, have you tried searching for a free pattern for whatever you are going to make?

Exactly Moth. There are some stunningly beautiful wool out there with eye watering prices. The stuff I really like is about £17 per 100g ! The stuff I can afford is unfortunately the man made stuff. As my next project is an octopus   . It doesn’t need to feel nice next to the skin    . I won’t be getting that pattern or wool until I’ve finished my pangolin