Hobbies That Pay

Some hobbies pay.  Some cost money.

We love spending time with family, friends, traveling, etc.  But, we also have personal passions for things we call "hobbies". Whether it's knitting colorful sweaters, or collecting stamps, every hobby falls somewhere between paying you and costing extravagant amounts of money (think automobile collecting).  ​

For every hobby that costs money, why not pick up one that pays?  When Warren Buffett was young, he read every book in the library about investing.  Not because someone told him to, but because he just loved learning about different companies.  Turns out his "hobby" payed off.  Other hobbies that pay include learning a foreign language, coding, design--all relatively inexpensive skills to learn.  Yet, there is a high demand for these services, and people are willing to PAY you, to do what you already enjoy doing, because, it's fun.  Why not. 

​Artistic (in the classic definition) hobbies like playing music, singing, dancing, painting, are also relatively inexpensive.  The financial return on an artistic hobby such as acting may not be as great as investing, but you have to also consider non financial rewards.  The pleasure of participating in an orchestra is well worth the time invested in practicing.  The joy of singing in front of a crowd is so much fun, that many musicians find themselves taking gigs and LOSING money!  Imagine paying to do your job.  That's passion.

The point?  Balance.  For every hobby like wine collecting, chocolate tasting, tea drinking (I'm guilty of this one), pick up a hobby such as learning to code, analyzing the stock market, etc.  It is a bit like learning to love vegetables.  They may not taste as sweet as driving expensive sports cars, but in the long run, you will thank yourself.  Then you can buy a sports car.