How do your hobbies save you money?

Guest

LOL first of all I have absolutely no talent and don't do any crafts. About the only consistent hobby I have is couponing and doing rebates and it does save money. I've been thinking about buying some beads and making a few pieces of jewelry for myself instead of purchasing it, I think in the long run that would save money. I'm not good at sewing but occasionally hem something or make simple curtains and pillows so that saves a little money too. If bargain shopping can be considered a hobby then it's my favorite lol and there's savings in that too.

I'd love to hear about your hobbies whether they save you money or even if you just do them for fun of it.

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Wed 07 Mar 2007, 4:35 pm

I knit, bead, paint, and craft. Usually all these things end up as gifts for people. I try to buy materials on sale so I think that is how my hobbies save money.

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Wed 07 Mar 2007, 5:35 pm

I love crafts,,Hubby and I make scented candles ,,sold them at my old job for awhile,,was nice little side money.

Moderator Age : 28 Joined : 12 Oct 2006 Posts : 2011

I don't really have much time for crafts with the little ones and all...but I do sew things that we need like wall hangings and curtains and such....I know this saves $....for instance, I made a pair of curtains for DD's room and it was made from scraps of materials I had bought all at $1 a yrd....so it was much cheaper.

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Thu 08 Mar 2007, 12:00 am

Well my favourite hobby is, of course, knitting. I can often buy very nice wool on sale and use it to knit throws for our home or cushion covers and the last few Christmases I have knit most females in my family scarves. These are generally much cheaper than what can be purchased in stores plus they're unique. When DS was small I knit all of his jumpers and jackets, I loved aran jumpers, children's ones knit up very quickly.

I don't know if I'd exactly call it a hobby but when we first moved to Aus and we decorated DS's bedroom, I purchased 3 double-bed sized quilts, all the same pattern, on clearance (stars and planets). I painted the walls in the two colours of the quilts and resized one quilt to single size on the sewing machine making extra pillow cases with the excess fabric. I used the other two quilts to make matching curtains for the windows, simply by stitching on swish-tape. It all looked very co-ordinated for a 'great' price.

My other favourite hobby is reading, I can't exactly say it saves me money but I get a lot of enjoyment from it so I suppose I save money on stress remedies....lol Razz

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~ LESS IS MORE ~

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Thu 08 Mar 2007, 6:43 am

I like that idea on the bedroom skin,,,I am wanting to do that with my room and sons room,,what is swish tape by the way.

Moderator Age : 28 Joined : 12 Oct 2006 Posts : 2011

I love coordinating room decor! It looks so nice when it all fits together...we are slowly doing this in our home as well...we have the living rom and dining room left to go...the upstairs bathroom..and the room Ronni just moved out of, I need to re-do that one as well... Smile

It will all be done whit what I have on hand, so it will be a fun challenge!

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Fri 09 Mar 2007, 2:44 am

Donna, swish tape is really just curtain tape that you thread the curtain hooks into to hang them onto a swish rail...that the curtains slide backwards and forwards on....don't know what you call it over there!...lol.

It's very easy to co-ordinate and doesn't need to be expensive. The quilts I'd bought were dark blue with yellow stars, moons & planets on them. I painted the top half of the walls in white and the lower half in the same shade of blue from the quilts, I matched them at the hardware store. I put a few strips of masking tape all around the middle of the walls and painted a border....it was blue with yellow edging, then I used a little sample pot of yellow paint and stencilled ufo's and stars, etc all along the border. I didn't have to buy a wallpaper border!!! I used around 1 litre of white paint and 1 litre of blue paint and the little yellow sample pot. It looked fab (even if I do say so myself Razz

). He also had his wizard & planet posters on the walls so it all kinda tied in. DS's was the 1st room we decorated in our new home in Aus. to help him settle in. He's since outgrown it all so he's moved into the bigger bedroom with a more grown up colour scheme Rolling Eyes

My neighbour has also colour co-ordinated both her daughters bedrooms, one is done in pinks & lilacs and the other is done in pinks & mint-greens, she also used sample paintpots and painted all their furniture to match. She picked up 2nd hand dressers and we gave her a pine desk and she painted each of the drawers in different colours, varnishing everything when finished. You can also paint plain picture frames to co-ordinate. It's fun and saves lots of money. She put cute little stickers on the knob handles of the drawers also. Very cute. I'm hoping to knit both girls bright throws for their beds this winter, in the appropriate colours of course!

Enjoy the challenge kim, I love figuring out how to fix things up in the cheapest way possible, but that doesn't look like it cost me buttons *Wink Wink*.
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~ LESS IS MORE ~

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Sat 10 Mar 2007, 11:51 am

my hobby is menu planning, recipe collecting etc.. So in a way it saves me money.
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Vicki

[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wH4660m/]

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Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Sat 10 Mar 2007, 4:20 pm

we sell candles of bee wax and we sell the honey we keep bees as a hobby it become a wonderful business
I sell goat milk to a local bakery - I started raising goats for fun almost 30 years ago I turned in a cheese and milk business
Gardening is a hobby since I was a child now during the spring and summer we do sell some vegetables
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Gayla

"They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little."

---Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Sat 10 Mar 2007, 10:40 pm

My job and my hobby is sewing so I'm not sure if it saves me oney, but it does make me money. Well, to qualify that it does save money because I can alter used clothes to fit me.
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Dear Lord, help me remember how lucky I am on both the good and the bad days!

Guest

Thanks everyone!!! I love getting to know each of you better. You guys have some awesome talents!

Dancing Feather, I bet you turn out some nice gifts. I admire anyone who has the patience to knit. What do you bead?

Donna, how neat making scented candles, everyone loves candles! I think it's neat that you do this with your husband, lol sure beats just watching tv together.

Kim it does save money sewing for your family, especially when you can find your materials at a good price.

Skinflint, I loved reading how you decorated your son's room, how clever using the three bedspreads!

Vicki, gee I wish I had your hobby, my meals are just thrown together without much thought Wink

Gayla, your life sounds so interesting! You raise bees and goats and sell milk and honey and still have time to make cheese and candles and have a garden, wow!

Teri, sewing is your job? Do you make clothes or do alterations? I admire anyone that can get along with their sewing machine long enough to make a living at it Smile

I bet your talent does come in handy doing your own alterations.

Thanks everyone I've enjoyed your replys!

Subject: Sewing Mon 12 Mar 2007, 8:32 pm

I love being a seamstress, sew

I do alterations and some dressmaking. It gives me the freedom to spend the winter in Florida and the summer in Massachusetts. I advertise on Craigs List (free) and a community on-line bulleton board (also free) When I lived in the Florida Keys I worked out of a dry cleaners and got 50% of everything I billed. I haven't taken a job like that this winter as I wanted to get to know the area better and fix up the new house. That's the reason why I try to be frugal as I'm living on my savings right now and being of Scots decent hate spending my savings! scratch

But I am enjoying this time off and am ever grateful that God has given me this ability to live a life like this. beach

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Dear Lord, help me remember how lucky I am on both the good and the bad days!

Subject: Re: How do your hobbies save you money? Mon 12 Mar 2007, 11:24 pm

Redneckgirl - the bees were started as a 4h project for our oldest son ( married 2 child) it just keep growing . we sell our honey and my Dils and I sent to a class to make candels we did them for gifts Now there sold in several gift shops here .
I got the goats when my DD was a baby ( milk allergy she drank goat milk - its grown because I keep buying goats... ( our goats are money makers now... ) but if didnt I still have them they are so cute.

Garden -- it feeds us we love fresh vegetables... and the boys cut hay and we feed the cows ... we are county very county
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Gayla

"They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little."

---Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)