I’m sure that would probably be smarter.
At the very least go second-hand.
Depends what it is. I’ll buy used books all day, but there’s almost no level of savings where I’d buy most used electronics.
It’s usually at the same rate it takes me to switch video games. If the interest survives two game changes then it deserves hobby money
Yeah but I’ve also noticed that the moment I put money into a game is also the last time I play that game.
I feel seen.
I’m probably not adhd, but am probably autistic. (undiagnosed but everyone is pretty sure.) I do this. I literally have a 24 hour waiting period on ideas before I put energy into them. I then have. 1 week waiting period before I put money into it. I then have to have a definable need before I put lots of money into it.
So anyway, I have several 3d printers now.
Ugh, I always have like 5 of these slow cooking in my brain at any given time. And I’ll be warming up another 5 old hobbies I’ve not touched in years.
I’ll eventually have a dam breaking moment where all my hobbies just switch at once.
I do this with tools too. Buy it cheap. If I use it enough that it wears out, buy a good one.
100000% yes.
Learned this one long ago.
Took years for my wife to understand it.
The cheapness is STRONGER then my ADHD.
I do this. I write it down. I commit to a similar something cheap or free to see if I can stick with it.
Recently, I wanted to get back into playing the saxophone. I figured if I could update my knowledge on reading sheet music and play my wife’s keyboard I would know that i was serious. I didn’t do shit. Saved hundreds of dollars.
This is the way
This is why I avoid hobbies that require any special kit. I hate hate HATE having some useless tool laying about in my limited space.
Nowadays I try to stick to art hobbies and programming, since between all my pencils, paper, and laptop, I already have everything I need to perform those hobbies.
Lol. So excited spent a bunch of time and money buying all the shit I needed to get into polymer clay sculpting… then I was like oh I should probably digitize my movie collection up to plex.
Now I’m like. Why did I want to get into sculpting?
I hate this. So does my dust/fur covered half completed first sculpt. Poor little guy.
Definitely except I struggle with impulsivity so my threshold of waiting time is far lower than it should be.
I lock my hobby acquisitions behind goals. Example sourdough
0-5 loaves use what I got, 6+ loaves get a dedicated jar, 10+ loaves get a proofing basket, 16+ loaves…
That way I can drop at anytime and not feel money was wasted and the amount of hobby stuff is proportional to my lasting enjoyment. Currently, I’m doing home lab stuff, and have the same progression system going from raspberry pies to a full fat server.
I’ll never buy something on the first research stint. I’ll do my reseach, draw up my notes, then move on to the next obsession of the week. A few months later, if I get the same obsession on that topic, then putting money into the project is allowed
This is basically what I do. I keep a stockpile of obsessions at the ready and try - not always successfully - to ensure that I’ve fully obsessed (what does that even mean?) over at least one before adding anything new.
I’ve also been moderately successful (~ 25%) in training myself to return to previous obsessions and it’s only if I return to it that I will spend any money on it.
I find research the best way to take out any interest in the subject. Only things I end up doing though only partially is the one in which I jump head first without looking twice.
I just whittle away at it with “eh, I probably shouldn’t…” again and again. That is until I’ve hoarded enough interest or I’m feeling particularly impulsive
Looking at my newly acquired heavy brass lighter collection
Um, yep.
Amazon probably considers me a psychopath considering the amount of times I’ve ordered something then cancelled. Sometimes multiple times the same night.
