I took up fishing because somebody told me it was the cheapest way to sit quietly and do nothing. Then I bought one lure, just one, and it cost more than my first car payment, and the fish did not even look at it. That is where we are with hobbies that used to be affordable: the stuff we did to escape spending money now costs more than the stuff we were escaping. People online have been comparing notes, and it reads like a support group nobody can afford to attend.
Cheaper to buy the shirt and cry into it.
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The dog has better insurance than I do.
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Eighteen bucks. Eighteen.
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Little League, big invoice.
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Measure twice, refinance once.
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Downhill, like my savings.
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Used clothes, brand new prices.
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My PC costs more than my first car.
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Paid a hundred bucks to watch a monitor.
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Space is free. Seeing it costs seventy.
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The cat's vet has a hedge fund.
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Break out another thousand.
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Fast, cheap, clean: pick none.
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Tapping my wallet for mana.
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Say cheese. Pay cheese.
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Thesis, defended.
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The shoebox is now a portfolio.
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The mountain charges by the gasp.
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The fish do not care what it cost.
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Gutter balls, gutter budget.
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Graphics card or groceries?
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Passport, mostly decorative.
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Dark spirited, but very shiny.
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Sleeping on dirt, paying for marble.
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The scenic route has a toll now.
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Gotta afford them all.
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Ba dum tss, that will be eight hundred dollars.
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Stepping on the price hurts more.
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Climbing walls, climbing fees.
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The deer remain free.
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Hobbies that used to be affordable
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What kills me is the outdoors. The outdoors used to be the free option, that was the whole sales pitch: it is just out there, go stand in it. Now a campsite costs as much as a hotel, skiing requires a loan officer, and boating is apparently for people who own islands. I signed my kid up for one season of youth soccer and got a receipt that looked like a ransom note, so I understand rising prices on a deeply personal level.
The collectors have it worse, because their entire hobby is buying things. Card games, LEGO sets, gaming rigs, rolls of film. These used to be cheap hobbies you could fund with lawn mowing money, and now a single pack costs what a whole shoebox did when I was a kid. I do not even play these games and I feel robbed on their behalf.
And then there is simply leaving the house. Concert ticket prices have reached the point where watching the show on a monitor from the upper deck costs a hundred bucks, which means you are paying to watch TV in a loud room. Museums, bowling, travel, even an aimless drive to clear your head now comes with a bill. I used to clear my head for free, and now I just sit in the driveway with the engine off, which is honestly not the same.
Here is the thing nobody says out loud. Hobbies that used to be affordable were never really about the hobby, they were about having one corner of life where money did not get a vote. You went bowling because it was cheap and dumb and you got to wear somebody else’s shoes. Once a pastime starts needing a budget meeting, it stops being an escape and becomes another bill wearing a fun hat.
But I love how people are fighting back. Woodworkers dig through sawmill scraps, climbers head back outside, and somebody out there is still sewing through gritted teeth because making a thing with your hands is worth more than the receipt says. That is the stubborn, beautiful part of being a person. I am weirdly proud of all of them, even the fishing guys, and I say that as a fishing guy who owns exactly one lure.
Naps are free. For now. Keep your voice down.
If your wallet needs a minute, the rest of the site is free to browse, which is more than your hobbies can say. Our money memes are perfect for anyone avoiding their bank app, the expensive fails collection will make you feel better about that last purchase, and the list of cheapskates who admit some things are worth every penny might change your mind. Keep reading. Admission is zero dollars.
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A LOT of these are US-specific late-stage capitalism dystopia nonsense.
Or radically out of touch in the first place.
Our national museum is free to all citizens.
But boating has never been accessible to AVERAGE people.