According to the Mental Health Foundation in 2023, one in six UK adults pursued a hobby less often due to financial concerns.
It sounds surprising, but when you tot up what it costs to have fun – you’d be less shocked.
I don’t consider myself to be a man of ultra-fine tastes – I don’t collect art or enjoy especially fine wines for example – but while my hobbies do not end up setting me back a king’s ransom, they’re certainly noticeable!
From time to time, I think it’s worth totting up what your hobbies are costing, and making sure they strike right balance between fun and fulfillment, and cost.
Here are my key pastimes. Though I dip in and out of some of them, here’s how much they end up setting me back each year, when they’re in full swing.
Fitness and Running – £425 per year
In 2024, I’m currently on a 165 consecutive daily streak of some form of exercise! My body isn’t the only thing getting a workout though, my wallet is too!
For £25 a month, you’ll find often find me in a puddle of sweat at my gym group classes for circuits, pump and spin.
While there is a plethora of free YouTube workouts and pounding the pavements doesn’t cost anything, I enjoy working out in the company of others, which is why I feel my gym membership is worth it.
I don’t stop there though when it comes to exercise! For a little less than £100 a year, I’m part of my local Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets Athletics Club. I sometimes run laps at the London Stadium Community track during our Tuesday speed sessions and occasionally join the more sociable Thursday evening outdoor group run.
I’m also a member of another running group, East End Road Runners, but I just pay £25 per year to remain a member to gain access to their social events.
Dancing – £840 per year
In 2022, I took part in Channel 4/E4 reality show The Real Dirty Dancing. Ten celebrities attempted to recreate iconic scenes and dance routines from the cult 1987 film Dirty Dancing.
While enthusiastic, my movement skills lacked in co-ordination – think uncle dancing at a wedding vibes. After the show, where I received the proverbial wooden spoon, I wanted to learn in a less pressurised environment.
With a comedian friend from the show, I joined Caramelo Latin Dance classes.
For £70 monthly, my hips swayed to salsa and cha cha cha group lessons. Though I found myself slowly gaining a semblance of competence over the months, the traipse from east to west London proved too time consuming. So for now, this on pause.
Book Clubs – £180 per year
Growing up on an east London council estate, money was tight, so books were an escape. My dad took me and my three brothers as a weekly Saturday pilgrimage to East Ham library.
I’d sit on the floor, cross-legged, for hours absorbing books. So reading has been part of my identity for years.
As an adult, I’ve joined the nonfiction Rebel Book Club. Each month, we have three different books on the same theme (recent ones included migration, money and AI).
Membership is £15 per month, or £180 per year. You can then attend any of the monthly in-person all-club meet ups, digital events, mid-month smaller group sessions or even less formal coffees/brunches.
I borrow books for free as a physical copy or audiobook from my local library. Though sometimes, I part ways with a tenner for my own copy of the books.
For those that can’t afford this expense though, I’m also part of a much smaller and free, local fiction book club. I tend to be more sporadic with both my attendance and reading here, especially if it’s a 700 page book on something I’m not keen on.
Dating – £575 per year
Cambridge Online Dictionary defines a hobby as “an activity that someone does for pleasure when they are not working”.
As a singleton in search of love for 12 years, I still take pleasure – usually – in the process of dating.
My bank account is emptied by £500 for annual premium subscriptions to dating apps like Hinge, Bumble, South Asian focused Dill Mill and Christian based SALT.
While I used to average £60 for a date night, I now try to spend my dating budget on my desire to be a culture vulture.
So for many dates, I take advantage of my National Art Pass, which is £75 annually, to give me half price admission to numerous exhibitions.
West Ham support – £500 per year
As someone born and raised in Newham, I was only ever going to bleed the claret and blue of football club West Ham.
My family have shared a pair of club season tickets for over two decades. It works out historically at about £500 for me, given the amount of games that I attend.
Richard III fascination – £32 per year
During my school days, I nearly chose history instead of maths for university. After a recent chance visit to Leicester Cathedral this year, I’ve embraced my inner history fiend.
The story of Richard III captured my imagination. In 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth, the last Plantagenet King of England was killed by the forces of Henry Tudor. Making global news, Richard’s body was found under a Leicester car park in 2012 and now buried in Leicester Cathedral.
I’ve subsequently been to the theatre to watch Shakespeare’s Richard III (though more aware of the possible Tudor propaganda of the archetypal villain). I’m planning on joining the Richard III Society.
While annual membership is only £32, I’m sure I’ll gleefully spend significantly more taking part in their events and study tours.
