Hobbies that make money?

Do any of you guys have hobbies that make money. I have always preferred a hobby that at a minimum can pay for itself. I used to do blacksmithing and copper work and I would sell the things I made. 

 Before kids I had a lot of very active hobbies. After my second was born 11 years ago I got a lot mor serious about coin collecting, and for awhile I would find big lots to buy and then I would sell off about half of it for what I paid and keep the rest. So that was a good hobby for me because I was actually making a bit of money and growing a valuable collection at the same time. 

I know a rich guy that has spent more on a hobby than most guys my age make in a year. (Small trains) he has a train track all around his land. 

 That bothers me a bit, but I guess if he has the money then that’s his choice. I know another guy that has spent all his extra money on golf and left his family in debt because of poor money choices but still plays expensive games of golf Anyway.

I am not saying that you can’t blow some money, there is definitely a time to have fun and waste some time, but

 I feel satisfied knowing that my hobby has only added value to my family.  So, what are some hobbies you guys have, that you have made money on? 

In my family, we garden. We grow a pretty good variety of vegetables ranging from jalapeños to zucchini. Each week, we sell the ones that we don’t use in our cooking at a farmer’s market and donate the ones we don’t sell to a local church that feeds people in need every other day.

Another good one that I’ve seen from time to time on places like TikTok is refurbishing furniture. They usually get their stuff for cheap off Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist and refinish/reupholster the chair or whatever they got that time. Then they sell it for a profit or keep it for their own home.

My hobby besides coin collecting is scrap metal, every Tuesday I go around the neighborhood with a shopping cart and grab as many aluminum cans as I can to sell to the junkyard.

My local junkyard also let's people leave any junk made of metal by the gate when they're closed, every now and then I go through all that garbage and scavenge any wires, motors, brass prongs, or anything valuable to save up and sell for scrap when I have a good amount.

I make about 50 dollars a month if I don't slack off and the weather isn't too bad to work outside, which I use to fund my other hobby, plenty enough to afford some very nice coins.

I have definitely done some scraping, but I wouldn’t call that a hobby, that’s  just a way of making money.

Buying/selling antics from a young age. 1 side of the family were in the business. at 6 years old I figured that i could make a profit to buy some candy.

12-14y : 50cc and motor bike. old ones new ones, fixing them, using them and selling them. 
then I moved to cars mainly collectors again fixing, driving and unfortunately had to sell them all. 

had to rescale 18 years ago when moving to China for work. 
 

still enjoying Car boots sales for my summer holidays but only small items or quick turnaround for some friends / old contacts 

redsmithstudios

Do any of you guys have hobbies that make money. I have always preferred a hobby that at a minimum can pay for itself. I used to do blacksmithing and copper work and I would sell the things I made. 

 Before kids I had a lot of very active hobbies. After my second was born 11 years ago I got a lot mor serious about coin collecting, and for awhile I would find big lots to buy and then I would sell off about half of it for what I paid and keep the rest. So that was a good hobby for me because I was actually making a bit of money and growing a valuable collection at the same time. 

 

I know a rich guy that has spent more on a hobby than most guys my age make in a year. (Small trains) he has a train track all around his land. 

 That bothers me a bit, but I guess if he has the money then that’s his choice. I know another guy that has spent all his extra money on golf and left his family in debt because of poor money choices but still plays expensive games of golf Anyway.

I am not saying that you can’t blow some money, there is definitely a time to have fun and waste some time, but

 I feel satisfied knowing that my hobby has only added value to my family.  So, what are some hobbies you guys have, that you have made money on? 

 

live edge table making is a hit right now

redsmithstudios

I have definitely done some scraping, but I wouldn’t call that a hobby, that’s  just a way of making money.

Anything can be a hobby if you enjoy it as much as I do I guess

I knew a supplier in one of the many factories where I worked whose hobby was developing new businesses! 

My colleague and I loved him because every time there was work on our overhead cranes he came to visit us. Well, he wasn't the one doing the repairs but he invited us to the best restaurant in town and we ate a delicious prime rib. He didn't eat it because his former excesses forbade him to do so. And he always had a new business to introduce to us, something crazy.
During an informal meeting in the last century, an acquaintance told him: “In Africa, in my country, we have a big problem with railway repairers, at night they sleep under the stars and they risk being eaten by wildlife. » And he who responds point-for-tat without giving up: “wagons specially designed for railway repairers are precisely one of my specialties”. After that, he jumped on a plane to Africa and presented a project that he had prepared on the plane. Wagons made in Poland, because it is not expensive, equipped in the Czech Republic because they are better in design. Four sets of two wagons provide security for your entire railway network. Sign there. The decision-maker hesitated and objected that there should also be a place of relaxation, cozy and hushed, because the technicians pass through villages and sometimes have naughty encounters there and that in the bush, lovemaking can be either dangerous or not discreet. Of course our guy replies that an additional relaxation wagon, specially designed for high-end comfort and discretion, is an option in the catalog.
The trip which was supposed to last just the time of presentation of the project turned into five years of residence in Africa because neighboring countries also wanted their fleet of wagons for technicians. So he brought his wife to Africa and realizing that no one was offering a Coca Cola dispenser to the army barracks, his wife obtained the exclusivity of beverage dispensers for the army with solid cabinets , unbreakable because the thugs are sometimes a little virulent, specially designed in Denmark. Then seeing that the overhead crane market was monopolized by the Chinese and that customers were satisfied with the low price but not the service, he quickly conquered the majority of the market, word of mouth spreading the reactivity of the new company that he had just come up.
The evenings of Europeans in Africa in the twentieth century are something that is hard to imagine. The daily evenings rarely ended before four in the morning with all the local white elite who didn't have to worry about housekeeping, meals, or educating their children. The only thing that mattered was which family would host the next party. So one evening our happy guy felt dizzy and was unable to attend the evening which promised to be rather hot. No matter, the next day it was back to having fun, with or without his wife. Then during a temporary trip to France, he decided to go see a real doctor who told him: "You've had a heart attack, it's six months of complete cessation of activity or death" and our madman who replies "Ah but I can't, I have many, many things going on" and the doctor who replies "then it will be death".
So he stopped, he subcontracted his activities in Africa with royalties, six months is a long time, but as his hobbies were not forbidden to him, he analyzed the market for recycling precious metals from electronic cards, the market for subcontracting the plumbing of complexes of buildings for the poor, which in France we call “low-rent housing” and there he allowed himself a little extra compared to the requirement for total rest, he created a company managing all the plumbing for buildings in his city, which he entrusted to a very energetic Macedonian. Well, we could continue the list of companies that are the fruit of his hobby for a long time.
I remember the last discovery he presented to me, before I changed regions and companies once again. Drawing on his experience with wagons in the jungle, he created a nightclub and a restaurant in his overhead crane repair warehouse. A trendy concept that is both industrial and psychedelic. When he invited me and my wife to the restaurant he had set up in his nightclub, there was a crazy crowd and a great atmosphere...
Ah hobbies...

Frenchlover

I knew a supplier in one of the many factories where I worked whose hobby was developing new businesses! 

 

I love your stories!  😀

It is really the best when the job is at the same time a hobby and brings profit.

My older son has a good job in a foreign company and a big salary, yet he still pursues his hobby, which is cars.  He always has several.  He buys, repairs and sells again.  On average, he made more than the normal wage.

At our house, we all have hobbies, and they don't have to bring in cash, it's enough that we have fun and it saves us money from the budget.  Example: the wife has a job and yet when she can't be in the garden growing vegetables in her free time, when it's raining, she does haircuts and sews dresses and pajamas for her daughters-granddaughters and also for her grandsons.  In the afternoon, she sewed me two t-shirts with long sleeves made of material that won't bother me after chest radiation.

So she orders cheap fabrics and sews them at home for pleasure, and it's also a boon for the budget.

  and many others two sewing machines that she can repair herself.

The younger son, who lives with us as a single parent with his grandchildren, who has sole custody of the children, is gradually taking care of the entire garden after me.  Fruit bushes, apricot trees, apples, pears, plums, raspberries, vines, etc., two foliar trees, many medicinal bushes: Goji, Aronia, gingo biloba, etc.

I already published it in another thread .. It's not about profit, but home-grown fruit that is free from spraying - artificial fertilizers is simply beneficial.

However, those who have a hobby of developing and manufacturing drones are now very profitable.

Ivan

Bell Ringing / Change Ringing (mainly church bells, although there are some secular towers in the UK).

I took this up 10-15 years ago and was soon invited to ring at weddings, etc.  now @ £25 per occasion with few if any costs, apart from time and maybe a bit of transport to other churches.  I rang at 18 weddings one year - Kerching !!!  

However, this is more of a niche hobby and there is some skill required that takes time to master.  It can also be quite dangerous, especially when someone lets go of a rope and it flies all over the place. I love it as it rarely impinges on work, benefits the local community, has a real historic significance (the bells at our local CofE church have hung there since Henry VIII was on the throne), and provides some exercise in what is otherwise a quite sedentary lifestyle.  I'm not especially religious, but there is a really lovely church community here where I live, so it's nice to meet up with people who have a good moral compass and are open to talking to people from all walks of life.  Fellow ringers are always welcome at other towers - I've rung in Devon, Derbyshire, Hampshire and all over Kent, and have even rang at Canterbury Cathedral.  

LDC

Plant a whole field with strawberry seedlings and the very next year you can allow people to pick their own, where they will pay significantly less than if they buy it in a store.     Today, a big storm is coming at us from Austria and Germany, so the son and grandsons quickly collected so that the hail does not destroy it.  There will be dumplings with strawberries with the rest in jam.  Same with apricots

MIMAEL

Plant a whole field with strawberry seedlings and the very next year you can allow people to pick their own, where they will pay significantly less than if they buy it in a store.     Today, a big storm is coming at us from Austria and Germany, so the son and grandsons quickly collected so that the hail does not destroy it.  There will be dumplings with strawberries with the rest in jam.  Same with apricots

That looks soooo tasty!

In the UK at this time of year it's elderflowers - A couple of bags of sugar and some citric acid, plus a carrier bag of elderflowers and a few other bits, makes a very tasty drink.  

Full recipe:  https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/homemade-elderflower-cordial 

DanzigCoins

MIMAEL

Plant a whole field with strawberry seedlings and the very next year you can allow people to pick their own, where they will pay significantly less than if they buy it in a store.     Today, a big storm is coming at us from Austria and Germany, so the son and grandsons quickly collected so that the hail does not destroy it.  There will be dumplings with strawberries with the rest in jam.  Same with apricots

That looks soooo tasty!

But the main thing is that we know what we eat, without chemicals and without preservatives, dyes.  It is pure natural.  Communism taught us that, there was nothing in the shops, so we self-supplied as much as possible.  I made homemade ham, 100 bottles of canned apples, pears, plums, apricots, cherries.  We used cherries to make byshnovka-alcohol, etc. Not that we couldn't buy it or that I -he had no money- do it.  But it's just the hobby.    And there are people who enjoy it a lot and still earn money from it.  That's why I showed it.

7 liters of sweet jam - is poured into already used - clean glasses, about a height.  It is closed and left under the blanket until the morning, once every few hours it is turned.    Great for Christmas baking, bread and butter breakfasts, etc.

But everything is directed by the wife, I play with American dimes - I don't have time for that anymore.  like under the communists - then there was a lot of extra time - and there were no US coins (humor)😁💰

Ahoj Ivan

@MIMAEL , really nice. My mother also does some cans and we together do some alcohol nastoykas as well. Plum, wild pear, currants, cherries, horseradish etc…

Do you make slivovica?:)

Grinya

@MIMAEL , really nice. My mother also does some cans and we together do some alcohol nastoykas as well. Plum, wild pear, currants, cherries, horseradish etc…

Do you make slivovica?:)

Hi Yevgeni-Slivovice belongs together with beer to the national liquid heritage.

Even though I am 100% abstinent who drinks 1-2 beers a year, We have a supply of plum  distillate   at home - my wife likes it and so does my son - but they only drink it when they have visitors - a little bit.

Neighbors obviously do it. I only used up to   two times in a row, I had my own distillate, about 10 liters, burned in the distillery,  in the past (not anymore, but my son wants to burn plums again) -All around us there are competitions for the best slivovica - it is part of the folk tradition, tasting and announcing the yield.
However, fruits other than plums are also used.

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=9e11ba70d5dfb25d&sxsrf=ADLYWIKBt5cK8QMhhrqPbePA-QTk-77nUg:1717919148457&q=ochutn%C3%A1vka+slivovice&uds=ADvngMgNG4qWEcyOv6mZ7d9R1NXiACXTL8ygqlv29VUSFoXGVbds3Da0p0dn6ewLS6Gu7S0X0y6167t3x7fKpk-aryarphxphnBNRltjz6hoXnNR3fr3ZANskQ5q7E47HsoainDfNm06O3eFFIO6fR8Zqf6kBUaT9WAVpaMn9OiyB52smdVKpBv0WUlJZwZk9-9YGBogZmGY3DR7odChAkuSA_u4JVu_NR36o424SiLqP5g91nKxx78O-uDQtX1rE_zNG6Y5XtGKABllIZH30SJEgSX_FckZkyv2bcXf8NJHhjC9ymQumyM&udm=2&prmd=sivnmbt&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiLzuLEg86GAxXo7gIHHRcbDywQtKgLegQIEBAB&biw=1093&bih=486&dpr=1.25

https://www.lihovarek.cz/degustace-pro-gastro/degustace-slivovice-gastronomie/

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=9e11ba70d5dfb25d&rlz=1C1NHXL_csCZ927CZ927&sxsrf=ADLYWIJdtZcRlRFab7TJZ_uYilw3t4uBrQ:1717919249107&q=Dubnany+ochutn%C3%A1vka+slivovice&uds=ADvngMhdznG_IlcWLRNGbp-A0e5TlazviSdKKhIo20gs2RfCN_wOSwJJy-tqQKHwNR_LNkg7GuUHBFTGwtKyrMwxIYJ3uBwXRw2zu5aK2zjGFBUs2E2XXuxihPN39ncynThkbeK8PC0xvUfWZa3CvI1Iit5l4pBZGE7oN8r3iAcX3sJQ5Nx9kLIKGYHCv8KpX5vrHe4AijrxwSMLu54srLFWKQXn4dm0Y95dDOriQ2S87GylK0t9bVuX0EW4iD5tycIuBvp33HS8nvmbk7cTvxuavT1BbpgR3YvP4d1aGAEDMOufYZf_aGNykN9_pTbnVQSuKFnmvXxE&udm=2&prmd=ivnmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiX5OH0g86GAxWg_7sIHa1tCYAQtKgLegQICxAB&biw=1242&bih=552&dpr=1.1

Ahoj-and cheers - I'm waiting for the weird thing to end and I'll buy a lot from you to top up some coins.

Ivan

I forgot to add - burning fruit for distillates is a hobby of many people here.  And I know that if they brew 200-400 liters of high-quality spirit during the season, which sells well.  And if it is not sold, it is an investment treasure, the older it is, the more money it costs.  That's a huge profit from such a simple hobby.  However, distillate must not become your boss.

Ivan

MIMAEL

I forgot to add - burning fruit for distillates is a hobby of many people here.  And I know that if they brew 200-400 liters of high-quality spirit during the season, which sells well.  And if it is not sold, it is an investment treasure, the older it is, the more money it costs.  That's a huge profit from such a simple hobby.  However, distillate must not become your boss.

Ivan

In France it’s a nightmare. different province , different rules. it‘s possible to do it under certain conditions. 1 is tax, 2 is you can’t sell it. (Others rules but you get the idea) 

Unfortunately if you look at the cost and time, it cost you more than the shop. Only doing it for the « tradition «  and fun with friends /familly.

selling the fruits is more profitable 

knowledge Is gone, people trying to get every drop from a batch… not knowing/wanting to discard head and tail. You drink this crap u get blind in no time.

storage is a risk. Burn the farm about once per generation . Not the root cause but when the bottles explode that’s fun 🎆🎇,  the fire brigade however stand back and wait .

Collectors Lego sets - they always bring me more money when I sell them!

I mean stuff like Creator and themed sets like Star Wars, not the commercial stuff aimed at kids or series like Friends and City.

My Titanic is worth a pretty penny now!

Moneytane

Collectors Lego sets - they always bring me more money when I sell them!

 

I mean stuff like Creator and themed sets like Star Wars, not the commercial stuff aimed at kids or series like Friends and City.

 

My Titanic is worth a pretty penny now!

I had the Chicago LEGO Architecture set, got it for $40, sold it for close to $150. Got some cool banknotes with the money.

Moneytane

Nice greetings to all.

     I bought my sons first lego big box in 1987. The new kit became popular, and vice versa, creative after new inventions, so people started buying Lego.

     Many, many boxes, and even the grandchildren are still being bought, in total they have up to 50 kilograms, maybe more, no one weighs it, and railways and other buildings are being dismantled.  This is the penultimate building - a pirate ship more than 1 meter long.

MIMAEL

Moneytane

Nice greetings to all.

     I bought my sons first lego big box in 1987. The new kit became popular, and vice versa, creative after new inventions, so people started buying Lego.

     Many, many boxes, and even the grandchildren are still being bought, in total they have up to 50 kilograms, maybe more, no one weighs it, and railways and other buildings are being dismantled.  This is the penultimate building - a pirate ship more than 1 meter long.

Hold on to that, that 80s Pirate ship is real gem and really rare now.

That is an incredibly cool pirate ship. Legos are great.

 I was completely surprised at the value of my old legos! I could have sold my old ones for thousands of dollars, but I always wanted to let my kids play with them. So that’s exactly what I did, the kids play with the $100 admiral and the $100 forest men. And the expensive ship set, and the old  castle. They play for hours. Naturally I have added some new sets as well. 

I am a football referee, and last weekend I officiated at a tournament for under 7's-14's on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I was paid £50.00 per morning. Now have to find coins to spend my hard earned money on.

redsmithstudios

That is an incredibly cool pirate ship. Legos are great.

 

 I was completely surprised at the value of my old legos! I could have sold my old ones for thousands of dollars, but I always wanted to let my kids play with them. So that’s exactly what I did, the kids play with the $100 admiral and the $100 forest men. And the expensive ship set, and the old  castle. They play for hours. Naturally I have added some new sets as well. 

Good idea, as long as they are careful and don't lose pieces. I never understood that about Lego Investors, and some toy collectors in general. They never open or play with the Lego/Toys. Part of the reason I buy Lego sets, is the 3 or 4 days of fun I will get from constructing the set, yet opening the box and making it, already decreases the value? 

Of course you get around the problem, if you buy like 2 or more sets and/or you have no interest in playing with it. But given the cost of the Creator/Buildings series - most of us can only afford the one set anyway. You would only buy 5 or 10 sets of a $200 - $1000 Lego set if you were either really rich (Like multi millionaire) or were expecting to invest and then on sell them in a few years or in an area, a long way from a Lego supplier, which would be limited now - like say Africa outside South Africa/Botswana, China, Mongolia, Tartarstan and the Amazonian Rainforest, Melanesian and Micronesian atolls.

I can understand if people collect old Star Wars figurines etc or some toy you can't really play with, unless you are really young - but Lego no, thats an interactive toy.

Just reassembling some of my sets after my move earlier in the year. Word to the wise, when you break down your modular buildings completely as I find reconstructing them when you have hunks, makes it much harder. Except for the fiddy bits.