What to Do, What to Do

Hobbies can be expensive and sometimes traumatizing (at least for me). For my demographic - female, stay-at-home mom, late 30s, middle class - there are no shortage of options. I could knit or sew, cook or bake, "scrapbook", collect stamps, create crafts... endless possibilities. But I once hemmed my husband's pants and sew it on the bed sheet, I boiled eggs and forgot about it so the water dried up and the eggs exploded, I baked cake out of a box and it came out as pudding, I put together my daughter's baby album and glued the pages together, I bought Chinese New Year stamps in 2000 (to commemorate my wedding) and 11 years later I still can't find them, I attempted to make little flower pots out of egg cartons and my daughter called them "poo-poo."

I do not know anything about sports. I'm scared to death of heights, water, and darkness. I tried to skate but realized I'm also scared of speed. I haven't tried skiing, I'm already dreading it. The husband wants me to go kayaking or whitewater rafting or snorkeling - water, water, and more water. I do like walking and hiking, but not camping (bears!). I'm an adventurous eater, but I don't eat much (except for chocolates).

By now, you're probably feeling sorry for my husband and child. Pardon my lameness and whininess. We still have a lot of fun as a family, most of the time with my eyes closed.

I searched "hobbies" online and here's what I found out. "Watching tv" is the 2nd most popular hobby, "sleeping" is number 17, and "housework" is 24. Wow, who would have thought that my favorite pastime is a hobby? I'll let you guess. These are from a site called notsoboringlife.com. There you go. If you do NOT have a hobby, or have insomnia, you are b-o-r-i-n-g.

Forbes listed some "quirky passions" of billionaires: David Rockefeller collects beetles, Clemmie Dixon Spangler fixes grandfather clocks, Gordon Getty composes operas, Bruce Halle collects vintage tire posters, Alan Casden owns more than 1,500 ancient Jewish coins, Gary Magness has a vintage car collection, and James Irsay buys rock n roll guitars. I do not know any of these people, but just to prove a point, if you are rich, you can pretty much collect anything you want. People will not call your hobby "weird," just a "quirky passion."

Some of the "strangest hobbies" online include matchmaking, dating online, camel racing, tornado chasing, sweepstaking, and ghost hunting.

One of the newest hobbies out there is called "geocaching." It's locating "hidden treasures" using your GPS then sharing your find online. But you have to be a member of the community. Basic membership is free, but if you really want to get into it, it will cost you $30 per year.

The craft and hobby industry in the United States is worth $30 billion, according to the Craft and Hobby Association. Hoovers reported that there are more than 146,000 companies in the hobby and craft retail industry and among the top five, three are in the US and two are in Japan. Inc. Magazine listed the craft and hobby industry as "among the best industries to start a business in 2010."

There are millions of sites that give you advice on how to make money from your hobby. The website frugalliving.about.com lists some moneymaking hobbies from teaching classes and selling your crafts online to becoming mystery shoppers. Just be aware of scams. If somebody asks you for money upfront, it's most likely a scam.

There are so many hobbies to choose from and choosing one that I would love to do, is cheap (or free) and will make money is my, well... new hobby.