If you had $5,000 a year for a hobby?

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steve_k

CAGiversary!
If you had an annual budget of $5,000 to collect something that interest you, what would you collect and why?

Would you collect:

action figures
comic books
Sports Cards (specify modern or classic)
Coins
postage stamps
sports memorbilia
music memorbilia
paintings
magazines
cars (average one collectible car every few years)
something else?

Specify any details you care to share!
 
Given an extra five grand per year for collecting, I would probably build up a collection of older games for NES/SNES/N64/Gamecube, especially new factory-sealed games.

They're really cool to have and aren't likely to decrease in value in case you ever decide to sell them.
 
I'd probably just use that $5,000 to build upon my own collection, rather than start a completely new one. It'd be mostly comics, video games, anime. Basically just build up my media collection, focusing on the essentials.
 
If it was stuff I had to collect, I might get back into comics. Haven't for a while, and I read too fast and they're too expensive for it to be worthwhile right now if I had to pay for it.
If I could spend it on a hobby/collection, I would increase my board game collection and spend most of that money going to more events/conventions.
 
[quote name='Dezuria']I'd collect an extra $5000 a year.[/QUOTE]

This.

I have everything I want, and usually buy anything I want, thus, the money would just go into my bank account.
 
[quote name='docvinh']Arcade machines. They're fun to play, and fun to work on.[/QUOTE]

This is also what I would do because I enjoyed certain games during my youth that are only in arcade machine form that I wouldn't mind playing every once in a while.
 
[quote name='docvinh']Arcade machines. They're fun to play, and fun to work on.[/QUOTE]

This is exactly my hobby. I don't spend $5,000 a year though.... maybe $2,000 if I added it all up.
 
Does travel count?

I don't watch enough movies, play enough games, listen to enough music, read enough books etc. to drpo $5,000 a year on it. As a one time thing, I could upgrade my home theater I suppose.

Otherwise, if someone gave me $5,000 a year for fun I'd probably use it to take a kick ass trip every summer.
 
Travel definitely counts and that is exactly what I would want to do but with young kids and a crazy job it's just about impossible, unfortunately. Maybe when the kids are out of the house or something...
 
Yeah, totally understandable. One of many reasons I don't have any interest in having kids! :D

And one of the perks of being a professor is having flexible summers. I usually choose not to teach and try to fund some of those 3 months of salary with research grants. I work a lot over the summer as it's the one time of year I can totally focus on my research--but I can easily take a laptop and do work while traveling and can easily take a couple weeks off for a vacation since I don't have any classes or departmental meetings etc. to worry about--any meetings etc. I have are related to my research projects so I have more control over scheduling those most of the time.
 
It's not really buying things for a hobby, but rather supporting one. I'd probably use it to travel more in order to re-start doing stand up comedy. I got decent when I lived in California, and was getting paid gas money/dinner money or a little extra for most of my shows, but since I've moved to Oregon, stand up sucks hard here. The time and money it would take to constantly drive around to open mics or shows isn't an investment I want to make for what I have settled on as a hobby. I'd use it to travel regionally, and build it back up again til I got to the point where clubs were putting me up in hotels/apartments, and I was being paid for a week's worth of gigs. I'd need to put in about 6 months to a year or so to get back to the level I was in Cali though.

If I didn't do that, then I'd spend it on a personal trainer/martial arts training. I'm in moderate-decent shape, but in the past I was working out with a coach for a job I was trying to get, and I was really happy with how my body transformed, and in turn, I found myself more energetic, confident, and postive.
 
Paragliding. I used to want an ultralight aircraft, but they're a bit pricey. I've been thinking of taking up paragliding instead during the past few months, and I want to save up for my own gear, but money is a bit tight and the saving is slow. $5000 is about what I'd need to get all my own gear. $5000 per year would be plenty to get started, then start getting certification/gear so I can go tandem with my family and friends in the future.

Edit: I just realized it was supposed to be something to collect. I don't think I'd collect anything. I'm not really into collecting.
 
$5,000? I'd probably donate at least 10% of that to charity, since if I had that much money to waste, I'd not waste it on a hobby. But maybe travel, of course.
 
I would go back and finish my star wars toy collection from when I was a kid (I am guessing it could be done with about $2,000). I want to have a room dedicated to it when I get a house, and would like to have everything made from 1978 through 06ish.

I would probably spend $1,000 on games and Blu-rays, mainly Xbox 360 games that I passed up and can now be had for 10-20 dollars.

I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan, so I could EASLIY Spend the other $2,000 going to games, but for the OP purpose of this thread I would buy more rookie cards (need more vintage stuff in my collection), I want an authentic helmet, I want to collect all 5 Super Bowl Ticket Stubs that we went to, get my share in the packers (doing that next week). There are also a few more Jerseys that I would love to own.

Lastly, My $500 annual pass to Disneyland, I collect a lot of things that you can only get in the parks (they have great one off hand drawn things that I would like a few more of.

I usually make about $1,000 a year on the internet, so thats what is currently funding all of my expendible income, but I am working on bringing that number up, drastically. Hopefully I will be able to get that number past the $5,000 mark in the next 1-2 years.
 
[quote name='TheBigAndy']I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan, so I could EASLIY Spend the other $2,000 going to games, but for the OP purpose of this thread I would buy more rookie cards (need more vintage stuff in my collection), I want an authentic helmet, I want to collect all 5 Super Bowl Ticket Stubs that we went to, get my share in the packers (doing that next week). There are also a few more Jerseys that I would love to own.[/QUOTE]

A friend of mine played for the Packers up until this year. I still haven't ever hit him up for jersey's or stuff, but he's been kind enough to get me tickets to games when he's in town. One of the best, hardest working, sincere guys you'll ever meet. Watched him go from a skinny, goofy backup safety, to a very high level, record setting NFL linebacker.
 
[quote name='berzirk']A friend of mine played for the Packers up until this year. I still haven't ever hit him up for jersey's or stuff, but he's been kind enough to get me tickets to games when he's in town. One of the best, hardest working, sincere guys you'll ever meet. Watched him go from a skinny, goofy backup safety, to a very high level, record setting NFL linebacker.[/QUOTE]

That's awesome. If you don't mind me asking, who is he?
 
[quote name='TheBigAndy']That's awesome. If you don't mind me asking, who is he?[/QUOTE]

#56 (now #50 for the Bills) Set all kinds of single season and I think even career franchise records for tackles.
 
I'd probably just save it, after a few years get a new car or somthing, but if I had to spend it I'd travel, new TV, go out and eat at nice places, expensive booze.

I could use it on comics and video games but this is stuff I already buy with no big hurt on my wallet. I couldn't imagine spending $5,000 just on a hobby to collect junk that sits around.
 
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']I'd consider collecting a Master's Degree.[/QUOTE]

Depending on field of study, if you have a good academic record you can get an assistantship (teaching or research) and get paid tuition plus a stipend.

Doesn't apply to thinks like med school, law school or MBA programs usually. But it true in most research focused graduate programs in the hard sciences and the social sciences.

In any case, if you had to pay your own way, $5,000 wouldn't cover much of the costs at a decent university anyway.
 
[quote name='Rodimus']I couldn't imagine spending $5,000 just on a hobby to collect junk that sits around.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Collecting stuff makes no sense to me at all... unless that stuff is dolla dolla billz y'all.
 
I boxed up all my action figures and broke them out when my niece visited. I can't believe the crap I bought. Junk, all of it. More recently I was sucked into this Mighty Mugg craze. I have about 15 of them wasting space in my daughters closet. If someone walked up to me and handed me $50 I'd say take em'
 
[quote name='berzirk']#56 (now #50 for the Bills) Set all kinds of single season and I think even career franchise records for tackles.[/QUOTE]

Nick Barnett! I love him, sucked that he was on IR last season. I have an auto'd shirt from his website too. And yeah he has the Packers Franchise record for tackles.
 
Yeah, I had the wrestling ring, too. I knew I was getting it for Christmas one year, because I saw it through the plastic Toys R Us bag my mom brought home.
 
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