In 1981, I won a goldfish at the fair. My parents were annoyed about having to buy a bowl for it. It died within days (no living creature should be kept in a half gallon bowl), but I pestered my mom into buying a ten gallon tank for the replacement. This was the beginning of a lifelong hobby- I now have nine aquariums in my living room, and in the past forty-some years have spent many thousands on tanks, fish, plants, fish food, and so on. My most expensive tank cost me €5000 to set up.

And all this began because I spent a quarter and managed to get a ping-pong ball into a cup.

Singing can be surprisingly expensive. My fees for 1 year with two choirs is almost £350, plus extra for hiring/buying sheet music, transport to and from rehearsals and tours. Plus the dinner I have in town before rehearsal (it's only itsu but it mounts up). Oh and a concert dress (hopefully I only need the one this year), that was £80.

It's worth it though!

Kinda the other way around; but when I was 27 I got divorced and decided to go to uni to study radio production with a view to changing my career.

Three years later, I'd graduated with a 2:1 and almost £20k of student debt.

...and all I have to show for it is a podcast that I used to do, because I couldn't find a job in radio.

It started with headphones to listen to music on the go. Then it become a DAC for the headphones. Then it became an inherited record collection. Then it became a turntable. Then it became a pre-amp. Then it became a massive and varied record collection.

All and all I've probably spent, I don't know, upwards of maybe five to ten thousand dollars overall with all my audio equipment and record collection.

Basically any hobby has a habit of absorbing all your spare income, doesn't it?

dog sports and crochet/knitting. i spend about $200/month on agility lessons, plus entry fees. good yarn is not cheap.

For me it is maybe camping.

I just tested my new sleeping bag - under 0.5kg rated to -5°C. And realised that I bought/ replaced lots of gear to higher quality gear over few years.