One thing I have really come to notice as I have aged is that I have cultivated expensive hobbies.
My chosen profession means I am constantly buying new hair and makeup products, which add up quickly, but I can write those expenses off at tax time, so I don't even bat an eye when I am run up at Sephora anymore.
Actually, I am talking about a whole other string of hobbies that are expensive, but mainly fitness. I am just grateful that I have the means to have expensive hobbies to begin with. Total first world problems, y'all.
Don't get me wrong, you don't have to spend a lot of money to work out, but I do. Here are some of the ways I have made fitness expensive:
I have a penchant for buying workout DVDs. I particularly like Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper workouts, even if I rarely ever use them. Thank goodness for Amazon, as you can find them very cheap there.
My gym membership is paid every month, regardless of if I go regularly or not. Some months I just make a "donation", and don't even use my membership. Sad, right? My membership allows me to get into any 24 hour fitness in the country, has a boat load of awesome classes to choose from, and large amounts of equipment to use any time of the day or night. I should use it more, but most of my workouts are outside on my bike or running. I do have to make better use of my $40 a month though!
I buy new running shoes every 6 months, which adds up to a few hundred dollars a year. This year in particular has been ridiculous in that department as I have tried in vain to find a new shoe replacement. You can do the math on 4 pairs of shoes in 3 months. Thank goodness my latest pair, Asics gel-Lyte 33, are proving to be wonderful, and giving me the idea that that I won't need to buy more shoes for awhile.
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| Yup, I totally got the men's version, as the women's doesn't come in wide width, but the men's standard width is a women's wide! They are still a really pretty blue color, and comfy as all get out, so I like them. |
On top of shoes, I buy workout wear! Shorts, tanks, sports bras, tights, and long sleeved shirts make their way into my shopping cart more often than I care to admit, and it's actually quite needed as workout clothes get so stinky. I am so very thankful I am not a devotee to Lululemon, because that ish is expensive. My Under Armour outlet clothes, and my finds at the local running stores and places like Marshalls and Target are as expensive as I want to get, thank you.
However, yesterday I dipped into more expensive territory, and bought something bigger than my shoes, my gym membership, and the clothes.
I bought a new bike!
My favorite bike store is having their annual mega sale, and I knew I wanted a new helmet and maybe a few accessories while they were on sale. It wasn't until I went on a mt bike ride on Tuesday that I decided I needed my own mt bike. Yes, I am impulsive.
Needed should be taken lightly here; I didn't actually need anything, but of course that didn't stop me. Billy and I have been sharing his Specialized Hardrock for two and a half years, the last two years I was exclusively riding my Cannondale road bike and leaving the mt bike alone. We are lucky that we can actually share a bike. Billy may be 3 inches taller than me, but he's all torso, while I am all limbs, so we can make good use of the same bike with small tweaks to seat height and not being bothered by the rest. Knowing I have to put the seat post all the way to the top, which can ruin the post, made having my very own bike made with women's specific geometry sound marvelous. I did quick research of some entry level mt bikes, picked the brain of my friend Matt who eats sleeps and breathes bikes, and then headed down to Mike's Bikes to test ride some bikes.
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I ended up special ordering the Specialized Myka sport disc 29er in white, as the shop only had the model in red, and let's be honest, red just isn't my color! It means I have to wait two weeks for delivery, but I can hang!
There are all sorts of fancy components, nice hydraulic disc breaks, and things I don't even know about on this bike. I went with a 29er {29 inch tires} instead of the standard 26 inch tires because the larger tires make you faster, the ride smoother, and the climbing easier. Um, why would I want anything less? The disc brakes were a must have, as I need to be able to stop quickly if I plan on venturing out on the trails which can be quite sketchy terrain wise. Everything else was just bonus, especially the pretty color scheme. Oh yes, I did just say a bike was pretty, and that was a major part of my decision making process.
Now I just have to be patient and wait for my bike to come in so I can take it out for a spin! I will have to come up with a fun name for the new bike too, as I really like referring to my Cannondale CAAD10 road bike as The Cupcake!
Do you have any expensive hobbies? I would love to hear about them!