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Financially savvy hobbies

15th May 2014 Print

In Skyfall James Bond tells his creepy interrogator, played by Javier Bardem, that his main hobby is ‘resurrection’. Though many men and women alike have an undoubted affinity for Bond's antics it could not be said his choice of hobby was particularly kind to the wallet, or your health, or your soul, for that matter. For a start you have to get shot by a colleague atop a speeding train, then return to discover your house and belongings have been sold by your boss. Does this sound like fun?

Hobbies need not be this expensive or exhausting to be fun. They don't have to be dull and overtly sobering either. There is a middle ground between doing a Bond and knitting quietly in the park. You may have to gamble on trying a few different activities before you find your niche. These days, even more so than in recent memory, hobbies are important. They fill the quiet evenings when you are staying in, painfully aware of your financial purse strings ever tightening around you in the form of bills, rent, mortgages, child care costs and perpetually filling the fridge. Cheap hobbies are one thing, but pick the right one and you could get good enough at it to earn some extra cash on the side if you're lucky.

What cheap/ money earning hobbies are out there?

If you are fashion-smart and can no longer afford to spend all your own money on clothes you could consider part-time work as a personal shopper. Spend someone else’s money and earn a little for yourself while you shop - becoming a secret shopper is another popular way to shop for a living.

If your trip out of the house with the dog is your sacred getaway time why not add a few more canines to the pack and some extra notes to the stack as a professional dog walker? You can earn money baking, playing the guitar and even try coaching children's sports. Earn some pounds and lose some pounds with the latter! If you fancy something a little more creative, media agencies, marketing firms, newspapers and magazines are always on the look out for freelance writers and photographers and will usually commission your work at a flat rate.

If you enjoy turning pen to paper freelance assignments can be a challenging and entertaining way of helping to top up the bank balance and you can usually work remotely from your laptop. Photography is a little more hands on but if you get twitchy with your backside on a seat this could be perfect for you.

If you live with a partner you could also try spending more time together perfecting the oldest hobby in human nature. They do say the best things in life are free, and the Daily Mail suggests that the surge in underwear sales has to do with the fact that more and more people are staying at home together for the lack of money.