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30 Hobbies Clearly Showing People Doing Them Are Insanely Rich, As Shared In This Online Community
There is a famous proverb "Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are," as well as its derivatives - for example: "Tell me who your quarterback is, and I will tell you what team you have" or "Tell me about your hobbies and I'll tell you how much money you have." Yes, people very often tend to believe that a person's wealth largely determines the activities they're into.
Of course, this is not always true - for example, history knows millionaires who loved, for example, embroidering or crocheting. But very often there are hobbies that really require a lot of money just to start doing them. And this recent viral thread is dedicated to just such activities.
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#1
My neighbor is a yachtsman who makes a middle class living racing rich people's yachts. So, I would say hiring people to indulge your hobbies is about as 1 percent as one can get.
MP 2 years ago
*Drawing attention to. If you’re not leaving your own content-related comment, you’re just adding to theirs.
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Jeremy Crocker 2 years ago
Yacht racing is a pretty big deal here in Maine. The sailing kind is the ones that are raced (see the photo above) not the luxury kind (also see the photo above).
Kelly Shields 2 years ago
But, you don't take yachts to get groceries and go to work (maybe some people do, I don't know). It's the idea of having an extra $1500 to use on an object that is a pure luxury, no other purpose. Not to mention maintenance costs and storage fees.
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RELATED:
#2
"My hobby is collecting Rolex watches."
Oh, sweet. What do those go for nowadays? 20k?
"My last Rolex watch was worth 400 thousand."
Oh, sweet. Your useless timepiece that you never wear could buy me a house and I'd be set for life.
"I have 51 of them, I think. Maybe more."
... and you wouldn't even miss one.
LizzieBoredom 2 years ago
I need these people to leave addresses, size of dogs, and security system specs.
WindySwede 2 years ago
And don't go for the Rolexes, that is a cheap brand. As I have read here on BP, I think.. The rich buy those, the wealthy buy more expensive brands!
Load More Replies... Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
I started crying once when a BF I was dating in med school told me he was going to buy a $200,000 watch. I'm like- this could pay for my entire med school and this guy is going to buy a watch? And I thought of all the $10,000 scholarships he could've given out, and how many people 5hat would've meant so much to, and I just couldn't stop crying.
Jared Robinson 2 years ago
I collect watches. like twenty dollar pocket watches, cause I'm broke, but if one went missing I'd notice.
Phyzzi 2 years ago
Nice. If you ever make it to Boston, be sure to check out the Museum of Industry and Innovation in Wallingford. It's an old watch factory.
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Lil Miss Hobbit 2 years ago
When you feel evil for immediately glancing at the window to see how far from the ground it is. For when you come back with Scott Lang.
BoredPandaSucks 2 years ago
and you wouldn't even miss one.... would apply to a million or even a billion dollars to the very wealthy.
#3
Buying social media companies and burning them to the ground.
RoanTheMad 2 years ago
does being in your 50's and trying to be "down with the kids" count? and naming your child a maths equation?
LizzieBoredom 2 years ago
I don't know. I think Natural Logirithm has a certain cache.
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Demosthenes 2 years ago
How this would not be seen as the saving grace of humanity I do not understand. Tweeter is a cesspool, it will lead to our extinction and almost has already. Killing it cannot come fast enough.
Phyzzi 2 years ago
It's not killing it though, it's just distilling the cess.
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Kelley Gilbert Zumwalt 2 years ago
The chapter future econ books will have about ol' musky will be an interesting read. I know I'm curious to see if he ends up more like Tesla or Edison in the sunset of his life.
If we make a brief overview of the hobbies of people from the Forbes top, then it will mainly be one of the activities listed in this selection. For example, Donald Trump is fond of golf, Elon Musk collects things and props from the filming of James Bond movies (did 007 really tweet something in one of the recent films?), and Larry Ellison is seriously interested in yachting - for example, the yachts he owned twice won the most prestigious trophy in the world - the America's Cup.
However, there are no rules without exceptions. For example, Warren Buffett, who has repeatedly headed the list of the richest people on this planet, simply loves playing the ukulele. Moreover, the great investor has repeatedly played in front of an audience, live and even during various interviews. Not a very expensive hobby for a man whose net worth was recently estimated at $106B, according to Bloomberg data, isn't it?
#4
A friend of ours got a wildly expensive cappuccino machine from his wife for Christmas. She didn’t think there was room for it in their huge gourmet kitchen, so they had a whole coffee station with cabinets and drawers and a built in mini fridge and marble countertops installed in the adjoining breakfast area. This was all because they “got tired of driving to Starbucks twice a day”. Oh, and they sent us home with an XBox One the other night because they just bought whatever the new one is (X?) and “had no use” for it. Lol, nicest people, just wildly wealthy.
Buttered Toast 2 years ago
Meanwhile, my husband just yelled at me for spending $12.99 on a French press
FlatEarf 2 years ago (edited)
What exactly is a French press? Edit: please I want a definition not upvotes
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Tushar Roy Mukherjee 2 years ago
In West Bengal, such friends are known as ' Ghonishto bondhu' and are part of a running gag cue tax raids on our ex-education minister and his associates revealing hum to have non-documented wealth worth atleast a million dollars in assets and liquidity, all of it acquired by illegal means.
Greenmantle 2 years ago
Hell, they could make even more money selling what the espresso machine had to offer over Starbucks anywau
Channo Sagara 2 years ago
Xbox one x is pretty recent. During that time we already have uber eats that delivers Starbucks. They just want to buy that coffee machine.
#5
Top 5 that scream "rich person"
1. all things equestrian
2. collecting rare, first edition, and out of print literary works
3. collecting "fine art" (from galleries, not flea markets)
4. being a connoisseur of liquor such as elite vodka brands
5. glamping in your Airstream
Top 5 that scream "I want to pretend I'm rich, but definitely am not"
1. collecting Disney memorabilia
2. Going on "luxury cruises"
3. having a collection of designer clothes, bags, and accessories purchased entirely at outlet stores
4. belonging to a wine of the month club
5. collecting Airstream branded shirts and hats, although you do not actually own an Airstream
Top 5 "not rich and don't care what anybody else thinks of my hobby"
1. playing bingo
2. collecting hubcaps
3. maintaining a collection of squirrel feeders
4. turning old beer bottles into vases and planters that you give as holiday gifts
5. tent camping in your own backyard
LizzieBoredom 2 years ago (edited)
"Poor and don't care". 1. Sitting in your plastic lawn chair, drinking a beer while an episode of Cops is filmed across the street from your Mobile Home.
Sunny Foxglove 2 years ago
I disagree with the literary one. I'm not even in the bottom rung on my way up the ladder to rich, but I love old books, especially ones by my favorite authors, and buy them when I can.
Wondering Alice 2 years ago
Horses do not scream rich. Round me, having horses says part of the traveller community. I remember an Irish comedian saying you know you are middle income by not having a horse.
Upstaged75 2 years ago
Most equestrians aren't actually rich. Those are stereo types that everyone is familiar with. And yes, there are people like that - but they are like all rich people, the 1%. The rest of us live cheaply and work hard to afford to keep our horses. The term is horse-poor. :)
Dragons Exist 2 years ago
I collect antique books but only when I can find them cheap at Goodwill. I may spend $100 at the very most on a book and my rich aunt bought a $10k book because she felt like it.
Buttered Toast 2 years ago
I collect fine art. Usually it goes on the fridge until another masterpiece is created.
R Dennis 2 years ago
The only thing I do on these lists is belong to a wine club. It is a winery in my state that makes good sparkling wine and it is an excuse to go there every spring and fall to pick up my order. Definitely not trying to pretend to be rich - just like bubbly...
MelFunction 2 years ago
I love getting a box of wines every 2 months. I'm not rich, nor am I pretending to be, but I do love my wine.
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#6
We had a meet and greet with a new executive at my company and she told us one of her hobbies is "investing in real estate."
Bonesko 2 years ago (edited)
Ah, monopoly. The game that ends when someone goes bankrupt, says 'f**k this!' and then flip over the game board 😏
Load More Replies... LizzieBoredom 2 years ago
One of my hobbies is finding loose change under the couch cushions so basically the same.
Bonesko 2 years ago
That's not a hobby for me. Rather a desperate attempt when I realize I have no gas and 3 days until payday
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Marcos Valencia 2 years ago
Investing in real estate is my hobby, too. And I take it very seriously, to the point that I even live in my investment and call it "home".
Michael Largey 2 years ago
You mean you guys have never done "Rotisserie League House Flipping"?
Of course, there are types of hobbies so expensive that just one opportunity to touch them costs more than you and I will earn in our entire lives, even combined. For example, space tourism. Dennis Tito, who is considered the founder of this very activity, paid $20 million for a seven-day flight in 2001. Thus, each orbit around the Earth cost the first space tourist $150K.
But, for example, Japanese billionaire and philanthropist Yusaku Maezawa reportedly paid $73 million for his flight in 2021. However, this hobby is very contagious - both Tito (who is now at an advanced age) and Miyazawa are planning with might and main to pay for the upcoming commercial flight to the Moon!
#7
Tax evasion
LizzieBoredom 2 years ago
Apparently, you can be too poor or too rich to pay taxes, so su*k it middle class.
Beck 2 years ago
The good thing about being lower class? You get $5000 or so back at tax time every year.
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Cyndielouwhoo 2 years ago
That's how they afford hobbies like Dressage and collecting overpriced watches.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
Nah, they don't do it themselves. They hire a full time account to do it for them. When you make enough money that it works out financially to pay someone minimum 50k a year to save you money in taxes. And buy politicians not to raise your taxes. That is some crazy rich
FlatEarf 2 years ago
And worse yet neither side of the aisle is going to change anything because they aren't wanting to pay taxes neither are their investors, we will never see that tax code changed until we see a person paying tax and not being funded by others
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Theresa Stephenson 2 years ago
Yeah it stinks but unfortunately the middle makes up of majority of taxpayers.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
It may or may not be a wide-spread practice, but how is it a "hobby"? None of the people I caught at it at the IRS were playing.
#8
Dressage. You won’t know what this is. Because you aren’t even rich enough to know that it exists. Let alone have it as a hobby.
LH25 2 years ago
I do know what this is, from my 4-H days. I am nowhere near rich enough to do it.
Deborah Harris2 2 years ago (edited)
It's Horse Riding where the horse performs certain poses and moves ..oops thought you said you didn't know what it was lol sorry :D
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Horse/panda/thing 2 years ago
I don’t think this is a 1%. I event (dressage, cross country jumping and show jumping) and most people who own horses do dressage because it’sa necessary part of horse riding. Polo is far more 1% because you need 4 horses and life insurance.
Ashlisha 2 years ago
You dont need to be wealthy. I do dressage, we are definitely middle class. My horse is worth far less then my 12 year old car. It's really supposed be about balance and harmony with your horse not some elitist sport.
Michelle Goubeaux 2 years ago
I can't afford my own horse and I can't afford to show more than maybe once or twice a year a super small shoes but I do take lessons and enjoy riding dressage. I'll never be too tier or anything it it is a hobby. Great exercise and great fun.
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Lil Miss Hobbit 2 years ago
I know what this is. I had my horse-lover-who's-parents-are-too-poor-to-get-a-horse, stage too.
Jessica Bertram 2 years ago
i learned about TrapHer KeepHer binders full of women when he ran...
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Niall Mac Iomera 2 years ago
My wife did dressage for years. As a teenager. Sure, there's some investment, but no more so than say BMX or something.
Upstaged75 2 years ago
Again, this is a stereotype. Many people enjoy the sport at the lower levels where it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
#9
Summering. Only rich people will ask another person where they “summer”.
Lauren P. 2 years ago
So my partners family have a "summer" house in the Adirondacks. While historically their family was wealthy (great great grandfather ran for governor of NY), they themselves were just teachers and farmers. Having a summer place doesn't inherently mean you have money, just means somewhere down the line one of your relatives was rich enough to buy the property when it was cheap and kept passing it down. Both my partners parents are super frugal and now retired, but spend a lot of time and effort keeping up the place so they can eventually pass it down to my partner and his sister.
Maltaros 2 years ago
Having a summer place and "summering" are different. One is for the whole season. The other is for getting away when you can.
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Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
I'm more irritated by them "over wintering" where I live. No, for real though. They show up for 3-6 months, pay virtually no taxes while they're here, absolutely DESTROY the roads with the massive campers larger than my actual house, and annually clog the sewers with so much fat, cràp, and "flushable" wipes that we must endure annual sewer pumping up and down nearly every road for about two months. EVERY. YEAR. Horrid.
Philly Bobcat 2 years ago
The Gorge Eatery... about 8 miles from my house! I Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall in the Poconos !
Robin OConnor 2 years ago
Freaked me out when a well known celeb said "summering" in Chili helped him with his Multiple Sclerosis and Romneys wife said horseback riding "saved" her from depression brought on by M.S., not to mention, you know, having someone to do everything, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the house/kids.
Fabian Bernard 2 years ago
I used to work in the 16th district of Paris ( wealth area) Apparently, having a ''reception apartment'' only to set up parties and dinners is a thing. Every week, we flowered Carla Bruni's one
On the other hand, can a hobby be considered expensive if it takes up most of your income to engage in it, although the absolute figures for its cost do not look astronomical? For example, among the hobbies listed in our selection, there is aquarism. "I absolutely agree that aquarism, although it does not look like a hobby for the rich, still takes a lot of money from a person with an average income," says Konstantin Ilyin, an aquarist from Ukraine, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for an interview. "I have several dozen aquariums at home, from small to very large, and keeping all these fish, caring for them, and buying food sometimes take up to three-quarters of my income."
"And this is not counting the purchase of various books about fish, and other expenses that may arise quite by accident, but be significant for the family budget. However, I have not regretted for a minute that I am fond of aquarism, because any hobby is about being a tad bit insane," Konstantin admits.
#10
I went to my aunties 70th birthday. She's a hobbyist pilot and longtime member of an aviation club.
My partner and I were talking to one of the guys there and he asked "Did you guys ever get in to flying?" To which we obviously replied with "... No." He seemed genuinely surprised and then asked "Oh... did your parents just not let you?"
The obscene cost of flying/owning/renting planes never even entered his mind. The *only* reason he could see for not flying planes as a child was a lack of interest.
Pretty f*****g mind blowing tbh.
Mickysixxx 2 years ago
I got into flying when I was a kid! I jumped off various heights with a plastic bag or an umbrella to see if I could lol
Hey! 2 years ago
At least you had a cape. I didn't and it's probably why I broke my bone.
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R Dennis 2 years ago
Honestly, it depends. Not all planes are expensive to own and maintain. I have a neighbor who owns a plane, pays a monthly fee to park it at the airfield, and uses it every now and then. It costs more than a nice boat, but not by much. Full disclosure, I have neither a plane, nor a boat...
Danalalala 2 years ago
Did he get free flying lessons or something? That's a lot of free hours to log. I know people who spent more on lessons than the plane.
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Kyle Simonson 2 years ago
While learning to fly isn't cheap, it is relatively attainable. A friend of mine got his initial license and later his instrument license and he never made more than 35k while he was doing it.
BenMaharaj 2 years ago
I mean you were at an aviation club get together from the sound of things so his assumption wasn’t that wild to make.
#11
Fighting the crime with high tech equipment developed by your R&D team as a way to avenge the murder of your parents.
FlatEarf 2 years ago
Except he built his tech in a cave at first to get out of the cave his parents came second he had shxt to do and places to be
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Billy Harrelson 2 years ago
To be fair, Batman used to do his crime fighting with skill. Only as the times have evolved has he incorporated more high tech equipment.
#12
In Germany we have a saying: if you play golf, you’re too poor for horses. you buy horses if you are to poor for sailing. If you are sailing youre propably too poor for jets and motoryachts.
Historic Motorsports is also a good indicator for wealth (especially F1)
Best Behave 2 years ago (edited)
Sailing as a participation activity is actually very affordable. My local sailing lake has a membership of £80 a year, and you can sail the club boats almost every weekend , and week evenings through summer. Some members have proper boats, but here’s the thing - they’re always after crew, and most skippers will have you aboard for free, some even provide meals. Owning a boat is a different matter. They say that yacht owners have 2 good days - they day they buy it and the day they sell it. Ownership can be likened to tearing up £20 notes whilst standing in a cold shower.
badger 2 years ago
yep, sailing doesn't have to be super-expensive, you just need to sail very small boats.
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Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
Horse prices and upkeep aren't that high if it's not a racing horse and you live on a farm. Getting to any good golf courses would definitely cost more.
Sarah Schumm 2 years ago
It really depends on where and how you sail. Little boats on inland lakes and bays: pretty affordable. Anything large enough to sleep in or take on the ocean: expensive.
Mark Fuller 2 years ago
This is so true. There is a class hierarchy. My hobby is spending time with my cats... how far down the list does that place me? They don't cost as much as horses but are vastly less work...
And, of course, collecting is often mentioned among the hobbies for rich people - after all, the rarer an item of any collection is, the more it costs. However, very often, people have really weird things at home that even the owners themselves prefer to remain silent about because they are so controversial - as, for example, in this recent selection of ours. And of course, we're already looking forward to your own comments on the activities only the richest people can actually afford.
#13
Sailing
Collecting art, watches, cars
Traveling. I know you can travel on the cheap but even doing it cheaply multiple times a year is a luxury of the rich for the most part. Not only the cost of the trip but having the financial freedom to not work so you CAN travel.
Lisa H 2 years ago
To add, collecting expensive watches and cars. Watches like Philippe Patek, not Rolex. Patek makes Rolex look like a Swatch.
Alex J 2 years ago
Don’t forget Vacheron! But don’t add De Mille. That’s just trash.
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ISeeWendiGo 2 years ago
I used to collect cars and horses. Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and My Little Pony was awesome!
Mona 2 years ago
The ability to travel has less to do with how much you make and more to do with the flexibility of your particular job, the standards in the country in which you live, and how much paid time off you get (if any). Even low-paying jobs might offer paid time off, while some higher paying jobs might offer the time but not the flexibility to take it.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
And then they don't realize that having the financial freedom not to work is a privilege most don't have. "Don't collect things, collect experiences". Yes, you can't afford skydiving, hiking the Appalachians or scuba diving. But getting mugged on the way to the subway and watching drug deals out your window are great "experiences"
Bo'owowo'uh 2 years ago
My grandparents travel quite a lot and they are definitely not upper class.
Samyan Elrod 2 years ago
I sail for 50 AUD per sailing season with a club. Very affordable, and regattas are only a little extra cost.
Mathieu Brouwers 2 years ago
Since spring 2020 I´m working remote. Just need a VPN connection. Traveling multiple times a year never was so cheap or easy.
#14
I recently went to Loon Mtn. in New Hampshire (which is pretty average skiing), and for a family of 4, our tickets cost $475 a day. That's almost $1,000 just in ticket cost for the weekend. On top of that, we spent a couple hundred on food. Luckily we were staying with someone, otherwise we would have to pay another almost $1,000 for lodging. We're upper middle class, and we could barely afford it. I don't understand how the mountain (and lift lines) were so crowded. Who can afford this more than once a year, if that?!
Jodi Rinker 2 years ago
a lot of places have really cheap season pass sales where if you go like twice it's paid for. it's the tourists who are the money-makers for a lot of ski resorts
BG 2 years ago
I'm not sure OP knows what "upper middle class" means. $2000 for a vacation among "upper middle" is not expensive.
Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
Wow, New Hampshire is doing really well for itself if it's in Switzerland now...
Unpopular opinions 2 years ago
If you are upper middle class & can’t afford a $2,000 trip for your family you are seriously mismanaging your money.
H.M. V. 2 years ago
Or you'd rather spent that money on something else. Like a two week trip instead of two days.
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Liz Orreo trex ago go 2 years ago
We have 5 or 6 ski hills in Edmonton Alberta thanks to the 500 ft deep river valley. On Friday nights skiing is only $5. Yearly passes are just over $100. Skiing in mountains, several mountains are 4 hours aways, is 89- $120 a day, with family packs as low as 250. Banff is twice the price, because of the Americans.
Trisec Tebeakesse 2 years ago
I dunno. I'm a Bostonian; I drive a bus for a living. Several of my co-workers take the winter off to ski these mountains. I'm making my third trip to Florida this winter, and Disney, too. Sounds like you did it wrong.
Elizabeth Babcock 2 years ago
Rich people! Don't you know in the last forty years theres been a huge shift in wealth from the middle class to the rich,? Tax law, regulations, have gotten more and more fine tuned to make the rich richer.
#15
Polo
LizzieBoredom 2 years ago
If it was called Marco Pollo, you could play it with chickens, but they aren't great floaters.
Cuppa tea? 2 years ago
You have to be really rich to afford play polo. The cost of pool, water treatment equipment and them find another guys willing to wrangle in water? Yeah, rich dudes for sure.
Jp@nda 2 years ago
I think they meant polo that's played on horses, not water polo
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lubbaDubDub 2 years ago
I have a friend who told me she was middle class growing up. She said we only watched polo but never played, and the lake on our land was really just a large pond.
#16
“The fastest way to become a millionaire is to become a billionaire and go racing”
Bonesko 2 years ago
But that's no big deal. They can afford the medical care 🙄
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Alex Barnett 2 years ago
I'd like to caveat with in a competitive series. You can do track days with an old Miata pretty cheap.
Michael Vickery 2 years ago
I believe that's 24 Hours of Lemons racing, hardly high buck racing. Cars are supposed to cost $500.00 minus safety equipment.
#17
Bartender here. Two very cute girls from outta town sat at my bar. Equally cute guy walks in. Immediately buys them drinks. His opener was "so how often do you gals boat" . They were from f*****g Philly lol. When he said that I couldn't not smirk at it. He also tipped me like 130 dollars for 3 Jameson cokes.
ILoveMySon 2 years ago
Actually, my son has had his Boston Whaler since he was 12. Dad got it very cheap as it required repair they did together. To pay for gas, Son washed dishes at a restaurant albeit illegal at his age when he started. 😬 To pay for the dock, he bartered lawn work with the dock owners.
anon panda 2 years ago
Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, a province in the USA
Load More Replies... WindySwede 2 years ago
Wasn't that on family gus as well? Or was that just quagmire?
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Heather Vandegrift 2 years ago
At least he was a good tipper! So many rich people are horrible tippers!
#18
Going to space.
John Dilligaf 2 years ago
I don't mind rich t*atwaffles going into space. It's the fact they keep coming back that annoys me
#19
Something that probably isn't the first to people's minds, but: aquariums.
Good God are aquariums all about up-front investments in time, money and space, and that *still* doesn't 100% safeguard things from going catastrophic, to which then the typical solution is an even more absurd dedication of time, money and space to remedy said problem.
They're gorgeous and can absolutely be a source of serenity for a room, but honestly that serenity is only going to be felt by those who didn't have to put the work, planning and money into it.
I'd honestly say keeping a "standard" 20 gallon fishtank would be comparable to keeping a small parrot, at least in terms of effort and knowledge required, and the needs go up exponentially from there.
Jay Cox 2 years ago
I keep a 125g with Oscar and Jack Dempsey combos with a 24-inch sucker fish, a 55g with a tank full of glo fish. Also, I breed a pair of red devil. I'm by no means rich, but good god, he isn't lying. They all run me 200 a week, with water, power, filters, feeder fish, chemicals, and foods. I love my fish like a regular pet, but in hindsight, I'd probably do it again.
Jodi Rinker 2 years ago
my little 10-15 gallon tank was less than $150 to get set up and is maybe, at most, $10/month to maintain.
Theresa Stephenson 2 years ago
I like tropical aquarium are beautiful but rather go see them in a aquarium much cheaper.
Bonesko 2 years ago
I work in a restaurant, it's a higher end one, and they have this awesome fish tank.
Load More Replies... Shark Lady 2 years ago
I watched that aquarium show, they actually built one which had black tipped reef sharks, it made me so sad I stopped watching. I just can't see how they could thrive anywhere but the oceans.
Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
Yup, used to clean these as a kid too. Absolutely bonkers when it comes to care and keeping the fish alive, honestly.
Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago
UGH - my ex & I had a salt water aquarium (it was huge, but I forget how many gallons - 5'h x 7''w x 2'd). Biggest pain in the a$$ in my life. He was a total loser who used to have a really decent job, but got fired for being stoned at work. We were so broke our electricity got shut off. Guess who lost $1,000s of dollars worth of fish overnight?
Wonderful 2 years ago
When I first graduated highschool I was a receptionist at a law firm. They had a giant 1000 gallon plus saltwater tank. It was gorgeous and right by me so I would feed the fish and spot clean it. They had aquarium ppl come out twice a week to check it and do anything it needs done. The monthly invoices were insane. I did the mail sorting and them coming out 2 times a week was 4-5 times more than what they paid me for a month of work. I still think of that beautiful aquarium. Can’t remember my coworkers names after all these years but I remember the names I made for all the fish and starfish and so on. 😋
Lou Cam 2 years ago
Same with reptiles. Getting all the set up and gear costs hundreds then there's the replacement bulbs. Vet costs astronomical due to specialism. I'm poor and probably should not have gone there but here we are struggling for food and bills and paying shed loads for my wee ungrateful poo monster of a tortoise.
Doodles1983 2 years ago
Marine tanks especially. Money and time costly. Gorgeous to get lost in. But at least a parrot may talk back.
#20
I work for Porsche. Many clients have racetrack memberships where they garage their cars and have track days. $80-90k initiation fee, $10k annual fee for some memberships.
LizzieBoredom 2 years ago (edited)
I have a Toyota that's parked inside, and I also have a Garage door opener so I'm good.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
If they don't offer onsite mechanics for maintenance, they are losing out on a revenue stream
Fabian Bernard 2 years ago
At the Porsche Club, they also have trucks bringing several cars because owners break one or two cars on the track every weekend
#21
Going on vacations to different countries and then just lounging around the hotel and pool aka doing the stuff you could at home.
Sah JaySo 2 years ago
It's cheaper for us to go out of country. We live in Ireland and it is expensive!! We can stay in a luxury hotel/apartment somewhere in the EU for a week for the same that it would cost us to stay somewhere fairly mediocre here. Going to the south of France in May. Staying in a 5* house with indoor pool, right on the sea. 4 bedrooms. It's costing us €1,200 for the house for a week and €500 for the flights for 5 of us! We booked early and got a great deal on the flights. Same week and the cheapest nice hotel I can find in Ireland is €250 a night... for 1 room.
Tamra 2 years ago
My husband and I are planning a trip to visit Germany, Austria and Switzerland this fall (we're from the US), and for the two of us for ten days, it'll be over $8,000.00. We've saved for years for this trip. This is a major reason why people don't travel out of the US that often.
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Mia Black 2 years ago (edited)
We thought about a vacation this year and where sadly surprised that it would be much cheaper to go to an all inclusive holiday in another country (mostly south europe) than stay in our country and book a hotel. Last year we where kayaking near our hometown for a week, staying at campsites for the nights and this was more expensive than a all inclusive holiday to Greece would have been in the end. Edit: with our own inflatable canoe - so no costs here. I don't know if we can afford to go camping again this year or just day trips.
#22
with any outdoors sports like skiing, rockclimbing, etc... people either seem to be rich AF, or broke AF
Life’s A Beech 2 years ago
Rock climbing doesn’t cost much money when you do it outdoors. I used to rock climb a lot when I was in my late teens.
Heather Vandegrift 2 years ago
Really doesn't cost THAT much indoors either, depending on your local rock gym options. If you do it a lot, membership for a year of unlimited climbing and other amenities (some rock gyms also have regular gym equipment) is usually only a few hundred dollars a year
Load More Replies... Luna Crow 2 years ago
I've met a few self-styled "dirtbags," because they'd spend all their money on climbing gear and gas to get to the good spots, and then just camp in a sleeping bag on the ground or in the back of their car. Fun folks!
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jdtimid123 2 years ago
I imagine a lot of outdoor sports are mostly just the upfront costs of buying equipment. After that it's just gas and food money (maybe ticket costs if you are skiing or something). That's probably one reason so many people do them.
Hiiii 2 years ago
I rock climb competitively in fact I’m going to a comp tomorrow but the equipment is expensive at first and a big investment but once you do that and if it’s indoor a membership there isn’t additional cost say thing for skiing. And I love both of these sports. I’ve been skiing sense I was 3 and rock climbing for a year.
Philly Bobcat 2 years ago
There had better be a HUGE pile of foam & feathers at the bottom for me to do this with no safety gear! LOL!
jennifer kerkow 2 years ago
I live in a snowy palace and it seems like somehow everyone can afford cross country skis, snow shoes, and snow machines. It's bonkers.
Niall Mac Iomera 2 years ago
I used to go indoor rock climbing in high school. Cost me like $12 a week lol
Alex C 2 years ago
Expensive for peak times and popular resorts for skiing. Can be done cheap, but generally you are sacrificing earnings to do so. I might spend $2-3k per year on equipment and passes doing it on the "cheap" - midweek on independent resorts. A week in whistler however is closer to $10-20k.
Troy Parr 2 years ago
A lot of the expense is travelling somewhere to do the sport. I was a Diver for 14 years and travelling to the coast or somewhere further was the biggest cost. Then chartering a boat, then staying B and B. This was way back when refilling our bottle (compressed air cylinder) cost under £1. If you live somewhere were you can do your sport/thing locally that's a huge saving.
#23
Himalayan mountaineering
Life’s A Beech 2 years ago
50K for a permit, then you pay an expedition company and Sherpas to drag your a** to the top, just to say “Look I climbed Everest!”
Kay Phillips 2 years ago
Educate yourself - no one's a*s gets dragged to the top; it's literally impossible. It's also a thing that people who hear about Sherpa's work say. Sherpa's do a lot, and they're absolutely heroes; but everyone who climbs Everest achieves an insane athletic feat.
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Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
This should really be #1, not just for its cost but also its sheer pointlessness.
Kay Phillips 2 years ago
Crocheting is also pointless. People enjoy different things and that's ok.
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#24
Depending on where they live and how often they do it, skiing/snowboarding
LilliVB 2 years ago (edited)
Depending on where you live means a lot. I grew up in low/middle class family but on the mountains with several ski station nearby. Almost everyone in my town went to ski during winter, and there weren't many people really wealthy (edit: missed word)
Unpopular opinions 2 years ago
What the f**k? You can literally go skiing for a couple hundred bucks.
Amy Taylor 2 years ago
In Utah, there's a few really great ski mountains that are super inexpensive. Lodging is really low as well :) I live in CA and our local mountains are insanely expensive now.
Load More Replies... Lara M 2 years ago
That's very location dependent. When I lived in Minnesota, the local ski hill was cheap and easily accessible. Now I live in California and skiing is a rich-people sport. Sigh.
Best Behave 2 years ago
Easily accessible if you live in Minnesota, as you observe
Load More Replies... Bookworm 2 years ago (edited)
I'm from Pennsylvania; going skiing in the Poconos is a relatively normal middle-class activity here, and there's other places scattered around - Blue K**b State Park is popular. There's a world of difference between 'I go to the local ski hill once or twice every winter' and 'I go to a fancy ski resort or travel internationally to ski every other weekend.' Edit: You've got to be kidding, that's a completely normal word. Come on, BP.
Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
*unless you're a local and you take a part time job at the slope as a teen.
Danalalala 2 years ago
I'm in a cold climate. It's not unusual to see people skiing around local parks, sometimes with their dog on a leash beside them. It's as casual as going for a walk. Snowboarding is a lil different since you need a hill and lift.
ThreeAngryLlamas 2 years ago
I have been skiing three times, twice as field trips with school, and once with a friend because she was paying. I moved out eight years ago and it's just not something I can afford to do, even though I really love it. My three year old brother, on the other hand, goes skiing every weekend and I am definitely envious. Thrilled for him and thrilled that my father is more well-off than he was when I was young, but it would've been nice to be able to do that, too.
#25
Lots of folks saying golf, but I haven’t seen anybody mention cycling. Sport cycling, not utility cycling to the corner store for a gallon of milk. Mid-level road bikes are now $5000 usd. And it’s pretty common to spend low five-figures on a complete setup.
At least in the Unites States, the average household income of cyclists is quite a bit higher than golfers.
Alex Barnett 2 years ago
Fun thing about that is if you're clever you can get that stuff cheap if you purchase it from those rich people who tried it and decided it's not for them.
Alex C 2 years ago
Golf membership - $20k to $500k buy in (depending on what type of membership, i.e. subscription vs part ownership), and $1k per month. Probably green fees. Cycling? Free once you have the bike.
rn42 2 years ago
I pay $70 a year. You don't have to join a country club.
Load More Replies... Mathieu Brouwers 2 years ago
Sports cycling has been big in the Netherlands since Covid-19, especially by young women. (to get a nice round *ss). Bikes and clothing can be expensive, but normal people don't notice the difference between very good and best. I prefer my low racer recumbent, where a beer belly reduces drag.
Pieter LeGrande 2 years ago
Learn to build, maintain, fix your own bike and it can be quite affordable.
dan martyr 2 years ago
Yep, the cost of gear can be insane. Even just a pair of bib tights can be £200+. I bought some new wheels for my bike, told my cycling friends who said “oooh, have you had the ‘cost of wheels’ conversation with your wife?”
LvH 2 years ago
In the Netherlands it is quite an affordable hobby / sport for the lower middle class. Many cyclists and mountain bikers here.
Theresa Stephenson 2 years ago
I can see why slot of these guys have major sponsors on jerseys expensive sport.
#26
Art collecting
WindySwede 2 years ago
Here is a Minion just before taping a banana to the wall! clipart-ba...nion-6.jpg 
Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
I collect loads of art... Sure, it's nearly all by me, but I like it. 😅
Luna Crow 2 years ago
This is how I do it too. And trading with my other artist friends
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LuLuBelle 2 years ago
I have 70+ pieces of original art on my walls from local artists and thrift shops. The most I've ever spent is $250 on a gorgeous original oil of palm trees in the moonlight. I'm not even technically middle class, I'm borderline poor. Is it great art or art by internationally known artists? No. Is it good art by talented artists? Absolutely. You don't have to be rich to collect art that makes you happy.
Mathieu Brouwers 2 years ago
We weren't rich, but my father taught me how to buy and sell stocks at a young age. And to invest in art. First of all you should enjoy art, it's nice if it can be sold at a profit.
Lonely Tentacle 2 years ago
I live near an art college and I kinda wanna take my partner and go outside that college and see if they've thrown away any nice paintings for our home. I'd like something nice, and it doesn't have to be expensive.
Hannah Meyer 2 years ago
Depends on what you collect, not all originals cost 10k a pop or more. Cool old vintage posters (originals) can be affordable.
#27
Going to Africa to hunt big game.
Dan Holden 2 years ago
F**k those people. If you're hunting for your supply of meat for the next several months then your source if meat is more humane than most of us. If you hunt just so you can say you bagged a lion, elephant, etc and hang a head on your wall, then you're a piece of s**t!
WindySwede 2 years ago
Just give the money to a wildlife sanctuary to help them survive instead.
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Fantastic Mr Fox 2 years ago
Most of the others are more innocent. If you have a lot of money, your spending $1000 is like ordinary people spending $1, so you don't hesitate. I can understand that. This one is messed up.
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Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
At least let the locals eat it when you're done shooting your virtual d*ck extension photos...
Stephen Lespron 2 years ago
That's literally what happens. The safari hunts in Africa are highly regulated. Shoot, some of the hunts are done with non-lethals so a vet can give it care. But even the lethal hunts are selected for a specific animal that's either sick or old (past reproduction) and the meat and money are designated for local communities and conservation. Do not confuse this with poaching. Those guys are scum.
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Theresa Stephenson 2 years ago
I don't like to hunt by with deer if we don't they get overpopulated and people like eating wild game. I don't however like hunting just for sport so barbaric.
#28
In Sweden it's: Tennis. Even tho tennis isn't super expensive, that's where all the millionaires/their kids are.
Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
Once again, it can be expensive but it's not necessary. I used to swing a mean racket as a teen. Just picked up used gear once a year at the garage sales in the fancier parts of the city.
#29
I haven’t seen it on the top comments but lacrosse seems like a rich people hobby-
Der Kommissar 2 years ago (edited)
Fencing, and by that I mean dueling with foils, not putting up a barrier between your yard and the neighbor's.
RoanTheMad 2 years ago
I grew up working class and did fencing (and archery) in school so...
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The Starsong Princess 2 years ago
In Canada, it’s common and fairly cheap. Definitely cheaper than hockey.
Lisa Owen 2 years ago
My son and his friends took up Lacrosse in high school, none of them were rich, they just enjoyed it and were TRYING to get the school district to support a Lacrosse team. Unfortunately, it never happened. He's in grad school now and they still play together when they are home from school .
Cassi Lyris 2 years ago
*unless you make your own stuff and play in regular àss field. Did that a lot growing up.
memyselfandI 2 years ago
They’re mentioning a related sport that is also something the rich people do. They’re allowed to do that.
Load More Replies... #30
Creating a secret cave filled with high tech equipment.
CHRIS DOMRES 2 years ago
No one has mentioned being a audiophile. Fanatics who claim to be able to hear the difference between ordinary zip cord speaker wire and the $500 set of wires the salesman told them was made "in an oxygen free vacuum". And buy a $5000 turntable because it is made with anti gravity isolating hydraulic support feet.
Dana Tobin 2 years ago
definitely not a hobby. he's offended at the thought
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Buttered Toast 2 years ago
I just want a secret cave with books and a really nice coffee maker.
#31
Equestrian sports
Haute couture
And while we are at it:
Sailor Moon merchandise
Ches Yamada 2 years ago (edited)
Yes. Anime/manga merch is (can be) incredibly expensive.
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Marianne 2 years ago
Sailor Moon! I love that! 😂 If you're asking yourself why this is on the list: the creator of Sailor Moon got all her rights back about 20 years (?) ago and did nothing with it for a long time. Now, she is the only one who can create content and merch and all the stuff is absurdly expensive.
#32
My granddad belonged in a country club. My extremely affluent uncle enjoys building and flying his own aircraft as a hobby. (There appear to be kits? But he has also acquired and fixed small two-seater planes that have crashed.)
Fabian Bernard 2 years ago
Co-ownership can be a solution. My middle manager cousin owns and flies two planes like that and doesn't seems to starve to death. On the other side, few holidays and a 250000 km car
#33
Warhammer 40K
Amy S 2 years ago
You can buy a surprising amount on ebay if you want to reduce the cost a bit.
Emma Klein 2 years ago
Yes. My dad does that he'll buy badly painted sets on ebay. Remove the old paint, re-paint them. When he wanted a new set he would sell his old one.
Load More Replies... Lisa H 2 years ago
Speaking from experience, it's much cheaper if you paint them yourself. Like MUCH cheaper.
Neuridivergent 2 years ago
My ex growing up even though he said he was poor. Yes, he also had vast quantities of legos.
#34
Collecting "Golden Age" or "Silver Age" comics.
When I started collecting myself in the mid to late 80's there we only a handful of expensive books, mostly DC titles.
A stickler for condition, would only buy it if it was near mint( NM) or better condition.
At one point my collection consisted of Dardevil #1, Spider-Man #129 (1st Punisher appearence) X-Men #1, plus Giant Sized #1, issues 94 to about 230ish. With my last major purchase being Fantastic Four #1, which at the time was valued at approx $1200 in 1992 (paid like $1100). Since this would easily have been a 9.0 or better graded book, the value today would be over $250,000. Plus quite a few other books that at the time were only worth between $75-$500, many are worth tens of thousands or more now.
Wound up selling my collection mid-90's and although I made a profit, there is NO WAY I could afford to be collecting on that level anymore.
Had I waited and sold my copies today, I could afford to retire by selling under 100 of my books that were worth the most today. My collection when sold consisted of nearly 8000 books.
#35
Equestrian, Golf, Falconry, flying, and Fox Hunting.
D3v1lD0ll 2 years ago
I'd once had a friend who was into falconry. The cost of setting up the mews (I think that's the word for the birds' enclosure) to proper specifications and getting it inspected in order to get his certification was ASTRONOMICAL! That's after the cost of apprenticeship and before the cost of training, feeding, and veterinary care for the bird, or birds.
Cat servant 2 years ago
Where I am golfing is affordable as a weekly activity using a public course. The expense starts if you want to play daily. Most people I know bought used clubs and play once or twice a month. They are lower middle class on up in wealth.
Jessica Bertram 2 years ago
this is fascinating: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/travel/article/falcons-planes-middle-east/index.html
Joe Publique 2 years ago
Lol, golf isn't expensive where I come from. But then again, we invented it. :)
#36
Money laundering
Lauren S 2 years ago
Nah, our dollar bills sometimes get a bit of a bath. They just get crumply.
Load More Replies... #37
Flying to F1 races.
BewilderedBanana 2 years ago
This is really not as expensive as most of the things on this list. It of course depends on where you're from and where you're flying to. Also on the race itself - places like Monte Carlo are insanely expensive for example. But there are some more reasonably priced tracks and, if they're on your continent, it doesn't cost the earth to get there (speaking for Europe at least)
#38
Having more than one Lego set
Jodi Rinker 2 years ago
i have more than one, but i know people who get like 2 new sets a month and I am baffled as to how. Most of mine are either small (under $30) or birthday/christmas presents
#39
Philanthropy
badger 2 years ago
they' usually put more back into society if they paid the tax that they've paid accountants to help them avoid.
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Dont Sellmyinfo 2 years ago
Like Badger said, if the people rich enough to be philanthropic paid the taxes they should be paying, they’d be helping out people way more. Obviously that means paying taxes rather than writing off your “donations” so, who would want to do that? There’s so much we could do if we just started taxing the rich.
#40
GT Racing/Rally racing. Building a race car is expensive. The consumables are expensive, e.g. a set of tires costs thousands and last a few laps. Rally racing has a high likelihood of crashes which require on the spot repairs.
#41
any gaming hobby where you're supposed to pay to keep up. tabletop that keeps getting updated or card games etc. also doing cocaine once an hour everyday. knew people who tried to start doing cocaine just to brag about spending money on it instead of smoking weed which isn't as high class. they were working minimum wage jobs lmao
LizzieBoredom 2 years ago
Here's a poem I wrote: If you smoke it, or you snort it, I hope you can afford it. Because if you try to steal money, you'll soon be Big Bubba's honey. Thank you.
Hey! 2 years ago
There's this game my husband plays online and this one guy said, out of the blue, that he had spent $2K on this game from buying packages. My husband and several others, by the response, spent $0. That game is free. Yes, it takes a few months more to achieve whatever they are doing but it's feasible.
#42
Hunting people
just me 2 years ago
For sport? That's just sick! You should only hunt for food.
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#43
Horseback riding
Sandy Kavanaugh 2 years ago
You don't need to be rich- many farms can board a horse for you, you can buy your own, and you can rent a horse for a specified amount of time. If you've got the space, keeping a grade horse isn't costly at all.
Jake B 2 years ago
I think it depends where you are. Way less In Wyoming than say in Western Washington Seattle area
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Annik Perrot 2 years ago
I was a horse-mad teenager, and we weren't that rich. One lesson à week was really affordable, and if you made yourself useful around the stables, which is no big when you love horses, you could get some free riding time, with boarded horses that needed to be exercised. And I lived in a city.
howdylee 2 years ago
I live in a rural area. Plenty of true farms/farmers around here and their kids have a horse/cow/goat whatever for showing at the 4H fair. Then there are the "equestrian facilities." People drive by in their huge tricked out SEMI TRUCK hauling their 10-horse trailer to the facility. They spend the day and then go back to their fairy land. Big big big difference.
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What do you think ?
R Dennis 2 years ago
I think a lot of these depend on the area. We have a small ski area nearby, so a lot of people ski. We have horse farms nearby, so a lot of people have horses. We have too many golf courses nearby, so a lot of people golf. We have a lot of lakes nearby, so many people have boats. The amount of money people spend on hobbies really depends on what you like to do... doing all of them is expensive, but if you only do one it isn't that much.
Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago
They teach fencing at the local YMCA in my town. My kid started and the outlay was less than my Roller Derby equipment.
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R Dennis 2 years ago
I think a lot of these depend on the area. We have a small ski area nearby, so a lot of people ski. We have horse farms nearby, so a lot of people have horses. We have too many golf courses nearby, so a lot of people golf. We have a lot of lakes nearby, so many people have boats. The amount of money people spend on hobbies really depends on what you like to do... doing all of them is expensive, but if you only do one it isn't that much.
Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago
They teach fencing at the local YMCA in my town. My kid started and the outlay was less than my Roller Derby equipment.
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