Highest happiness return per dollar

[Mach1]

I've been road racing for quite some time now, won probably 40 races, 2 regional championships, and spent a lot of money as well (100k+).

At this point spending 15k-20k a year to race is getting old, and I am thinking, for what? What is at the end of the road, where am I going? I enjoyed having to figure out out to win and be successful but now racing is more like a chore to me.

What I am more focused on now is putting money back for financial freedom, being that I am in sales I try to pretty much invest all of my commission money and live off my base income. To help downsize spending I am on the hunt for a solid list of shit to do that isn't very expensive, and things that make sense from a family perspective as well. I would love to get ya'lls thoughts as well on what is a great return of happiness for little cash. I will try to kick it off...

1.Biking/Mountain Biking
2.Hiking
3.Swimming
4.Shooting Guns
5.Park with family
6.Watching movies (at home)
7.Playing music, drums, guitar, etc.

[scootro]

a slutty red head is pretty fun

[JC316]

Video games are my bang for the buck entertainment. Spend about $1500 on a decent gaming computer that should last 5 years, then you can spend $5-$50 per game for 8-1000+ hours of entertainment.

[Craizie]

Video games. They'll also help keep your wit and reaction times up.

Might make you a mass murderer, though.

[Mach1]

a slutty red head is pretty fun

Sounds expensive

[Strychnine]

Archery is really damn fun, even if you don't hunt.

It's a real skill that takes work, patience, etc. Definitely different than sitting behind a rifle on a bench and IMO way more rewarding than rifle or pistol shooting. Also, you don't blow through ammo every time you shoot. The range i shoot at is only 'crowded' (used loosely) this time of year when guys that haven't shot all year are getting ready for hunting season, but throughout the rest of the year its not out of the question to have the range to myself on a Saturday afternoon (and this is at West Houston Archery, a big shop).

[jammeejamm]

dirt bikes have been decent.

[jluv]

Camping is my jam. It's cheap if you keep it simple. It can get out of hand, like anything else, but it doesn't need to be that way. I prefer tent camping in dispersed camping areas on public land. That means remote, free of charge, and typically far away from civilization. It also means no amenities, but that's never been an issue. Unfortunately, Texas has very little public land, so you'd have to add in the expense of travel (fuel). Take the bare essentials, then figure out what you really need to add or upgrade. Over the years, I have drastically downsized the amount of shit I take on camping trips. Most of it isn't needed, and it's a pain to pack and carry a bunch of unnecessary shit. I do this stuff with my wife and a 10-month-old baby, and they both love it. I have buddies whose wives or kids need a hotel or at least a fancy camper, but they're just doing it wrong, imo.

Along with camping you can add fishing (again, can be cheap, but could get out of hand if you let it), hiking, biking, kayaking, etc.

I'm also very heavily into off-roading, but that shit is NOT cheap. It's a blast, though, and usually cheaper than building/maintaining a race car.

Folks are gonna laugh at this one, but another hobby I enjoy is bird watching. That shit can be basically free, or you can step it up with a decent set of binoculars, some feeders (cheap) and food (adds up over time, but still cheap compared to car stuff). I enjoy that from home, and then it carries over when I'm out camping or even just visiting different areas. I haven't taken any exotic trips specifically to see birds, but I surely will when I'm an old geezer. It's extremely easy to get started - just grab a book and start identifying what you see, and once you get going, you'll find yourself doing it without even trying. Then certain birds become a treat to see, then you start figuring out their different habits, sounds, etc. Anyway, it may sound dumb, but I really do find it rewarding.

Photography seems like another cool hobby that may not be super-cheap, but cheaper than racing. I'd do nature photography, if it were me, but you can take pictures of damn near anything. I may try my hand at it one day, but just haven't yet.

[Craizie]

Slow down hawkeye.

[1carcrazyguy]

Other than hookers and blow....

Check out RC racing. I grew up racing bikes, riding motorcycles, tinkering with muscle cars, speed skating....and anything that was fun and fast! Got involved in RC racing back in the very early 1980’s. Quit in the early 90’s and started racing again in 2008. It is probably the cheapest form of racing there is. It fills the adrenaline rush of competitive racing. It fills the enjoyment of wrenching on something and seeing your hard work and knowledge actually work in action. I enjoy traveling around to different tracks and events. You show up and your car doesn’t very good because the surface is different than the last track you ran on. So then you start changing oils in the differentials. Change shock oils, shock pistons, springs and sway bars. Make tire changes, ride height changes adjust the wheel base or any number of changes that will make the car work better (or worse)....lol. It is a blast and while not exactly cheap. It will be much cheaper than most any other form of racing but still fill the mental enjoyment and adrenaline rush of competition.

If you are near Garland. Stop in Indy RC on any race day/night and watch.

[Mysticcobrakilla]

Other than hookers and blow....

Check out RC racing. I grew up racing bikes, riding motorcycles, tinkering with muscle cars, speed skating....and anything that was fun and fast! Got involved in RC racing back in the very early 1980’s. Quit in the early 90’s and started racing again in 2008. It is probably the cheapest form of racing there is. It fills the adrenaline rush of competitive racing. It fills the enjoyment of wrenching on something and seeing your hard work and knowledge actually work in action. I enjoy traveling around to different tracks and events. You show up and your car doesn’t very good because the surface is different than the last track you ran on. So then you start changing oils in the differentials. Change shock oils, shock pistons, springs and sway bars. Make tire changes, ride height changes adjust the wheel base or any number of changes that will make the car work better (or worse)....lol. It is a blast and while not exactly cheap. It will be much cheaper than most any other form of racing but still fill the mental enjoyment and adrenaline rush of competition.

If you are near Garland. Stop in Indy RC on any race day/night and watch.

Lmao! Some of my best days were at Indy R/C.

[1carcrazyguy]

When I lived in the DFW area I raced there and Mike’s Hobby Shop Carrollton). Mikes obviously closed due to highway expansion, but Indy is still going stronger than ever. I don’t have anywhere like that here to race at. So I get to travel every so often. Indy RC, Thornhill in Austin/Hutto, HP Hobbies in Hutchinson Kansas for 1/10 scale. I also like the track in Albuquerque. I get to race a lot of different surfaces and classes by traveling.


Edit: best thing to ever happen to RC racing...is lipo batteries and brushless motors!

[1carcrazyguy]

Last 2 years of racing...got about 8-10 more that haven’t been hung yet.

[JV106]

Get a jet boat and join a club. You can drag race it, swim, take the family, camp, etc. You shouldn’t need too many parts for it once it’s built. The hulls are cheap. Building a HCI BBC is relatively cheap.

[Ruffdaddy]

I break this down into 3 or 4 categories:

1 - Family: with a 3 year old we explore everything we can. Small airports, museums, zoo's, parks...etc

2 - Alcohol/Adult: We like to check out new breweries and wineries. Quick trips to Fredericksburg, local spots...anything we can that has a nice venue or product.

3 - competition/action: i try to find something to compete in at least once a year. This year its redbull soapbox, but it can be anything. I also like to design random things and document the design/build process to draw attention to my training courses.

4 - Hobbies: karting is a blast and if you do club racing it can be cheap. I also have RC hobbies...so a traxxas RC car that can hit about 70MPH, a traxxas boat and a drone. I shoot guns with friends but only a few times a year now. I used to shoot pistols all the time...but its harder to pull away with a kid.