Is your hobby practical?

[Kristen]

Do you(or does someone else) derive some practical benefit from what you do for fun? Is it important to you that your hobby have some practical value?

[Shana]

Working out is my favorite hobby and the practical benefit is that it keeps the fat from collecting on my body... so, I'd say yes!! :D

[SabrinaJL]

My hobby is knitting and I think it's pretty practical. My other hobby is reading. But I only like to read for entertainment, so it's not really practical.

[Beka]

As the vast majority of my projects are initiated by a direct need for the household, yes, most of my hobbies are practical ones.

Sewing is possibly my most practical of all of them though as it's one i can do entirely independantly and pick up and put down as i need to. (Major household projects there is usually a need for some help)

[Christine]

Knitting is my number one hobby. It can be practical, but it can also be pretty ridiculous so it's really a matter of how practical I want it to be. It's pretty practical when I'm able to get the yarn for a steal and make a sweater for $25 that's custom made. It's not terribly practical to have a red fuzzy steering wheel cover for the boat. ;)

I also love to read. In my mind, reading is very practical. It keeps my mind active, it teaches me about places and people that I wouldn't normally encounter, and it takes me out of the daily grind.

[Kristi]

I am not sure scrapbooking is or not. But it does record things that happen in our lives now for my kids when they get older which is the purpose of doing it

[Lori]

Knitting is my number one hobby. It can be practical, but it can also be pretty ridiculous so it's really a matter of how practical I want it to be. It's pretty practical when I'm able to get the yarn for a steal and make a sweater for $25 that's custom made. It's not terribly practical to have a red fuzzy steering wheel cover for the boat. ;)

I also love to read. In my mind, reading is very practical. It keeps my mind active, it teaches me about places and people that I wouldn't normally encounter, and it takes me out of the daily grind.

I'm going to second all of that. I feel like knitting is somewhat practical, but not necessarily in obvious ways. It's funny because I've been knitting socks lately, and a few times people have said things to me like, "Wow, you must really save money doing that." And then I have to explain that, actually, it costs more to knit socks than to buy them in a six-pack at Target. :giggle But, I still think it can be a relatively practical hobby, in that in the end I have something to show for the time I spent doing it.

And I agree that reading is practical, for the reasons you mentioned. I also want to instill a love of reading in Thomas and any other kids we have, and I think reading as a hobby myself goes a long way towards doing that.

I like to play the guitar, but I don't think that's particularly practical, given that it's unlikely I'm going to be making my debut as a singer-songwriter any time soon. ;) But it's fun and it relaxes me, so I think it's beneficial, if not practical.

So I guess I think whether a hobby is beneficial is more important than if it's practical. I think that, if it's beneficial to the person doing to--if it relaxes them and stimulates them and gives them an outlet--then it's also going to be practical, since it's going to improve the person's quality of life, even if it doesn't have direct, tangible benefits.

[Brooke]

My hobbies are mostly digital and they do benefit other people: Spiffy, my family, friends, etc.

[tobyedavid]

So I guess I think whether a hobby is beneficial is more important than if it's practical. I think that, if it's beneficial to the person doing to--if it relaxes them and stimulates them and gives them an outlet--then it's also going to be practical, since it's going to improve the person's quality of life, even if it doesn't have direct, tangible benefits.

Agree! Does EVERYTHING have to be practical? Can't some things just be fun?

[Maleah]

My main hobby right now is photography and reading. I wouldn't say that weren't practical.

[Danielle]

I also love to read. In my mind, reading is very practical. It keeps my mind active, it teaches me about places and people that I wouldn't normally encounter, and it takes me out of the daily grind.

Very well said. I would rate reading as my #1 hobby and it's definitely practical, if only for myself.

[Jbird]

Reading is probably my primary hobby - I think it's fairly practical, for all the reasons everyone else has listed. I also like to do crossword puzzles, misc. word games, and I don't think they're very practical, although they do keep my mind active.

[Lori]

I also like to do crossword puzzles, misc. word games, and I don't think they're very practical, although they do keep my mind active.

I forget where I saw this, but I remember coming across a study a year or so ago that found that people who do crosswords or other logic-puzzle type games (like Sudoku) have lower rates of dementia than those who don't. So that seems like a pretty big benefit, to me. ;)

[Danielle]

Yup, I've read that too Lori.

[scrappymom]

I'm a scrapbooker too. I may not be able to wear what i create or eat it or whatever...but at the end of the day it's what saves my sanity :D

[Kristen]

Hi Cass! Nice to have a fellow scrapper on board. :D