How much of your hobby do $500 and $2000 buy?
 

I have a theory that most casual to moderately serious hobby can easily absorb $2000. Also, that you can get started in almost anything for $500. As much as I hate "Post your favorite....?" threads, since they tend to be completely non-interactive, this is one I think could be a lot of fun.

What is a hobby you are pursuing or want to pursue?
What's the best bang for your buck for around $500?
What's the best bang for your buck for around $2000?
About how much have you spent on it, and what do you have?

Feel free to make your posts as detailed as you want. Feel free to cover a hobby someone else already has (maybe you would spend $500 in it differently?). Feel free to cover multiple hobbies. I am a gadget freak, so I'm specifically thinking of buying physical items, but your mileage may vary!

How does TFP spend its leisure dollars?

---------- Post added at 07:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:08 AM ----------

To contribute: My current hobby is setting up a Home Server, with an emphasis on Media serving!

Home Media Server!
$500:
Router: $40
Barebones DIY computer: $200
1.5TB HD: $100
FreeNAS operating system: $0
BriteView CinemaTube to watch content on your TV: $80
Misc. Cat-5 cables: $20


More Better Home Media Server with Wireless and Multi-Room Audio controlled by cell phone via Squeezebox Server (cell phone not included in budget)
$2000:
Wireless N Gigabit Router: $140
Used Rackmount server w/new internals: $400
3 x 1.5TB hard drives: $300
Windows Home Server operating system: $100
HTPC running Boxee to watch content on: $300
Harmony remote to control everything: $100
Two Small monitorless mini ITX PCs to run distributed multi-room audio: $400
Semi-decent Speaker setups for the above: $200
Misc cables: The rest! haha.

What have I actually spent?
Yeesh...my setup is much closer to the $2000 one. I have a good d-link router, a rack mounted server with Windows Home Server. I originally thought all my media needs could be met with an Apple TV, but its lack of HD content has me bummed out, so I supplimented it with a BriteView Cinematube for HD stuff, and I'll probably get rid of it eventually. I wish I'd just built an HTPC to start with instead of wasting my time on prebuilt units. I'm just now getting my distributed audio setup working, but rather than spending money on them, I'm using a pair of laptops with cracked screens as the client computers--useful because they already have built-in wireless, and are still useable enough to configure.

Well, let's see. I recently outfitted myself for telemark skiing. I have pretty nice gear, but I didn't pay full price for it, and I've been collecting it slowly but surely since I decided last fall that I wanted to give skiing a shot.

Clothing:
Arc'Teryx Fission SV shell, full price $499, I paid $69.99
Patagonia Capilene baselayer bottom, $39
Marmot baselayer top, full price $39, I paid $20
REI socks, $12
SmartWool socks, $16

Gear:
Skis: K2 Schi Devil, picked up at a ski swap for $300, full price $499
Bindings: G3 Targas (came with skis), full price $189
Poles: Black Diamond Expedition poles, $89
Skins: Black Diamond Ascension STS, $159
Boots: Garmont Lady Excursion, ski swap price $90, full price $389

The thing with a hobby like telemark skiing is that the gearing up is never really done. There are always new things to try, new things to buy. As you can see, if I was to pay full price for my hobby, spending $500 might buy me a coat or a pair of skis, but it wouldn't go very far. Thank goodness for things like ski swaps, the Backcountry.com outlet, and Steepandcheap.com!

One of my hobbies is RC model aviation. At the entry level of the hobby, $500 goes fairly far, and $2000 is kind of ridiculous. I'd say when I have one of my birds in the air, there's probably at least $300 in equipment on board.

Now, people flying gas-powered planes spend more than us electrics flyers. And it's certainly possible to put together a multi-thousand-dollar plane, and then crash it to flinders. FLINDERS, I say! There are two kinds of RC airplanes: ones that have crashed, and ones that haven't crashed yet. Which is why I tend to fly on the cheap. I like my flinders to cost no more than a few bucks each.

Porn is free.

Anyway...
My hobby that I have not been able to do since high school is throwing. (clay not balls, think Ghost)

For me the wheel I want I have seen for ~$1000
Clay well your always using it but I would say $10-20 for a 20lb bag (this may be an overestimate depending on quality)
Glazes: This is the big one I would say since I want a wide range of colors but to get started $100

Now for the real big ticket item...THE KILN!

The kind I want is a full size one that several people could stand in, they cost big money and I have yet to price one. (gas)

A smaller one that would work for the time being $1000-2000 (electric)

This list does not include the mixer for the glazes, any tools I would need to design the pieces.

This hobby will cost me a pretty penny one day, for now I have to wait until I have a house and just look at all my old pieces and hope I haven't lost my touch.

Starkizzer, I have always wanted to get into throwing clay but unfortunately saw the huge costs up front to begin with.

Now, my big hobby of the past was horses. $500 and $2000 are like drops in the bucket when it comes to how much I've spent on my horses. $500 buys an okay saddle. $2000 wouldn't even touch buying a horse trailer. I don't really want to think about how much money I've spent there!

So, instead I will go with cycling, since that's my newest money-spending hobby. :D

I spent about $1600 getting my first road bike and getting my basic gear for it. Trek 2.1, speedplay light action pedals, road shoes, cleats, water bottle cage, helmet, jersey, shorts, computer. I've spent some more money since then on my emergency kit and seat post bag, a new saddle, a mirror, and a better tire pump than what I had.

And if someone gave me $500 to specifically spend on my hobby, I'd soooo get more riding gear. Mostly winter gear ($500 would get me a good jacket, some fleece for my ears/neck/head/face, and hopefully some windproof tights), but depending on when I was given this cash I'd potentially spend it on a couple more sets of the gear I wear the most. Since everything is hand-wash only, if I want to ride two days in a row I have to immediately wash my gear when I get home so it will air dry in time to ride again the next day. It gets frustrating.

Let's see.. I'll start with the hobby I don't do anymore.. Dj'ing.

$500 would get me a decent set of headphones and some records.
I could get a good set of needles for under $500 as well.

$2000 got me a set of Technic 1200's.
another $2000 got me the mixer.

who knows how much I spent on records.. way too much I'm sure.

My hobby now is editing video.. it's my job as well.

$500 and $2000 doesn't get me anything. Maybe a decent computer to edit stuff with but the software alone is going to cost about $5000, hardware accelerators cost anywhere from $20k-$50k, plug-ins cost from free to thousands.. other editing apps cost well over $5000..

man. I need a new hobby.

My current hobby is crochet and knitting. It can be quite cheap to get started. A good set of hooks of various sizes runs about $20. A good set of interchangeable needles, again of various sizes, runs between $50 and $150, depending on quality.

Yarn is where things can get expensive. Basic acrylic yarn is super cheap at $2-$5 per skein (chunk of yarn). Most good size projects take 1-15 skeins of yarn. Good quality wool yarns run $7-$20. There are also other yarns made out of alpaca, angora, cashmere which start at a price of $25. Sock yarn is thinner and runs towards $20 which is enough for two socks. I could easy spend $500 on enough yarn to last me 10 years. Many yarnies could spend $2000 in a weekend.

Patterns run anywhere from free to $15.00. I usually get my patterns from the internet or from library books. I also make up a lot of my own patterns.

500 buys a great deal of Video Games, D&D books, and Warhammer 40k Crap.

2,000 well that just buys a lot more.

$500 is enough for one guitar that doesn't suck, or an amplifier in the same category. Or it could buy me some new effects, a new piece of recording equipment, or a few mics.

$2000 is enough to get a good guitar and an amp to go with it, or it's enough to get me about halfway to having the studio I want.

Video games/Computers is my hobby :D

500 can get me about 9 50$ games or so with tax.

2k? An efficient, powerhouse computer. Course i would only spend about 1.5k or so, just gotta know where to get the cheapest, yet good stuff.

As for how much i've spent, been playing MMOs since 09, a good chunk of money there along with games and computer upgrades.

Speaking of which, isn't this coming Monday the good online deals, no?

Art-ing: $2,000 break-down
Pastels - $15/pack
Pencils - $2 each = $30
Stencils - $10
Erasers - $2
Drawing paper - $30
Watercolors - $4/tube = $60
Cold-press Watercolor paper - $3/sheet = $90
Oil paints - $8/tube = $200
Canvas - $12/each = $240

Flourescence Microscopy: $2,000 break-down
1 olympus objective lens for flourescence - $2,000
or...
SEMicroscopy: $500 break-down
100 Aluminum stubs - $60
Vacuum pick-up system - $186
10 mount storage holders - $28
Silver paint to ground specimen - $26
Fixation supplies - $200

:D

$500.00....in the gun world, not much. Inflation is a real bitch.

$2,000.00...now you're talking.

A new Remington SPS Tactical in .308 with a Konus M-30 Pro series scope. An Armalite AR-30 in .300 Win Mag or .338 Lapua Magnum with the same glass. A CZ-550 African in .458 Lott, or a Pedersoli Sharps rifle in .45-120. An original Belgian-produced FN-FAL, or German HK-91. If I felt like getting exotic, an Italian BM-59 with a few spare magazines. An STI Grandmaster race-gun in .45ACP or 10mm Cooper Magnum. Maybe a complete Lee or Lyman reloading setup, or (if I truly felt like indulging) a proper Side-by-Side 12ga shotgun, with Tiger Maple stock, double triggers, English wrist, splinter forend and fixed M/F chokes. If I found a dealer who liked me, maybe even a nice hard-side leather case and a spare set of barrels.

Guns are about like golf clubs. You can go broke -real- quick.

$500 might get you a very basic DSLR with a kit lens, probably used.

$2k can net you a solid advanced-amateur body and lens kit, or a solid mid-level lens.