Daily chore turned into a hobby.

[Mike78]

I cant help but wonder gentlemen. A few years ago if you had of said to me that one day I would actually love shaving and that I would nearly go as far as to call it a hobby I would have said you were insane and I would have said there is no way I would actually look forward to starting a new day and been able to shave. But it happened anyway.

So heres what Im wondering? What other "chore-to-hobbies" are there that I dont know about? Maybe if I bought a wooden washboard and a bar of soap for my wife she'd get addicted to washing clothes. Or maybe theres some kind of teeth cleaning products/techniques I dont know about that would turn that into a hobby.

I just see so many people who grudgingly shave every morning and take no pleasure at all out of it. And I just cant help but wonder am I like those guys except with something else.

 

[ZackP]

So heres what Im wondering? What other "chore-to-hobbies" are there that I dont know about? Maybe if I bought a wooden washboard and a bar of soap for my wife she'd get addicted to washing clothes. Or maybe theres some kind of teeth cleaning products/techniques I dont know about that would turn that into a hobby.
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Dude, stop RIGHT there

Something that turned into a hobby for me was "formal" dressing. I have dozens of ties now and absolutely love getting all dressed up in the morning. Hit up your local Goodwill, my local ones usually have ties by so many great designers and for CHEAP.

 

[MrDentini]

Maybe if I bought a wooden washboard and a bar of soap for my wife she'd get addicted to washing clothes.

would bet not LOL.

 

[oakeshott]

I've seen this happen with cooking. Typically someone from a family that didn't have great meals discovers the world of fine cuisine and next thing you know they have special chef's knives, pots and pans and are getting specialty ingredients in the mail. One of my old neighbors became obsessed with his garden...formerly a task he fulfilled to keep his yard looking nice and get a few vegetables became a daily obsession.

 

[Lexbomb]

Writing, I actually make a point of writing internal mail now rather than writing an email. My work mates think I'm nuts hahaha. There are a couple of people that use fountain pens at work so I send them random ink samples as gifts, they like it but also think I'm nuts.

 

[PugslyCat]

My first chores to hobbies were cooking related. At first it was home canning of vegetables from my garden. Actually, my father did most of the gardening and there was a lot of waste because we couldn't eath the vegetables fast enough. I wanted to improve the return on his efforts, so started making pickles, salsa, and other tomato based products.

A few years later my late wife got hooked on Food Network while recovering from a leg amputation. She saw all kinds of things to try, but since she couldn't stand at the stove anymore the cooking fell to me. Since then I have done my best to use the most basic ingredients and tools to make great meals. I really enjoy tasks that start with very basic raw materials and end up producing something great.

I would like to try gardening, but spend most of my time at an apartment with no outdoor space. There isn't even a place to put a few containers. Maybe if I can get my schedule arranged to spend more time at the country house next year I could do it, but it isn't in the cards for now.

 

[celestino]

Fountain Pens, cigars, whiskeys, etc., the list just goes on and on!

 

[Shave_Rat]

Some people think it really "weird" that a personal hygiene thing can be enjoyable or a hobby... Then I started thinking of the women (and I suppose men) that enjoy a hot soaking bath, with or without salts or bubbles... no one looks odd at a person that spends money to upgrade their shower setup and hot water heater in their house to have a more relaxing enjoyable shower, nor do they get odd looks over all if the topic comes up and they say they love their shower and really enjoy hot showering. Once taken in perspective, our hobby isn't any more odd than any others out there, its all just a matter of perception.

 

[shavethegray]

Few people have hobbies that they "have" to do. Rather, they have hobbies that they "want" to do. If you "have" to do something, you tend to get it done as quickly as possible so that you can move on to something else. If you do something simply because you want to do it, you are more likely to find it pleasurable. When I had to shave every day to look good for work I used an electric razor. Today I wet shave for the pleasure of the experience.

 

[Blackbeard's Delight]

I have wondered this many times, I am glad someone came right out and asked the question...

Other grooming items I have seen mentioned here with similar hobby furvor followings are artisan bars of soap and shampoo bars. I searched brick & mortar places and got some different specialty soaps, but I haven't found a brand that blew me out of the water yet. Shampoo bars are supposed to be light years above regular shampoo from the bottle, in the same way shaving soaps are better than canned shaving goo. I haven't got my mitts on a shampoo bar yet to confirm this, but people who use them are pretty passionate about it!

There are other things that are vices that can make this jump... I was also a regular pack-a-day cigarette smoker before discovering the Brown Leaf forum that inspired me to switch from ciggs to pipe and tobacco. It has reduced the amount I smoke a day, and really, I could probably quit altogether now. That is if I didn't actually enjoy smoking! I don't smoke like a crack head getting a nicotine fix, I enjoy a bowl of flavorful tobacco, sometimes with a cocktail and it's very relaxing. Of course you get into the million brands and flavors of tobacco, pipes, lighters, etc.

Same with booze. I am not a big drinker, but like I mentioned, do enjoy the occasional adult beverage. This can lead down a similar path of small bottlers & brewers, etc. I enjoy smoking a pipe but really enjoy having a nice brandy with it.

I laughed out loud at the laundry comment by the way, quite the funny joke. Though if you run across anything like this for laundry, by God brother, post it here!!!

 

[JaggerDragger]

Dont ask my Dad about coffee... He is nuts about it; he roasts, brews, presses, and drinks the best stuff on earth. Just watch out if you get him talking the java...

Same thing as shaving for me he went from mundane foldgers in a drip machine to a fancy fair trade fresh roast ground in a high dollar precision burr grinder brewed in the espresso machine.

Oh and it was really easy to convert my Dad into DE traditional shaving. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

 

[Shave_Rat]

Dont ask my Dad about coffee... He is nuts about it; he roasts, brews, presses, and drinks the best stuff on earth. Just watch out if you get him talking the java...

Same thing as shaving for me he went from mundane foldgers in a drip machine to a fancy fair trade fresh roast ground in a high dollar precision burr grinder brewed in the espresso machine.

Oh and it was really easy to convert my Dad into DE traditional shaving. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

Speaking as another coffee snob... I can't blame him. hehe

 

[droth455]

+1 on the whiskey/whisky

I belong to a private 9 member scotch club that is held within walking/stumbling distance from my house. We generally have 30-40 to choose from at any one time. It's quite fun and a majority of us are wet shavers. There was not a single whisker visible last night among us. We could have been taken a group picture for both a shaving and scotch magazine if we weren't all so damn ugly. So I guess if drinking is a "chore," we turned it into a hobby.

The idea of giving your wife a washboard and bar of soap is hilarious! Give it a try and get back to us.

 

[PugslyCat]

Blackbeard touches on something else that I have gotten into since coming here. I have really upped my game on personal grooming products. I'm not going all metrosexual or anything, but I'm using artisan soaps, hair tonic, various after shaves, and a variety of deodorants all to make sure the scents of my other grooming products don't clash with my shaving products.

 

[wifwaf]

The wonderful thing about shaving is that it combines three elements:

Materials: metals, soaps, bristles, all of which have intrinsic values and qualities that justify study and appreciation.

Skills: Knowing good shaving kit is one thing, learning to use it is another. Making a good lather is an art, holding a blade to your own face is a risky and therefore rewarding ritual

Routine: Shaving is something you NEED to do a lot, not something you choose to do because youre bored. This simple fact sustains the habit and gives it purpose; being clean-shaven and confident has a real pay-off in your life. Winning in World of Warcraft or Counterstrike may make you feel like a winner, but doesnt usually make you look like one in the office.

And so shaving is like riding a bike, it can be damn fun in its own right, but it also gets you somewhere you wanted to be.

 

[JaxJim]

The wonderful thing about shaving is that it combines three elements:

Materials: metals, soaps, bristles, all of which have intrinsic values and qualities that justify study and appreciation.

Skills: Knowing good shaving kit is one thing, learning to use it is another. Making a good lather is an art, holding a blade to your own face is a risky and therefore rewarding ritual

Routine: Shaving is something you NEED to do a lot, not something you choose to do because youre bored. This simple fact sustains the habit and gives it purpose; being clean-shaven and confident has a real pay-off in your life. Winning in World of Warcraft or Counterstrike may make you feel like a winner, but doesnt usually make you look like one in the office.

And so shaving is like riding a bike, it can be damn fun in its own right, but it also gets you somewhere you wanted to be.

Well said, sir!

 

[Shave_Rat]

Blackbeard touches on something else that I have gotten into since coming here. I have really upped my game on personal grooming products. I'm not going all metrosexual or anything, but I'm using artisan soaps, hair tonic, various after shaves, and a variety of deodorants all to make sure the scents of my other grooming products don't clash with my shaving products.

Yes indeed, I have also fallen into this somewhat. My bathroom is shave products, and in the shower instead of any bottles or stuff, I have just a few bars of various handmade or organic type soaps I rotate through depending on mood. I use them for both the hair and everything else. It was sort of a cleansing and simplifying of things in ways. I started the process in February with foods, reducing/eliminating as much processing from what I was eating, then it just started to bleed over into all aspects of life. lol

 

[ThomasB98908]

Got pretty heavy into pipe collecting for a while and of course had to try all the different pipe tobaccos. Now I'm just using my two Savinelli's and like Frog Morton.
I'm not into it, but I can see where cooking can become a chore turned hobby.

 

[Renato1]

One weekly chore of the single chaps here will never - EVER - become a hobby, even though there are now an incredible number of pieces of equipment and accessories to accomplish it. I am of course referring to Ironing clothes.
My wife, of course, is frequently changing and upgrading equipment in this sort of hobby for her (though she claims it isn't a hobby).
Cheers,
Renato

 

[johnh]

Car cleaning / Detailing. You can spend a lot of money on car care products and a lot of time polishing and waxing.