Friday, September 2, 2022

Retirement Hobbies


Before you make the leap into retirement you often make plans for what you are going to fill your retirement days with. You may decide to work part time or do some volunteer work. You may also decide to explore a current hobby more in depth or try a new hobby.

Shortly before retiring I took up the hobby of metal detecting. I joined a local club and jumped into it at the beginning of retirement with gusto. I continue to enjoy getting out and digging up treasures. Just this week I got out for about two hours and unearthed a 1937 silver half dollar! Those moments bring great joy to my retirement. 


I know two retirees who took up beekeeping in retirement. They have a Facebook page and often post of removing honey bees from homes or trees. They bottle and sell their honey and have made a part time business out of the deal. 

Some people jump into golf and have weekly golf outings scheduled. Some spend more time fishing or hunting. Some take up knitting or quilting. All of these hobbies can fill many hours in a retirees weekly schedule. I searched the internet for retirement hobbies. Some were interesting and hobbies that I had not thought about. Some of those hobbies included growing a bonsai tree, animal care, paddle boarding, genealogy, geocaching, birding, wood carving, candle making and many more. 

I guess my current hobbies would be metal detecting, gardening, reading, blogging and doing a few jigsaw puzzles. Nothing that takes up a tremendous time or money. I've also been working on some online guitar lessons on and off and so far have not progressed much on that particular hobby.

Have you tried a new hobby in retirement but found it just wasn't for you? Retirement is a great time to try something you always thought you might enjoy but didn't have the time while working. If there is something that interested you 20 years ago, you might take another look at it as a potential hobby in retirement. Metal detecting was something I was interested in as a kid but and resurfaced as as potential hobby right before retirement. I'm glad I started doing it now that I have the money to invest in equipment and the time to enjoy the hobby.

I saw a news story the other day, on tv, about a guy whose hobby was repairing old G.I. Joes. He enjoyed it so much that he wound up opening a G.I. Joe museum in Lone Wolf, OK. During the news story you could see great joy on the owner's face as he repaired a G.I. Joe. He allows kids to touch and play with the toys in the museum because he said that's what they are meant to be used for. "If they break one, I will fix it" he said. What a unique hobby! What a great hobby that he can enjoy while also bringing great joy to others. Imagine having a G.I. Joe that was your favorite toy as a kid and finding it in the attic in pieces or worn out. Send it to this guy and he has fun repairing it and you have great fun in seeing your old army friend back in action!

Do you have any interesting hobbies you do in retirement or have you heard about a unique hobby like the one above? Any others out there digging for treasure with a metal detector? Anyone making a few dollars with their hobby? I would imagine a hobby like beekeeping could get away from you and become a full time job. Do you have a hobby that requires very little time or do you have a hobby that is consuming a lot of your time?

6 comments:

  1. Your metal detector hobby remind me of the people who "mudlark," finding old coins, jewelry and such in river mudbanks. I gather the Thames in London is the center of the mudlarking world.

    I am not much of a collector. My hobbies tend toward doing something with my hands. I did try stamp collecting for awhile but found it a little dull for my tastes. My current interests, painting and guitar, do not take up too much time; just enough to keep me coming back for more.

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    1. I had a stamp collection that I started when I was a kid and added to it over the years. Finally lost interest and gave the whole collection to my son a few years ago. I've got to step it up on the guitar. I would love to be able to play a little bit some day.

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  2. I remember when was younger watching the old guys scour the beach with their metal detectors. And I said: that looks like fun. Maybe I'll do that after I retire. (I collected coins at the time.) But by the time I retired, it seemed to me that the sands had been so picked over there'd be nothing left. So kudos to you for a great find. Maybe I'll try it after all. (Meantime, it's golf, table tennis and senior classes that keep me busy).

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    1. Give detecting a try. I started with a $40 detector and was hooked instantly. Thanks for the comment.

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  3. Hmmm...my husband tried bonsai for a year or two and our kids sent him all kinds of equipment. Unfortunately, he lost interest in it because it required so much constant care. He jogs, reads and listens to the news. He does keep busy somehow. I do blogging and we were both researching and making photobooks for the kids of all the family records/history. We also do tai chi. And we travel. Well, we used to do more traveling, but now... it's with caution.

    Your metal hunting sounds like a lot of fun. I could see my husband having fun with something like that too.

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    1. The photobooks are a great idea. What an awesome way to share the history and memories!

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