August 7, 2019 • 36 mins
What do you do for fun? This might seem like a trivial question, but discovering your hobbies can have some pretty large impacts on your financial health and overall well-being. Of course we want to ensure that we’re pursuing frugal hobbies and that we’re being intentional by curating our interests. The mindless pursuit of expensive hobbies is never a good thing- but reaching the end of our working career and finding ourselves bored and restless sounds like a nightmare scenario! We live in a work driven culture, and so we need to cultivate these hobbies and interests now so that we have something to look forward to in retirement other than just ‘not working’. We talk long-term about our money all the time, so this week we’re talking long-term about our hobbies.
During this episode we each enjoyed a Bourbon Barrel Peach Cider by Tieton Cider Works- a big thanks to Jenna there at the cidery for donating this one to the show! And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and give us a quick review in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts- we’d love to hear from you.
Best friends out!
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I'm Matt
and today we're discussing why you need a new hobby. Yeah,
(00:25):
we are going to talk all about hobbies, which is
a fun little topic. This is almost more of like
a lifestyle of thing. But but I'm looking forward to
how we're gonna sort of tie money into this and
really why we feel that having hobbies is so important
for our personal growth as well as our long term
sort of outlook towards retirement, financial independence. There's a lot
of implications that that hobbies have, so yeah, that that
should be a lot of fun. But real quick, I
(00:46):
wanted to share a story with you, you you like we
always do every week. Oh tell me a story, Matthew. So,
Kate and I we we received a letter in the
mail from It said Capital one, and it was a
different looking letter. It's not the standard envelope that you get.
So we cracked it open to look and it was
from Cap one three sixty, which we used to have
one of those accounts, and so I thought it was
kind of bizarre. So I actually read it. Wait, let
(01:06):
me guess the end of the story. It was a
check for a lot of money and you're retiring early
two dollars. No, but similar to that, they actually said
that there was an abandoned accounts or it was actually
getting ready to be abandoned within like another month or two,
and that it was going to be turned over to
the state because there had been zero activity on it
I want to say, maybe for three years. Oh and
(01:28):
by the way, it was only for fifty six bucks,
so that's a lot of money, but still enough for
me to want to make that call and look into
it a little bit something. Yeah, But after I thought
about it for a second, we remembered why we had
opened that accounts, and it was because there was a
sign up bonus way back in the day that they
were offering, and my wife opened that account under her
name deposited the right amount of money in there to
meet the requirements to to get that bonus. But then
(01:51):
I guess we pulled some of it out, but then
we forgot about it. And you know what, we talked
about the benefits of finding a nice sign up bonus
for a new checking new saving is a count but
one downside is that if you are not super organized
and I'm pretty organized, right, You've talked about the spreads
c you have many times, but somehow that one kind
of slipped under the radar. And that's the downside is
(02:11):
that you know, you don't want to leave these accounts abandoned,
otherwise it will be turned over to the States and
you may not actually find that money. Well, how suite
of capital one three sixty to notify you be the
mail and you're gonna get your fifty six bucks back
before this account was closed and wind torment right and
take that to the bank. Yeah, but I think it's
important for people to know that there's a chance that
there's an account like that out there that you've forgotten about.
(02:33):
Maybe you also opened up a separate bank account to
grab that bonus. And the easiest way to track down
that money that you might have completely forgotten about, well,
there's a site that really helps folks do that, and
it's called missing money dot com. Missing money helps people
find the rifle owners of unclaimed money that states received
like your state Matt was about to receive exactly. You
can conduct a free search for bank accounts, safe deposit
(02:56):
box contents, uncash checks, insurance policy CDs, trust funds, utility deposits,
stocks and bonds escrow accounts and more. I mean, it's
kind of cool that it's a lot it is. They're
all these potential accounts that maybe you've forgotten about, and
you know what, maybe search for a parent or a relative,
a loved one too. But Missing Money is just this
cool site where you can for free check and see
(03:17):
if you are somebody that you know and love is
potentially missing some money that they should have in their lives.
So obviously I searched our name to see if you know,
there's anything else since that kind of came up on
a radar. Are there more accounts I've forgotten about? I
also searched your name and saw that there was not,
so I'd searched my name to what you While I
was thinking about this, I was just surprised at the
different people named large Guard out there because it's a
really uncommon last name, and just kind of see where
(03:39):
they're scattered on the country, which, yeah, which which ones
are missing money? And uh and yeah. So it's just
kind of interesting to see that, But sadly, I'm not
currently missing any money. It's also gonna note that most
states do participate in that website Missing money dot com,
but if they don't. They'll say that they don't participate,
and they'll have a link a lot of times to
this specific state website where you can typically go and
(03:59):
search for free so make sure to check that out
missing money dot com. Yep, all right, Matt, let's mention
the beer and I put beer in quotation marks because
so on Monday's episode, we had a cold brew coffee
and today we're taking another right turn. We're having a
cider on the show, the second sider we've ever had.
On this episode, we're having a bourbon barrel peach cider
by tie it On Cider Works out of Washington State,
(04:22):
and Jenna, who works with this sidery, sent this br away.
So thanks to Jennifer sending this one out, I'm really
intrigued and ready to try this one. And it's not
that we don't like beer anymore. We're just taking a
little late summer beer break, and next episode we're getting
back to the beer. We promise it's it's all beer
from here on out for the most part. But but
since Jenna was kind enough to send us this sider,
we're ready to try it. So we'll let you know
what we think about it at the end. Of the show. Yeah,
(04:43):
looking forward to it all right, att onto the subject
at hand. Today we're discussing why you need a new hobby,
and last week we discussed why we're saving for retirement.
Just kind of felt like there's this need to address
why we're doing that. But interestingly enough, many people that
retire they have no idea what to do with themselves.
They get bored and end up going back to work.
(05:05):
My uncle is this perfect example of this, where he
retired and sat on his hands. He didn't know what
to do with his life after retirement, and he ended
up getting a job down the street, part time, twenty
something hours a week. And I see this all the
time in my dad's friend group, when they start to
retire and they go back to work because they don't
know what to do with themselves. And sometimes it's okay,
(05:26):
right to to find a more meaningful job, but yeah,
exactly finding something that you know, you feel that satisfies
you more on a personal level, even if it's not
paying nearly what you were making in your in your
regular job. Right. Yeah, my cousin he told me recently
that his dad went back to work after retirement to
work at home depot but it's because he's obsessed with
home depot and he was like, he'd be there every
day of the week. Anyway, I give them so much
(05:47):
of my money. Anyway, I feel like I could work there,
you know. Yeah, So I just thought it was really
funny that for him going back to work wasn't throwing
in the towel. It wasn't like admitting defeat an interception
of last resort. Yeah, it was literally this fun new
option that he could partake in. That's just how be
and he's putting it to work. But it's important for
us to choose and develop, in particular budget friendly hobbies. Now,
my friend Wes Moss, who wrote a book about happier retirees,
(06:09):
he calls him core pursuits, and he mentioned that, Yeah, right,
I think it's a good way more pursuits the way
of describing it. Based on his studies, he says that
the happiest retirees have roughly three and a half core
pursuits that are meaningful to them, and the unhappiest retirees
have fewer than two and and so, yeah, I think
that's kind of a good springboard for this conversation that
(06:30):
whether you're in your twenties or whether you're in your sixties,
there are a lot of good reasons to find these
core pursuits, these hobbies that are meaningful, that are inexpensive,
and so yeah, that's what this episode is gonna be
about today. Yeah, so this episode really is all about
getting more fulfillment out of your leisure time. Yeah, and
Jill speaking, you know, to the fulfillment, right, finding your
interests so that when you retired, you retire to something.
(06:53):
Getting folks to to think long term about fun stuff, right,
that's what we're doing. We talk about that all the
time with our money specifically, but what we're talking about
on this episode is that we should also be doing
that with our interests as well. You know, we have
a like it's such a performance or like work based
culture in the United States. It's good to kind of
step outside of that. We're essentially we're trying to find
again balance in our life, and that's what we always
(07:15):
strive to do on the show is try to find
a balance between being smart with our money so that
we can afford to live like at all, you know,
in the future, but at the same time making sure
that we are pursuing things that we find personal fulfillment
in because guess what if that's something that we neglect
now early on, Yeah, we're we are going to get
towards the maybe the middle or end of our lives,
(07:35):
and we might find that we just don't know what
to do with ourselves, and we might find that we
are restless and that we turn to to work to
kind of find that fulfillment. Yeah. I think work can
be a safety blanket for you if you don't have
really good hobbies, meaningful hobbies, those core pursuits, right that
you're tackling in your life. Well, I think another really
important part of this. I mean, our show is called
How the Money, so we have to talk about the
money aspect of course, right, Well, hobbies can be expensive,
(07:58):
and I don't know, I guess when I think about
the quintessential retiree, I'm thinking of someone who plays golf
two or three times a week, and which is solely
fine though. I mean, if you are really into golf
and if that's something that you want to do, you know,
spend your time doing that once you retired, then that's great.
But as long as you're kind of doing that because
you really love it, not just because well, I can
go play golf, I guess right. Yeah. I was thinking
today about another hobby that one of my friends recently
(08:20):
picked up, and that is flying airplanes. That is another
really expensive hobby. Pretty baller though. It's just so cool though, right,
I totally understand the desire to fly airplanes despite the cost.
I think it can be worthwhile, right, But expensive hobbies
and spending too much on your hobbies can also be
a negative, right if we're not doing it inside the
bounds of a good budget. So I think it's important
(08:43):
to mention that there are some awesome hobbies out there
that are free and cheap. And we think that by
intentionally choosing hobbies and pursuing interests that are affordable, what
keeps you from the temptation of diving down that spending
rabbit hole. So obviously, if you're making a specific choice
based on something that you really love that does cost
money and if fits into your budget, then that's great.
(09:03):
But it's also important to mention that there are a
lot of killer hobbies out there that are really fun
that are free and cheap. Jell. Another way to say
that is essentially we're curating our tastes, right, Like there
are certain hobbies, certain things that we could pick up
that are really expensive, like you said golf or flying
airplanes that that could be really expensive. But if that's
your passion and that gives you an incredible fulfillment, then
that's awesome. But just don't fall into something like that
(09:26):
almost without even thinking about it, because you could spend
a lot of money towards those pursuits. And so part
of the reason why we're saying hobbies as well and
and less entertainment is for me at least, entertainment has
sort of this connotation of like passive consumption, where without
even really thinking about it, we're just being fed fun stuff,
right Versus a hobby is typically something that you pursue,
(09:48):
and when you pursue something, there's engagement there. And I
know that anytime I'm more engaged in something that I'm doing,
I literally feel more personal fulfillments and I end up
being a better person. And there's just lots of other
benefits that come with these hot bays that we can
pursue versus just lumping this all into maybe what we'd
call entertainment. Yeah, I mean, you and I we like
to go to soccer games and I would say that
(10:08):
soccer games are not a hobby. Those are entertainment and
it's cool. I enjoy spending my money in that way.
I like one of soccer games. It's super fun. But
but it's not a hobby. And so yeah, like we're
talking about hobbies slash core pursuits in general, and I
don't think following a sports team or anything like that
would necessarily make that cut. Yeah, well, let me jump
on that example. Let's say you're part of a supporters
group though, and every week you're part of the design
(10:30):
team that put together the t pos, like the giant
banners that they raised up at the beginning of the match.
That's more of a hobby, Like, that's that's you're kind
of providing value to the team. There, there's something else
going on there versus just sort of passively sitting back
and kind of consuming the match. Right. Yeah, there's a
community aspect of that as well, exactly, And we're gonna
get to some of those benefits later on in the show. Yeah,
And while we're talking about the price disparity in hobbies
(10:52):
in particular, if you're hearing this right now and you're like,
I do need to find a new hobby. Why, I
would suggest looking at the costs of that hobby and
trying to find something that is inexpensive. If you're already
locked into a hobby that is pretty expensive but you
love it, that's cool. But this is also a chance,
I think for some people who have been doing a
hobby but don't necessarily find it terribly fulfilling, to ditch
the expensive hobby and find something new. Yeah, Joel, and
(11:14):
we're talking about money the cost of hobbies, right, but
there are other factors that are worth considering. I'm thinking
of certain hobbies that just might take up a massive
amount of time, and that's fine. I'm thinking of maybe
if you like to go voting or something like that,
probably especially good, by the way, if it takes up
a lot of time if you are retired, yeah, exactly,
you've got lots of time then. But either way, you
just need to make sure that you are intentionally doing
that because you love it. Brings you an incredible amount
(11:36):
of fulfillment, because not only will something like that take
up a lot of your money your funds, but also
a lot of your time as well. And if it's
something that you're only kind of halfway excited about. Well,
it may not be a hobby worth pursuing. Right, There's
also a lot of other factors to consider, Right, there's
a lot of other areas in our life where our
hobbies can come into play. And we're gonna talk about
those right after the break. All right, Matt, we're back.
(12:06):
We're talking about hobbies, which is a fun little topic here.
Did you ever go to a HobbyTown USA? Did you
have one of those when you're growing up? But we
totally did. Yeah, And you know what, I always go
in there and by like the twenty one side of dice.
I never got those, but I always wanted. No, I wasn't.
I truly wasn't, But I did want the car kits
where you could like glue all these pieces of a
car together, and and I but I honestly I never
(12:28):
did one successfully. I just don't think I had the
attention to detail. Yeah, with those, I always just wanted
to kind of drive it after the facts. It's like, okay, cool,
does it run? Where's the remote? It's like, no, it
kind of just sits there on the shelf. No. I
was so much better with the remote control cars. It's
so much more fun, Like let's actually skip the building.
It looks cool the finished product, but I don't have
the concentration actually keep going on it. So yeah, remote
control cars definitely more of my alley, more fun, for sure.
(12:51):
But we want to talk about the additional, potentially secret
benefits of hobbies that most people don't really think about.
Usually it's something that you're naturally attracted to, or something
that a friend maybe got you into, but we don't
think about the power that hobbies have in our lives.
And so, of course Money Show, we gotta talk about
the money factor that goes along with hobbies. Hobbies can
end up earning you extra money. It can turn into
(13:14):
a side hustle or potentially even a full time gig sometimes,
So in my mind, that's not usually the purpose of
a hobby, but sometimes you find that you're so into
it and you become so good at something exactly even
that it turns into more and you can actually make
sign income or a full time living based on a
hobby that you pursued, which is which is cool. Yeah,
(13:36):
I completely agree. You can't underestimate the power. You said
the power of hobbies a second ago, right, But you
can't underestimate the power that a hobby might have down
the road when it comes to generating money. However, I
think what you said is true. I think we need
to be careful when it comes to hobbies because really
they should be I think something different than ways that
we're able to make money, because it's something that we
should be pursuing because we love it, well, you know,
(13:58):
we kind of have a passion for it. And if
we start immediately looking to ways that maybe we can
monetize that hobby, then you know, maybe it's not truly
a hobby that you're trying to build a side. Probably, Yeah, exactly. Again,
it's another fine thing we've talked about on the show before.
But but hobbies, this core pursuit kind of mentality that
we're getting into it is altogether different. And this is
something you're pursuing most of the time purely for the
(14:21):
pleasure of doing this task, of of of partaking in
this hobby. Sometimes it leads to more though, just for funzies.
Right exactly makes me think of the old guys you
see on the beach with the metal detectors, and I
still totally want one of those, because not because I
know I'm gonna make a killing, But because I just
think it's a fun way to spend time at the beach.
Why not have the little Scooper and you got your
(14:43):
metal detector with the headphones then so you can kind
of hear a beep or whatever over the waves, you know,
like who needs crashing waves and the beautiful sound of
seagulls When you could hear these beeps to that, you
were all the changes right, Honestly, I totally see you
doing that your old age. I've already got the hat.
You've seen my beach. Have a hat for it. It's massive,
keeps the son from burning muskin. You're half the way there,
and now I know what to get cheap for Christmas.
(15:04):
If you get me one of those, man, I'll totally
use it proudly. So one of the most unique hobbies
that I have heard of recently. Matt I heard about
in an interview with an actor Danny McBride. Do you
know who he is? I do not, Okay, So he's
been in a couple of awesome shows and movies. He's
really funny and pretty out there, but he uh. He's
telling the story that he recently moved to Charleston, South Carolina.
(15:24):
Good place abnormal for actors, but I think that's so
cool that he did it anyway, Like, that's awesome. And
he was trying to meet new friends, and so he
was hanging out with dads of kids that his kids
were friends with, preschool dads or whatever. Yeah, and this
one dad took him on this excursion to find sharks teeth,
but not just like sharks teeth on the beach, prehistoric
sharks teeth in these sand corries or something that you
(15:46):
have to break into. And so that's like his new
hobby is jumping fences finding these like nine inch long
prehistoric sharks teeth, and he's just super into it. So
I just thought that was interesting. It's pretty cool. Hobbies
can run the gamut. Yeah. Absolutely, That's definitely one that
may not necessarily make you money immediately, but I'm guessing
those teeth are going to be worth money right in
the long term, as long as you don't get busted
and sent to jailing, you know. Yeah, so true. So hobbies,
(16:08):
they may not always make you money. Oftentimes they probably won't,
but at the very least hobbies could save you money.
I'm thinking about doing things like gardening, even working in
the yard, a lot of folks that sounds not like
a hobby. It just sounds like yard work. But personally,
I really enjoy working in the yard, whether you know,
comes to landscaping or literally cutting the grass weed eating.
(16:30):
I just love that feeling of accomplishment that I have
when when it's all done and it just looks so
fresh and nice, and I know that I've done that myself.
But that's a way that I can save money by
not having those expenses. You're welcome to bring your passion
for that hobby to my front yard anytime. See that's
the problem, though, you own that yard, and therefore I
don't want to care as much what your yard looks
may but from my yard, I like it looking nice. Understandable.
(16:52):
But also I'm thinking of two you and I. We
both bike, and what if we really got into bike maintenance.
There's a lot of guys that find a lot of
fulfillments in that I personally don't as much. I will
maintain my bike and I'll work on it, maybe only
to save money, but it's not something that I like doing. Right.
I don't take my bike, I don't put it up
on those bikes stand and start cleaning it. And tweaking
it and you know, tightening things up that need to
(17:13):
be tightened up. Although I should. Yeah, that's something I
would like to get into, yes, because I feel like
I'm not terribly good with my hands. But it's something
that's not terribly complex. I feel like I could figure
it out pretty quickly and start to learn the ropes,
and so it is something that's on my radar. Like,
that's a good hobby maybe for me in the future
when I have a little bit more free time, while
at the same time saving you money exactly, all right.
And another benefit of hobbies that we don't think about
(17:35):
all that often is the health benefits. About eight percent
of Americans just aren't active enough. If we can find
hobbies that are better for our health, it will make
us happier. Will you're not likelihood live longer, And these
hobbies will cost us less money in healthcare in the
long run, yea. And in the long run, as long
as you don't kind of fall and break your ankle
when you're running for free, right Like, like, oh, I
(17:56):
can go running for free, but that's way better than
what a sedentary lifestyle too, health wise, Like a broken ankle,
it's totally true. It's a blip on the radar along
the way. I'll take a broken ankle once or twice
in my lifetime versus never being able to run my
entire life and then dealing with the health consequences of
that long term. Completely agree. Yeah, I've had some mix
ups in my hobbies, especially in biking, you know, a
couple of crashes along the way that led to broken
bones or whatever. And you know what, I'm okay, and
(18:18):
I wouldn't trade it for anything, and especially the fitness component,
and I've grown to love it and it's been my
primary source of fitness through the years. So yeah, have
we ever talked about how we love biking. I don't
think we have, which is do an episode should tell
people that we like biking right now. And so, aside
from health benefits of your physical body, there's also mental
benefits that come along with finding hobbies, finding different ways
(18:40):
that we can engage our brains in a way that
is different than what we do forty plus hours a week. Man,
That is so sinking important. Those hobbies that can give
us breaks and just different interesting activities usually can stimulate
us mentally. What it does is that it keeps us sharp,
even just kind of reading a different book than we
normally would, or even just joining a book club is
(19:01):
the way that we can engage your minds and make
us a more rounded person. Yeah, and and break out
of the ordinary, right that the stuff that we're used
to doing hobbies can be these bright spots in the
middle of our week. And Matt, you just mentioned it's
different than what we do forty hours a week. I
have to mention too, for the stay at home moms
out there, I know your brains can turn into mush
being with children that many hours every single day. And
(19:22):
I know that's true for my wife at times that
when I come home, adult conversation is very welcomed. And
and then too that the hobbies that she pursues on
the side can be so helpful, even just the adult interactions.
So for her, she has gotten into a book club recently,
so she enjoys just the act of reading the book
and then meeting with adults to discuss what the book
was about, and oftentimes that's over a glass of wine.
(19:43):
So I just wanted to mention a little shout out
to the stay at home moms out there who who
do an awesome job, and I know it's a very
difficult task. I think thinking through and pursuing meaningful hobbies
is so important for them as well. And I know
it's much harder for for moms that are with their
kids that much of the time to actually even have
the bandwidth to think through the obvious they want to pursue.
So yeah, in that case, it's not about staying sharp,
(20:03):
but it's almost a matter of staying like sane, right completely.
So what you're saying is that Emily doesn't like you
coming home and then she leaves to go like babysit
or something like that, Like that's like I'm gonna go
caretake for these other children. Definitely not, she would not
be into that at all, but she loves the once
we have though. And you know, another delightful benefit of
hobbies is just the social aspect of it, Joel. You
you kind of just touched on this a little bit
(20:24):
with the book club, Like there's a social aspect to it,
but just finding your people, having friend groups outside of
work and family is likely a really healthy thing to do.
That's another one of those components that we need to
incorporate in our lives in order to kind of maintain
a balanced life. So, Matt, now that we talked about
some of the best benefits of hobbies, I gotta ask you,
what are your favorite hobbies? And I know the aunt
farm is gonna be one of them, right well, I
(20:46):
knew you were in turn, the day was on me
and asked me this question. So as I've given this
more thought and I've given it some time, what I've
realized that I really enjoy doing is building stuff, and
not building something for money necessarily, but building something just
because there's pure enjoyment out of being creative and out
of basically solving a problem and then being able to
step back and looking at your finished project. Just even
(21:06):
looking back to college, when I was building my first
website and dream weaver, it was something digital that I created,
but it was still something that I had poured myself
into for several days. And it wasn't even for a
class project. I wasn't getting paid for it, but it
was something I was just curious to learn. And I
can see that in my life even today. We've got
the playhouse in the backyard for the girls, and it
was something that was a lot of work, and my
(21:27):
dad and my father in law. They both helped me.
But you know what, when I was working on that,
to the outsider, it might look like work, but to me, man,
it was so much freaking fun being faced with a
problem like that and finding ways to solve it. And
then of course in the end, we've got an awesome
playhouse that the girls love playing in and having this
the super cool structure. Man, I just found so much
joy and satisfaction in that. So what I guess the
(21:48):
reason I'm saying that is, I think sometimes it's hard
for us as individuals to pinpoint specific hobbies that we have.
But I think if we can identify just these themes
that we find running throughout our life, maybe we can
identify my uh new hobbies a little bit easier. But
that being said, of course I like to run, I
like riding my bike, all the different things that we
we we often talk about on the show. Well, speaking
(22:10):
about how we identify hobby, we're gonna talk about that
in just a minute. I'll quickly mentioned the hobbies that
I enjoy the most. I like biking, I like disc golf,
and I love nerdy board games like those are like
the three hobbies that I see myself pursuing. And part
of the reason I love in particular board games is
because they're very very social in nature. They're like unlimited
nerdy board games that you could partake in, and I
(22:30):
have so many friends that are into them that I
can fire up a text chain and get people together
pretty much any night of the week to play some
nerdy board games. So yeah, those are the main hobbies
that I kind of currently pursue. What about a folk
art that's that's I mean, would you consider that a hobby?
You kind of collect folk art a little bit. I
don't think of that as much of a hobby as
something that's just like an interest, yeah, hobby less of
an activity, you know, Like there's some people who actively
(22:51):
pursue art. I think you have to have a lot
of money if you're gonna do that. Yeah, yeah, And
I think, yeah, maybe someday I'll get more into the
art and it will become more of an actual like
hobby or something, But for now, it's like a side
interest that I enjoy. And so on that note of
how to pick a hobby, We've got some ideas to
help you get started finding the right one for you,
and we'll get to that right after the break. All right, Joel,
(23:20):
we are back, and now we're going to get to
the application stage of of the episode, where hopefully, you know,
with these steps, we can help folks to kind of
narrow in on some different hobbies that they might find
fulfilling for them. And the first thing I want to
suggest is that this might kind of sound a little
old school, but looking at magazines, you know, when was
the last time you went to a bookstore and you
went down the magazine section and you saw just all
(23:40):
the different covers of all these awesome different things that
folks could do or honestly even better yet, like your
local library, Like, don't go to the bookstore. You can
go to the library, but there's something about going into
a physical space. You can see what images and what
covers are you are you drawn to? Right? Like oftentimes
magazines they're just based around hobbies. And again this is
kind of a pretty broad but I think it can
be a helpful start if you really have no idea
(24:01):
you know what you're looking to pursue at all. Oh,
that yarn on the magazine cover looks pretty I guess
I'm into knitting. Some folks are in a knitting dogar.
I know I'm not, but maybe that's because I've never
tried it all right, So maybe I gotta give it
a shot. Yeah. Another helpful exercise to help you get
started in thinking about what hobbies might be right for
you is to consider where your mind drifts to at
the end of a long vacation, when you're out of
(24:24):
your usual schedule and rhythm of life, what do you
start to think about what excites you? Where does your
mind that's free of daily labors take you? And I
think that can be an insight into what hobbies you
might want to pursue. So don't shut down your vacation brain,
kind of look into it a little bit and and
see if there's something there. Another good exercise is to
look to your past, and what I mean by that
(24:46):
is to ask yourself and trying to think back figure
out what it was it that you did as a
kid that you enjoy doing, and you can translate that
into a hobby as an adult. If as a kid
you loved running through the woods and you know, setting
up booby tra apps, which is one of the things
I enjoy doing, of course, maybe as an adult you
can still run through the woods, but maybe you're not
(25:07):
setting booby traps trail running. No booby exactly, trail running,
Like I love hiking. It's just one of the things that,
aside from muscle fatigue, I feel like I could really
just do without stopping, Like I can just kind of
continually explore, you know, see the wilderness, hike up different mountains,
you know, like get to the top, all that kind
of stuff. I feel like that ties into maybe me
as a kid, where man, I just I love spending
(25:28):
tons of time outside and playing in the woods. All right,
So this makes me think. There's a comedian, Kevin Nelon
who's got a YouTube channel and it's called Hiking with
Kevin Nelon, and he goes on a different hike every
week and brings along a friend and he literally holds
a camera facing him and he has a conversation with
a new, interesting, different friend every week. And I gues's
(25:49):
just a cool idea. So if you're into like comedians
with cars basically except for it's like hiking pretty much
took you to a different setting whatever. Yeah, but I
love that. You can tell there's just a marriage of
two things. He loves having an interesting conversation and going
for a hike. So that's really cool. I appreciate that. Yeah,
that's super cool. And what is it with you? And
you're watching and listening to a lot of the comedians
(26:10):
these days, I guess I like comedy podcasts. I guess
it's good stuff. Not the traditional ones, but but intelligent
comedians having interesting conversations. I would say so much of
the time, comedians have the most interesting insights about daily life.
And another thing to to think about when you're looking
to choose a hobby for yourself is to see what
your friends are doing. What are they doing that you're
not doing, and maybe you get the invite and you
(26:31):
say yes next time. As opposed to know, sometimes trying
things out that you've never tried before is the perfect
way to get into something you kind of have no
idea whether you're into it unless you give it a shot.
Like knitting. We just talked about that, Matt, who knows, like, seriously,
I could potentially get into knitting if I gave it
a shot. And now I feel like, after saying that
out loud, I have to give it a shot. So
if anybody out there wants to teach me how to knit,
(26:52):
I'm in Plus it's just a nice skill to have, right, Yeah,
will you make me an Atlanta United scarf? I certainly will.
That's gonna be. That's like the default adding item, right
is a scarf. But you can make some pretty dope
Atlanta United soccer scarves with that. Yeah. One of our friends,
actually she knits Christmas stockings and she gives them to friends.
That's her hobby. That's something she loves to do. And
yes she's done that for us. I totally forgot about that.
(27:12):
But super sweet and a very cool gift. Yeah, they're
the coolest. Every year when we break those out at
Christmas time, we're in awe of how cool they are.
And it shows that that that pursuit for her has
been something really meaningful. So you know what, maybe I'll
have her teach me how on it. And the first
item up for business is your Landing United scarf. Don't worry,
thanks buddy. Okay, something else to consider. Well, As a photographer,
I'm gonna be a little biased, but I want folks
(27:33):
to ask themselves, what do I take photos of my face?
A lot of selfies and so your hobby should be makeup.
I guess your own vanity. But no, seriously ask yourself
that question, like, look at your Instagram account or look
on Facebook. What are you posting pictures of? Is it food?
Maybe it's architecture or landscapes, Maybe it's the different activities
that you're taking part of. I think that this can
(27:54):
help you look with intention at what you maybe even
subconsciously find joy. And we say this a little jokingly,
but it kind of goes back to the Marie condo,
like what is it that you're taking photos of? Because
you know what that might be, something that's sparking enjoying
you and you don't even realize it, but you've got
sort of this record of proof of what it is
that you actually enjoy and maybe what your next hobby
should be. Yeah, I think if we took the time
(28:15):
to take a picture of it, typically there was some
sort of meaning involved. And you know, you might be
waiting through picks of beers that you've had or I
was gonna say, there's lots of pictures of beer on
my on my phone and that's because I love beer,
and so I think that's totally fine. That's it's kind
of a hobby of mine. Like we kind of pursue
beer we traveled to breweries, but yeah, I've got pictures
of tons of other things that are super meaningful too,
(28:36):
So so yeah, I think that's a good thought. Another
question to ask is when was the last time that
time completely flew by and you forgot to eat? That
shows that you were passionate about something. Maybe you completely
skipped a meal like lunch or dinner because you were
engrossed in a side pursuit. So think about that last
time where something grabbed your attention at that level, and
maybe you can find a way to pursue that. Yeah.
(28:57):
What coders call that is being in flow right or
like being in the zone is like the I forget
what it's like positive psychology or something like that. Flow state,
flow state. Yeah, But for me, when I think back
to activities where I completely forgot to eat and skip
not only one, but even two meals in a day,
we're back to that example that I gave when I
was building things. When I'm so engrossed in something and
(29:18):
completely consumed, it's like the outside world just shuts off
and I find myself just completely just immersed in that
project to not just complete it, but just because I'm
finding enjoyment in it, And another way that you can
identify a cool hobby is to consider volunteering. Not only
will you have the chance to meet some cool people,
but you might even get to attend some cool events
for completely free and that falls squarely on the side
(29:41):
of frugal hobbies. Yeah, if you volunteer at a local
music venue, you might get to see some free shows.
My favorite place to volunteer is neighborhood festivals around town.
There's always a lot of need and I always get
so much enjoyment out of that. And part of the
reason probably is because I'm doing it with other people.
And I think when you're picking a new hobby, finding
something that you can do with other people can be helpful,
(30:02):
even potentially people that you've never met before. So check
out a site like meetup dot com to see what
actual people are doing near where you live. Where we
live in Atlanta, there are so many interesting groups doing
different things. Some are exploring where they live, Others are
taking nature walks. There are running clubs that meet up.
So many of these things are free that are on
meetup dot com and the options are quite varied. And
(30:24):
if you don't see the thing you like, well maybe
start something and you'll attract a group of like minded folks.
I love that idea and Joel, once you've actually identified
a hobby, it's time to actually start doing it. You
need to take action, and we would encourage folks to
start small. Don't put a significant amount of money into
something before you know it's something that you're really into.
Small bites can ensure just a greater chance of success
(30:46):
and of building up a sustainable hobby. I'm thinking about
my life Kate. She's really into plants. But when she
first started out, she started by rooting the leaves of
plants that we already had. Or in another case, she
rooted a branch that broke off of a friend's succulent.
But she was able to take that. She brought it
home and gave it some attention and love and figured
out how to get that thing to root. And if
(31:07):
you look behind you, that succulent is growing on her
counter right now. To her, she kind of feel like
that she brought it back from the dead, and only
recently has she purchased a few indoor plants that cost
a little bit more money, even though honestly, in the
long run, she just wants to cover our entire house
with plants on the inside, because she's getting into house
plants now, because that's the stage of life that she's in.
I think like house plants have replaced the like the
(31:28):
cat lady like for what forever? It used to be like, oh,
I'm a cat lady, but now it's it's all about
house plants. Did you just throw your wife under the bus?
Did you call her a cat lady? Kinda, no lodery
cat lady. No, she's she's she's a plant lady now, alright,
plant ladies are hip, dude, good to know, all right,
so and hypoallergenic. So just to let you know. The
next hobby I want to pursue is something I'm really
(31:48):
interested but haven't given a shot yet. Curling. I totally
want to join an indoor curling league. Nice, do you
know what curling is? Yeah? I know what it is,
but I have no desire at all to do that.
So I'm glad maybe that you can find your little
curling group to go curling with. I certainly will. And
you know what I already know. I love table shuffle board.
I love Okay, I see the connection, right, I love
(32:09):
shuffle board. When I'm at the beach, like the floor shuffleboard.
Beach shuffle board. Yeah. So I have a feeling I'm
gonna like curling too. It's it's something I want to
try at some point. Well, here's the deal. I still
like biking, and if you can find a curling league
that's biking distance, I'll ride with you. I'll bike with
you to curling practice, and then I'll just about and
drink beers with my friends. There we go, right done?
(32:29):
All right, Joe. So, speaking of beer, let's take it
now back to our not beer for this episode, which
was a bourbon barrel peach cider from tight On Cider
Works out of Washington State. But what were your thoughts
on the sider? Yeah, siders are often either really dry
or really sweet, and this one was more of the
sweeter variety. Definitely sweet. Yeah, and and I think peaches too, Like,
(32:50):
peaches are incredibly sweet, So the fact that it's a
cider with peaches manute even sweeter. But the bourbon barrels
added a little bit of oakness and in my mind
pulled back on the sweetness just a little bit. So
it was isn't overwhelmingly sweet to me? I personally love peaches,
and I love like canned peaches. I love that syrupy sweetness,
and so this and so this definitely wasn't that sweet,
But yeah, I really appreciated this cider. Even though ciders
(33:11):
not typically my jam, I thought this one was a
good one. Yeah, Joe, I really enjoyed this one as well.
I just finished my last little sip, and we recently
talked about my affinity for apple juice back in college,
and this certainly had some of those apple juice cidery
characteristics to it, but like you said, with a little
bit of that peach action mixed in. Yeah, I figured
after your confession that this was gonna be right if
(33:32):
your alley, you thought it might actually come up. But
more than anything, I'm really looking forward to drinking more
ciders because I just haven't had a lot of siders
in my life. But I think I found myself drawn
to some of the drier ones, almost like you find
with saisons or farmhouse beers, how they kind of have
that dryer quality to them. But yeah, with this one
being barrel aged, it kind of has some of those
oak canings in it to rein in that sweetness. Just
like you said, I couldn't agree more. All right, Matt,
(33:54):
let's get into our final thoughts quickly for this episode.
I think it's important to remember that hobbies or core pursued,
as my friend West calls them, having three, four or
five hobbies that are really meaningful to you actually make
you a happier person. They'll make you sane when you
finally do in a retirement, because that's one of the
major problems for retirees. But cultivating these interests now before
(34:14):
you hit retirement or maybe or even close to retirement
is really important, and in particular, we would steer you
towards inexpensive hobbies in pursuits. Yeah, and Jel. You know,
aside from the direction and focus that a hobby can
bring you once you do hit retirement, there are also
these sort of hidden or maybe even not so hidden
benefits that hobbies can bring you. Aside from making you
and even saving you money, hobbies can bring you physical
(34:36):
and mental health. There can also be massive social benefits
to pursuing these hobbies and these interests that you really
love with friends in a community who also pursue and
appreciate the same things that you do. Yeah, I love
the connection that you can garner through hobbies to two
people and to the environment around you. I mean, hobbies
are wonderful and we should consider them more. That's gonna
do it for this episode. You can always find more
(34:58):
information on our website out to money dot com, And
we just published a new article about refinancing student loans,
when you should do it and how you should do
it if it is the right thing for you. So
go check that out. And also, if you've been listening
to this podcast and you found it helpful, we would
love it if you left us a review over at
Apple Podcast. Just head over there and maybe do us
a solid, oh favor. I don't mind asking for a
(35:21):
favor every once in a while, do me a solid.
Do you ever say that? Uh? No, As I said that,
I almost regretted it because I don't normally say that.
But I'm just gonna roll with it. What what era
is that from? When did people say that it don't
be a solid? Was it? It was the old school Italians?
Was because that's what it sounds like New York in
the forties and fifties. Maybe I don't know all right,
like the West Side story, that's kind of what it
makes me think. Of like, hey, can you do me
a solid? All right, let's bring that back. We'll may
(35:43):
gonna happen. Oh should that be our new sign off? No?
Definitely not Yeah, definitely Joel. Until next time, Best friends Out,
Best Friends Out, m m BO
Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I'm Matt
and today we're discussing why you need a new hobby. Yeah,
(00:25):
we are going to talk all about hobbies, which is
a fun little topic. This is almost more of like
a lifestyle of thing. But but I'm looking forward to
how we're gonna sort of tie money into this and
really why we feel that having hobbies is so important
for our personal growth as well as our long term
sort of outlook towards retirement, financial independence. There's a lot
of implications that that hobbies have, so yeah, that that
should be a lot of fun. But real quick, I
(00:46):
wanted to share a story with you, you you like we
always do every week. Oh tell me a story, Matthew. So,
Kate and I we we received a letter in the
mail from It said Capital one, and it was a
different looking letter. It's not the standard envelope that you get.
So we cracked it open to look and it was
from Cap one three sixty, which we used to have
one of those accounts, and so I thought it was
kind of bizarre. So I actually read it. Wait, let
(01:06):
me guess the end of the story. It was a
check for a lot of money and you're retiring early
two dollars. No, but similar to that, they actually said
that there was an abandoned accounts or it was actually
getting ready to be abandoned within like another month or two,
and that it was going to be turned over to
the state because there had been zero activity on it
I want to say, maybe for three years. Oh and
(01:28):
by the way, it was only for fifty six bucks,
so that's a lot of money, but still enough for
me to want to make that call and look into
it a little bit something. Yeah, But after I thought
about it for a second, we remembered why we had
opened that accounts, and it was because there was a
sign up bonus way back in the day that they
were offering, and my wife opened that account under her
name deposited the right amount of money in there to
meet the requirements to to get that bonus. But then
(01:51):
I guess we pulled some of it out, but then
we forgot about it. And you know what, we talked
about the benefits of finding a nice sign up bonus
for a new checking new saving is a count but
one downside is that if you are not super organized
and I'm pretty organized, right, You've talked about the spreads
c you have many times, but somehow that one kind
of slipped under the radar. And that's the downside is
(02:11):
that you know, you don't want to leave these accounts abandoned,
otherwise it will be turned over to the States and
you may not actually find that money. Well, how suite
of capital one three sixty to notify you be the
mail and you're gonna get your fifty six bucks back
before this account was closed and wind torment right and
take that to the bank. Yeah, but I think it's
important for people to know that there's a chance that
there's an account like that out there that you've forgotten about.
(02:33):
Maybe you also opened up a separate bank account to
grab that bonus. And the easiest way to track down
that money that you might have completely forgotten about, well,
there's a site that really helps folks do that, and
it's called missing money dot com. Missing money helps people
find the rifle owners of unclaimed money that states received
like your state Matt was about to receive exactly. You
can conduct a free search for bank accounts, safe deposit
(02:56):
box contents, uncash checks, insurance policy CDs, trust funds, utility deposits,
stocks and bonds escrow accounts and more. I mean, it's
kind of cool that it's a lot it is. They're
all these potential accounts that maybe you've forgotten about, and
you know what, maybe search for a parent or a relative,
a loved one too. But Missing Money is just this
cool site where you can for free check and see
(03:17):
if you are somebody that you know and love is
potentially missing some money that they should have in their lives.
So obviously I searched our name to see if you know,
there's anything else since that kind of came up on
a radar. Are there more accounts I've forgotten about? I
also searched your name and saw that there was not,
so I'd searched my name to what you While I
was thinking about this, I was just surprised at the
different people named large Guard out there because it's a
really uncommon last name, and just kind of see where
(03:39):
they're scattered on the country, which, yeah, which which ones
are missing money? And uh and yeah. So it's just
kind of interesting to see that, But sadly, I'm not
currently missing any money. It's also gonna note that most
states do participate in that website Missing money dot com,
but if they don't. They'll say that they don't participate,
and they'll have a link a lot of times to
this specific state website where you can typically go and
(03:59):
search for free so make sure to check that out
missing money dot com. Yep, all right, Matt, let's mention
the beer and I put beer in quotation marks because
so on Monday's episode, we had a cold brew coffee
and today we're taking another right turn. We're having a
cider on the show, the second sider we've ever had.
On this episode, we're having a bourbon barrel peach cider
by tie it On Cider Works out of Washington State,
(04:22):
and Jenna, who works with this sidery, sent this br away.
So thanks to Jennifer sending this one out, I'm really
intrigued and ready to try this one. And it's not
that we don't like beer anymore. We're just taking a
little late summer beer break, and next episode we're getting
back to the beer. We promise it's it's all beer
from here on out for the most part. But but
since Jenna was kind enough to send us this sider,
we're ready to try it. So we'll let you know
what we think about it at the end. Of the show. Yeah,
(04:43):
looking forward to it all right, att onto the subject
at hand. Today we're discussing why you need a new hobby,
and last week we discussed why we're saving for retirement.
Just kind of felt like there's this need to address
why we're doing that. But interestingly enough, many people that
retire they have no idea what to do with themselves.
They get bored and end up going back to work.
(05:05):
My uncle is this perfect example of this, where he
retired and sat on his hands. He didn't know what
to do with his life after retirement, and he ended
up getting a job down the street, part time, twenty
something hours a week. And I see this all the
time in my dad's friend group, when they start to
retire and they go back to work because they don't
know what to do with themselves. And sometimes it's okay,
(05:26):
right to to find a more meaningful job, but yeah,
exactly finding something that you know, you feel that satisfies
you more on a personal level, even if it's not
paying nearly what you were making in your in your
regular job. Right. Yeah, my cousin he told me recently
that his dad went back to work after retirement to
work at home depot but it's because he's obsessed with
home depot and he was like, he'd be there every
day of the week. Anyway, I give them so much
(05:47):
of my money. Anyway, I feel like I could work there,
you know. Yeah, So I just thought it was really
funny that for him going back to work wasn't throwing
in the towel. It wasn't like admitting defeat an interception
of last resort. Yeah, it was literally this fun new
option that he could partake in. That's just how be
and he's putting it to work. But it's important for
us to choose and develop, in particular budget friendly hobbies. Now,
my friend Wes Moss, who wrote a book about happier retirees,
(06:09):
he calls him core pursuits, and he mentioned that, Yeah, right,
I think it's a good way more pursuits the way
of describing it. Based on his studies, he says that
the happiest retirees have roughly three and a half core
pursuits that are meaningful to them, and the unhappiest retirees
have fewer than two and and so, yeah, I think
that's kind of a good springboard for this conversation that
(06:30):
whether you're in your twenties or whether you're in your sixties,
there are a lot of good reasons to find these
core pursuits, these hobbies that are meaningful, that are inexpensive,
and so yeah, that's what this episode is gonna be
about today. Yeah, so this episode really is all about
getting more fulfillment out of your leisure time. Yeah, and
Jill speaking, you know, to the fulfillment, right, finding your
interests so that when you retired, you retire to something.
(06:53):
Getting folks to to think long term about fun stuff, right,
that's what we're doing. We talk about that all the
time with our money specifically, but what we're talking about
on this episode is that we should also be doing
that with our interests as well. You know, we have
a like it's such a performance or like work based
culture in the United States. It's good to kind of
step outside of that. We're essentially we're trying to find
again balance in our life, and that's what we always
(07:15):
strive to do on the show is try to find
a balance between being smart with our money so that
we can afford to live like at all, you know,
in the future, but at the same time making sure
that we are pursuing things that we find personal fulfillment
in because guess what if that's something that we neglect
now early on, Yeah, we're we are going to get
towards the maybe the middle or end of our lives,
(07:35):
and we might find that we just don't know what
to do with ourselves, and we might find that we
are restless and that we turn to to work to
kind of find that fulfillment. Yeah. I think work can
be a safety blanket for you if you don't have
really good hobbies, meaningful hobbies, those core pursuits, right that
you're tackling in your life. Well, I think another really
important part of this. I mean, our show is called
How the Money, so we have to talk about the
money aspect of course, right, Well, hobbies can be expensive,
(07:58):
and I don't know, I guess when I think about
the quintessential retiree, I'm thinking of someone who plays golf
two or three times a week, and which is solely
fine though. I mean, if you are really into golf
and if that's something that you want to do, you know,
spend your time doing that once you retired, then that's great.
But as long as you're kind of doing that because
you really love it, not just because well, I can
go play golf, I guess right. Yeah. I was thinking
today about another hobby that one of my friends recently
(08:20):
picked up, and that is flying airplanes. That is another
really expensive hobby. Pretty baller though. It's just so cool though, right,
I totally understand the desire to fly airplanes despite the cost.
I think it can be worthwhile, right, But expensive hobbies
and spending too much on your hobbies can also be
a negative, right if we're not doing it inside the
bounds of a good budget. So I think it's important
(08:43):
to mention that there are some awesome hobbies out there
that are free and cheap. And we think that by
intentionally choosing hobbies and pursuing interests that are affordable, what
keeps you from the temptation of diving down that spending
rabbit hole. So obviously, if you're making a specific choice
based on something that you really love that does cost
money and if fits into your budget, then that's great.
(09:03):
But it's also important to mention that there are a
lot of killer hobbies out there that are really fun
that are free and cheap. Jell. Another way to say
that is essentially we're curating our tastes, right, Like there
are certain hobbies, certain things that we could pick up
that are really expensive, like you said golf or flying
airplanes that that could be really expensive. But if that's
your passion and that gives you an incredible fulfillment, then
that's awesome. But just don't fall into something like that
(09:26):
almost without even thinking about it, because you could spend
a lot of money towards those pursuits. And so part
of the reason why we're saying hobbies as well and
and less entertainment is for me at least, entertainment has
sort of this connotation of like passive consumption, where without
even really thinking about it, we're just being fed fun stuff,
right Versus a hobby is typically something that you pursue,
(09:48):
and when you pursue something, there's engagement there. And I
know that anytime I'm more engaged in something that I'm doing,
I literally feel more personal fulfillments and I end up
being a better person. And there's just lots of other
benefits that come with these hot bays that we can
pursue versus just lumping this all into maybe what we'd
call entertainment. Yeah, I mean, you and I we like
to go to soccer games and I would say that
(10:08):
soccer games are not a hobby. Those are entertainment and
it's cool. I enjoy spending my money in that way.
I like one of soccer games. It's super fun. But
but it's not a hobby. And so yeah, like we're
talking about hobbies slash core pursuits in general, and I
don't think following a sports team or anything like that
would necessarily make that cut. Yeah, well, let me jump
on that example. Let's say you're part of a supporters
group though, and every week you're part of the design
(10:30):
team that put together the t pos, like the giant
banners that they raised up at the beginning of the match.
That's more of a hobby, Like, that's that's you're kind
of providing value to the team. There, there's something else
going on there versus just sort of passively sitting back
and kind of consuming the match. Right. Yeah, there's a
community aspect of that as well, exactly, And we're gonna
get to some of those benefits later on in the show. Yeah,
And while we're talking about the price disparity in hobbies
(10:52):
in particular, if you're hearing this right now and you're like,
I do need to find a new hobby. Why, I
would suggest looking at the costs of that hobby and
trying to find something that is inexpensive. If you're already
locked into a hobby that is pretty expensive but you
love it, that's cool. But this is also a chance,
I think for some people who have been doing a
hobby but don't necessarily find it terribly fulfilling, to ditch
the expensive hobby and find something new. Yeah, Joel, and
(11:14):
we're talking about money the cost of hobbies, right, but
there are other factors that are worth considering. I'm thinking
of certain hobbies that just might take up a massive
amount of time, and that's fine. I'm thinking of maybe
if you like to go voting or something like that,
probably especially good, by the way, if it takes up
a lot of time if you are retired, yeah, exactly,
you've got lots of time then. But either way, you
just need to make sure that you are intentionally doing
that because you love it. Brings you an incredible amount
(11:36):
of fulfillment, because not only will something like that take
up a lot of your money your funds, but also
a lot of your time as well. And if it's
something that you're only kind of halfway excited about. Well,
it may not be a hobby worth pursuing. Right, There's
also a lot of other factors to consider, Right, there's
a lot of other areas in our life where our
hobbies can come into play. And we're gonna talk about
those right after the break. All right, Matt, we're back.
(12:06):
We're talking about hobbies, which is a fun little topic here.
Did you ever go to a HobbyTown USA? Did you
have one of those when you're growing up? But we
totally did. Yeah, And you know what, I always go
in there and by like the twenty one side of dice.
I never got those, but I always wanted. No, I wasn't.
I truly wasn't, But I did want the car kits
where you could like glue all these pieces of a
car together, and and I but I honestly I never
(12:28):
did one successfully. I just don't think I had the
attention to detail. Yeah, with those, I always just wanted
to kind of drive it after the facts. It's like, okay, cool,
does it run? Where's the remote? It's like, no, it
kind of just sits there on the shelf. No. I
was so much better with the remote control cars. It's
so much more fun, Like let's actually skip the building.
It looks cool the finished product, but I don't have
the concentration actually keep going on it. So yeah, remote
control cars definitely more of my alley, more fun, for sure.
(12:51):
But we want to talk about the additional, potentially secret
benefits of hobbies that most people don't really think about.
Usually it's something that you're naturally attracted to, or something
that a friend maybe got you into, but we don't
think about the power that hobbies have in our lives.
And so, of course Money Show, we gotta talk about
the money factor that goes along with hobbies. Hobbies can
end up earning you extra money. It can turn into
(13:14):
a side hustle or potentially even a full time gig sometimes,
So in my mind, that's not usually the purpose of
a hobby, but sometimes you find that you're so into
it and you become so good at something exactly even
that it turns into more and you can actually make
sign income or a full time living based on a
hobby that you pursued, which is which is cool. Yeah,
(13:36):
I completely agree. You can't underestimate the power. You said
the power of hobbies a second ago, right, But you
can't underestimate the power that a hobby might have down
the road when it comes to generating money. However, I
think what you said is true. I think we need
to be careful when it comes to hobbies because really
they should be I think something different than ways that
we're able to make money, because it's something that we
should be pursuing because we love it, well, you know,
(13:58):
we kind of have a passion for it. And if
we start immediately looking to ways that maybe we can
monetize that hobby, then you know, maybe it's not truly
a hobby that you're trying to build a side. Probably, Yeah, exactly. Again,
it's another fine thing we've talked about on the show before.
But but hobbies, this core pursuit kind of mentality that
we're getting into it is altogether different. And this is
something you're pursuing most of the time purely for the
(14:21):
pleasure of doing this task, of of of partaking in
this hobby. Sometimes it leads to more though, just for funzies.
Right exactly makes me think of the old guys you
see on the beach with the metal detectors, and I
still totally want one of those, because not because I
know I'm gonna make a killing, But because I just
think it's a fun way to spend time at the beach.
Why not have the little Scooper and you got your
(14:43):
metal detector with the headphones then so you can kind
of hear a beep or whatever over the waves, you know,
like who needs crashing waves and the beautiful sound of
seagulls When you could hear these beeps to that, you
were all the changes right, Honestly, I totally see you
doing that your old age. I've already got the hat.
You've seen my beach. Have a hat for it. It's massive,
keeps the son from burning muskin. You're half the way there,
and now I know what to get cheap for Christmas.
(15:04):
If you get me one of those, man, I'll totally
use it proudly. So one of the most unique hobbies
that I have heard of recently. Matt I heard about
in an interview with an actor Danny McBride. Do you
know who he is? I do not, Okay, So he's
been in a couple of awesome shows and movies. He's
really funny and pretty out there, but he uh. He's
telling the story that he recently moved to Charleston, South Carolina.
(15:24):
Good place abnormal for actors, but I think that's so
cool that he did it anyway, Like, that's awesome. And
he was trying to meet new friends, and so he
was hanging out with dads of kids that his kids
were friends with, preschool dads or whatever. Yeah, and this
one dad took him on this excursion to find sharks teeth,
but not just like sharks teeth on the beach, prehistoric
sharks teeth in these sand corries or something that you
(15:46):
have to break into. And so that's like his new
hobby is jumping fences finding these like nine inch long
prehistoric sharks teeth, and he's just super into it. So
I just thought that was interesting. It's pretty cool. Hobbies
can run the gamut. Yeah. Absolutely, That's definitely one that
may not necessarily make you money immediately, but I'm guessing
those teeth are going to be worth money right in
the long term, as long as you don't get busted
and sent to jailing, you know. Yeah, so true. So hobbies,
(16:08):
they may not always make you money. Oftentimes they probably won't,
but at the very least hobbies could save you money.
I'm thinking about doing things like gardening, even working in
the yard, a lot of folks that sounds not like
a hobby. It just sounds like yard work. But personally,
I really enjoy working in the yard, whether you know,
comes to landscaping or literally cutting the grass weed eating.
(16:30):
I just love that feeling of accomplishment that I have
when when it's all done and it just looks so
fresh and nice, and I know that I've done that myself.
But that's a way that I can save money by
not having those expenses. You're welcome to bring your passion
for that hobby to my front yard anytime. See that's
the problem, though, you own that yard, and therefore I
don't want to care as much what your yard looks
may but from my yard, I like it looking nice. Understandable.
(16:52):
But also I'm thinking of two you and I. We
both bike, and what if we really got into bike maintenance.
There's a lot of guys that find a lot of
fulfillments in that I personally don't as much. I will
maintain my bike and I'll work on it, maybe only
to save money, but it's not something that I like doing. Right.
I don't take my bike, I don't put it up
on those bikes stand and start cleaning it. And tweaking
it and you know, tightening things up that need to
(17:13):
be tightened up. Although I should. Yeah, that's something I
would like to get into, yes, because I feel like
I'm not terribly good with my hands. But it's something
that's not terribly complex. I feel like I could figure
it out pretty quickly and start to learn the ropes,
and so it is something that's on my radar. Like,
that's a good hobby maybe for me in the future
when I have a little bit more free time, while
at the same time saving you money exactly, all right.
And another benefit of hobbies that we don't think about
(17:35):
all that often is the health benefits. About eight percent
of Americans just aren't active enough. If we can find
hobbies that are better for our health, it will make
us happier. Will you're not likelihood live longer, And these
hobbies will cost us less money in healthcare in the
long run, yea. And in the long run, as long
as you don't kind of fall and break your ankle
when you're running for free, right Like, like, oh, I
(17:56):
can go running for free, but that's way better than
what a sedentary lifestyle too, health wise, Like a broken ankle,
it's totally true. It's a blip on the radar along
the way. I'll take a broken ankle once or twice
in my lifetime versus never being able to run my
entire life and then dealing with the health consequences of
that long term. Completely agree. Yeah, I've had some mix
ups in my hobbies, especially in biking, you know, a
couple of crashes along the way that led to broken
bones or whatever. And you know what, I'm okay, and
(18:18):
I wouldn't trade it for anything, and especially the fitness component,
and I've grown to love it and it's been my
primary source of fitness through the years. So yeah, have
we ever talked about how we love biking. I don't
think we have, which is do an episode should tell
people that we like biking right now. And so, aside
from health benefits of your physical body, there's also mental
benefits that come along with finding hobbies, finding different ways
(18:40):
that we can engage our brains in a way that
is different than what we do forty plus hours a week. Man,
That is so sinking important. Those hobbies that can give
us breaks and just different interesting activities usually can stimulate
us mentally. What it does is that it keeps us sharp,
even just kind of reading a different book than we
normally would, or even just joining a book club is
(19:01):
the way that we can engage your minds and make
us a more rounded person. Yeah, and and break out
of the ordinary, right that the stuff that we're used
to doing hobbies can be these bright spots in the
middle of our week. And Matt, you just mentioned it's
different than what we do forty hours a week. I
have to mention too, for the stay at home moms
out there, I know your brains can turn into mush
being with children that many hours every single day. And
(19:22):
I know that's true for my wife at times that
when I come home, adult conversation is very welcomed. And
and then too that the hobbies that she pursues on
the side can be so helpful, even just the adult interactions.
So for her, she has gotten into a book club recently,
so she enjoys just the act of reading the book
and then meeting with adults to discuss what the book
was about, and oftentimes that's over a glass of wine.
(19:43):
So I just wanted to mention a little shout out
to the stay at home moms out there who who
do an awesome job, and I know it's a very
difficult task. I think thinking through and pursuing meaningful hobbies
is so important for them as well. And I know
it's much harder for for moms that are with their
kids that much of the time to actually even have
the bandwidth to think through the obvious they want to pursue.
So yeah, in that case, it's not about staying sharp,
(20:03):
but it's almost a matter of staying like sane, right completely.
So what you're saying is that Emily doesn't like you
coming home and then she leaves to go like babysit
or something like that, Like that's like I'm gonna go
caretake for these other children. Definitely not, she would not
be into that at all, but she loves the once
we have though. And you know, another delightful benefit of
hobbies is just the social aspect of it, Joel. You
you kind of just touched on this a little bit
(20:24):
with the book club, Like there's a social aspect to it,
but just finding your people, having friend groups outside of
work and family is likely a really healthy thing to do.
That's another one of those components that we need to
incorporate in our lives in order to kind of maintain
a balanced life. So, Matt, now that we talked about
some of the best benefits of hobbies, I gotta ask you,
what are your favorite hobbies? And I know the aunt
farm is gonna be one of them, right well, I
(20:46):
knew you were in turn, the day was on me
and asked me this question. So as I've given this
more thought and I've given it some time, what I've
realized that I really enjoy doing is building stuff, and
not building something for money necessarily, but building something just
because there's pure enjoyment out of being creative and out
of basically solving a problem and then being able to
step back and looking at your finished project. Just even
(21:06):
looking back to college, when I was building my first
website and dream weaver, it was something digital that I created,
but it was still something that I had poured myself
into for several days. And it wasn't even for a
class project. I wasn't getting paid for it, but it
was something I was just curious to learn. And I
can see that in my life even today. We've got
the playhouse in the backyard for the girls, and it
was something that was a lot of work, and my
(21:27):
dad and my father in law. They both helped me.
But you know what, when I was working on that,
to the outsider, it might look like work, but to me, man,
it was so much freaking fun being faced with a
problem like that and finding ways to solve it. And
then of course in the end, we've got an awesome
playhouse that the girls love playing in and having this
the super cool structure. Man, I just found so much
joy and satisfaction in that. So what I guess the
(21:48):
reason I'm saying that is, I think sometimes it's hard
for us as individuals to pinpoint specific hobbies that we have.
But I think if we can identify just these themes
that we find running throughout our life, maybe we can
identify my uh new hobbies a little bit easier. But
that being said, of course I like to run, I
like riding my bike, all the different things that we
we we often talk about on the show. Well, speaking
(22:10):
about how we identify hobby, we're gonna talk about that
in just a minute. I'll quickly mentioned the hobbies that
I enjoy the most. I like biking, I like disc golf,
and I love nerdy board games like those are like
the three hobbies that I see myself pursuing. And part
of the reason I love in particular board games is
because they're very very social in nature. They're like unlimited
nerdy board games that you could partake in, and I
(22:30):
have so many friends that are into them that I
can fire up a text chain and get people together
pretty much any night of the week to play some
nerdy board games. So yeah, those are the main hobbies
that I kind of currently pursue. What about a folk
art that's that's I mean, would you consider that a hobby?
You kind of collect folk art a little bit. I
don't think of that as much of a hobby as
something that's just like an interest, yeah, hobby less of
an activity, you know, Like there's some people who actively
(22:51):
pursue art. I think you have to have a lot
of money if you're gonna do that. Yeah, yeah, And
I think, yeah, maybe someday I'll get more into the
art and it will become more of an actual like
hobby or something, But for now, it's like a side
interest that I enjoy. And so on that note of
how to pick a hobby, We've got some ideas to
help you get started finding the right one for you,
and we'll get to that right after the break. All right, Joel,
(23:20):
we are back, and now we're going to get to
the application stage of of the episode, where hopefully, you know,
with these steps, we can help folks to kind of
narrow in on some different hobbies that they might find
fulfilling for them. And the first thing I want to
suggest is that this might kind of sound a little
old school, but looking at magazines, you know, when was
the last time you went to a bookstore and you
went down the magazine section and you saw just all
(23:40):
the different covers of all these awesome different things that
folks could do or honestly even better yet, like your
local library, Like, don't go to the bookstore. You can
go to the library, but there's something about going into
a physical space. You can see what images and what
covers are you are you drawn to? Right? Like oftentimes
magazines they're just based around hobbies. And again this is
kind of a pretty broad but I think it can
be a helpful start if you really have no idea
(24:01):
you know what you're looking to pursue at all. Oh,
that yarn on the magazine cover looks pretty I guess
I'm into knitting. Some folks are in a knitting dogar.
I know I'm not, but maybe that's because I've never
tried it all right, So maybe I gotta give it
a shot. Yeah. Another helpful exercise to help you get
started in thinking about what hobbies might be right for
you is to consider where your mind drifts to at
the end of a long vacation, when you're out of
(24:24):
your usual schedule and rhythm of life, what do you
start to think about what excites you? Where does your
mind that's free of daily labors take you? And I
think that can be an insight into what hobbies you
might want to pursue. So don't shut down your vacation brain,
kind of look into it a little bit and and
see if there's something there. Another good exercise is to
look to your past, and what I mean by that
(24:46):
is to ask yourself and trying to think back figure
out what it was it that you did as a
kid that you enjoy doing, and you can translate that
into a hobby as an adult. If as a kid
you loved running through the woods and you know, setting
up booby tra apps, which is one of the things
I enjoy doing, of course, maybe as an adult you
can still run through the woods, but maybe you're not
(25:07):
setting booby traps trail running. No booby exactly, trail running,
Like I love hiking. It's just one of the things that,
aside from muscle fatigue, I feel like I could really
just do without stopping, Like I can just kind of
continually explore, you know, see the wilderness, hike up different mountains,
you know, like get to the top, all that kind
of stuff. I feel like that ties into maybe me
as a kid, where man, I just I love spending
(25:28):
tons of time outside and playing in the woods. All right,
So this makes me think. There's a comedian, Kevin Nelon
who's got a YouTube channel and it's called Hiking with
Kevin Nelon, and he goes on a different hike every
week and brings along a friend and he literally holds
a camera facing him and he has a conversation with
a new, interesting, different friend every week. And I gues's
(25:49):
just a cool idea. So if you're into like comedians
with cars basically except for it's like hiking pretty much
took you to a different setting whatever. Yeah, but I
love that. You can tell there's just a marriage of
two things. He loves having an interesting conversation and going
for a hike. So that's really cool. I appreciate that. Yeah,
that's super cool. And what is it with you? And
you're watching and listening to a lot of the comedians
(26:10):
these days, I guess I like comedy podcasts. I guess
it's good stuff. Not the traditional ones, but but intelligent
comedians having interesting conversations. I would say so much of
the time, comedians have the most interesting insights about daily life.
And another thing to to think about when you're looking
to choose a hobby for yourself is to see what
your friends are doing. What are they doing that you're
not doing, and maybe you get the invite and you
(26:31):
say yes next time. As opposed to know, sometimes trying
things out that you've never tried before is the perfect
way to get into something you kind of have no
idea whether you're into it unless you give it a shot.
Like knitting. We just talked about that, Matt, who knows, like, seriously,
I could potentially get into knitting if I gave it
a shot. And now I feel like, after saying that
out loud, I have to give it a shot. So
if anybody out there wants to teach me how to knit,
(26:52):
I'm in Plus it's just a nice skill to have, right, Yeah,
will you make me an Atlanta United scarf? I certainly will.
That's gonna be. That's like the default adding item, right
is a scarf. But you can make some pretty dope
Atlanta United soccer scarves with that. Yeah. One of our friends,
actually she knits Christmas stockings and she gives them to friends.
That's her hobby. That's something she loves to do. And
yes she's done that for us. I totally forgot about that.
(27:12):
But super sweet and a very cool gift. Yeah, they're
the coolest. Every year when we break those out at
Christmas time, we're in awe of how cool they are.
And it shows that that that pursuit for her has
been something really meaningful. So you know what, maybe I'll
have her teach me how on it. And the first
item up for business is your Landing United scarf. Don't worry,
thanks buddy. Okay, something else to consider. Well, As a photographer,
I'm gonna be a little biased, but I want folks
(27:33):
to ask themselves, what do I take photos of my face?
A lot of selfies and so your hobby should be makeup.
I guess your own vanity. But no, seriously ask yourself
that question, like, look at your Instagram account or look
on Facebook. What are you posting pictures of? Is it food?
Maybe it's architecture or landscapes, Maybe it's the different activities
that you're taking part of. I think that this can
(27:54):
help you look with intention at what you maybe even
subconsciously find joy. And we say this a little jokingly,
but it kind of goes back to the Marie condo,
like what is it that you're taking photos of? Because
you know what that might be, something that's sparking enjoying
you and you don't even realize it, but you've got
sort of this record of proof of what it is
that you actually enjoy and maybe what your next hobby
should be. Yeah, I think if we took the time
(28:15):
to take a picture of it, typically there was some
sort of meaning involved. And you know, you might be
waiting through picks of beers that you've had or I
was gonna say, there's lots of pictures of beer on
my on my phone and that's because I love beer,
and so I think that's totally fine. That's it's kind
of a hobby of mine. Like we kind of pursue
beer we traveled to breweries, but yeah, I've got pictures
of tons of other things that are super meaningful too,
(28:36):
So so yeah, I think that's a good thought. Another
question to ask is when was the last time that
time completely flew by and you forgot to eat? That
shows that you were passionate about something. Maybe you completely
skipped a meal like lunch or dinner because you were
engrossed in a side pursuit. So think about that last
time where something grabbed your attention at that level, and
maybe you can find a way to pursue that. Yeah.
(28:57):
What coders call that is being in flow right or
like being in the zone is like the I forget
what it's like positive psychology or something like that. Flow state,
flow state. Yeah, But for me, when I think back
to activities where I completely forgot to eat and skip
not only one, but even two meals in a day,
we're back to that example that I gave when I
was building things. When I'm so engrossed in something and
(29:18):
completely consumed, it's like the outside world just shuts off
and I find myself just completely just immersed in that
project to not just complete it, but just because I'm
finding enjoyment in it, And another way that you can
identify a cool hobby is to consider volunteering. Not only
will you have the chance to meet some cool people,
but you might even get to attend some cool events
for completely free and that falls squarely on the side
(29:41):
of frugal hobbies. Yeah, if you volunteer at a local
music venue, you might get to see some free shows.
My favorite place to volunteer is neighborhood festivals around town.
There's always a lot of need and I always get
so much enjoyment out of that. And part of the
reason probably is because I'm doing it with other people.
And I think when you're picking a new hobby, finding
something that you can do with other people can be helpful,
(30:02):
even potentially people that you've never met before. So check
out a site like meetup dot com to see what
actual people are doing near where you live. Where we
live in Atlanta, there are so many interesting groups doing
different things. Some are exploring where they live, Others are
taking nature walks. There are running clubs that meet up.
So many of these things are free that are on
meetup dot com and the options are quite varied. And
(30:24):
if you don't see the thing you like, well maybe
start something and you'll attract a group of like minded folks.
I love that idea and Joel, once you've actually identified
a hobby, it's time to actually start doing it. You
need to take action, and we would encourage folks to
start small. Don't put a significant amount of money into
something before you know it's something that you're really into.
Small bites can ensure just a greater chance of success
(30:46):
and of building up a sustainable hobby. I'm thinking about
my life Kate. She's really into plants. But when she
first started out, she started by rooting the leaves of
plants that we already had. Or in another case, she
rooted a branch that broke off of a friend's succulent.
But she was able to take that. She brought it
home and gave it some attention and love and figured
out how to get that thing to root. And if
(31:07):
you look behind you, that succulent is growing on her
counter right now. To her, she kind of feel like
that she brought it back from the dead, and only
recently has she purchased a few indoor plants that cost
a little bit more money, even though honestly, in the
long run, she just wants to cover our entire house
with plants on the inside, because she's getting into house
plants now, because that's the stage of life that she's in.
I think like house plants have replaced the like the
(31:28):
cat lady like for what forever? It used to be like, oh,
I'm a cat lady, but now it's it's all about
house plants. Did you just throw your wife under the bus?
Did you call her a cat lady? Kinda, no lodery
cat lady. No, she's she's she's a plant lady now, alright,
plant ladies are hip, dude, good to know, all right,
so and hypoallergenic. So just to let you know. The
next hobby I want to pursue is something I'm really
(31:48):
interested but haven't given a shot yet. Curling. I totally
want to join an indoor curling league. Nice, do you
know what curling is? Yeah? I know what it is,
but I have no desire at all to do that.
So I'm glad maybe that you can find your little
curling group to go curling with. I certainly will. And
you know what I already know. I love table shuffle board.
I love Okay, I see the connection, right, I love
(32:09):
shuffle board. When I'm at the beach, like the floor shuffleboard.
Beach shuffle board. Yeah. So I have a feeling I'm
gonna like curling too. It's it's something I want to
try at some point. Well, here's the deal. I still
like biking, and if you can find a curling league
that's biking distance, I'll ride with you. I'll bike with
you to curling practice, and then I'll just about and
drink beers with my friends. There we go, right done?
(32:29):
All right, Joe. So, speaking of beer, let's take it
now back to our not beer for this episode, which
was a bourbon barrel peach cider from tight On Cider
Works out of Washington State. But what were your thoughts
on the sider? Yeah, siders are often either really dry
or really sweet, and this one was more of the
sweeter variety. Definitely sweet. Yeah, and and I think peaches too, Like,
(32:50):
peaches are incredibly sweet, So the fact that it's a
cider with peaches manute even sweeter. But the bourbon barrels
added a little bit of oakness and in my mind
pulled back on the sweetness just a little bit. So
it was isn't overwhelmingly sweet to me? I personally love peaches,
and I love like canned peaches. I love that syrupy sweetness,
and so this and so this definitely wasn't that sweet,
But yeah, I really appreciated this cider. Even though ciders
(33:11):
not typically my jam, I thought this one was a
good one. Yeah, Joe, I really enjoyed this one as well.
I just finished my last little sip, and we recently
talked about my affinity for apple juice back in college,
and this certainly had some of those apple juice cidery
characteristics to it, but like you said, with a little
bit of that peach action mixed in. Yeah, I figured
after your confession that this was gonna be right if
(33:32):
your alley, you thought it might actually come up. But
more than anything, I'm really looking forward to drinking more
ciders because I just haven't had a lot of siders
in my life. But I think I found myself drawn
to some of the drier ones, almost like you find
with saisons or farmhouse beers, how they kind of have
that dryer quality to them. But yeah, with this one
being barrel aged, it kind of has some of those
oak canings in it to rein in that sweetness. Just
like you said, I couldn't agree more. All right, Matt,
(33:54):
let's get into our final thoughts quickly for this episode.
I think it's important to remember that hobbies or core pursued,
as my friend West calls them, having three, four or
five hobbies that are really meaningful to you actually make
you a happier person. They'll make you sane when you
finally do in a retirement, because that's one of the
major problems for retirees. But cultivating these interests now before
(34:14):
you hit retirement or maybe or even close to retirement
is really important, and in particular, we would steer you
towards inexpensive hobbies in pursuits. Yeah, and Jel. You know,
aside from the direction and focus that a hobby can
bring you once you do hit retirement, there are also
these sort of hidden or maybe even not so hidden
benefits that hobbies can bring you. Aside from making you
and even saving you money, hobbies can bring you physical
(34:36):
and mental health. There can also be massive social benefits
to pursuing these hobbies and these interests that you really
love with friends in a community who also pursue and
appreciate the same things that you do. Yeah, I love
the connection that you can garner through hobbies to two
people and to the environment around you. I mean, hobbies
are wonderful and we should consider them more. That's gonna
do it for this episode. You can always find more
(34:58):
information on our website out to money dot com, And
we just published a new article about refinancing student loans,
when you should do it and how you should do
it if it is the right thing for you. So
go check that out. And also, if you've been listening
to this podcast and you found it helpful, we would
love it if you left us a review over at
Apple Podcast. Just head over there and maybe do us
a solid, oh favor. I don't mind asking for a
(35:21):
favor every once in a while, do me a solid.
Do you ever say that? Uh? No, As I said that,
I almost regretted it because I don't normally say that.
But I'm just gonna roll with it. What what era
is that from? When did people say that it don't
be a solid? Was it? It was the old school Italians?
Was because that's what it sounds like New York in
the forties and fifties. Maybe I don't know all right,
like the West Side story, that's kind of what it
makes me think. Of like, hey, can you do me
a solid? All right, let's bring that back. We'll may
(35:43):
gonna happen. Oh should that be our new sign off? No?
Definitely not Yeah, definitely Joel. Until next time, Best friends Out,
Best Friends Out, m m BO
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.