| Pattus Magnus | 22 Oct 2016 11:52 a.m. PST |
I started wondering about this after someone in another post commented that when he included his extra time for prepping and assembling plastic figs, he considered them more expensive than metal. I'm not interested in arguing the relative merits of metal vs plastics – what I'm curious about is what an hour of hobby time is priced at ( in USD, UKP, yen or whatever). For me it is pretty valuable, but I'm not in the habit of thinking about it in financial terms. If I were to set a benchmark, mine would be that 3 hours of hobby time is roughly equivalent to the hour in therapy I don't need when I have hobby time available… so probably in the $150 USD CDN range. So, $50 USD per hour as my baseline. What's yours? |
 Extra Crispy  | 22 Oct 2016 12:06 p.m. PST |
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| wrgmr1 | 22 Oct 2016 12:46 p.m. PST |
Painting in meditation for me and playing is so much fun that I agree with EC, priceless. |
| Ottoathome | 22 Oct 2016 12:57 p.m. PST |
It's the hourly rate you would make if you worked your job. You can spend your time working on the job that pays you or you can not work at work and work on your minis. |
| Rich Bliss | 22 Oct 2016 1:37 p.m. PST |
I'd rate it at my consulting rate, so around $250 USD /hour. By the way, I'm not consulting currently. |
| John Armatys | 22 Oct 2016 1:51 p.m. PST |
"By the way, I'm not consulting currently." That's good, otherwise we'd have had to pay… I don't think that it is sensible to try to price an hour of hobby time, or you will then work out what your painted figures cost (and it will be vastly more than they would sell for) and you will end up giving up for economic reasons. |
| nevinsrip | 22 Oct 2016 2:13 p.m. PST |
Like Jerusalem, it's worth nothing. And everything. |
| sillypoint | 22 Oct 2016 3:25 p.m. PST |
One…Billion….dolllllaaaarrrsss…. |
| Mike Bravo Miniatures | 22 Oct 2016 3:51 p.m. PST |
I don't get much hobby time so when I do get some it's an invaluable escape from the kids/wife/work (and it will be absolutely priceless time when the kids are old enough to join in). But to answer the OP, to get more hobby time the value is the £12.00 GBP-15 per hour I'd have to pay a cleaner/gardener/childminder to free me up from chores so that I could mess about with toy soldiers in the garage. |
| Mako11 | 22 Oct 2016 4:06 p.m. PST |
What's your estimated "expiration date"? |
| Great War Ace | 22 Oct 2016 6:43 p.m. PST |
@Otto: When you're retired, how much is the "hourly rate" worth then? Nothing? Hobby time cannot be deducted from your life. Working can (but isn't necessarily, some people actually enjoy their jobs……….) |
| Weasel | 22 Oct 2016 11:13 p.m. PST |
I enjoy just fiddling with hobby stuff, whether its doing the prep time and thinking about how they'll be based up, getting stuff painted, planning games for the figures etc. If I didn't spend a given hour of "fun time" on miniatures, it'd be spent on an RPG or on the playstation or building legos with the kid or throwing the cats mouse-toys around. |
Oberlindes Sol LIC  | 23 Oct 2016 1:49 a.m. PST |
Unpainted miniatures: Twenty Dollars
Paint, brushes, other supplies: Thirty Dollars
Time spent painting: Priceless |
| Dynaman8789 | 23 Oct 2016 5:21 a.m. PST |
I can't answer without arguing that metal miniatures have always required more work than plastic (at 15mm). Filing down flash, drilling holes for the gun barrels to mount into where the mold was bad, straightening parts so they fit together correctly – never had that with plastic, a couple quick clips and perhaps gluing a head or weapon onto a fig and done. With that in mind, plastics are priceless. Metal a chore I'm almost willing to send out to do – if I weren't so cheap… |
| Ottoathome | 23 Oct 2016 5:22 a.m. PST |
Great war ace It's the same as when you were working. you can unretire at any time. |
| Cardinal Ximenez | 23 Oct 2016 6:34 a.m. PST |
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| (Phil Dutre) | 23 Oct 2016 7:24 a.m. PST |
Comparing hobby hours to work hours is pointless. It would be more fair to compare hobby hours to hours spend on the couch in front of your tv. But anyway, the whole point of a hobby is that you don't worry about such things. Once you think in monetary terms about the time spent on your hobby, it ceases to be a hobby. |
| Zargon | 23 Oct 2016 9:52 a.m. PST |
Yes it ceases to be a hobby and your time is always more valuable than the actual money, I actually divide my hob by and the painting of figures etc for customers totally. Doing stuff for myself I never figure a cost ever but as soon as its with a customer its a transaction my time his money, its not an exact science though and you always want as much monetary gain that is fair ( no use ripping off a client as your basically ripping off yourself and the hobby) I have happy clients and although it does get some in the way of my own projects when I get something done of my own I am very appreciative of the achievement. Its not only a money thing but a satisfaction thing. |
| Martin Rapier | 23 Oct 2016 10:23 a.m. PST |
I don't regard hobby time as a cost but a benefit. It is relaxing and enjoyable, so I reckon it is worth at least 30 pounds an hour to me. The more I paint/play/plan/read rules and books, the richer I am! |
 etotheipi | 23 Oct 2016 10:58 a.m. PST |
My hobby time is not for sale, thus it is not priceable. As a pragmatist, my hobby business time is worth the amount I earn divided by the time I spent, so somewhere in the neighbourhood of $squat/hour. |
| Mike Target | 24 Oct 2016 2:43 a.m. PST |
Well I suppose my hobby doesnt really compete with my actual work time, only with any overtime if there is any so that I suppose it varies from £0.00 GBP/h when none is available and about £15.00 GBP-20/h when it is available. In terms of what value it has to me its probably worth tens of thousands of a non-exhangable currency… Or given that part of my hooby time is spent buying new toys, its entirely possible its a negative rate… I'm really not sure how to answer that question… |
has lost everything.
