What is the most expensive part of your cheap hobby?

[Matt_81]

Many hobbies are sold to us as cheap or even free. Running only needs a pair of trainers, fishing just needs a rod and drawing just needs a pencil. Then, somehow, a few years later, you own three pairs of carbon plated shoes, a garage full of tackle or a set of professional markers worth more than your first car. The basic hobby is cheap, but everything around it is not

There are often hidden costs that nobody mentions at the start. Club fees, travel, event entries, specialist clothing, storage and replacement parts can add up quickly. Then there is the upgrade trap, where every new piece of kit seems to make the old one feel inadequate. Online communities can make this worse, since everyone seems to own the latest gear

My hobby is baking bread, which I started during lockdown with flour, water, salt and a jar of starter. Since then, I have bought proofing baskets, a Dutch oven, a lame for scoring, a digital scale accurate to a tenth of a gram and a bag of fancy flour that costs more than a loaf from the shop. The bread is excellent, but it is definitely not cheap any more

I am curious which hobbies have the sneakiest costs, and whether people think the extras were worth it. Tips for keeping a hobby affordable are also very welcome, since not everyone wants to spend a fortune

What is the most expensive part of your cheap hobby? And was it worth it?