How much???

Just a thought going around in my head, is that how much money I've spent this year on plants, seeds, compost. I had a rough budget of £120 this year in my head,, but that looking doubtful.
Gardening to most of us is a hobby, now equating that £2.30 a week is not that bad for a hobby.
What does everyone else spend or dare I not ask

 

Apart from overheads like trays and pots, I don't seem to spend too much, maybe a tenners worth of seed and a couple of bags of compost.

Most of the input is graft.

 

Greenhouses, sheds, petrol mower, brushcutter, chainsaw, pole chainsaw, rotavators, tools, barrows, polytunnels, plot rent, seeds, compost, pots, bamboo canes (shed full), thermostatic propagators, heaters (propane, electricity & paraffin), Mypex & polythene, fuel, growlights, thermostat, etc. I dread to even think about adding it all up.

 

I've easily spent that £120 on seeds over the last year. However, that has yielded in the region of 500 plants of which I've kept about a hundred. 95% of those are hard to find, so putting a value of five or six quid on each plant I have kept five or six hundred pounds worth of plants, plus the plants that I received by way of swaps.

 

Didn't think I spent that much until I read Scrungee's post! which wiped the smug expression off my face. New (newish 2nd hand) lawn tractor, ditto big petrol shredder in 2012, new greenhouse (1st ever brand new 1 ) , new blower, 2nd hand strimmer, ditto hedge trimmer in 2013, plus various other tools. Here was me thinking I don't spend that much as do swaps with plants and make my own compost, I'm not even going to begin to add up the cost of what I spend. Did save a bit by "making" my own bark chip as to get a pickup truck load delivered was going to be £120, can easily see that saving being spent on something else tho! ...got my eye on buying a big specimen of Hamamelis Intermedia Diane which will use up half of that saving

 

I think upto now this year I must have spent at least £200, on a poly tunnel, seeds, propagaters, plants.
The way I look at is I don't smoke hardly drink, so what money I would have spent on fags and booze, I spend on my garden.

 

I no longer smoke or drink ( although I do make booze, just don't drink it) either so I feel I can justify the cost of the gardening addiction instead. It can be done quite cheaply though.

 

I try and justify the expensive items by saving whatever I can on the other stuff.

 

At the moment we are being bombarded with offers from seed/plant companies, I have succumbed to a few, but must resist anymore until I have planted what I have already. I have bought compost, and did give in to some offers to be delivered soon, the awful thing is I just checked my emails to see what I have ordered, and realised I have already ordered petunias, an offer I was sorely tempted by over the weekend.
I bought a new strimmer last year as my other died, I have lots of stuff, blowers etc I cannot be bothered to fetch out, I will be looking for a better mower as my grass box is a pain on this one, but only if the right price.

 

I daren't even begin to add up what i spend on gardening .....but the pleasure it gives me is priceless

 

I woudnt want to say on here , as some can afford the best and other cant , so always feel a tad guilty with prices added on to something.

I agree with Loli

 

I don't see why you should feel guilty. You've earned your money honestly (I'm guessing) and deserve to enjoy it however you like.We're all from different backgrounds and stages of life. Some people get more pleasure out of snapping up bargains and being thrifty than spending a lot of money. Others get the best they can afford and are happy with that. And some are good at persuading their OH's that they really need a decent lawnmower, strimmer, new greenhouse (and forget to mention what they spend on seeds/bulbs/soil/shrubs etc)

 

i try to save on gardening by looking for bargains etc. i use plastic containers from food items such as mushroom containers. aldi's and lidl have some good bargains when they have gardening stuff in. regards nijinski

 

I spend money on fags & booze and my garden!!!!!

Val