Christmas gifts for people with hobbies

Stuck for something to buy for that difficult someone? Find out what their secret hobby is and never run out of inspiration again!

I can’t imagine spending hours making matchstick houses, putting together billion piece jigsaw puzzles or building a perfect model galleon. What constitutes a hobby for some people might be another’s version of hell. But, no matter how geeky, inane or plain boring you might find someone else’s obsession, use it to your advantage when negotiating the tricky arena of present buying.

In 1986 the BBC commissioned a research programme called the Domesday Project. It canvassed the opinions of around one million people in the UK in order to give a ‘digital snapshot’ of the country. This year they have put all that data online, and invited further contributions from today’s public. Back in 1986 the following hobbies came out on top:

Top 10 hobby lists today show that not much has changed. Sadly, it appears that we are still a nation of TV-obsessed couch potatoes who consider going out drinking to be a ‘hobby’. Oh well, if you can’t beat them, join them.

1) TV and film

If your loved one’s hobby is watching TV a great website to compare DVD prices is www.dvdcollections.co.uk.

Amazon frequently comes out on top in terms of price, but they do not usually offer cashback, so it is worth checking its nearest competitors to see if a further saving is possible. For example, if you are looking for the Sopranos box set both Amazon and Base.com are selling this for roughly the same price, £40.99 (a huge reduction from the RRP of £127.99).

But if you buy from Base.com you can also get 4% cashback through a site like Quidco, equating to a further £1.63 off!

2) Reading

For the book-lover in your life there are great deals on books from Amazon, Play.com and The Book Depository. As an alternative, have a look at Greenmetropolis where all books are £3.75 with free delivery.

The ‘must have’ for all serious readers is the Kindle, the hand-held ‘digital book’ that holds up to 1,400 novels. It is available from retailers like Tesco, Argos and Currys and costs £89, but it is worth checking a website like Vouchercodes.co.uk to see if you can make a further saving.

There are cheaper alternatives to the Kindle, such as the Bookeen Cybook Opus eReader, which you can get online at Waterstones for the cheaper price of £50 including delivery. You can even opt to collect it in-store, saving yourself a £4.95 delivery fee.

3) Pubs and Clubs

Let’s just assume this one means drinking! Most of us like a tipple at Christmas, and there are lots of good supermarket offers to look out for like £10 Pierre Darcys Champagne Brut NV (was £23.98) from Asda, or £3.99 for First Cape Cafe Collection Sparkling Rose (was £5.99) at Tesco.

Alternatively, get your alcohol-loving friend something they can treasure, like these great Swarovski personalised wine glasses from A1 gifts – down from £44.99 to £33.75 with free delivery.

4) Arts and Crafts

Being creative is not always cheap, with quality tapestry and cross-stitch packs costing up to £60!

Big superstores like Hobbycraft have special offers and clearance sales instore and online, and are also offering a voucher for £5 off your next shop and free delivery when you spend over £30. Others like Homecrafts offer 15% off just for signing up with them. Look at your small local stores too, as they are likely to have good offers on to compete with these big craft superstores!

5) & 6) Walking/Hiking and Sports

I have grouped these together as walking and sports equipment/clothing can generally be bought at the same stores. Take a look at Decathlon who cater for every sport you can think of, from karate to kayaking. They have good quality products and fantastic discounts in store and online. Hiking poles start from the bargain price of £7.99.

At SportsDirect.com you can currently get 10% off purchases simply by buying a pack of Mccoys crisps. Enter the batch and time code from your packet online in order to get the discount.

7) DIY

For the DIY enthusiast tools and equipment can be found at B&Q and Homebase. If you're over 60, you can get a free B&Q Diamond Card, valid nationwide, for 10% off on Wednesdays. You can collect Nectar points at Homebase which can be spent on various treats and activities, or to get money off your next Homebase shop.  

Look online for deals with the Amazon Discount Finder Tool where you can speedily finds massively discounted DIY items.

8) Bingo

Whether this is still as popular as it was in the 80’s is debatable! However, a quick web-search shows that there are hundreds of online bingo sites to choose from, offering incentives such a £50 free play, or even £60! I’m not sure I would advise it, but if you know an enthusiast you could sign them up, and pass them the link to GambleAware while you are at it!

9) Computers

If your idea of fun involves sitting in a dark room obsessively playing computer games then you should be easy to buy for. One great site to use is Find Game, which allows you to easily compare the prices for computer games from a variety of stores. Again, check to see if you can save even more by going through a cashback website.

Also check Blockbuster’s online and instore deals. They also also run a trade-in scheme for money on old games and you can currently get two pre-owned games for £50.

10) Cars

For the car enthusiast, gifts do not have to mean fluffy dice or novelty bumper stickers (although if that is your thing, have a look at the Halfords Car Accessories Clearance section for bargains!)

Why not buy a gift experience from Red Letter Days, where you can drive an Aston Martin or an Audi R8 for 2 hours for £129. This is a 35% discount of the usual price. 

What are your hobbies?

Of course, there are hundreds of other hobbies out there, from stamp collecting to metal detecting, so if you have come across any great bargains that will compliment your particular pursuit then please add them below.

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