Added it all up and this hobby costs me over 6k a year, anyone else actually done the maths?

Sat down this month and properly totalled up what I spent last year. Gear, peptides, GH, bloodwork four times, gym membership, supplements. Came out to just over 6k USD equivalent and that's without any competition expenses. Not complaining - it's a choice I make - but it was a bigger number than I expected when I saw it written down. Anyone else done the actual maths? Curious if this is average or whether I'm on the high side for someone who doesn't compete.

Did the same exercise last year and came out at just under 9k USD. Competing adds a lot - contest registration, travel, coaching, peak week compounds. Gear and peptides alone were around 3500. Food is where people underestimate - eating 4500 calories a day of quality food is genuinely expensive. I treat it as a sport budget rather than a hobby spend and it bothers me less that way.

Quarterly bloodwork alone runs 600-800 a year if you're doing a proper panel without insurance covering it. Add that to gear, GH, food, gym and it stacks up fast. Chicago competitive guys I know who do local shows are spending 12-15k a year all-in. For a non-competing blast and cruise lifestyle 6k is on the reasonable end. The bloodwork is the one cost people try to cut that they shouldn't.

I never added it all up before but doing it now roughly in my head it's probably similar for me. The food costs surprised me most when I started taking it seriously - eating properly for the training volume isn't cheap. The bloodwork I skimped on for the first couple of years which in hindsight was a mistake. It's the cost you shouldn't cut.

6k a year for a serious blast and cruise lifestyle is not high. In Scotland the cost of quality food alone for someone eating 4000 plus calories is brutal. Bloodwork, gear, gym - it adds up. I stopped being surprised by the number years ago and just built it into the budget like any other committed sport. Anyone who tells you this lifestyle is cheap is not doing it properly.

yeah i hadnt even thought about the bloodwork costs til i added it up. 4 panels a year at those prices plus gym plus food plus gear is actually a lot when you write it down. worth it but surprised me when i actually totalled it properly

Did a rough tally and I'm around 4500 a year. Bloodwork is the part I wasn't fully accounting for - I do it quarterly and it adds up fast without insurance covering it. The point about food being the hidden cost is accurate at Colorado altitude where I eat more than most people my size just to maintain weight during training.

Did the maths properly for the first time after reading this thread. Came in at just over 5k NZD which tracks to a similar amount. The bloodwork is the cost I'd been underestimating - quarterly panels at private lab rates add up fast. Worth every dollar but it was more than I realised when I wrote it all down.