Go to dog shows. I grew up showing horses... and dogs just sort of crept in and took over, so showing dogs wasn't much of a leap for me.
But holy cow is it expensive (and we're not even talking about the $3,000 I'm paying for my next show dog). Going to a dog show costs:
Entry Fee: $25-$30 for ONE dog for ONE day. If it's a multiple day show, multiply by the number of days you're showing.
Gas: $60-$100, depending on distance. I have big dogs, and therefore a big gas-guzzling conversion van that gets about 14 m.p.h.
Parking: $3-$8 - per day
Food: $40 - per day ... buying food at the show site is ridiculously expensive. You can expect to pay $5.00 for a hamburger, $2.00 for a soda... and more
Hotel: $50 - and that's a "cheap" hotel. Assuming I'm spending the night.
Plus spending $$... there are lots of vendors at most shows, and you always forget something... a drool towel (remember, I mentioned I have BIG dogs... and they drool!), a water bucket, bait for the show ring... or you see the perfect sweatshirt for sale that happens to have your particular breed on it.
Win Photo: $20-$40 ... if you dog actually wins, you need to get a photo to "prove" that it won if points are involved. Just in case the AKC screws up and forgets to count them.
A weekend of shows? Easily $300... or more. And that's if I go alone. If I take my "show buddy", a 13 y.o. girl who is the daughter of a close friend and who wants to learn to show, double the cost of food, at least, because the girl is a bottomless pit! But I *do* get slave help in return
It sounds horrible to spend so much, but to be honest, otherwise, I don't spend money. Don't stop and buy coffee on the way to work, don't eat out... I really don't buy any unnecessary stuff, and am really good at budgeting my money. Dog shows are my reward!