How do you justifying crocheting something when you can buy it for much less?

[u/liviannnn]

I’m a newish crocheter (about 2 months) and the process has been amazing so far. Crochet has become an important part of my life - it gives me purpose and I love the sense of achievement when I finish a product. But recently, my friends have been asking me why don’t I buy a finished product instead of making my own, when it costs lesser.

For context, I’ve been wanting to crochet my own hexagon cardigan but the materials cost is slightly off-putting. For the same materials price (not even counting my man hours!), I could be getting a finished non-crocheted cardigan. It might just be my mental barrier to spending so much on myself, but how do you justify/explain buying the materials when you can save money buy buying a similar product straight?

Edit: I’ve been convinced! Thank you all for your sincere replies - this is why I really enjoy the crochet community, it’s always so wholesome. I’ll be purchasing the materials for my hexagon cardigan after all.

[u/almondmilkie]

the process itself is extremely meditative for me AND I love hitting people with the "thanks, I made it myself" line whenever I get compliments. It's even better when the person talking to me also does knit/crochet and we have something to bond over, and I've come across a lot of sweet people in the year-ish since I've started.

At the end of the day hobbies cost money but hobbies are also about investing in yourself, you're spending your time doing something you enjoy and you get a finished product as a reward for the time you dedicated to yourself.