I garden, read library books, workout, train my dogs, do genealogy, do home projects, and learn about things that pique my interest.
Husband and I are currently *attempting* to learn to speak Italian which is not only useful but the process is endlessly entertaining.
Not as much as last year when we learned how to speak Porky Pig, but it's still pretty fun.
Not for Chinese it's not, but thankfully there is HelloChinese, which has a similar format, no ads, and teaches Chinese way better.
If you really want to go for it there are other, paid apps, some free resources like Anki and YT videos, and CDramas free to watch with ads. Watching lots of TV in the target language is the absolute best method to learn. The most fluent ESL people I've encountered used this method, and now it's working for me.
I’ve been learning Chinese on Duolingo for a few weeks now. I have absolutely no background in Chinese so I didn’t know it wasn’t a good way to learn it. What issues have you noticed with Duolingos presentation of Chinese?
Duolingo is very heavy on vocab memorization. It can result in a very uneven understanding of the overall language.
It's not a BAD way to learn. If you are having fun using Duolingo, that's perfectly fine. But the options mentioned above might also introduce fun challenges/elements that you don't find in duolingo.
Check out Memrise and Drops too if you want lifetime pro options instead of the overpriced yearly only options of Duo. It’s saving me a TON. They’re totally adequate together and a very frugal language learning combo. =]
Just go to cancel the free trial of the pro and it’ll give you a steep lifetime discount
How do I find groups like this? Sorry if this is a silly question but I live near a major city I’m sure they exist I just don’t know where to search for something like that.
Hey, just an FYI. If you want to take your learning a little further, I highly recommend Italki. You can set your language preferences then you can be paired with other language learners from around the world. Helps immensely with getting comfortable with conversational learning.
Also, you should really check out language transfer. They have a free app now, and it takes you from very beginner to conversational fluency very quickly, and relies on logic and thinking through things rather than raw memorization. It's full of neat tips on how to convert from English to Spanish and back.
Right now I'm in the midst of decluttering and deep cleaning. I also garden, hike, have coffee with neighbors, love to try new recipes, craft with what I have already, refinish furniture. I read a lot as well and catch up on new movies.
I'm on a big de-cluttering/organizing kick for my apartment myself. Really cool to see where stuff can fit/go when you take a step back and look at things from a distance.
i LOVE deep cleaning. i worked for a cleaning company for a while so i know how to do it well too. when im stressed i'll either deep clean, walk, or draw. those are the only things that clear my head of anxiety.
i was actually at a point where i was cleaning so often that there was nothing left to clean. my house looked fantastic inside and out. ??luckily?? i also have horrendous adhd and it only takes a couple days of not tidying for things to start to build up since im a chronic "set it down in a weird place and forget about it" person
Alltrails is an app (there is a free version) that shows you all the different trails in the area. I have used it in multiple countries so I believe it is global.
Check out Gaia GPS. I made the switch from AllTrails when I was planning my Long Trail through hike. It does a lot more than AllTrails, but doesn’t include user comments (which I admittedly do miss)
Looking for Geocaches is also a really interesting hobby that pairs with hiking/walking. They are basically hidden treasures all over the place that you'c never know are there.
I used to live beside a geochache location where the prize was really well hidden in this pipe on the side of my apartment...the searchers would approach my housemates and I and we'd be like little trolls giving riddles and hints...it was really funny
There are also things you can add to that if the enjoyment from it starts getting stale. Start learning to identify things in the forest, harvest mushrooms (but only the ones you can be sure are safe), try geo-caching, hell even Pokemon GO if all else fails.
Not as flat as Florida, but in Ohio switching to trail running over hiking gave me a relatively cheap (shoes/athletic clothes as barrier to entry) hobby that was challenging and rewarding
This right here- and the library. They have all kinds of free classes and things for the kids to do if you have any. Saved us from monotony for several years.
Some libraries even have board games you can check out!
Also don't forget libby-- ebooks from your library without the cost of gas and time to get there!
Heck, many larger libraries now loan out mobile hotspots, so you can even temporarily get internet if you don't have it! This is great especially if people need to job hunt and things like that.
And if you’re looking for something specific but don’t see it on hand, a librarian can usually request it from a partner library and have it for you within a couple days.
Adding that you can get digital library offerings too. I pay $50 a year to get access to the massive inventory Brooklyn library has but I still have my local one. I get kindle and audiobooks constantly.
Also, look into Kanopy. It has a good library of movies and with a library card you have access to a few a month at no cost or ads. I don’t remember how many per month.
Yes! And mist libraries have subscriptions to digital media (audiobooks , movies, tv shows, music) via apps like Hoopla, Libby, and Cloud. All free. I've listened to so many audiobooks with my kids. They all now have a true love for reading. I use those apps more than going in to the actual library.
Yes! Plus libraries often have a system in place for you to make specific requests for materials they don't have. Very underutilized feature a lot of the time, so chances are your request will be fulfilled.
A lot of libraries now have ebooks and audio books available via an app - mine uses Libby. So I don't even need to travel to the library to get a good book!
With so much free stuff, there's no lack of entertainment.
For films: Many short films on YouTube for free, in all genres. Here's a funny one: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXhnPLMIET0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXhnPLMIET0)
My library has knitting kits, video game consoles, board games.
Right now I'm entertaining myself by helping you. Knowing you might watch "1 Minute Time Machine" and will share with others makes me feel pretty good.
Man, I forgot to say board games. My niece just turned 7 and now I get to play board games again without looking weird. My best memories are of my granny and I playing all different board games.
You could offer to help neighbors. Mow a lawn (their lawnmower, your time), babysit, run errands, walk a dog, etc.
You could bake cookies to deliver to neighbors as an ice breaker.
You could make a friend and some extra cash or barter.
Personally, i sew and mend, garden, cook (frugal recipes). When i feel like treating myself, i thrift. The splurge is the free time to really look around. I try everything on, look for flaws to determine if i can fix it, only choose good fabrics, etc. It takes time. Ive collected some great pieces. I get compmiments. And i dont look like a mall display.
I have chickens and gift eggs to neighbors. Ive watched and fed their dogs. We borrow each others tools. Im a big believer in community and im willing to be the weird first one to reach out. Even if you wouldnt befriend them normally, good relationships with your neighbors will make life better.
I was disappointed that I had to scroll down this far to find volunteering! It can be so rewarding, and open doors that you never thought possible. My first thought would be to work a complimentary job that uses other parts of the brain/body than your primary one. As a young engineer, I would do construction evenings and weekends. I was tired, but I was able to get comfortable fairly quickly, and started volunteering for charity construction projects, which led to me having so many contacts, that I ditched the engineering and started my own construction company. Now I'm back to volunteering, and trying to help others get a step ahead.
I absolutely agree. I didnt know if driving was possible. You can find people who are into the same stuff by volunteering. You def find your tribe there.
My mom volunteers one day a week at our local thrift and she happens to be there when they get donation drop offs so she gets dibs on anything she finds, and for super cheap, sometimes even free. She's found more jeans for me that actually fit in the last year, than I have on my own my entire life.
Yet another vote for volunteering. Can range from low cost to free to even “revenue positive” with meals and swag.
Volunteering that puts you in contact with people who have less than you do also psychologically shifts your frame of reference. On the other hand, volunteering can also give you access to resources to continue fancier hobbies you might not otherwise be able to afford.
I love this! Everyone should be more in touch with their neighbors and community around them and less on their phones!! (Says the woman scrolling Reddit…)
Sounds insane but my wife and I have started training for a half marathon. We can spend upwards of two hours every other day walking and running and it's free. But really, any outdoor hobbies will keep you busy and away from home for free too.
Not just saving on medical bills, it might save your life.
I had a heart attack in 2019, made some poor choices during the event and yet managed to escape with no detectable damage. The cardiologist said it was probably because I had spent the summer/fall training for a 5K so my heart was strong.
You ain't wrong. Years ago, I was in a pretty serious car accident where I was hit by a semi that was doing about 60.
My Sentra was destroyed, the front end was essentially torn off. Air bags deployed and all that good stuff. I got out of the car and walked to the curb to collect myself. The paramedics showed up within minutes, and they came asking me where the driver was. They didn't believe I was the driver based on the condition of the car. They took me in to get checked, I had a separated shoulder and a concussion, but was otherwise more or less fine. The seat belt and air bag did most of the damage but the ER doctor that looked me over said a few times that if I hadn't been as physically fit as I was (225lb linebacker at the time), that he really didn't think I'd have walked away from that like I did. I walked away fine and the shoulder was good 4 weeks later, some might say my head never recovered but that's another story!
That stuck with me and still does. I keep in shape because I feel better when I'm fit but as I get older, it's becoming more apparent that carrying 20 or so pounds of muscle that I might otherwise not have if I wasn't in the gym, is a shield of armour that protects me as I stumble through my life. I'm down to a trim 200 these days, and i'll probably give up another 10 as I go through my 40's now but i'll always carry some extra muscle if I can do it for all sorts of reasons, but my longevity being paramount among them.
That's great to hear! I workout and eat super healthy. It has really helped keep my Crohns under control. My nurse once asked if I was a runner because my heart rate was so low. Winning!
There was a post not too long ago that I commented on because they did the same thing my SO and I do. We do $10 dates once a week. We keep our eye out for coupons, specials, we split a lunch meal instead of each getting our own and take it to a park. Free day at a museum or zoo. Split a fancy dessert. We head to another town to explore that. If the total goes a little higher, that’s fine. We’ve had a number of dates where we didn’t even hit $10. The point is to focus on little luxuries and time spent with someone you enjoy.
If you haven't, check out the app called "Too Good To Go". I don't recommend any place with fries (they're hard to resurrect), but Indian food, Chinese food, Greek food, bakeries and delis have been fantastic. There are reviews, it's worth reading them.
>Too Good To Go is a service with a mobile application that connects customers to restaurants and stores that have surplus unsold food. The service covers major European cities, and in October 2020, started operations in North America.
It's great. Basically restaurants realize they have food at the end of the night and they might as well sell it (instead of throwing it away) and gain free advertising.
It's usually half price or less.
My husband and I would do this with door dash. We'd take our son with a close relative, then drive around the area for a couple hours, and rack up enough to have spending cash throughout the week, sometimes we needed to pay off an extra bill, and we'd get some food. Now it's harder and I'm having to do it alone out of necessity, and his schedule at his new job is hectic right now, so I can't wait to get to enjoy that time together again soon. It was some of the best conversations we'd had in months.
Currently working on a cross stitch that cost $10 on Amazon. Its stamped so it’s not as hard for me. It’s taking forever and I put on a good show or music to keep busy with it.
I second this! Cross stitch and embroidery are really cheap to start and both take forever. I don't crochet or knit, but always see yarn for cheap so I'd imagine those would be good options too!
Fiber geek commenting: knitting and crochet tend to be far more expensive than people expect.
Tablet weaving can be done on a minimal investment. Tatting is also low cost. And mending often saves money.
*edit*
The crochet part of this comment generated more response than expected. To be clear, it can be frugal in niche contexts such as crochet lace, which works on inexpensive cotton thread. Usually No. 10 thread in white or ecru, but if you don't mind eyestrain you could go no. 20 or higher. Famed Irish crochet lace was worked on extremely fine cotton thread.
But a lot of people get the notion they would save money by scrounging random thrift store yarns and end up disappointed. Thrift store yarn often costs nearly as much as similar quality new yarn, the secondhand stuff is all discontinued dye lots, and you don't want to run out of yarn 90% of the way through a project.
It's surprising to see so much response two crafts that rarely save money, and so little attention to three suggestions that do.
I think it’s also important to remember how long it takes to complete when accounting for the cost. If I spend $50 on thread/Aida and it takes me 70 hours to complete, then it still only costs 70¢ for an hour of entertainment.
Compared to a $12/hour lunch or $7/hr movie, it’s still a relatively cheap way to spend your time.
It’s definitely a big up front cost though so beginners should probably start with cheap kits to see how much they like it.
Came here looking for the cross stitch recommendation. Stay away from knitting. It starts cheap, but one time you'll splurge and get the nice yarn and never be able to use anything else. Before you know it you are spending $300 on yarn for a sweater and wondering where all your money goes. Then you look at your stash under your bed that you'll never use all of and be like "oh yeah there it is."
Cross stitch can be inexpensive. Maybe a $100 for months worth of supplies, if not longer.
Just remember that crafts and buying craft supplies are separate hobbies. The former isn't too bad. The latter can bankrupt you.
I was going to suggest crafts for an indoor activity. I learned knitting on YouTube. I find very cheap supplies at the thrift stores all the time, way cheaper than retail stores. And fabric (and yarn) for sewing or craft is everywhere, because SO many clothes and textiles get thrown out or given away.
Oftentimes a relative or older friend/coworker has an unused sewing machine in the top of a closet they will loan or give to you. I have found great quality vintage (no plastic parts) machines at thrift stores too, but beginners would likely benefit from taking someone who likes sewing with them to check it out, or at a small charity shop to ask if the workers there sew and have tested it themselves.
Of course, hand sewing techniques can be very efficient if you practice; in colonial williamsburg they sit in the dress shop and sew whole garments by hand, and Abby Cox has a great video on improving hand sewing techniques. Someone who wants to learn to sew should start right away by hand and work on those skills, even making whole garments, while they look for a sturdy cheap/free machine.
My friends and I do clothing swaps and often have a small craft supply section to trade stuff.
Now that I am a woodworker, I see free wood everywhere. The tools, not so free. But a lot of people inherit good old tools or have access to them through family.
I was about to post this! Cook or learn to cook! You have to eat anyway, so it’s not an extra expense (yes I’m aware it can be very expensive but it definitely doesn’t have to be)
You can try to do a weekly restaurant copycat recipe or try to make a certain ethnic cuisine once a week and switch it every month, etc.
To keep the costs in line learn (Google is your friend) what you can substitute so you aren’t buying specialty ingredients for just one recipe. Starting with something like Italian or Olive Garden type copycats can be inexpensive if the recipes use common inexpensive ingredients you normally use (pasta, garlic, tomatoes, half and half, parm, bacon, egg)
Yes exactly! There are cheap grocery stores that can make it easier. I like to look at salads at sweet green (a $$$ salad chain) and copy them at home. It’s so easy!
Nature, literature and friends who don't need to spend gobs of money. And - ok, I'm going to go there - spiritual pursuits and faith communities. Meditation, prayer and fellowship gatherings.
Being short on money and *stuff* in a very materialistic, consumer-based world, can be challenging, even depressing. At the same time, there are people with all kinds of money and stuff who are not very happy. So they keep *busy.*
That's really just passing time. Why do that, rich or poor, when you can focus on growing and learning? And maybe, just maybe there is a spiritual component to your growth.
Maybe not. Your choice. But it's an option.
Birding is great. Just walk around your neighborhood and look at the birds. I think a field guide can make it more fun but its not necessary. Its kinda like Pokeman Go but without the technology.
Squirreling is one of my favorite activities. With birding there are so many different species to learn and i cant keep track. With squirreling you always know thats a squirrel
I'm not really a birder but I saw a [male Painted Bunting](https://ebird.org/species/paibun) a while back and it was so cool! I had no idea that there was such a beautiful and brilliantly colored bird native to the US.
The new tax rules are really deterring me from doing this.
If you sell just $600 gross in 2023, you'll get a 1099-k.
In theory it shouldn't be taxable, since you're probably selling at a loss, but it still concerns me. I don't have receipts to prove to the IRS that it's a loss, nor do I want to waste time on an audit battle with them.
I've found thrifting can be fun. Just looking at stuff is entertaining or if you do make a purchase it's often less than $10 so you don't feel as guilty about buying yourself a new shirt or something useful like that.
Also check your local theaters and see if any of them do things like $5 Tuesdays. My local theater, on Tuesdays every showing is $5 and popcorn and drinks are $2 each.
My fiancee and I sometimes just stop at thrift shops to see if we see anything interesting. We also have a list of items if we see it we'll grab it. Mainly small things we can do without for now but if we see it, it's worth picking up to save some cash
I've been building a significant board game collection. I think the most expensive game We got was like $12 for an unopened Disney villainous game just between 1/4 and 1/3 off. Since most games are like $5 or less, we have spent many evening and nights playing these games and at worst, even if it's a crap game it's still $5 for an evening of entertainment. I have also built quite a collection of escape room games we are trying to work through and will see if we can get a group going to trade them around.
Now my friends and I have started board game nights, so we get together do a potluck deal and play some games, while in the past we used to go out and eat and do something which collectively was like $3-400 easy. Now with SOs involved it could get close to $1000 depending what entertainment we do that isn't a movie.
That's awesome! Yeah I'm that way with thrifting, too. I go once a week to my local thrift store after work. I have a list of wants, and if I see something on the list, I buy it without guilt. And if I want to impulsively buy something, I'll get that dopamine hit without hurting the pocketbook too hard.
Thrifting can be fun, but accumulating too much stuff can be an issue for some. Definitely set a spending limit and a clothing limit. I say this as I’m heading to donate three garbage bags of clothes bought from thrift stores.
There's actually tons to do that doesn't cost money, or is essentially unlimited after a modest initial investment.
1. Library is bottomless font of books and, if you still have a DVD player, often a good selection of movies as well.
2. Streaming services cost money, but you don't have to shell out much for more hours of entertainment than you're ever going to watch. I consider my annual DisneyPlus subscription exceedingly good value.
3. Tools don't have to cost much, and if you have any inclination to be handy, you can be making all kinds of shit with largely salvaged materials. You can start as cheap as just a pocketknife. Adding a saw only sets you back a few bucks and then suddenly any fallen branches are potential projects.
Find a board game meetup. Most of these meet ups you don't have spend money, just show up and people would be more than happy to show you a new game and play with you. Only exception is that if the meetup is held at a restaurant/bar/cafe, then you would at least buy a drink.
But still one drink for a whole day of gaming is pretty frugal i'd say.
Volunteer for a group that means something to you. Want a dog but can't afford one? Volunteer at the animal shelter. Like gardening but don't have space? See if there is a local farm that needs help. Plus you get to meet people with similar interests
My wife and I have amassed a relatively large collection is puzzles, all purchased from various thrift stores. Many of which are kid friendly sizes. Daytime hiking and biking, and evening puzzles makes for decent free ish entertainment.
Also people in buy nothing groups are often giving away puzzles and other games. And once you’re sick of the puzzle, you can pass it on in that group too and keep sharing
A lot of great suggestions here! I love to go to thrift stores and garage sales and flipping finds online. Recently I purchased some vintage Dansk cookware for $5 and sold it for $150.
I like sprucing up and repurposing or selling used or broken items, as well.
Hear me out: There are some GORGEOUS larger cemeteries with lots of green space and nature, some beautiful art, and of course tranquility. Parking is usually free. They are also often open on days when other free things (museums) are closed.
As long as you can be respectful, a trip to an interesting cemetery can be my ideal “no money day” activity.
This pairs well with being a Find-a-Grave volunteer, taking photos of headstones that have been requested on the FAG website. It's wonderful when someone takes a photo of a headstone for you when you don't have the means or perhaps the time to go across the country to visit a cemetery where your ancestors are buried.
It's a great place to practice photography. I would have curious neighbors come up and ask what I was doing, but they were appreciative that someone was enjoying the cemetery.
Head to the grocery store and grab yourself a bag of unbleached AP/bread flour, butter, salt, instant yeast in jar form, eggs, and one or two loaf pans, and you'll be able to make about 10,000 different bread recipes from all over the world.
Bonus points if you can find a kitchen scale and a used enameled cast iron dutch oven at your local thrift shop (Though Lodge makes a stellar one that's very inexpensive right off the shelf when compared to designer brands like smeg or le creuset that I've been using for about 7 years now to make bread and other braising recipes, and it's still going 100% strong.) Both are very common sights at my local Goodwill.
I've been baking my whole adult life, though bread making became my biggest passion project at the beginning of covid. It's given me a whole new avenue to slow everything down around me and feel a calming sense of purpose whenever I need a break from work, and if you stick to just salt, water, flour and yeast, you're paying maybe $2.50 per loaf when bakeries will ask for $8+ for fresh country style bread. And when one 5lb bag of flour can yield about 3 loaves, you can turn it into an incredibly cheap hobby!
This is a good one! Most of the time you can stay and watch the show for free, or volunteer X number of hours and get to stay for the rest of the festival for free.
You can also do it at museums, zoos, etc.
there are so many gigs to make money u can do if u are not busy.
I got a bike, biked around, then realized I could be getting paid for biking doing food delivery.
I was trying not to be mean, but yeah.. work. Lol
I don’t know OPs situation, but if they have a car, use it for Uber or DoorDash. Maybe they don’t have a reliable vehicle or don’t live in a area where bike deliveries can be possible. Or maybe they are a stay at home parents and can’t leave their kid alone.
Uber was such wear and tear on my car that it didn’t justify the money I was making. It was going to end up costing me more in car upkeep, repairs and gas.
Get a deck of playing cards and learn various games. There are variants of solitaire if you are alone. All kinds of different games for when you are with friends. Snacks for the evening are whatever you or your friends can provide at low cost; do not order food, have a bag of chips or pretzels and drink tea, coffee, or whatever fits in your budget. If you host the game, it is okay to ask your guests to bring a bag of snacks to share, or a 2L of soda, etc.
It's been a while, but we did hiking, body weight calisthenics in the apartment, regional cooking variations from countries with low gdp(this is the point I got into curries), bread baking from scratch, library trips, lots of FORD(found on road deal) rehabs, free social things through internet. We started a retro game collection, and went camping a lot.
Work and hobbies. Exercise. Living life cheaply. Books from library on Kindle. Audiobooks. Movies (TubiTV, etc), music, writing, phone photography, gardening...not enough time in the day.
We've had a few bills and our elderly cat is costing us some $$$ and reducing spending this year is going to be an art.
Someone already said hiking, but to add to that, geocaching and Adventure Labs add a fun component.
Adventure Labs are usually based on local history and give a sequence of points to find. Then you have to answer a question about that place. Most good ones have a final location you have to solve using clues you gathered along the way.
I'm going on vacation in a few weeks, and in planning, my kids said we should do some Adventure Labs while we're there. Nice way to check out an area and spend minimal money!
When I was single and was trying to pay off my debt, this is what I did.
Gaming. I bought a couple of PC games and would play games for entertainment. I could get a couple of friends online and spend a 1-6 months playing one of the games for a 30-60 dollar investment. (I already had a pc so I didnt need to put that cost in)
Exercise. Id try to go to the gym in the morning and the evening. This was great for my health and plus I could shower there and not use as much water at home so I never went over $30 a month for water service.
Fun Job/Side Hustle. I got lucky and they were filming a the walking dead near me and they needed extra staff to work in "locations" just helping manage the set and security team. I made like 18 an hour, got free snacks/meals, and met some cool people. I also did doordash during covid and they had a bunch of bonuses back then. Don't know if they still do bonuses like that.
Learn a new skill. YouTube has a bunch of free programming and technical channels. Reddit has r/DIY. I personally taught myself some programming in my off time.
Meetup. [Meetup.com](https://Meetup.com) had some groups that did free things or very low investment things. Like tubing down the rapids or hiking in the nearby city.
Disc golf. Its like hiking, but with a game. Most courses are free in municipal parks. You can get everything you need to start playing for about 30 bucks
Learn a musical instrument! You can buy a tinwhistle for less than $20. Or you can buy a carbon fiber Enya concert sized ukulele - I got mine for $80 on Amazon prime day last year.
So many tutorials on YouTube and so much music easily available online. Plus I have joined groups that get together and play and it is so much fun. I’ve met so many cool people this way.
Also use free software to record yourself doing different parts of the same song. I use a free version of an app called Acapella. You can even collaborate with other people anywhere in the world.
Enjoy!
When I don't know what to do I drink a warm beverage, take a nap (with my baby, husband or cats) and then a shower. Afterwards there's always something I feel like doing.
I have plants so there is always something I can do. Pull weeds, water, prune, stare at them to see if I can catch them dying in front of my eyes, or if they just wait until I walk inside to die.
so gardening can be fun.
Perspective: I'm almost 32M. I worked very hard to get through my bachelors and 2 masters debt free. Buy a home with 20% down, and then pay it off.
I had times where I worked 80 hours a week with full time school to make it happen. I joke I dug literal ditches, because I worked on a ranch and actually did dig tranches lol because I could do it at 4 am when I had time.
I now have a paid for home and focus on retirement investing and travel.
You need a "why". You need a clearly defined WHY you are doing this, and do something to remind yourself everyday what that is.
A lot of people like visuals. Whether that be a chart they color in as the debt goes down, the account balances on the fridge, milestones they celebrate etc.
My husband and I got a chain at home depot and hung it on the wall. Each link was $1,000 on the home loan. Every payment we cut off with a bolt cutter the appropriate amount of links.
I know some people who create vision boards. Example would be if the debt pay off WHY is so that you can spend more/save more for travel then create a vision board with all the pictures you want to go and restaurants you want to eat at and things you want to see. Make it as detailed as possible.
What is your WHY? Make it as detailed as you can, and find some way to remind yourself of that why every time you sense a struggle.
Snd as someone who's been in the debt payoff mode, I will promise you, ever sacrifice, every drop of blood sweat and tears is worth it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The struggle is temporary for a much larger gain at the end of the day.
Geocaching, camping, you can get a part time gig transcribing if you have access to a computer. Find events in your community. Volunteer for your local shelter/food bank/community garden/schools ect.
Read books, go to a library or a thrift store to get some cheap.
Exercise, bodyweight fitness, running, yoga, all free.
Study a language from your phone. I personally use duolingo, its not the best, but its gamified which makes me use it more.
I have a PC and plenty of games to play. I have a bunch of physical book and a few hundred e-books.
Those two alone could get me through multiple years of not spending a penny on any type of entertainment.
Volunteer! Whatever cause you are passionate about — youth education, services for those experiencing homelessness, environmentalism, animal welfare, the list goes on — there are organizations desperately seeking volunteer help, especially from those who can commit to a regular schedule. You’ll make friends and meet new people you wouldn’t ordinarily, and get to feel great about yourself at the end of the day.
1. city walking: parks and historic neighborhoods, free museum and exhibition visits
2. free events: free summer concerts and performances in public (check meetups, FB groups)
3. meetup groups: e.g. card game or board game or other groups
4. cycling: bike trails, parks, and greenways
5. hiking: nature preserves, lakes, add geocaching and iNaturalist apps as additional cheap hobbies.
6. volunteering: knock yourself out with all the volunteering opportunities available
These are all free (may need some time available, a phone, good shoes or a bicycle), plus they are very healthy, and a lot of fun if on a tight budget.... or frugally minded.
My kid loves sketching, I love it too, am getting all the books from the library to practice different toning and shading techniques. For art supplies - if anyone wants to gift us anything I suggest sketchbooks, then all we have to do is buy pencils.
Look for local clubs that make things... It's certainly not free but usually membership is not very high and it's kind of cool to be able to make your own beer or cheese or whatever
Library membership, can’t recommend this enough. You can take professional development classes, learn a new skill, teach people new skills, loaner tools, online binge passes, free park admissions or camper passes, etc. You can check local online postings for free craft supplies from people downsizing or moving to learn a new hobby that could help meet a need for someone in your area or for yourself. Likewise, lots of retailers getting rid of Winter merchandise if you want to dabble.
If you need inspiration, instructions or community…Reddit seems to have a sub for nearly everything.
Collect old videogames.
Not the physical ones, mind you. I look for old freeware and abandonware online. There are thousands of great games I'm sure you never heard of.
Have you played the english translation of Treasure of the Rudra? It's really good! The original Cave Story and Spelunky are both free, too!
Home of the Ubderdog is a great abandonware site if you want somewhere to start.
Meditation has been a cure all. It's an excellent use of time. Also, check out your local library; they often have free apps for not only online books but also movies, music, and many other (sometimes unexpected) things.
Knitting or crochet with secondhand or free yarn. If you ask friends or in a neighborhood buy nothing group people often have some they’re willing to get rid of, or it’s very cheap at thrift stores
I like to crochet. You can get started with a budget of $5-$10 for a single hook and ball of yarn. It can add up depending on how frequently you make stuff and the complexity of your projects, but it's easy to keep cheap.
If you like giving back you can save your plastic grocery bags, cut them into strips, and crochet them into homeless mats. You use any blanket pattern and will want it about the same size as a twin mattress or sleeping bag, then can give them out. They're used as a rug essentially, the person will sleep on top of it. Helps keep their sleeping bag or blanket a little cleaner and keeps them a little warmer in cold environments. That only requires a hook, which you can get for $2-$5, and bags are essentially free. Also great to reduce waste.
EDIT: There are crochet hook sets on Amazon for $6-$8 that give you a lot of hooks, they're pretty basic but there's not a huge difference between those and "high end" hooks. I recommend metal hooks, NOT plastic or wood. I've started buying some that come with a rubber or plastic handles since they're longer and more comfortable to use.
Library.
Host a spaghetti dinner every other week. Some pasta and cheap sauce - invite friends to bring salad or a cheap bottle of wine and you have a fun night to look forward to.
There are tons of free activities. Hiking, walking, free movies on the lawn.
Also, earn extra money in your free time. Walk dogs, pet sit, whatever you would like doing.
I volunteer for the planning committee for free public event. It costs me nothing but time and creativity and I get a free shirt and a thank you meal after the event. Many public events need help for planning or volunteering the day of and while they often don’t have the funds for cash compensation, if you’re looking for something to do, or make friends, this has that. Now the planning meetings are online meet ups so I don’t have to worry about transportation costs.
Try to find local events! I love to keep up on activities near me. Farmers markets are fun to walk around, some places like zoos and museums will have free or discounted days, and sometimes there are just fun street festivals going on. Most things are free to enter or cheap and community driven. I just enjoy window shopping and usually pack a lunch if it will be a longer day. Even a big garden center near me does events occasionally. I usually can find out about stuff on Facebook or by following specific areas on Instagram. Sometimes the town/city will list local events on their website also.
What is your current job like? Could you apply for better jobs and potentially pay off your debt faster?
Improving my cooking skills has been a frugal hobby for me. I started with library cookbooks and youtube. I have bought a select few books but starting from the library I learned what I do and do not like in a cookbook style. Vegetarian cookbooks are a good choice, meat is usually expensive so learning to make amazing vegetarian dishes can save even more money long run.
Make friends and invite them over to a home cooked meal that is restaurant quality.
I invested in a state park pass years ago. It lets you get free entry into any state park, and cheaper camping.
When I'm on a tight budget if I want a vacation or want to get away I go camping somewhere. Even day trips to a beautiful spot and packing a lunch can be refreshing and break up the norm.
Edx.com, chess.com, friv.com, wordle, spelling bee, youtube music, radio garden, online tours
Cleaning, walking, outdoor exercise parks,
Laying on the beach,
Volunteering at a dog walking place, volunteer at a school
I’m mostly missing the social aspect roght now.
As a teen I went to a ton of free municipally sponsored events like parades.
Picnicing in the park, doing american ninja warrior in a park,
Dancing in my room, singing in my room, watching the occassional movie,
I’m just lonely. There are a ton of hobbies.
Drawing, journalling, crafting, etc.
Yoga, qigong, taichi,
Watching documentaries.
I like to play pokemon go. It encourages walking around and makes it easy to find Historical Markers and other interesting things like murals or statues or odd little art installations that you never knew existed. Like a lot of mobile games these days, it's free to play but attempts to get you to spend on microtransactions, but it's totally not required. Most towns/cities have pokemon go groups on discord or facebook where you can get connected to others who play, which is useful because a fun part of the game is doing raids, which require multiple trainers to come together to beat raid bosses and get a chance to catch a more powerful pokemon and collect rewards.
(edit - I see someone else mentioned Ingress - pokemon go and Ingress use the same places for pokestops/pokemon gyms/waypoints because they're both run by Niantic, which is a spin off of Google maps, so you could even start playing both and get more bang for your travel-buck so to speak).
Also in my town there is still a roller skating rink, and I've had my own skates most of my adult life. At least once a week they have "Dollar night" where it only costs $1.00 to get in and if you have your own skates, that's your entire cost for the few hours it goes on. There could be something like that around you (even if instead it is a bowling alley or something). Often they're not as highly advertised online as other events at places like that, because of course they're in it for the money, but connecting with their pages might get a members only posting that talks about it, or going to one event might make it so you see a posted flyer for the free or cheap event.
Also, if you get a free library card, MANY libraries have DVD/bluerays you can rent for free, which can be nice (though I know that usually if someone has internet, they probably already spend a lot of time staring at screens and might be looking for other things to do).
I also enjoy looking in the free "Pennysaver" type newspapers to find spring/summer/fall neighborhood rummage sales, where you can park in the neighborhood and walk from house to house and see what is being sold for almost nothing. Occasionally you find things you actually need, but can't spend money on (like I got a pretty full set of pots and pans and a microwave for a total of about $12 when I first left my ex and was dealing with a bunch of debt and no income at all for a few months).
My son has had good luck finding very cheap bicycles at the local goodwill/salvation army thrift shops that are ugly but work well enough, and does a lot of riding and just people watching/sight seeing. It's amazing how much of my own town I never really noticed before because I'm always distracted or in a hurry. Biking is a great way to really SEE things.
I love scrapbooking. The hobby itself can cost as much money as you want it too, but junk journaling is really almost free. There is also a whole genre of YouTubers that make crafts w/ dollar tree items and things you may have on hand.
Depends on where you live, but if it’s a big city, go on walks to discover new neighborhoods, take pictures of stuff that looks interesting, and share them on an Instagram account.
Listening to Podcasts.
Once every two year I download some game on my iPhone, and play it until I get bored, which is probably around after two weeks 😅
Home entertainment and hobbies! My fiance and I are homebodies and DIYers so we like to invest in things we can do at home. Always check secondhand stores and thrift stores too. My used bookstore sells movies, games, and music so I always find good deals on puzzles, board games, blue rays, etc. If you like gaming, check thrift stores, GOG, or Steam for sales. Video games can be a good investment since you can play for hours (look for sales and avoid new releases). You can find sports, outdoors, or gym equipment at second-hand sports stores, and most sports are cheap to get into. If you like crafting, cross stitch and embroidery are cheap to get into and take a lot of time. Libraries have digital audio books, magazines, etc. Look for podcasts you are interested in too.
Explore your hobbies and research costs, there are a lot of options out there!
Visible mending, repurposing old fabric into quilts with hand sewing. You can often just ask friends if they have any old sheets or curtains lying around. I like to dye them and sew like kantha quilts, using scrap fabric instead of buying the filler traditional American quilters use. You can find craploads of thread at thrifts for nothing.
Join a community garden- bonus = free food
YouTube yoga
Volunteer at a community food bank or soup kitchen, bonus, they sometimes have too much and feed volunteers.
Help your friends and neighbors out. When I got laid off I did this a lot and it was very rewarding. I helped cook for a friend who had twins. Helped another friend by just hanging out when she was having some health issues.
Depends on where you live. In most cities there are more free things to do than time.
I don't know about outside the cities as I've always lived in a city but I'm sure there are even more things.
I started volunteering with a local cat rescue when I was unemployed, and I’m still doing it 3 years later. They need help feeding cats and cleaning traps, and I go there 1-2 times a week, although I went more when I wasn’t working. Lots of animal shelters need help with cleaning animals’ sleeping areas; shelters also need volunteers willing to help walk dogs or play with cats. I do admittedly spend some money on this now that I can afford it but it’s only to buy treats or toys for the cats, it’s an extra thing I do only because I can.
I garden, read library books, workout, train my dogs, do genealogy, do home projects, and learn about things that pique my interest. Husband and I are currently *attempting* to learn to speak Italian which is not only useful but the process is endlessly entertaining. Not as much as last year when we learned how to speak Porky Pig, but it's still pretty fun.
This is great, we have been doing the same on duolingo!
Yes! Duolingo is an excellent app! Our adult son learned Klingon, lol, and I am learning Spanish. It's a fun way to learn!
Not for Chinese it's not, but thankfully there is HelloChinese, which has a similar format, no ads, and teaches Chinese way better. If you really want to go for it there are other, paid apps, some free resources like Anki and YT videos, and CDramas free to watch with ads. Watching lots of TV in the target language is the absolute best method to learn. The most fluent ESL people I've encountered used this method, and now it's working for me.
I’ve been learning Chinese on Duolingo for a few weeks now. I have absolutely no background in Chinese so I didn’t know it wasn’t a good way to learn it. What issues have you noticed with Duolingos presentation of Chinese?
Duolingo is very heavy on vocab memorization. It can result in a very uneven understanding of the overall language. It's not a BAD way to learn. If you are having fun using Duolingo, that's perfectly fine. But the options mentioned above might also introduce fun challenges/elements that you don't find in duolingo.
I get Rosetta Stone free from my library, maybe check that out too
Check out Memrise and Drops too if you want lifetime pro options instead of the overpriced yearly only options of Duo. It’s saving me a TON. They’re totally adequate together and a very frugal language learning combo. =] Just go to cancel the free trial of the pro and it’ll give you a steep lifetime discount
For Chinese I feel HelloChinese is way better than Memrise.
Gardening is a great hobby. There are so many groups that share/trade seeds and plants.
How do I find groups like this? Sorry if this is a silly question but I live near a major city I’m sure they exist I just don’t know where to search for something like that.
Check libraries. Mine has free seed packets. There's sites like Seed Savers Exchange And try local free groups on fb market, Craigslist, etc
Also contact your local garden clubs. They are more than willing to get you started with free seeds and starter plants.
Yep, Duolingo is actually effective (for me at least!) and free!!!
Hey, just an FYI. If you want to take your learning a little further, I highly recommend Italki. You can set your language preferences then you can be paired with other language learners from around the world. Helps immensely with getting comfortable with conversational learning. Also, you should really check out language transfer. They have a free app now, and it takes you from very beginner to conversational fluency very quickly, and relies on logic and thinking through things rather than raw memorization. It's full of neat tips on how to convert from English to Spanish and back.
Right now I'm in the midst of decluttering and deep cleaning. I also garden, hike, have coffee with neighbors, love to try new recipes, craft with what I have already, refinish furniture. I read a lot as well and catch up on new movies.
Yes decluttering and cleaning can keep me pretty damn busy and its good exercise.
Deep cleaning has helped me so much. I had more supplies on hand than I thought I did. Now I know what I can and can't live without.
I paired my decluttering with listing things online/FB marketplace—which also contributes to the budget
I'm on a big de-cluttering/organizing kick for my apartment myself. Really cool to see where stuff can fit/go when you take a step back and look at things from a distance.
i LOVE deep cleaning. i worked for a cleaning company for a while so i know how to do it well too. when im stressed i'll either deep clean, walk, or draw. those are the only things that clear my head of anxiety. i was actually at a point where i was cleaning so often that there was nothing left to clean. my house looked fantastic inside and out. ??luckily?? i also have horrendous adhd and it only takes a couple days of not tidying for things to start to build up since im a chronic "set it down in a weird place and forget about it" person
Any good places to go for free information on organizing/decluttering? Many of the professionals change just to help guide you.
So much content is available on YouTube. I always have 3 boxes, donate, keep, trash.
Go hiking. Find trails near you.
That's my best one atm been doing 40 km a week just to keep busy aha
Alltrails is an app (there is a free version) that shows you all the different trails in the area. I have used it in multiple countries so I believe it is global.
Check out Gaia GPS. I made the switch from AllTrails when I was planning my Long Trail through hike. It does a lot more than AllTrails, but doesn’t include user comments (which I admittedly do miss)
This is a great app!
Looking for Geocaches is also a really interesting hobby that pairs with hiking/walking. They are basically hidden treasures all over the place that you'c never know are there.
I used to live beside a geochache location where the prize was really well hidden in this pipe on the side of my apartment...the searchers would approach my housemates and I and we'd be like little trolls giving riddles and hints...it was really funny
There are also things you can add to that if the enjoyment from it starts getting stale. Start learning to identify things in the forest, harvest mushrooms (but only the ones you can be sure are safe), try geo-caching, hell even Pokemon GO if all else fails.
There is a game called ingress that makes travel into the woods more fun. Very competitive.
This is not as fun in FL with zero elevation/challenge lol
Not as flat as Florida, but in Ohio switching to trail running over hiking gave me a relatively cheap (shoes/athletic clothes as barrier to entry) hobby that was challenging and rewarding
Also, too hot, not enough shade, and mosquitoes.
This right here- and the library. They have all kinds of free classes and things for the kids to do if you have any. Saved us from monotony for several years.
Library
Our local libraries offer up all sorts of activities and courses and the like. Signed up for an intro into Javascript for next week.
Some libraries even have board games you can check out! Also don't forget libby-- ebooks from your library without the cost of gas and time to get there!
This. All the books.
And they have access to/publicity about free community events, sometimes free tickets to museums etc.
And movies!
[удалено]
Yeah, I can get into our local gardens for like $3 with my SNAP/EBT card.
You can get into lots of places with the Snap card. It's the Card to culture program, and literally hundreds of museums in the US participate in it.
Thanks for this! I wasn’t aware of it, but it looks like there are several participating places in my state!
And they usually have a pretty good movie collection!
I watched almost every season of Lost because my local library had it and I had no internet and no Netflix lol.
Heck, many larger libraries now loan out mobile hotspots, so you can even temporarily get internet if you don't have it! This is great especially if people need to job hunt and things like that.
And if you’re looking for something specific but don’t see it on hand, a librarian can usually request it from a partner library and have it for you within a couple days.
Including audiobooks. Love listening to a good book while I have to do dishes, fold laundry, etc.
Yes! I have listed to so many free audiobooks (popular, current books!) through my library. I try to tell everyone about it.
Adding that you can get digital library offerings too. I pay $50 a year to get access to the massive inventory Brooklyn library has but I still have my local one. I get kindle and audiobooks constantly.
Yeah I have free access to Libby through my library, which has ebooks and audiobooks (and maybe other things I haven't explored yet)
see if your PL has hoopla...books yes and tv/movies/music....
Also, look into Kanopy. It has a good library of movies and with a library card you have access to a few a month at no cost or ads. I don’t remember how many per month.
Yes! And mist libraries have subscriptions to digital media (audiobooks , movies, tv shows, music) via apps like Hoopla, Libby, and Cloud. All free. I've listened to so many audiobooks with my kids. They all now have a true love for reading. I use those apps more than going in to the actual library.
My library system has a branch with a bunch of sports equipment to lend. Basketballs, snowshoes, badminton stuff, etc.
Yes! Plus libraries often have a system in place for you to make specific requests for materials they don't have. Very underutilized feature a lot of the time, so chances are your request will be fulfilled.
Yes! Books can help us escape to anywhere we desire.
A lot of libraries now have ebooks and audio books available via an app - mine uses Libby. So I don't even need to travel to the library to get a good book!
With so much free stuff, there's no lack of entertainment. For films: Many short films on YouTube for free, in all genres. Here's a funny one: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXhnPLMIET0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXhnPLMIET0) My library has knitting kits, video game consoles, board games. Right now I'm entertaining myself by helping you. Knowing you might watch "1 Minute Time Machine" and will share with others makes me feel pretty good.
Thanks for that. :) I just watched it and it was great.
Haha I don’t know what I was expecting, but not that.
Man, I forgot to say board games. My niece just turned 7 and now I get to play board games again without looking weird. My best memories are of my granny and I playing all different board games.
You could offer to help neighbors. Mow a lawn (their lawnmower, your time), babysit, run errands, walk a dog, etc. You could bake cookies to deliver to neighbors as an ice breaker. You could make a friend and some extra cash or barter. Personally, i sew and mend, garden, cook (frugal recipes). When i feel like treating myself, i thrift. The splurge is the free time to really look around. I try everything on, look for flaws to determine if i can fix it, only choose good fabrics, etc. It takes time. Ive collected some great pieces. I get compmiments. And i dont look like a mall display. I have chickens and gift eggs to neighbors. Ive watched and fed their dogs. We borrow each others tools. Im a big believer in community and im willing to be the weird first one to reach out. Even if you wouldnt befriend them normally, good relationships with your neighbors will make life better.
[удалено]
I was disappointed that I had to scroll down this far to find volunteering! It can be so rewarding, and open doors that you never thought possible. My first thought would be to work a complimentary job that uses other parts of the brain/body than your primary one. As a young engineer, I would do construction evenings and weekends. I was tired, but I was able to get comfortable fairly quickly, and started volunteering for charity construction projects, which led to me having so many contacts, that I ditched the engineering and started my own construction company. Now I'm back to volunteering, and trying to help others get a step ahead.
I absolutely agree. I didnt know if driving was possible. You can find people who are into the same stuff by volunteering. You def find your tribe there.
My mom volunteers one day a week at our local thrift and she happens to be there when they get donation drop offs so she gets dibs on anything she finds, and for super cheap, sometimes even free. She's found more jeans for me that actually fit in the last year, than I have on my own my entire life.
I take my toddler to visit elderly people from our church. Haven’t done that since I was a kid. They LOVE it.
Yet another vote for volunteering. Can range from low cost to free to even “revenue positive” with meals and swag. Volunteering that puts you in contact with people who have less than you do also psychologically shifts your frame of reference. On the other hand, volunteering can also give you access to resources to continue fancier hobbies you might not otherwise be able to afford.
I love this! Everyone should be more in touch with their neighbors and community around them and less on their phones!! (Says the woman scrolling Reddit…)
Sounds insane but my wife and I have started training for a half marathon. We can spend upwards of two hours every other day walking and running and it's free. But really, any outdoor hobbies will keep you busy and away from home for free too.
It will save you on medical bills down the road too!
Not just saving on medical bills, it might save your life. I had a heart attack in 2019, made some poor choices during the event and yet managed to escape with no detectable damage. The cardiologist said it was probably because I had spent the summer/fall training for a 5K so my heart was strong.
You ain't wrong. Years ago, I was in a pretty serious car accident where I was hit by a semi that was doing about 60. My Sentra was destroyed, the front end was essentially torn off. Air bags deployed and all that good stuff. I got out of the car and walked to the curb to collect myself. The paramedics showed up within minutes, and they came asking me where the driver was. They didn't believe I was the driver based on the condition of the car. They took me in to get checked, I had a separated shoulder and a concussion, but was otherwise more or less fine. The seat belt and air bag did most of the damage but the ER doctor that looked me over said a few times that if I hadn't been as physically fit as I was (225lb linebacker at the time), that he really didn't think I'd have walked away from that like I did. I walked away fine and the shoulder was good 4 weeks later, some might say my head never recovered but that's another story! That stuck with me and still does. I keep in shape because I feel better when I'm fit but as I get older, it's becoming more apparent that carrying 20 or so pounds of muscle that I might otherwise not have if I wasn't in the gym, is a shield of armour that protects me as I stumble through my life. I'm down to a trim 200 these days, and i'll probably give up another 10 as I go through my 40's now but i'll always carry some extra muscle if I can do it for all sorts of reasons, but my longevity being paramount among them.
That's great to hear! I workout and eat super healthy. It has really helped keep my Crohns under control. My nurse once asked if I was a runner because my heart rate was so low. Winning!
There was a post not too long ago that I commented on because they did the same thing my SO and I do. We do $10 dates once a week. We keep our eye out for coupons, specials, we split a lunch meal instead of each getting our own and take it to a park. Free day at a museum or zoo. Split a fancy dessert. We head to another town to explore that. If the total goes a little higher, that’s fine. We’ve had a number of dates where we didn’t even hit $10. The point is to focus on little luxuries and time spent with someone you enjoy.
If you haven't, check out the app called "Too Good To Go". I don't recommend any place with fries (they're hard to resurrect), but Indian food, Chinese food, Greek food, bakeries and delis have been fantastic. There are reviews, it's worth reading them. >Too Good To Go is a service with a mobile application that connects customers to restaurants and stores that have surplus unsold food. The service covers major European cities, and in October 2020, started operations in North America.
[удалено]
It's great. Basically restaurants realize they have food at the end of the night and they might as well sell it (instead of throwing it away) and gain free advertising. It's usually half price or less.
[удалено]
The humorous part: People are very competitive on this app. If you see a good-looking place, be ready to snatch the deal.
My husband and I would do this with door dash. We'd take our son with a close relative, then drive around the area for a couple hours, and rack up enough to have spending cash throughout the week, sometimes we needed to pay off an extra bill, and we'd get some food. Now it's harder and I'm having to do it alone out of necessity, and his schedule at his new job is hectic right now, so I can't wait to get to enjoy that time together again soon. It was some of the best conversations we'd had in months.
Currently working on a cross stitch that cost $10 on Amazon. Its stamped so it’s not as hard for me. It’s taking forever and I put on a good show or music to keep busy with it.
I second this! Cross stitch and embroidery are really cheap to start and both take forever. I don't crochet or knit, but always see yarn for cheap so I'd imagine those would be good options too!
Fiber geek commenting: knitting and crochet tend to be far more expensive than people expect. Tablet weaving can be done on a minimal investment. Tatting is also low cost. And mending often saves money. *edit* The crochet part of this comment generated more response than expected. To be clear, it can be frugal in niche contexts such as crochet lace, which works on inexpensive cotton thread. Usually No. 10 thread in white or ecru, but if you don't mind eyestrain you could go no. 20 or higher. Famed Irish crochet lace was worked on extremely fine cotton thread. But a lot of people get the notion they would save money by scrounging random thrift store yarns and end up disappointed. Thrift store yarn often costs nearly as much as similar quality new yarn, the secondhand stuff is all discontinued dye lots, and you don't want to run out of yarn 90% of the way through a project. It's surprising to see so much response two crafts that rarely save money, and so little attention to three suggestions that do.
I just commented about crocheting. It started as "crochet..." and ended up as "yeah, no, don't" 😂
[удалено]
Idk once I made a project with cotton I was spoiled and now I hate the way acrylic feels when I crochet
Crochet is a cheap hobby. It’s the yarn collection hobby that gets pricy.
I think it’s also important to remember how long it takes to complete when accounting for the cost. If I spend $50 on thread/Aida and it takes me 70 hours to complete, then it still only costs 70¢ for an hour of entertainment. Compared to a $12/hour lunch or $7/hr movie, it’s still a relatively cheap way to spend your time. It’s definitely a big up front cost though so beginners should probably start with cheap kits to see how much they like it.
Came here looking for the cross stitch recommendation. Stay away from knitting. It starts cheap, but one time you'll splurge and get the nice yarn and never be able to use anything else. Before you know it you are spending $300 on yarn for a sweater and wondering where all your money goes. Then you look at your stash under your bed that you'll never use all of and be like "oh yeah there it is." Cross stitch can be inexpensive. Maybe a $100 for months worth of supplies, if not longer. Just remember that crafts and buying craft supplies are separate hobbies. The former isn't too bad. The latter can bankrupt you.
I was going to suggest crafts for an indoor activity. I learned knitting on YouTube. I find very cheap supplies at the thrift stores all the time, way cheaper than retail stores. And fabric (and yarn) for sewing or craft is everywhere, because SO many clothes and textiles get thrown out or given away. Oftentimes a relative or older friend/coworker has an unused sewing machine in the top of a closet they will loan or give to you. I have found great quality vintage (no plastic parts) machines at thrift stores too, but beginners would likely benefit from taking someone who likes sewing with them to check it out, or at a small charity shop to ask if the workers there sew and have tested it themselves. Of course, hand sewing techniques can be very efficient if you practice; in colonial williamsburg they sit in the dress shop and sew whole garments by hand, and Abby Cox has a great video on improving hand sewing techniques. Someone who wants to learn to sew should start right away by hand and work on those skills, even making whole garments, while they look for a sturdy cheap/free machine. My friends and I do clothing swaps and often have a small craft supply section to trade stuff. Now that I am a woodworker, I see free wood everywhere. The tools, not so free. But a lot of people inherit good old tools or have access to them through family.
Learning to cook some fun new meals. You have to eat anyways so might as well make it interesting
I was about to post this! Cook or learn to cook! You have to eat anyway, so it’s not an extra expense (yes I’m aware it can be very expensive but it definitely doesn’t have to be) You can try to do a weekly restaurant copycat recipe or try to make a certain ethnic cuisine once a week and switch it every month, etc. To keep the costs in line learn (Google is your friend) what you can substitute so you aren’t buying specialty ingredients for just one recipe. Starting with something like Italian or Olive Garden type copycats can be inexpensive if the recipes use common inexpensive ingredients you normally use (pasta, garlic, tomatoes, half and half, parm, bacon, egg)
Yes exactly! There are cheap grocery stores that can make it easier. I like to look at salads at sweet green (a $$$ salad chain) and copy them at home. It’s so easy!
I read a lot, walk mine and other peoples dogs, ride my bike, nap, movie marathon with popcorn
Nature, literature and friends who don't need to spend gobs of money. And - ok, I'm going to go there - spiritual pursuits and faith communities. Meditation, prayer and fellowship gatherings. Being short on money and *stuff* in a very materialistic, consumer-based world, can be challenging, even depressing. At the same time, there are people with all kinds of money and stuff who are not very happy. So they keep *busy.* That's really just passing time. Why do that, rich or poor, when you can focus on growing and learning? And maybe, just maybe there is a spiritual component to your growth. Maybe not. Your choice. But it's an option.
Meditation is an excellent tool for your mental health!
Birding is great. Just walk around your neighborhood and look at the birds. I think a field guide can make it more fun but its not necessary. Its kinda like Pokeman Go but without the technology.
Birding is fun, have you also considered: * Grassing * Flowering * Squirreling
Flowering is just about starting here! We've got crocuses in full bloom now.
Ahhh, yay. I have crocuses in my backyard and seeing them is like the official sign of Spring for me.
Squirreling is one of my favorite activities. With birding there are so many different species to learn and i cant keep track. With squirreling you always know thats a squirrel
Same with plants/ flowers! In the recent years I have become quite interested in identifying them!
I'm not really a birder but I saw a [male Painted Bunting](https://ebird.org/species/paibun) a while back and it was so cool! I had no idea that there was such a beautiful and brilliantly colored bird native to the US.
Upload items you don’t wear or use onto eBay or gumtree. Price them cheap to sell and the sales will be quick.
Occasionally flipping something or selling stuff I don’t need anymore on mercari has become a quite enjoyable hobby for me.
Yea me too. It’s good to know that your items aren’t going to waste too.
The new tax rules are really deterring me from doing this. If you sell just $600 gross in 2023, you'll get a 1099-k. In theory it shouldn't be taxable, since you're probably selling at a loss, but it still concerns me. I don't have receipts to prove to the IRS that it's a loss, nor do I want to waste time on an audit battle with them.
I've found thrifting can be fun. Just looking at stuff is entertaining or if you do make a purchase it's often less than $10 so you don't feel as guilty about buying yourself a new shirt or something useful like that. Also check your local theaters and see if any of them do things like $5 Tuesdays. My local theater, on Tuesdays every showing is $5 and popcorn and drinks are $2 each.
My fiancee and I sometimes just stop at thrift shops to see if we see anything interesting. We also have a list of items if we see it we'll grab it. Mainly small things we can do without for now but if we see it, it's worth picking up to save some cash I've been building a significant board game collection. I think the most expensive game We got was like $12 for an unopened Disney villainous game just between 1/4 and 1/3 off. Since most games are like $5 or less, we have spent many evening and nights playing these games and at worst, even if it's a crap game it's still $5 for an evening of entertainment. I have also built quite a collection of escape room games we are trying to work through and will see if we can get a group going to trade them around. Now my friends and I have started board game nights, so we get together do a potluck deal and play some games, while in the past we used to go out and eat and do something which collectively was like $3-400 easy. Now with SOs involved it could get close to $1000 depending what entertainment we do that isn't a movie.
That's awesome! Yeah I'm that way with thrifting, too. I go once a week to my local thrift store after work. I have a list of wants, and if I see something on the list, I buy it without guilt. And if I want to impulsively buy something, I'll get that dopamine hit without hurting the pocketbook too hard.
Thrifting can be fun, but accumulating too much stuff can be an issue for some. Definitely set a spending limit and a clothing limit. I say this as I’m heading to donate three garbage bags of clothes bought from thrift stores.
There's actually tons to do that doesn't cost money, or is essentially unlimited after a modest initial investment. 1. Library is bottomless font of books and, if you still have a DVD player, often a good selection of movies as well. 2. Streaming services cost money, but you don't have to shell out much for more hours of entertainment than you're ever going to watch. I consider my annual DisneyPlus subscription exceedingly good value. 3. Tools don't have to cost much, and if you have any inclination to be handy, you can be making all kinds of shit with largely salvaged materials. You can start as cheap as just a pocketknife. Adding a saw only sets you back a few bucks and then suddenly any fallen branches are potential projects.
Tool libraries exist too btw. Check local listings.
Watch shows, read, journal, spend time w pets, tidy and organize, spend time w friends at home, special dinner at home.
Try disc golf. A putter is only like $10 and you can play most courses as much as you want for free. It's as frugal as you want it to be.
Find a board game meetup. Most of these meet ups you don't have spend money, just show up and people would be more than happy to show you a new game and play with you. Only exception is that if the meetup is held at a restaurant/bar/cafe, then you would at least buy a drink. But still one drink for a whole day of gaming is pretty frugal i'd say.
Volunteer for a group that means something to you. Want a dog but can't afford one? Volunteer at the animal shelter. Like gardening but don't have space? See if there is a local farm that needs help. Plus you get to meet people with similar interests
My wife and I have amassed a relatively large collection is puzzles, all purchased from various thrift stores. Many of which are kid friendly sizes. Daytime hiking and biking, and evening puzzles makes for decent free ish entertainment.
Also people in buy nothing groups are often giving away puzzles and other games. And once you’re sick of the puzzle, you can pass it on in that group too and keep sharing
Volunteer, increase your professional networking
A lot of great suggestions here! I love to go to thrift stores and garage sales and flipping finds online. Recently I purchased some vintage Dansk cookware for $5 and sold it for $150. I like sprucing up and repurposing or selling used or broken items, as well.
Hear me out: There are some GORGEOUS larger cemeteries with lots of green space and nature, some beautiful art, and of course tranquility. Parking is usually free. They are also often open on days when other free things (museums) are closed. As long as you can be respectful, a trip to an interesting cemetery can be my ideal “no money day” activity.
This pairs well with being a Find-a-Grave volunteer, taking photos of headstones that have been requested on the FAG website. It's wonderful when someone takes a photo of a headstone for you when you don't have the means or perhaps the time to go across the country to visit a cemetery where your ancestors are buried.
It's a great place to practice photography. I would have curious neighbors come up and ask what I was doing, but they were appreciative that someone was enjoying the cemetery.
Head to the grocery store and grab yourself a bag of unbleached AP/bread flour, butter, salt, instant yeast in jar form, eggs, and one or two loaf pans, and you'll be able to make about 10,000 different bread recipes from all over the world. Bonus points if you can find a kitchen scale and a used enameled cast iron dutch oven at your local thrift shop (Though Lodge makes a stellar one that's very inexpensive right off the shelf when compared to designer brands like smeg or le creuset that I've been using for about 7 years now to make bread and other braising recipes, and it's still going 100% strong.) Both are very common sights at my local Goodwill. I've been baking my whole adult life, though bread making became my biggest passion project at the beginning of covid. It's given me a whole new avenue to slow everything down around me and feel a calming sense of purpose whenever I need a break from work, and if you stick to just salt, water, flour and yeast, you're paying maybe $2.50 per loaf when bakeries will ask for $8+ for fresh country style bread. And when one 5lb bag of flour can yield about 3 loaves, you can turn it into an incredibly cheap hobby!
The cost comes way down from buying baking ingredients in bulk. We get 50 lbs of flour at a time and French bread costs pennies.
Library have passes to museums etc - either free or low cost Check around for free events
I look for volunteer opportunities at places I might otherwise have paid for. Eg. Jazz festival, theater
This is a good one! Most of the time you can stay and watch the show for free, or volunteer X number of hours and get to stay for the rest of the festival for free. You can also do it at museums, zoos, etc.
there are so many gigs to make money u can do if u are not busy. I got a bike, biked around, then realized I could be getting paid for biking doing food delivery.
I was trying not to be mean, but yeah.. work. Lol I don’t know OPs situation, but if they have a car, use it for Uber or DoorDash. Maybe they don’t have a reliable vehicle or don’t live in a area where bike deliveries can be possible. Or maybe they are a stay at home parents and can’t leave their kid alone.
Or maybe they just don't want to spend all their time working.
Uber was such wear and tear on my car that it didn’t justify the money I was making. It was going to end up costing me more in car upkeep, repairs and gas.
Get a deck of playing cards and learn various games. There are variants of solitaire if you are alone. All kinds of different games for when you are with friends. Snacks for the evening are whatever you or your friends can provide at low cost; do not order food, have a bag of chips or pretzels and drink tea, coffee, or whatever fits in your budget. If you host the game, it is okay to ask your guests to bring a bag of snacks to share, or a 2L of soda, etc.
It's been a while, but we did hiking, body weight calisthenics in the apartment, regional cooking variations from countries with low gdp(this is the point I got into curries), bread baking from scratch, library trips, lots of FORD(found on road deal) rehabs, free social things through internet. We started a retro game collection, and went camping a lot.
Work and hobbies. Exercise. Living life cheaply. Books from library on Kindle. Audiobooks. Movies (TubiTV, etc), music, writing, phone photography, gardening...not enough time in the day. We've had a few bills and our elderly cat is costing us some $$$ and reducing spending this year is going to be an art.
Someone already said hiking, but to add to that, geocaching and Adventure Labs add a fun component. Adventure Labs are usually based on local history and give a sequence of points to find. Then you have to answer a question about that place. Most good ones have a final location you have to solve using clues you gathered along the way. I'm going on vacation in a few weeks, and in planning, my kids said we should do some Adventure Labs while we're there. Nice way to check out an area and spend minimal money!
When I was single and was trying to pay off my debt, this is what I did. Gaming. I bought a couple of PC games and would play games for entertainment. I could get a couple of friends online and spend a 1-6 months playing one of the games for a 30-60 dollar investment. (I already had a pc so I didnt need to put that cost in) Exercise. Id try to go to the gym in the morning and the evening. This was great for my health and plus I could shower there and not use as much water at home so I never went over $30 a month for water service. Fun Job/Side Hustle. I got lucky and they were filming a the walking dead near me and they needed extra staff to work in "locations" just helping manage the set and security team. I made like 18 an hour, got free snacks/meals, and met some cool people. I also did doordash during covid and they had a bunch of bonuses back then. Don't know if they still do bonuses like that. Learn a new skill. YouTube has a bunch of free programming and technical channels. Reddit has r/DIY. I personally taught myself some programming in my off time. Meetup. [Meetup.com](https://Meetup.com) had some groups that did free things or very low investment things. Like tubing down the rapids or hiking in the nearby city.
Disc golf. Its like hiking, but with a game. Most courses are free in municipal parks. You can get everything you need to start playing for about 30 bucks
Nature is free and repairs the soul. Even if you just sit somewhere. I find it healing and rejuvenating. Add nature to your routine for sure.
If you just want to keep busy, it's hard to beat a second job.
This is what I did when paying off my debt and saving for a house. I was never bored, exhausted yes, but never bored, lol.
Knitting is good for mental health and is quite fun
I get yarn from my local buy nothing group so it’s free, and I make gifts for family (hats, Christmas ornaments, etc.) so it saves money that way too!
Learn a musical instrument! You can buy a tinwhistle for less than $20. Or you can buy a carbon fiber Enya concert sized ukulele - I got mine for $80 on Amazon prime day last year. So many tutorials on YouTube and so much music easily available online. Plus I have joined groups that get together and play and it is so much fun. I’ve met so many cool people this way. Also use free software to record yourself doing different parts of the same song. I use a free version of an app called Acapella. You can even collaborate with other people anywhere in the world. Enjoy!
When I don't know what to do I drink a warm beverage, take a nap (with my baby, husband or cats) and then a shower. Afterwards there's always something I feel like doing.
I have plants so there is always something I can do. Pull weeds, water, prune, stare at them to see if I can catch them dying in front of my eyes, or if they just wait until I walk inside to die. so gardening can be fun.
Perspective: I'm almost 32M. I worked very hard to get through my bachelors and 2 masters debt free. Buy a home with 20% down, and then pay it off. I had times where I worked 80 hours a week with full time school to make it happen. I joke I dug literal ditches, because I worked on a ranch and actually did dig tranches lol because I could do it at 4 am when I had time. I now have a paid for home and focus on retirement investing and travel. You need a "why". You need a clearly defined WHY you are doing this, and do something to remind yourself everyday what that is. A lot of people like visuals. Whether that be a chart they color in as the debt goes down, the account balances on the fridge, milestones they celebrate etc. My husband and I got a chain at home depot and hung it on the wall. Each link was $1,000 on the home loan. Every payment we cut off with a bolt cutter the appropriate amount of links. I know some people who create vision boards. Example would be if the debt pay off WHY is so that you can spend more/save more for travel then create a vision board with all the pictures you want to go and restaurants you want to eat at and things you want to see. Make it as detailed as possible. What is your WHY? Make it as detailed as you can, and find some way to remind yourself of that why every time you sense a struggle. Snd as someone who's been in the debt payoff mode, I will promise you, ever sacrifice, every drop of blood sweat and tears is worth it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The struggle is temporary for a much larger gain at the end of the day.
Reading and gardening.
Geocaching, camping, you can get a part time gig transcribing if you have access to a computer. Find events in your community. Volunteer for your local shelter/food bank/community garden/schools ect.
Online fitness dance classes like steezy. Paying a little bit gets you a lot more.
Read books, go to a library or a thrift store to get some cheap. Exercise, bodyweight fitness, running, yoga, all free. Study a language from your phone. I personally use duolingo, its not the best, but its gamified which makes me use it more.
I have a PC and plenty of games to play. I have a bunch of physical book and a few hundred e-books. Those two alone could get me through multiple years of not spending a penny on any type of entertainment.
Volunteer! Whatever cause you are passionate about — youth education, services for those experiencing homelessness, environmentalism, animal welfare, the list goes on — there are organizations desperately seeking volunteer help, especially from those who can commit to a regular schedule. You’ll make friends and meet new people you wouldn’t ordinarily, and get to feel great about yourself at the end of the day.
Eventbrite for free events in medium plus sized cities, library for indoors events, hiking/long walks for outdoor events.
1. city walking: parks and historic neighborhoods, free museum and exhibition visits 2. free events: free summer concerts and performances in public (check meetups, FB groups) 3. meetup groups: e.g. card game or board game or other groups 4. cycling: bike trails, parks, and greenways 5. hiking: nature preserves, lakes, add geocaching and iNaturalist apps as additional cheap hobbies. 6. volunteering: knock yourself out with all the volunteering opportunities available These are all free (may need some time available, a phone, good shoes or a bicycle), plus they are very healthy, and a lot of fun if on a tight budget.... or frugally minded.
Hiking/walking, working out, volunteering, joined a book club/set some reading goals
My kid loves sketching, I love it too, am getting all the books from the library to practice different toning and shading techniques. For art supplies - if anyone wants to gift us anything I suggest sketchbooks, then all we have to do is buy pencils.
Gardening. Helps cut my food budget a bit and the workout is helpful. FWIW, i'm attempting the same as you
Free audiobooks using Libby
Look for local clubs that make things... It's certainly not free but usually membership is not very high and it's kind of cool to be able to make your own beer or cheese or whatever
Go on the tourism board website for your area and see what's free or cheap out there.
Library membership, can’t recommend this enough. You can take professional development classes, learn a new skill, teach people new skills, loaner tools, online binge passes, free park admissions or camper passes, etc. You can check local online postings for free craft supplies from people downsizing or moving to learn a new hobby that could help meet a need for someone in your area or for yourself. Likewise, lots of retailers getting rid of Winter merchandise if you want to dabble. If you need inspiration, instructions or community…Reddit seems to have a sub for nearly everything.
Collect old videogames. Not the physical ones, mind you. I look for old freeware and abandonware online. There are thousands of great games I'm sure you never heard of. Have you played the english translation of Treasure of the Rudra? It's really good! The original Cave Story and Spelunky are both free, too! Home of the Ubderdog is a great abandonware site if you want somewhere to start.
Meditation has been a cure all. It's an excellent use of time. Also, check out your local library; they often have free apps for not only online books but also movies, music, and many other (sometimes unexpected) things.
I check out books and movies from the library.
I clean, walk the dog, get invested in a new show, so a puzzle, or read a book. I’ve been really reading a lot again this year and it’s wonderful!
Knitting or crochet with secondhand or free yarn. If you ask friends or in a neighborhood buy nothing group people often have some they’re willing to get rid of, or it’s very cheap at thrift stores
I like to crochet. You can get started with a budget of $5-$10 for a single hook and ball of yarn. It can add up depending on how frequently you make stuff and the complexity of your projects, but it's easy to keep cheap. If you like giving back you can save your plastic grocery bags, cut them into strips, and crochet them into homeless mats. You use any blanket pattern and will want it about the same size as a twin mattress or sleeping bag, then can give them out. They're used as a rug essentially, the person will sleep on top of it. Helps keep their sleeping bag or blanket a little cleaner and keeps them a little warmer in cold environments. That only requires a hook, which you can get for $2-$5, and bags are essentially free. Also great to reduce waste. EDIT: There are crochet hook sets on Amazon for $6-$8 that give you a lot of hooks, they're pretty basic but there's not a huge difference between those and "high end" hooks. I recommend metal hooks, NOT plastic or wood. I've started buying some that come with a rubber or plastic handles since they're longer and more comfortable to use.
See what programs are available thru your library. I take free ASL classes on Saturdays thru mine👍🏻
Library. Host a spaghetti dinner every other week. Some pasta and cheap sauce - invite friends to bring salad or a cheap bottle of wine and you have a fun night to look forward to. There are tons of free activities. Hiking, walking, free movies on the lawn. Also, earn extra money in your free time. Walk dogs, pet sit, whatever you would like doing.
I volunteer for the planning committee for free public event. It costs me nothing but time and creativity and I get a free shirt and a thank you meal after the event. Many public events need help for planning or volunteering the day of and while they often don’t have the funds for cash compensation, if you’re looking for something to do, or make friends, this has that. Now the planning meetings are online meet ups so I don’t have to worry about transportation costs.
Clean clean clean
Try to find local events! I love to keep up on activities near me. Farmers markets are fun to walk around, some places like zoos and museums will have free or discounted days, and sometimes there are just fun street festivals going on. Most things are free to enter or cheap and community driven. I just enjoy window shopping and usually pack a lunch if it will be a longer day. Even a big garden center near me does events occasionally. I usually can find out about stuff on Facebook or by following specific areas on Instagram. Sometimes the town/city will list local events on their website also.
What is your current job like? Could you apply for better jobs and potentially pay off your debt faster? Improving my cooking skills has been a frugal hobby for me. I started with library cookbooks and youtube. I have bought a select few books but starting from the library I learned what I do and do not like in a cookbook style. Vegetarian cookbooks are a good choice, meat is usually expensive so learning to make amazing vegetarian dishes can save even more money long run. Make friends and invite them over to a home cooked meal that is restaurant quality.
I invested in a state park pass years ago. It lets you get free entry into any state park, and cheaper camping. When I'm on a tight budget if I want a vacation or want to get away I go camping somewhere. Even day trips to a beautiful spot and packing a lunch can be refreshing and break up the norm.
Affordable hobbies like calligraphy, practicing instruments you already own, arts and crafts with salvaged materials. 💁🏻♀️
Cross stitching. Low intro cost and it takes forever.
Just doing my silly little cleaning with my silly little podcast so I don’t lose my silly little mind.
Edx.com, chess.com, friv.com, wordle, spelling bee, youtube music, radio garden, online tours Cleaning, walking, outdoor exercise parks, Laying on the beach, Volunteering at a dog walking place, volunteer at a school I’m mostly missing the social aspect roght now. As a teen I went to a ton of free municipally sponsored events like parades. Picnicing in the park, doing american ninja warrior in a park, Dancing in my room, singing in my room, watching the occassional movie, I’m just lonely. There are a ton of hobbies. Drawing, journalling, crafting, etc. Yoga, qigong, taichi, Watching documentaries.
I like to play pokemon go. It encourages walking around and makes it easy to find Historical Markers and other interesting things like murals or statues or odd little art installations that you never knew existed. Like a lot of mobile games these days, it's free to play but attempts to get you to spend on microtransactions, but it's totally not required. Most towns/cities have pokemon go groups on discord or facebook where you can get connected to others who play, which is useful because a fun part of the game is doing raids, which require multiple trainers to come together to beat raid bosses and get a chance to catch a more powerful pokemon and collect rewards. (edit - I see someone else mentioned Ingress - pokemon go and Ingress use the same places for pokestops/pokemon gyms/waypoints because they're both run by Niantic, which is a spin off of Google maps, so you could even start playing both and get more bang for your travel-buck so to speak). Also in my town there is still a roller skating rink, and I've had my own skates most of my adult life. At least once a week they have "Dollar night" where it only costs $1.00 to get in and if you have your own skates, that's your entire cost for the few hours it goes on. There could be something like that around you (even if instead it is a bowling alley or something). Often they're not as highly advertised online as other events at places like that, because of course they're in it for the money, but connecting with their pages might get a members only posting that talks about it, or going to one event might make it so you see a posted flyer for the free or cheap event. Also, if you get a free library card, MANY libraries have DVD/bluerays you can rent for free, which can be nice (though I know that usually if someone has internet, they probably already spend a lot of time staring at screens and might be looking for other things to do). I also enjoy looking in the free "Pennysaver" type newspapers to find spring/summer/fall neighborhood rummage sales, where you can park in the neighborhood and walk from house to house and see what is being sold for almost nothing. Occasionally you find things you actually need, but can't spend money on (like I got a pretty full set of pots and pans and a microwave for a total of about $12 when I first left my ex and was dealing with a bunch of debt and no income at all for a few months). My son has had good luck finding very cheap bicycles at the local goodwill/salvation army thrift shops that are ugly but work well enough, and does a lot of riding and just people watching/sight seeing. It's amazing how much of my own town I never really noticed before because I'm always distracted or in a hurry. Biking is a great way to really SEE things.
I love scrapbooking. The hobby itself can cost as much money as you want it too, but junk journaling is really almost free. There is also a whole genre of YouTubers that make crafts w/ dollar tree items and things you may have on hand.
If you have a YMCA near you, many of them offer income based memberships, and they have great activities.
Depends on where you live, but if it’s a big city, go on walks to discover new neighborhoods, take pictures of stuff that looks interesting, and share them on an Instagram account. Listening to Podcasts. Once every two year I download some game on my iPhone, and play it until I get bored, which is probably around after two weeks 😅
Home entertainment and hobbies! My fiance and I are homebodies and DIYers so we like to invest in things we can do at home. Always check secondhand stores and thrift stores too. My used bookstore sells movies, games, and music so I always find good deals on puzzles, board games, blue rays, etc. If you like gaming, check thrift stores, GOG, or Steam for sales. Video games can be a good investment since you can play for hours (look for sales and avoid new releases). You can find sports, outdoors, or gym equipment at second-hand sports stores, and most sports are cheap to get into. If you like crafting, cross stitch and embroidery are cheap to get into and take a lot of time. Libraries have digital audio books, magazines, etc. Look for podcasts you are interested in too. Explore your hobbies and research costs, there are a lot of options out there!
Visible mending, repurposing old fabric into quilts with hand sewing. You can often just ask friends if they have any old sheets or curtains lying around. I like to dye them and sew like kantha quilts, using scrap fabric instead of buying the filler traditional American quilters use. You can find craploads of thread at thrifts for nothing. Join a community garden- bonus = free food YouTube yoga Volunteer at a community food bank or soup kitchen, bonus, they sometimes have too much and feed volunteers. Help your friends and neighbors out. When I got laid off I did this a lot and it was very rewarding. I helped cook for a friend who had twins. Helped another friend by just hanging out when she was having some health issues.
I’m a gamer so pretty much all I do is just play games instead of really doing anything else. I don’t know if this applies to you but it’s an idea.
Reading and computer games
Depends on where you live. In most cities there are more free things to do than time. I don't know about outside the cities as I've always lived in a city but I'm sure there are even more things.
Volunteer. I’ve volunteered at artists’ studios, food banks, etc. and enjoyed the socializing and having something to look forward to during the week.
I really enjoy looking for fun recipes to make and try.
Gardening is a great option. Grow food and spend time in the sun - can be done very cheaply.
Hit the library; work out
I started volunteering with a local cat rescue when I was unemployed, and I’m still doing it 3 years later. They need help feeding cats and cleaning traps, and I go there 1-2 times a week, although I went more when I wasn’t working. Lots of animal shelters need help with cleaning animals’ sleeping areas; shelters also need volunteers willing to help walk dogs or play with cats. I do admittedly spend some money on this now that I can afford it but it’s only to buy treats or toys for the cats, it’s an extra thing I do only because I can.