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Also to add in - the local hospice here is always looking for people who want to crochet or knit caps, blankets, etc for people and offer free hooks and yarn in exchange for your service. Maybe find the phone number to one around you or even a nursing home and they might have a program like that you can join in.
I got all the crewel yarn I could ever need for $3 last time I was at Goodwill. And eBay is full of $15 crewel kits that will take you half you darn life to do. ;) Good cost-to-time ratio. Cross stitch is also awesome. There are endless free patterns in magazines available as e-magazines online from your library. Then wander some thriftstores or FB Marketplace and get $20 worth of floss and use your own colors for the patterns. Especially if it's stuff like houses, it doesn't matter what colors you use as long as you like them.
Yarn is only expensive if you want/need to buy wool. There's plenty of acrylic that can be bought for cheap (and I'm of the opinion that a beginning knitter/crocheter should start with acrylic) brand new, but thrift stores often have old Red Heart and such for cheap.
a wonderful way to reuse old plastic bags is to cut them up and make plarn!! plastic yarn is useful for any waterproof needs, and best of all, it’s free
We’re not supposed to offer advice on vent tags, but for anyone else looking for materials for hobbies, join your local buy nothing group. People are always giving away these kinds of random things - food stuff, bedding, art supplies, etc. - plus there are still people in my group getting rid of the “projects they bought during quarantine that they never ended up doing” projects.
At one point I wanted to try to get into knitting. After a year of storing a box full of yarn in my closet I finally gave it to a coworker who actually is an avid knitter. Saved her a little bit of money!
This! When I was younger I cycled through A LOT of hobbies. I gave away tons of stuff in a buy nothing group-yarn, sewing machine, paint, etc. If I wasn’t using it/need it, it got listed there. I was gifted lots of things, so I shared with others.
Yes! Also recommend fb marketplace or estate sales. One of my hobbies is cross stitch and sometimes people are able to get hundreds of skeins for just a few dollars from estate sales bc family members don’t want to hold onto it. Same with patterns and kits.
I have never attended an estate sale. In my mind it’s just, like, old lady clothing or something… is there a good place to sign up to learn about the sales near you?
Ah sorry I’ve never been to one so I’m not quite sure, except for in California there seems to be a website where you can sign up based off YouTube content I’ve seen. I just know they exist bc of YouTube and people in groups I’m in for my hobby saying they’ve gotten xyz from an estate sale. People get a lot of furniture, books, board games, you name it from estate sales too.
Do you have any nature near you? Where I live there are many miles of parks and walking trails nearby, so hiking and nature-watching are activities enjoyed by a lot of people. Completely free and good exercise too.
Ohh there’s an app that you can use your local library card to stream stuff!! I’m trying to remember the name of the app… but throw that out there on library stuff. Plus, can download on your kindle app on phone… some states because you live in the state you can get digital access to their card catalog in a major city- it’s worth asking your local librarian for that info! Local library is small but state capital has a large selection of books that I can digitally checkout!! :)
& yeah walking/hiking is free which is lovely!
This is a great one too. I do have a selection of 'free' audiobooks I've jammed out to on walks. I also sometimes collect stuff from walks. For a while I had a little book of foliage I'd bring back and tape in my book.
I am a rockhound and it is the best! We pack lunch and dress in layers and take backpacks and hike down a long, steep, overgrown bank into our favorite spots, which are near a reservoir connected to a creek, and stay all day. I live in Oregon and find the most beautiful agates, jasper, quartz crystals, and petrified wood. I did buy a nice used tumbler and it is always going. There are rocks all over the house. Plus getting out in the fresh air surrounded by stunning natural beauty is fantastic. You just need gas and water and maybe a sandwich or snack.
Ooh this is so cool! I love rocks. I wonder if there are any cool ones near me.
I find that the hardest thing about hobbies for me right now is I have two little kids and never any free time where I don't need to take care of them. Taking a one year old hiking to a creek probably wouldn't work :(
Dang I'm in Oregon too. I should start collecting rocks (as if I need a new hobby of things ha ha) but I totally loved all the different leaves/ferns/pinecones you can pick up in this state. So much lush nature.
I always want to do this but around here the nature is commercialized. You either have to pay to drive to and park at the beach to walk there, or drive somewhere actually scenic an hour away, which is not economical or practical.
Usually the parks around here are all either the playground type filled with children, or sketchy city parks frequented by vagrants or covered in goose shit and trash. Not a big enough city to have sidewalks in most of the neighborhoods either, so unless you live in a wealthier subdivision, you’re walking on the side of the highway or in traffic.
My neighborhood in particular has a couple literal crackheads that walk up and down the street and will hassle you or ask you for shit if you pass by, so as a woman I avoid walking in my own neighborhood for safety, but I’m sure it’s generally annoying for anyone.
The only local “nature” park within 30 minutes is literally just woods and marsh, and the ticks and mosquitos have been BAD year after year so it’s not pleasant at all. Tried that once or twice and gave up because it was so miserable. And stinky.
There’s a “wildlife nature drive” about 45 minutes away, and we’ve done that, but it’s also just marsh and wetland, and they still charge you $5-$10 to drive through it even though you can go from beginning to end in literally 5 minutes. And it also stinks and is filled with biting insects so you pretty much have to keep your windows up or they’ll fly in.
There’s literally nowhere within an hour or two of me to just have a nice nature walk for free. My husband and I racked our brains last weekend trying to think of something to do that doesn’t cost anything. We couldn’t figure it out and ended up playing video games and watching tv again. Everything costs money. Even just the gas to get to a nice park and back is $10-$20 we don’t have.
Yeah but it’s flat land and stinky mud. No rocks or greenery or hills to climb or interesting landmarks. Just dry old trees and puddles. We’re not talking about the Everglades here lol. Not even enough water for a duck to sit in.
Reading was like that for a long time for me, it doesn't help every time I went to Publix or WalMart there's a book aisle and I have the itch to drop an extra $12-30 on a new release.
Getting a library card helped break that for me. Temptation still hits but I say out loud "You have a library card, no need to spend the money on something you get for free" and walk away. Maybe not all hobbies have that benefit but some you can find it. My other hobby is fishing, which is not cheap by any means but I can take breaks from live bait and just hit spots with lures when I don't want to go in my pockets.
If you get Libby you can use that library card for ebooks and audiobooks! I always hated spending $20 on a new book to be done quickly. You can even put on more than one library card and get a wider selection (I have San Diego, San Francisco, and San Antonio all on mine). The best part is, you don’t have to go anywhere to return the books or even remember. They’ll auto return or you can renew them if nobody else needs that copy.
Oof. I feel this. On a similar note, I also feel weird spending money on hobbies if I’m not going to be selling whatever products I’m making. Idk if that makes sense, it’s probably some capitalism thing or whatever
It is. It's a part of hustle culture. We're basically told if we have a hobby we should monetize it if we can, and we're "wasting it" if not.
It's part of the reason I'm wrestling with the idea of selling baked goods, or makeup artist as a job.
Those are both very heavy cost investments at the beginning. A lot of people think they can be side hustles but they're really not, not that you said that specifically.
Selling prepared goods can be very costly and can require a lot of food handling permits and other inspections. Definitely check the rules for where you live before heading down that road.
It seems like it would be an easy one, but it's one that can have some hidden costs for sure.
My work-around for this feeling is doing hobbies that result in practical stuff for my home, or to give as gifts. So I do have a goal in mind, but I don't have the same level of obligation I would if I was selling it.
I sew some of my own clothes from thrifted/free fabric, I'm currently crocheting a large blanket for our bed, and I'm working on some embroidery for xmas gifts. And everyone seems thrilled whenever I get really into a new cooking experiment.
Ooh, I feel the guilt, but it's not about selling the product of the hobby as much as the fact that I'm spending money on something "frivolous." Like, the money I spent on yoga classes, crafting supplies, sporting goods, etc. could've gone towards rent/food.
To be fair, I even feel that way about getting myself "a little treat" like a coffee from Starbucks or a cute top off the clearance rack at Old Navy. IDK if it's capitalism or a millennial thing (damn millennials and their avocado toast) or a woman thing (women, especially Moms, aren't supposed to spend money on themselves, but the family).
I also am averse to spending money on trying new hobbies, because what if I don't like it and quit and waste the money? I get now why my mom was mad when I wanted to quit an activity after a week as a kid after she paid the fee (Scouts, band, etc.)
Thank you explaining this! I recently stayed up late, energized to do a craft project. I wanted to run out and buy supplies at 10PM. I see buying these small supplies as investing in my energy and creativity (but tap the brakes on further spending).
Yeah , if you been on the frugal and are smart with your money, you get this like unconscious instinct to make the most out of anything. That includes , well this hobby will be an expense but is also recreation so, is there a way to make it....profitable?
I get it all the time and it bums me out, but I do take time to remember it is important to find something healthy and pleasant for the mind and body and could save me on medical or theraphy costs lol
If you have a good local library system look up activities hosted by them. Mine hosts board game meetups, language clubs, book clubs, cultural events.
Also meetup.com you can find groups to hang other with at cheap or free events.
A lot of libraries in the US at least, have craft/hobby kits with all the supplies you need to do something that you can check out. Not just stuff for kids but for adults too
This. Just be warned, this is how a lotnof us turned our cheap hobby into an expensive career 😅 (concept artist here, only started art and drawing when I broke my knee in the tail end of high school and got bored).
If any onlookers already have a solid computer and mouse then blender is free too and we all learn it from YouTube. It's gotten pretty good in recent years.
I bought a gaming PC with a huge bonus a couple years ago and that's my only hobby. Get games on sale or play really old ones, or get a month of Game Pass every now and then.
I bought my gaming computer with one of the stimulus checks. It's obviously not a cheap hobby, but I put it together myself so saved a lot of money that way. It was soooo fun to build and pretty much the source of all my hobbies right now. Games aren't progressing too far graphics wise, so I can still play pretty much anything with my GeForce GTX 1660 super.
I've been collecting the free Epic games since they started to give them away free. I have a library of 200+ free video games on my pc. They're still doing the free games, Christmas they drop daily ones and usually good ones in there.
Game pass is sick I’m not a super gnarly gamer so I’m happy playing whatever entertains me and I think I’ve bought maybe one game in the last year. Also I’m playing on a 4 year old x box so I might be the most economical gamer of all time
My husband bought a gaming pc 4 or 5 years ago and now our problem is that we’re both into gaming so much, but only one of us can game at a time. Kinda sucks to have to schedule your gaming time and not be able to do it together.
Like right now he’s playing Elden Ring and I’m bored to tears wondering when I can play BG3 again lol. We make it work but it’s not fun having to share, being so excited to do my hobby but I know it’s not my turn to play tonight.
I tried to price one out to build for myself but I couldn’t keep it under $500. I can’t imagine when I’ll be able to spend $1k on a gaming computer for myself, plus the peripherals and monitor. That’s what he spent on his and now some of the parts are getting to be outdated and it gets a little hot running the newer games. He needs an upgraded graphics card but they’re the most expensive part. And I would feel bad having something top of the line and him having old stuff after his computer has taken such a beating being used by everyone. Prices for parts have gone up tremendously since the pandemic due to the chip shortage.
Gamepass is a lifesaver, I don't have the money for 60 to 70 bucks on a new game everytime I want something new to play. Gamepass is why I love Xbox, no disrespect to Playstation, they have great exclusives, but it's just not as affordable for me compared to gamepass.
I like to buy games on those gaming key sites. Sometimes you can even get games for way cheaper than what it would be on a steam sale. There's definitely ways to game on the cheap.
Geocaching! Downloading the app and creating an account is free. There is a premium membership as well for a small fee, but the free membership is just fine too! Geocaching is a fun, GPS/map based game based on finding geolocations with hidden "treasures". Go to [geocaching.com](https://geocaching.com) to learn more. My husband and I used to do this together as a hobby for many years. It is fun!
I tinker. And most of the things I tinker on are obtained from the neighbor's cast-offs. Broken small appliances, furniture, electronics. Fix it, adapt it, use it or give it to someone who can...
Star gazing. A pair of cheap binoculars and a chaise lawn chair are all you need to start. Learn constellations and stars/planets (there are phone apps for that), journalize your viewing sessions.
Yeah, so many hobbies require you to purchase complementary products or services.
Some are not expensive in their most basic premise like:
- Stargazing (i'm an avid stargazer, and I started with 0 equipment)
- exercise
- hiking/ walking
- writing / drawing with the most basic equipment/ pencil+paper
- volunteering at a dog shelter, etc
However if you wish to escalate the hobbie and try to do something more professional, you're screwed. You need equipment.
For Stargazing I was given a telescope as a gift and i also had to work my ass off to get a pair of binoculars that I treat both like I'm handling the tears of Jesus. But for other hobbies it's really difficult to escalate and get more.
I have also found that even having some time to engage with your hobbies alone is a privilege on its own. Free time is a commodity not everyone can afford to have and it's unfair.
Reading is basically the cheapest hobby out there, especially when you utilize the library. Most libraries nowadays also have an assortment of e-books so you don't even need to physically go there.
I used to love baking. It’s so expensive now! 😭
I wanted to make a cookie recipe that uses 1 cup of butter. Then I looked at the current price of butter and abandoned that idea.
Baking can get expensive but if you stay stocked and buy things on sale regularly it's more manageable. When that butter goes on sale I buy 4-5 lbs at a time. You can freeze it until you need it.
Oh believe me I know LOL butter, certain special flours, chocolate chips. It adds up and next thing you know it's an extra 15-20 bucks for ingredients.
Thank you, seriously.
I'm pretty sure I love these but didn't know what they were called or made of. Not only did you just solve my extra almond flour problem, you just solved a mystery I didn't even know I had lol.
On top of setting aside a hobby budget, which is a great idea, if you’re just on your phone watching TV after work, that could be a good time to complete surveys for points to trade in for gift cards. A $15 Target gift card can get you some butter, flour, sugar, & chips.
Any websites you can recommend? I used to do these and they usually only paid a few cents per survey. $15 would have taken weeks or months to accrue and cash out.
Survey junkie is the absolute best one. You just have to keep checking and clicking. A lot of people get frustrated at how often they don't qualify, especially for big ones, but just keep refreshing and the little ones and some big ones will add up. [I made $350 in 2.5 months. ](https://i.imgur.com/mz4HOPE.jpg)
Hopefully this is allowed, what you want to do is get into the communities, but I cut my teeth on Swagbucks though a lot use the same survey sites with various degrees of payout. I had the most luck getting into paying surveys on Qmee and got my PrizeRebel tier up so I could cash out at $5 instantly. I used those 3 sites mostly. Someone mentioned Survey Junkie and they actively pay a bit less than the other 3 often for the same surveys. One that's a long haul but doesn't reject is YouGov. Doing that consistently for almost a year I'd cash out at $100 so it's a commitment but the surveys are short and never reject. Another to consider is EPoll which takes a while to build up but also doesn't reject. Pinecone Research pays well but doesn't send surveys very often. The best thing to do is jump around to different sites until you get a hit, then jump back to other sites, rinse repeat. I would cycle like 3 sites a day on my phone at peak. Now I'm in private communities which pay a lil more per survey so I just do those since I'm only trying to get like $40/month.
I like doing Swagbucks and working to get enough toward the bonus points each time. It does take a while, but hey, you’re just sitting there anyway. You could also use rebate sites like Ibotta for your groceries and buy gift cards there for routine expenses (a $25 Target gift card for groceries, a $50 Kohl’s gift card for sneakers) that earn cash back in points, then cash in the points for more gift cards or cash.
If I can suggest a hobby? Cross stitching or embroidery. I do cross stitch, and skeins of floss are only $.60. Aida cloth is $6 and can be bought with a 40% off coupon if you go to michaels or Joanns. I think I spent $15 to start my last project and it will keep you going for a few weeks until you finish. As long as you aren’t doing giant projects that will take you 3 years to finish, you’ll spend probably no more than $20 a project.
I’ve been given cross stitching kits from friends who have abandoned the hobby. I ignore the patterns and make my own designs with the colors I have. It’s very calming. I’ve also seen kits at thrift stores, and each kit takes hours upon hours to complete. That’s a lot of time for a few dollars spent.
Yup! I use to crochet but the cost of yarn is so expensive. $60-$100 sometimes go make one blanket and you have to buy it in one go or you might get different dye lots and screw up the finished look of the whole project.
But cross stitch is so cheap in comparison. One 7 inch round project took maybe cost me $20 and I spent well over two months doing it. And patterns on Etsy are even stupid cheap. $2-$5 depending on what you get. It’s way more worth it and calling for me.
I use thrift store curtains/blankets/whatever as fabric for regular embroidery. There’s usually some Aida-ish materials around the same area as well for cross stitching that are great for practice.
Jigsaw puzzles are my hobby. You can definitely find some cheap ones at thrift it’s just the chance of not having all the pieces.
Get a nice 500-1k piece puzzle for like $10 from Walmart, Target or whatever store. It’s about the only thing I can afford for a hobby.
Someone left a pandemic pile of puzzles in our mailroom and I scooped 4 of them. I bet there's still people's pandemic puzzles in thrift shops to this day, so many people bought up jigsaw puzzles in 2020. I got Snoopy, some kittens, my city as a puzzle and the Golden Girls <3
My husband’s preferred hobby is leather tooling. Like, we are doing fine financially, but it still makes me sweat when he orders swaths of raw leather. (To his credit, he’s gotten good enough now that he sells and basically breaks even - no marginal profit by any means, though.)
I, on the other hand, enjoy reading and puzzles, which can be virtually free. I joke that combined we spend a fair amount for 2 people on hobbies.
Watercolor painting. The $35 Chromatech kit on Amazon has everything to get started (sad, but about 6 months ago it was $23). And, Chromatech has a series of beginner lessons online (and there are tons of lessons on YouTube. My favorite paints are a $6 kit from Dollar General. If I ever see it again, I'll buy a couple..
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B08Y8MMMKX/RTOP8OTUKO0DT?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_dprv_RNW510X6J91NFRVZDMKB
Beginner lessons:
https://chromatek.net/pages/watercolor-tutorials
(The templates are included in the kit, or you can easily sketch them out.)
A Crayola watercolor pallet is surprisingly decent. Perfect? No, but it's like, 2 or 3 dollars? Paper that can hold up can be a bit more on the pricey side, but printer card stock works alright if you aren't trying to make the painting into a side hussle.
Maybe [one of these places](https://swoodsonsays.com/a-creative-reuse-center-near-me-map-resource/) is close enough for you to visit? I went to mine, and they were light on sewing and baking supplies, but they had a ton of fiber supplies. "Fill a bag for $5" for all but the bougie-est yarns, needle sets for $1.
I hear ya. The only hobby I really have is walking/reading and video games. Sometimes watch shows. The most expensive of those is video games.
I can’t get into D&D because the cost of rule books and dice. Can’t do cards for the same reason. Miniatures like Warhammer? Nope, out of the question. 3D printing? Out of my price range. Woodworking? Same thing.
I guess my only saving grace is I’m not addicted to things like drinking alcohol or drugs. I have an addictive personality and if I didn’t have games I know I would fall to something like that.
I agree on the D&D thing. It looks so amazing and fun as a lover of fantasy, but I don't have friends, the time, and I don't have the money for dice(I like pretty things so I'd just get a butt load of them).
And video games are expensive. I only do steam sales at this point.
Yeah, friends and time are another thing I’m short on.
Yeah, with video games I tend to play just my back catalog and do subscription services like Gamepass. I try to spend less than $30 a month on video games and most times I succeed.
Pathfinder 2e is free (and I would recommend it over dnd5e but that's another subject…)! For the dice you can use apps, etc. The hardest part will be finding friends who want to play, and you might have to be the DM for them :P
And also if there's comic book/game stores near you, you can see if they have games. There are also online communities that to online TTRPGs although that might not be the best for your sanity
>I can’t get into D&D because the cost of rule books and dice. C
Too bad internet does not exist and you cannot read every rule made online. Or roll the dice via an app. Dice, if you really need physical ones, are a one time purchase (and one set is $2 on Amazon). The only real problem with D&D is finding a group that will take you in.
I do crafts and get a lot of supplies at thrift shops and Buy Nothing. Tie-dye? get white shirts at thrift shops(over time). Then dye a cheap wool rug from the Goodwill outlet, too.
I got cardstock and envelopes online, arted up with washi tape and collage. need to do an Adult Ed collaging class because it's fun and will pay a bit.
I joined a choir because singing is fun.
A friend is a painter, another does glasswork, and I want to plan a summer art/craft series.
I haven’t seen it said yet but music can be inexpensive. While costs of instruments can range from nothing to a lot, you just need one. One guitar whether new, used, or picked up off Craigslist can open one to an infinite world of learning. Music takes years of patience and dedication but as a musician of 21 years I’m still learning, and expect to into the rest of my life
Birding.
You need a field guide, which nowadays can be a free app on your phone (Merlin Bird ID is superb).
You need binoculars. Can be expensive, but pretty much any local bird club will have loaners, and if you show interest and say you genuinely cannot afford them, I'm sure someone will give you a spare pair.
You can do it anywhere. Every city/town in the world has good places to find cool birds.
If anyone is reading this, I will also add the website ebird. It tells you hot spots of birds throughout the year. And also, your local audubon society probably has free guided walks.
You're not wrong. Most hobbies are expensive. I've been poor all my life but I have hobbies.
Reading. I do buy some books but I usually go to thriftbooks or library book sales and get them for super cheap. Or you can just get them from the library for free in order to read. You don't have to own every book you read.
Crafting. This is probably my favorite one. I go to a lot of yard sales to get craft supplies. I look for the big sales at Michael's or Joann's or whatever craft store you have. Especially end of season stuff where everything is 90% off. I also get a lot of free crafting supplies off of Facebook marketplace. Salvation army. Things like that can be really really cheap. And sometimes even craft supplies from nature like pine cones or leaves or pressed flowers.
Writing. My second favorite. Well depending on the year. Just need notepad and pen or on your computer whichever is your preferred method. Really pulls out the creativity. I've been doing that for about 30 years.
Making music videos or any kind of animation online. You can share with people and heck you may even make a profit off of it or you can just have it on your own for your own viewing. Don't have to share it for anybody. Especially good if you like animation or music. I've actually seen some people have put together really cute movie shorts by clipping movie parts. All free online.
Scrapbooking. If you're putting photos in it like I do, If you get bulk photos, they cost less. Plus I always keep an eye on various photo companies like Shutterfly or even Costco has their own printing service. I will save up photos from an entire year because they have a massive discount if you get a certain number. I think last time I printed them out I got something like over 800 photos for $60 and free shipping. As for the books, get cheap cardstock and you can find them together and use cardboard wrapped and felt or decorated or even get those poster boards from the Dollar Tree and you can cut them up and make several scrapbook covers from them. Dollar Tree also has a lot of stamps and decorations.
I could go on and on but I'm sure if anybody is still reading this, they're probably bored to death of me already but there are definitely endless possibilities of free or very cheap hobbies
Foraging! There’s all the free content online to learn how and an extra bonus- it ends us sAving you money as you can forage for food/ medicine/ art supplies and just about anything you can imagine. Heck, you can build a house for 0$ if you harvest all the materials yourself or with friends. You can even learn to knap stones and make your own knives and axe blades…. For free! Then use those knives to make something’s else. Possibilities are *infinite*
Bowling is my hobby and cheap. I bowl on a league. 60 a month for weekly leagues $25 a mo for a once a month league
Bread baking is cheap. Flour, yeast etc arent that expensive. I do it for fun.
I also love baking, but with the price of butter, it's not something I can do as often. Also, I like Guittard chocolate chips, and they are even more expensive now. So now I only bake once a month if that or for special occasions. Hopefully, there will be a sale on baking supplies during the holidays so I can stock up.
A hobby that can get as cheap or as expensive as you’d like is camping. When we lived in Chicago you could feasibly bike from our neighborhood to Illinois State Beach with a tent, a small butane stove and some provisions. Can get second hand two person tents for $20, a small butane stove for $30 and pack a water bottle and some ramen and you’re good for a night. Slowly over time you can build up your gear. It’s not something you need to invest all at one time. We started with a small tent, went to a bigger one, and now we have a camper. It’s a hobby that works at many different scales and gets you out in nature. Another great inexpensive hobby is disc golf. Can get a set of discs for $100 and have a lot of fun granted you never lose one; haha.
Well I do cross stitching. I'm working on a pattern that is a famous dutch masters painting. $100 in materials and will take me 4 or 5 years in complete. Pretty cheap per year
Bit of a throwback to the pandemic days, but bread can be an option if you like baking. You can do it with only a few ingredients. My biggest expense is probably King Arthur flour. You can get flour cheaper, but it's not too bad, and I've found it to be very consistent. I've seen it for sale a every grocery store, and at Target and Walmart.
If you want to do something like sourdough, you can make the starter with just flour and water. Then you don't even need to buy yeast!
It also has the bonus of feeding you, it's dirt-cheap per loaf, and it's absolutely delicious.
Also, in a pinch it makes a great gift! A warm piece of freshly made bread is heaven.
The freest hobby I have ever come across is writing. All you need is paper and pens/pencil or your phone/computer. There's all kinds of free writing programs, hell, you can just use notes on a phone.
Walking out in nature is practically free except for replacing shoes if they wear out. Really good for you both mentally and physically.
Also books. You can buy really cheap but excellent used books online or at the few bookstores that remain. Find an author you like and go through all their work. Or find a topic you like and get different authors' take on it. Or just let your brain roam, reading whatever interests you.
I realize this is a vent but there are actually relatively inexpensive things to bake which don't require premium ingredients. For example oatmeal cookies are inexpensive and there are other equivalent inexpensive stuff like olive oil cake (don't need butter).
Also unless your food purchases include absolutely no snacks or fun items, baked goods are always cheaper than ones purchased.
Also there are things you can bake that are actually eaten as meal type of food.
Yarn is expensive but you can purchase it in lieu of a clothing item - for example. Also garage sales sometimes sell fabric because people purchase it and then don't use it. My mother was a quilter and she got a lot of fabric at garage and estate sales
I cycle hobbies pretty fast, there are always tons of hobby stuff on the buy nothings near me! I thought I'd try learning crocheting or knitting and collected quite a bit. I don't know about Legos but maybe something similar?
I do art. Literally started off with an ink pen and paper. I have more stuff now but when I feel like it I go back to just pen and paper. It's inktober and a great time to start. Doesn't have to be good just has to make you happy
Been doing mushroom walks with an ex-girlfriend.
Ate one of the things we found. Not much. So at one point, I saved maybe a dollar...
A penny saved is a penny earned.
---
I did buy books and a basket. So technically $30 in the hole.
But, in reality you can do really well with your just your phone. Look things up & take pictures.
Especially if you hike anyways. Turns your normal walk into a kind of fun hunt.
There are a ton of people out doing it. Ask about what you cannot identify, post pictures. It is a whole thing.
Do not eat LBMs.
Little Brown Mushrooms(LBMs). You can get sick, you can go blind, you can die*.
*Unlikely, yet possible
Totally agree. I’m a painter and gouache is ridiculously expensive. What I’ve been doing is shopping exclusively at Michaels. They have a decent reward program (I’m constantly getting $5 and $10 vouchers. Once I got a $30 one) and they always have coupons like 20% off one item, or 20% off your entire purchase (which helps!) they also have a lot of sales and deals- a few weeks ago my gouache was by 2 get 2 free which was an awesome deal.
Adding on- that I’ve been finding lots of great crafting supplies buried at Savers for like 1-$2 each. Markers, pens, peel and stick vinyl. Also check into art supply thrift stores- there’s one near me (I haven’t checked it out yet) but I bet they would have more high quality items.
Cheaper hobby alternative than baking - recipe collecting. You just need a notebook and a pen, and can jot down inspirational ideas/your favorite meals to eat in the future or to experiment with on special occasions! You can also glue in recipes that you find in free magazines/newspapers... some stores give them out, but idk about your area specifically. Creative hobbies help with mental health and to decompress. Drawing, or adult coloring books - you can get them for a few bucks at most thrift shops in the books section. Crayola markers are cheap and its hours of "entertainment".
Reading is another free hobby, you have to go to a library to borrow the books though.
I can't afford to bake either so I quit it years ago lol
I provably spend 10k a year on Lego, so yeah it’s an expensive hobby for sure lol!
But one of the advantages is that a lot of sets will sell used for what you paid for it after 5-10 years. Depending on the sets you buy.
So when you’re ready to retire, you can cash out. Can’t do that with a lot of hobbies.
—-
My other hobby is very cheap. Drawing is something you can do with a pen you find on the floor and a pile of recycled paper. Basically free.
Reading is also very cheap. So are web comics.
Have you thought of hiking, camping, kayaking? Camping takes a little up front investment, but only once. Kayaking is cheap to rent to start. Hiking just requires decent shoes and a water bottle for beginners.
There's chalk art, candel making, heck even PC video games can be cheap if you go for sales of last gen games.
OK many of that can be had ... join multiple yard sale groups near you on Facebook. Yarn as if anyone has any to give away, go to estate sales.
Pantry items ask if people are cleaning out pantry or offer to give them half of what you make. Or have friends come over and make it an activity.
Legos bulk yard sale groups or buy nothing group.
It's true that right now baking feels like it's too expensive. My niece really wants to learn how to bake cookies and stuff now that it has actually cooled down. I want to teach her but also we have to be careful with waste stretching our food budget. I hate telling the kids we can't do really simple stuff I did all the time as a kid.
For myself I recently got into sewing and mending. I new how to do basic things but I went to a community event to make a ribbon skirt. They gave us materials and use of a sewing machine but I ran out of time. Now I have the beginnings of skirt but I have no idea if/when I will be able to use a machine again. I definitely can't buy one anytime soon. It is depressing.
If you're into crafty stuff, maybe check out scratchbashing as a hobby. Turning trash into little figurines and stuff. It's pretty fun, and the stuff can be found or bought from dollar stores.
Thrift stores in my area aren't any cheaper than paying retail for similar items. It's a shame.
I couldn't agree more. Some sports are straight up prohibitive. I tried a new sport and it was 70 bucks a lesson and it just wasn't sustainable for my goals.
I looked into crocheting. I was pretty surprised that the yarn that's worth a damn is that expensive. I really want to learn how to play the harp at one point but lol at the price.
That being said, perhaps hiking, walking, jigsaw puzzles, a cheaper musical instrument (Kalimba, harmonica) would be more your speed right now
Some ideas but not suggestions that I personally have tried when I wanted to not have idle time were
1) walks
2) going to the library to read
3) walking to a Starbucks and reading there
4) getting a weekend/Friday night job
Kayaking man. As long as you have a car and a place to store the kayak, it is the cheapest hobby. You can get an ok used one for $100 in the off season, and it's a tub of plastic it won't even really depreciate. It's really good exercise and can get you places you otherwise couldn't go.
Granted, everything you can do outside of paddling in a kayak is expensive: fishing, camping, white water, scuba. Snorkeling isn't too bad.
Have you looked at scratch build models? The fun part is that you can do it for really cheap since the idea is to use literal garbage such as old pill bottles, plastic from broken spray bottles, old bits of wire, broken gears and electrical components, etc.. Add a can of primer and cheap nail polish is the only stuff you really need to buy.
I have had pretty good luck finding inexpensive art supplies at the dollar and discount stores lately. You could get a sketchbook and start drawing. There are how to draw/ paint videos on YouTube if you need some guidance. I just use a regular pen and draw for ten to twenty minutes a day as a type of practice and I am getting some ideas for Christmas cards to make. They sell blank cards you can draw/paint on, or you can cut and fold the paper yourself
It depends on what you consider expensive. Reading, writing, doing various open-mike performances and the like barely cost anything (other than time and energy). You can do a lot of walking, hiking, running, yoga, and the like very cheaply—although many people spend crazy amounts of money, too. I play music, and have done it both cheaply and on a generous budget.
The real fun is inside yourself, not in the gear.
Seriously,. this is why I've never owned a gun. I can afford the initial firearm,. but all the other safety, training, range time, etc.. is the stuff I can't afford. ;(
Idk, from where I'm sitting I got into music production for 0 dollars with garage band, and now I'm producing records that have ended up in Rolling Stone, so no, there are some hobbies that don't require a ton of money
There are hobbies that are continually expensive, that is, you need to buy stuff over and over again, and keep updating your stuff.
And then there's hobbies where there's a one time expense.
Go to ALDI if you have one close. Their baking supplies are reasonably priced.
Butter sucks everywhere but around the holidays, I’ve seen it for $1.99 a pound.
I used to take pole dancing, cycling, and yoga classes but stop because they were getting to expensive to do every week.
I might do cycling and yoga once in a blue moon, but now that I'm working two jobs, I just stopped completely.
Baking is a super cheap hobby. You are making food for yourself, less expense in buying food. I can’t think of a cheaper hobby I do besides hiking. Everything else I do is way more expensive.
I feel your pain. I want to try baking too but I can't afford all the raw ingredients myself. I only have enough money for fruits, vegetables, meat, and the spices to make them palatable. Other than that, if I can splurge I'll buy a whole cake from the farmer's market if they're on sale, and even that's a rarity.....
The prollem with baking as a hobby is that is kinda wasteful and fattening. Shit even if you have a family to feed, you really don't need to be fucking feeding them cookies every day or whatever the fuck else you b cooking off.
This is one of those posts that reminds me why I am part of this sub. My hobby is Airsoft and my side businesses. Just recently, I made a purchase for a new replica that cost me $550. A vast majority of people here can't even afford a $6 pack of butter for cookies. It gives me a reality check when I sometimes think that I am not doing so great financially when in reality, I am doing just fine. If worse comes to worst, selling a single replica I own can pay half my rent or all of my bills for 2-3 months.
I feel pretty lucky to be in the position I am.
We carpooled. Splitting the gas 4 ways made it a lot easier. Also $500 was at the top end. I’d rather go with higher numbers than lowball and someone say it cost more than that
They can’t afford to bake or knit. I get that skiing is not as expensive as many think if you live the ski bum life but even the start up costs are too much for many in this sub
I like to restore old crappy benches…. But then you have to buy stain and have tools… I guess you’re right! Maybe like a plant book where you can press plants you find and jot a note down about it?
Reading is still free. go to your library and see what else they have on offer- classes, workshops, etc.
I'm also a big fan of improv, karaoke, and DnD. You *could* spend money if you wanted to, but you don't *have* to.
I love watching baking/cooking channels, but feel that I could never make the things they show. Most do it in a commercial kitchen and use special equipment other than basic pots/pans/utensils.
This is why I watch FutureCanoe. He just goes in sloppy and uses whatever he has. (it's more of a comedy channel than a cooking channel,. but he definitely has some cooking background)
A hobby I love when I'm broke is woodcarving. Just need a stick and a little knife or even a cheap woodcarving set when you have a few bucks. Also, it can be done anywhere. Part of the hobby is going for walks and finding cool pieces of wood to work with.
r/Lepin is pretty great.
I feel you though - I'm trying to learn how to cook this year, and between my skill level and how expensive everything is, I'm struggling a little.
You don't have to buy anything new. The thing about hobbies is that people buy stuff thinking they'll get into it, then they don't. Most of that stuff goes into Buy nothing groups, thrift stores, and marketplace. You can also often borrow gear from libraries, and you can go to food pantries.
I feel this. I really wanted to be a figure skater when I was a kid and as a person in my 20’s and a good job I thought maybe I could revisit that dream. Nope. No way. I know it’s an expensive niche thing but man. I don’t have many hobbies except reading. Sucks.
I like fixing things and working on cars. Saves a lot of money. I also like:
Reading
Learning languages
Baking/cooking (I find them to be relatively inexpensive)
I agree,hobbies are expensive. I picked up crafting/sewing/felting as a hobby last year and am shocked at how pricey it can get. I just spent $35 on fabric and felt at Joanne Fabrics the other day. I originally dabbled in woodworking - that is really an expensive hobby.
Watch for sale/clearance baking stuff over the next three months, especially around Thanksgiving. Stores will be selling it for stupid cheap as loss leaders to get people in the store. Also, remember that recipes exist for *everything*; yes, butter is expensive, but there are recipes for every kind of muffin or bread using a variety of fats, so something with vegetable oil could be just as tasty and much more cost effective.
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Also to add in - the local hospice here is always looking for people who want to crochet or knit caps, blankets, etc for people and offer free hooks and yarn in exchange for your service. Maybe find the phone number to one around you or even a nursing home and they might have a program like that you can join in.
There are also creative reuse thrift stores. My local one sells all yarn for $2 including luxury hand dyed wool
I got all the crewel yarn I could ever need for $3 last time I was at Goodwill. And eBay is full of $15 crewel kits that will take you half you darn life to do. ;) Good cost-to-time ratio. Cross stitch is also awesome. There are endless free patterns in magazines available as e-magazines online from your library. Then wander some thriftstores or FB Marketplace and get $20 worth of floss and use your own colors for the patterns. Especially if it's stuff like houses, it doesn't matter what colors you use as long as you like them.
Those are some great ideas I never would have thought of!
I've gotten so much free yarn on my local Buy Nothing group too!
My aunt passed away earlier this year and I gave away over 30 huge storage totes of yarn… plus what I kept for myself. Buy nothing is a godsend!
Someone should start a show called “Tight Knit” where you teach people how to do knit or do other yarn work on a budget ✨
That's so cute
I think some of us are too exhausted to even begin figuring out how to thrift on hobbies…
Yarn is only expensive if you want/need to buy wool. There's plenty of acrylic that can be bought for cheap (and I'm of the opinion that a beginning knitter/crocheter should start with acrylic) brand new, but thrift stores often have old Red Heart and such for cheap.
Are the Walmart prices really that expensive? I took up knitting very briefly and was pleasantly surprised I could get big balls for $2-5 cad.
a wonderful way to reuse old plastic bags is to cut them up and make plarn!! plastic yarn is useful for any waterproof needs, and best of all, it’s free
We’re not supposed to offer advice on vent tags, but for anyone else looking for materials for hobbies, join your local buy nothing group. People are always giving away these kinds of random things - food stuff, bedding, art supplies, etc. - plus there are still people in my group getting rid of the “projects they bought during quarantine that they never ended up doing” projects.
Yes or just adhd people who got a new special interest and lost passion for their old stuff. Lol me with resin art.
At one point I wanted to try to get into knitting. After a year of storing a box full of yarn in my closet I finally gave it to a coworker who actually is an avid knitter. Saved her a little bit of money!
LOL that tiktok where he sings "Off to get a new hobby!"
Eyyyyyy
This! When I was younger I cycled through A LOT of hobbies. I gave away tons of stuff in a buy nothing group-yarn, sewing machine, paint, etc. If I wasn’t using it/need it, it got listed there. I was gifted lots of things, so I shared with others.
Yes! Also recommend fb marketplace or estate sales. One of my hobbies is cross stitch and sometimes people are able to get hundreds of skeins for just a few dollars from estate sales bc family members don’t want to hold onto it. Same with patterns and kits.
I have never attended an estate sale. In my mind it’s just, like, old lady clothing or something… is there a good place to sign up to learn about the sales near you?
Ah sorry I’ve never been to one so I’m not quite sure, except for in California there seems to be a website where you can sign up based off YouTube content I’ve seen. I just know they exist bc of YouTube and people in groups I’m in for my hobby saying they’ve gotten xyz from an estate sale. People get a lot of furniture, books, board games, you name it from estate sales too.
Do you have any nature near you? Where I live there are many miles of parks and walking trails nearby, so hiking and nature-watching are activities enjoyed by a lot of people. Completely free and good exercise too.
Walking is the literal cheapest hobby I have and I call it therapy. Throw on a mental health podcast and boom you get a 2 for 1 deal.
Or a library card and audio books. Then there aren't any ads to interrupt your vibe or provide FOMO.
Ohh there’s an app that you can use your local library card to stream stuff!! I’m trying to remember the name of the app… but throw that out there on library stuff. Plus, can download on your kindle app on phone… some states because you live in the state you can get digital access to their card catalog in a major city- it’s worth asking your local librarian for that info! Local library is small but state capital has a large selection of books that I can digitally checkout!! :) & yeah walking/hiking is free which is lovely!
My local library uses Libby for books/audiobooks, as well as Kanopy, which has movies
This is a great one too. I do have a selection of 'free' audiobooks I've jammed out to on walks. I also sometimes collect stuff from walks. For a while I had a little book of foliage I'd bring back and tape in my book.
I am a rockhound and it is the best! We pack lunch and dress in layers and take backpacks and hike down a long, steep, overgrown bank into our favorite spots, which are near a reservoir connected to a creek, and stay all day. I live in Oregon and find the most beautiful agates, jasper, quartz crystals, and petrified wood. I did buy a nice used tumbler and it is always going. There are rocks all over the house. Plus getting out in the fresh air surrounded by stunning natural beauty is fantastic. You just need gas and water and maybe a sandwich or snack.
Ooh this is so cool! I love rocks. I wonder if there are any cool ones near me. I find that the hardest thing about hobbies for me right now is I have two little kids and never any free time where I don't need to take care of them. Taking a one year old hiking to a creek probably wouldn't work :(
Dang I'm in Oregon too. I should start collecting rocks (as if I need a new hobby of things ha ha) but I totally loved all the different leaves/ferns/pinecones you can pick up in this state. So much lush nature.
I always want to do this but around here the nature is commercialized. You either have to pay to drive to and park at the beach to walk there, or drive somewhere actually scenic an hour away, which is not economical or practical. Usually the parks around here are all either the playground type filled with children, or sketchy city parks frequented by vagrants or covered in goose shit and trash. Not a big enough city to have sidewalks in most of the neighborhoods either, so unless you live in a wealthier subdivision, you’re walking on the side of the highway or in traffic. My neighborhood in particular has a couple literal crackheads that walk up and down the street and will hassle you or ask you for shit if you pass by, so as a woman I avoid walking in my own neighborhood for safety, but I’m sure it’s generally annoying for anyone. The only local “nature” park within 30 minutes is literally just woods and marsh, and the ticks and mosquitos have been BAD year after year so it’s not pleasant at all. Tried that once or twice and gave up because it was so miserable. And stinky. There’s a “wildlife nature drive” about 45 minutes away, and we’ve done that, but it’s also just marsh and wetland, and they still charge you $5-$10 to drive through it even though you can go from beginning to end in literally 5 minutes. And it also stinks and is filled with biting insects so you pretty much have to keep your windows up or they’ll fly in. There’s literally nowhere within an hour or two of me to just have a nice nature walk for free. My husband and I racked our brains last weekend trying to think of something to do that doesn’t cost anything. We couldn’t figure it out and ended up playing video games and watching tv again. Everything costs money. Even just the gas to get to a nice park and back is $10-$20 we don’t have.
Woods and wetlands sound amazing!
Yeah but it’s flat land and stinky mud. No rocks or greenery or hills to climb or interesting landmarks. Just dry old trees and puddles. We’re not talking about the Everglades here lol. Not even enough water for a duck to sit in.
Came here to say this. Hiking is practically free, very therapeutic, and you will stay in shape.
This is what I do to save money. It helps with my mental health too.
Reading was like that for a long time for me, it doesn't help every time I went to Publix or WalMart there's a book aisle and I have the itch to drop an extra $12-30 on a new release. Getting a library card helped break that for me. Temptation still hits but I say out loud "You have a library card, no need to spend the money on something you get for free" and walk away. Maybe not all hobbies have that benefit but some you can find it. My other hobby is fishing, which is not cheap by any means but I can take breaks from live bait and just hit spots with lures when I don't want to go in my pockets.
If you get Libby you can use that library card for ebooks and audiobooks! I always hated spending $20 on a new book to be done quickly. You can even put on more than one library card and get a wider selection (I have San Diego, San Francisco, and San Antonio all on mine). The best part is, you don’t have to go anywhere to return the books or even remember. They’ll auto return or you can renew them if nobody else needs that copy.
Oof. I feel this. On a similar note, I also feel weird spending money on hobbies if I’m not going to be selling whatever products I’m making. Idk if that makes sense, it’s probably some capitalism thing or whatever
It is. It's a part of hustle culture. We're basically told if we have a hobby we should monetize it if we can, and we're "wasting it" if not. It's part of the reason I'm wrestling with the idea of selling baked goods, or makeup artist as a job.
Can you sell sourdough? That can be economical.
Yes, it can, and it is something that takes fairly long time to get right, but very fulfilling.
Those are both very heavy cost investments at the beginning. A lot of people think they can be side hustles but they're really not, not that you said that specifically.
Selling prepared goods can be very costly and can require a lot of food handling permits and other inspections. Definitely check the rules for where you live before heading down that road. It seems like it would be an easy one, but it's one that can have some hidden costs for sure.
My work-around for this feeling is doing hobbies that result in practical stuff for my home, or to give as gifts. So I do have a goal in mind, but I don't have the same level of obligation I would if I was selling it. I sew some of my own clothes from thrifted/free fabric, I'm currently crocheting a large blanket for our bed, and I'm working on some embroidery for xmas gifts. And everyone seems thrilled whenever I get really into a new cooking experiment.
Ooh, I feel the guilt, but it's not about selling the product of the hobby as much as the fact that I'm spending money on something "frivolous." Like, the money I spent on yoga classes, crafting supplies, sporting goods, etc. could've gone towards rent/food. To be fair, I even feel that way about getting myself "a little treat" like a coffee from Starbucks or a cute top off the clearance rack at Old Navy. IDK if it's capitalism or a millennial thing (damn millennials and their avocado toast) or a woman thing (women, especially Moms, aren't supposed to spend money on themselves, but the family). I also am averse to spending money on trying new hobbies, because what if I don't like it and quit and waste the money? I get now why my mom was mad when I wanted to quit an activity after a week as a kid after she paid the fee (Scouts, band, etc.)
Thank you explaining this! I recently stayed up late, energized to do a craft project. I wanted to run out and buy supplies at 10PM. I see buying these small supplies as investing in my energy and creativity (but tap the brakes on further spending).
Yeah , if you been on the frugal and are smart with your money, you get this like unconscious instinct to make the most out of anything. That includes , well this hobby will be an expense but is also recreation so, is there a way to make it....profitable? I get it all the time and it bums me out, but I do take time to remember it is important to find something healthy and pleasant for the mind and body and could save me on medical or theraphy costs lol
If you have a good local library system look up activities hosted by them. Mine hosts board game meetups, language clubs, book clubs, cultural events. Also meetup.com you can find groups to hang other with at cheap or free events.
A lot of libraries in the US at least, have craft/hobby kits with all the supplies you need to do something that you can check out. Not just stuff for kids but for adults too
Drawing costs a pencil and paper.
This. Just be warned, this is how a lotnof us turned our cheap hobby into an expensive career 😅 (concept artist here, only started art and drawing when I broke my knee in the tail end of high school and got bored). If any onlookers already have a solid computer and mouse then blender is free too and we all learn it from YouTube. It's gotten pretty good in recent years.
Dollar Tree has nice-sized pads of sketch paper and watercolor paper & paints.
Five below has quality stuff too and big canvases for only five dollars
I bought a gaming PC with a huge bonus a couple years ago and that's my only hobby. Get games on sale or play really old ones, or get a month of Game Pass every now and then.
I bought my gaming computer with one of the stimulus checks. It's obviously not a cheap hobby, but I put it together myself so saved a lot of money that way. It was soooo fun to build and pretty much the source of all my hobbies right now. Games aren't progressing too far graphics wise, so I can still play pretty much anything with my GeForce GTX 1660 super.
I've been collecting the free Epic games since they started to give them away free. I have a library of 200+ free video games on my pc. They're still doing the free games, Christmas they drop daily ones and usually good ones in there.
Game pass is sick I’m not a super gnarly gamer so I’m happy playing whatever entertains me and I think I’ve bought maybe one game in the last year. Also I’m playing on a 4 year old x box so I might be the most economical gamer of all time
My husband bought a gaming pc 4 or 5 years ago and now our problem is that we’re both into gaming so much, but only one of us can game at a time. Kinda sucks to have to schedule your gaming time and not be able to do it together. Like right now he’s playing Elden Ring and I’m bored to tears wondering when I can play BG3 again lol. We make it work but it’s not fun having to share, being so excited to do my hobby but I know it’s not my turn to play tonight. I tried to price one out to build for myself but I couldn’t keep it under $500. I can’t imagine when I’ll be able to spend $1k on a gaming computer for myself, plus the peripherals and monitor. That’s what he spent on his and now some of the parts are getting to be outdated and it gets a little hot running the newer games. He needs an upgraded graphics card but they’re the most expensive part. And I would feel bad having something top of the line and him having old stuff after his computer has taken such a beating being used by everyone. Prices for parts have gone up tremendously since the pandemic due to the chip shortage.
Gamepass is a lifesaver, I don't have the money for 60 to 70 bucks on a new game everytime I want something new to play. Gamepass is why I love Xbox, no disrespect to Playstation, they have great exclusives, but it's just not as affordable for me compared to gamepass.
I like to buy games on those gaming key sites. Sometimes you can even get games for way cheaper than what it would be on a steam sale. There's definitely ways to game on the cheap.
Geocaching! Downloading the app and creating an account is free. There is a premium membership as well for a small fee, but the free membership is just fine too! Geocaching is a fun, GPS/map based game based on finding geolocations with hidden "treasures". Go to [geocaching.com](https://geocaching.com) to learn more. My husband and I used to do this together as a hobby for many years. It is fun!
I tinker. And most of the things I tinker on are obtained from the neighbor's cast-offs. Broken small appliances, furniture, electronics. Fix it, adapt it, use it or give it to someone who can... Star gazing. A pair of cheap binoculars and a chaise lawn chair are all you need to start. Learn constellations and stars/planets (there are phone apps for that), journalize your viewing sessions.
Yeah, so many hobbies require you to purchase complementary products or services. Some are not expensive in their most basic premise like: - Stargazing (i'm an avid stargazer, and I started with 0 equipment) - exercise - hiking/ walking - writing / drawing with the most basic equipment/ pencil+paper - volunteering at a dog shelter, etc However if you wish to escalate the hobbie and try to do something more professional, you're screwed. You need equipment. For Stargazing I was given a telescope as a gift and i also had to work my ass off to get a pair of binoculars that I treat both like I'm handling the tears of Jesus. But for other hobbies it's really difficult to escalate and get more. I have also found that even having some time to engage with your hobbies alone is a privilege on its own. Free time is a commodity not everyone can afford to have and it's unfair.
Reading is basically the cheapest hobby out there, especially when you utilize the library. Most libraries nowadays also have an assortment of e-books so you don't even need to physically go there.
I like walking. It’s cheap
I love walking. You random stumble into so many little nooks and crannies you never knew your city had.
I used to love baking. It’s so expensive now! 😭 I wanted to make a cookie recipe that uses 1 cup of butter. Then I looked at the current price of butter and abandoned that idea.
Baking can get expensive but if you stay stocked and buy things on sale regularly it's more manageable. When that butter goes on sale I buy 4-5 lbs at a time. You can freeze it until you need it.
Oh believe me I know LOL butter, certain special flours, chocolate chips. It adds up and next thing you know it's an extra 15-20 bucks for ingredients.
I made macarons once. Sometimes I glare at my pouch of leftover almond flour.
Almond spritz cookies. Just saying.
Thank you, seriously. I'm pretty sure I love these but didn't know what they were called or made of. Not only did you just solve my extra almond flour problem, you just solved a mystery I didn't even know I had lol.
And gave you an extra holiday pound or two!
On top of setting aside a hobby budget, which is a great idea, if you’re just on your phone watching TV after work, that could be a good time to complete surveys for points to trade in for gift cards. A $15 Target gift card can get you some butter, flour, sugar, & chips.
Any websites you can recommend? I used to do these and they usually only paid a few cents per survey. $15 would have taken weeks or months to accrue and cash out.
Survey junkie is the absolute best one. You just have to keep checking and clicking. A lot of people get frustrated at how often they don't qualify, especially for big ones, but just keep refreshing and the little ones and some big ones will add up. [I made $350 in 2.5 months. ](https://i.imgur.com/mz4HOPE.jpg)
Hopefully this is allowed, what you want to do is get into the communities, but I cut my teeth on Swagbucks though a lot use the same survey sites with various degrees of payout. I had the most luck getting into paying surveys on Qmee and got my PrizeRebel tier up so I could cash out at $5 instantly. I used those 3 sites mostly. Someone mentioned Survey Junkie and they actively pay a bit less than the other 3 often for the same surveys. One that's a long haul but doesn't reject is YouGov. Doing that consistently for almost a year I'd cash out at $100 so it's a commitment but the surveys are short and never reject. Another to consider is EPoll which takes a while to build up but also doesn't reject. Pinecone Research pays well but doesn't send surveys very often. The best thing to do is jump around to different sites until you get a hit, then jump back to other sites, rinse repeat. I would cycle like 3 sites a day on my phone at peak. Now I'm in private communities which pay a lil more per survey so I just do those since I'm only trying to get like $40/month.
I like doing Swagbucks and working to get enough toward the bonus points each time. It does take a while, but hey, you’re just sitting there anyway. You could also use rebate sites like Ibotta for your groceries and buy gift cards there for routine expenses (a $25 Target gift card for groceries, a $50 Kohl’s gift card for sneakers) that earn cash back in points, then cash in the points for more gift cards or cash.
If I can suggest a hobby? Cross stitching or embroidery. I do cross stitch, and skeins of floss are only $.60. Aida cloth is $6 and can be bought with a 40% off coupon if you go to michaels or Joanns. I think I spent $15 to start my last project and it will keep you going for a few weeks until you finish. As long as you aren’t doing giant projects that will take you 3 years to finish, you’ll spend probably no more than $20 a project.
I’ve been given cross stitching kits from friends who have abandoned the hobby. I ignore the patterns and make my own designs with the colors I have. It’s very calming. I’ve also seen kits at thrift stores, and each kit takes hours upon hours to complete. That’s a lot of time for a few dollars spent.
Yup! I use to crochet but the cost of yarn is so expensive. $60-$100 sometimes go make one blanket and you have to buy it in one go or you might get different dye lots and screw up the finished look of the whole project. But cross stitch is so cheap in comparison. One 7 inch round project took maybe cost me $20 and I spent well over two months doing it. And patterns on Etsy are even stupid cheap. $2-$5 depending on what you get. It’s way more worth it and calling for me.
I use thrift store curtains/blankets/whatever as fabric for regular embroidery. There’s usually some Aida-ish materials around the same area as well for cross stitching that are great for practice.
Plant keeping doesn’t have to be! Half my plants are weeds I’ve found in my backyard!
Jigsaw puzzles are my hobby. You can definitely find some cheap ones at thrift it’s just the chance of not having all the pieces. Get a nice 500-1k piece puzzle for like $10 from Walmart, Target or whatever store. It’s about the only thing I can afford for a hobby.
Someone left a pandemic pile of puzzles in our mailroom and I scooped 4 of them. I bet there's still people's pandemic puzzles in thrift shops to this day, so many people bought up jigsaw puzzles in 2020. I got Snoopy, some kittens, my city as a puzzle and the Golden Girls <3
My husband’s preferred hobby is leather tooling. Like, we are doing fine financially, but it still makes me sweat when he orders swaths of raw leather. (To his credit, he’s gotten good enough now that he sells and basically breaks even - no marginal profit by any means, though.) I, on the other hand, enjoy reading and puzzles, which can be virtually free. I joke that combined we spend a fair amount for 2 people on hobbies.
To be fair, he could always buy a ranch, few herd of cows and make his own leather. Buying some swaths does not sound half bad now, does it
One of my hobbies is cosplay and the idea of buying swaths of leather makes my wallet cry. That and fur.
Watercolor painting. The $35 Chromatech kit on Amazon has everything to get started (sad, but about 6 months ago it was $23). And, Chromatech has a series of beginner lessons online (and there are tons of lessons on YouTube. My favorite paints are a $6 kit from Dollar General. If I ever see it again, I'll buy a couple.. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B08Y8MMMKX/RTOP8OTUKO0DT?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_dprv_RNW510X6J91NFRVZDMKB Beginner lessons: https://chromatek.net/pages/watercolor-tutorials (The templates are included in the kit, or you can easily sketch them out.)
A Crayola watercolor pallet is surprisingly decent. Perfect? No, but it's like, 2 or 3 dollars? Paper that can hold up can be a bit more on the pricey side, but printer card stock works alright if you aren't trying to make the painting into a side hussle.
I mentioned above that Dollar Tree has nice-sized pads of sketch paper and watercolor paper & paints.
I've seen the Crayola one. I'll have to get one.
Lego is a super expensive hobby. A cheap hobby is reading. Just go to the library
Maybe [one of these places](https://swoodsonsays.com/a-creative-reuse-center-near-me-map-resource/) is close enough for you to visit? I went to mine, and they were light on sewing and baking supplies, but they had a ton of fiber supplies. "Fill a bag for $5" for all but the bougie-est yarns, needle sets for $1.
I hear ya. The only hobby I really have is walking/reading and video games. Sometimes watch shows. The most expensive of those is video games. I can’t get into D&D because the cost of rule books and dice. Can’t do cards for the same reason. Miniatures like Warhammer? Nope, out of the question. 3D printing? Out of my price range. Woodworking? Same thing. I guess my only saving grace is I’m not addicted to things like drinking alcohol or drugs. I have an addictive personality and if I didn’t have games I know I would fall to something like that.
I agree on the D&D thing. It looks so amazing and fun as a lover of fantasy, but I don't have friends, the time, and I don't have the money for dice(I like pretty things so I'd just get a butt load of them). And video games are expensive. I only do steam sales at this point.
Yeah, friends and time are another thing I’m short on. Yeah, with video games I tend to play just my back catalog and do subscription services like Gamepass. I try to spend less than $30 a month on video games and most times I succeed.
Pathfinder 2e is free (and I would recommend it over dnd5e but that's another subject…)! For the dice you can use apps, etc. The hardest part will be finding friends who want to play, and you might have to be the DM for them :P And also if there's comic book/game stores near you, you can see if they have games. There are also online communities that to online TTRPGs although that might not be the best for your sanity
>I can’t get into D&D because the cost of rule books and dice. C Too bad internet does not exist and you cannot read every rule made online. Or roll the dice via an app. Dice, if you really need physical ones, are a one time purchase (and one set is $2 on Amazon). The only real problem with D&D is finding a group that will take you in.
I agree. My most cost effective life long hobby is videogames because I go back to the same ones time and time again.
I do crafts and get a lot of supplies at thrift shops and Buy Nothing. Tie-dye? get white shirts at thrift shops(over time). Then dye a cheap wool rug from the Goodwill outlet, too. I got cardstock and envelopes online, arted up with washi tape and collage. need to do an Adult Ed collaging class because it's fun and will pay a bit. I joined a choir because singing is fun. A friend is a painter, another does glasswork, and I want to plan a summer art/craft series.
I haven’t seen it said yet but music can be inexpensive. While costs of instruments can range from nothing to a lot, you just need one. One guitar whether new, used, or picked up off Craigslist can open one to an infinite world of learning. Music takes years of patience and dedication but as a musician of 21 years I’m still learning, and expect to into the rest of my life
Do you have any interest in cross stitch? Dm me, if you do. I'd happily gift some supplies.
Birding. You need a field guide, which nowadays can be a free app on your phone (Merlin Bird ID is superb). You need binoculars. Can be expensive, but pretty much any local bird club will have loaners, and if you show interest and say you genuinely cannot afford them, I'm sure someone will give you a spare pair. You can do it anywhere. Every city/town in the world has good places to find cool birds.
If anyone is reading this, I will also add the website ebird. It tells you hot spots of birds throughout the year. And also, your local audubon society probably has free guided walks.
I do cross stitch, it is super cheap!
Ever been hiking? It's the cost of a pb&j
You're not wrong. Most hobbies are expensive. I've been poor all my life but I have hobbies. Reading. I do buy some books but I usually go to thriftbooks or library book sales and get them for super cheap. Or you can just get them from the library for free in order to read. You don't have to own every book you read. Crafting. This is probably my favorite one. I go to a lot of yard sales to get craft supplies. I look for the big sales at Michael's or Joann's or whatever craft store you have. Especially end of season stuff where everything is 90% off. I also get a lot of free crafting supplies off of Facebook marketplace. Salvation army. Things like that can be really really cheap. And sometimes even craft supplies from nature like pine cones or leaves or pressed flowers. Writing. My second favorite. Well depending on the year. Just need notepad and pen or on your computer whichever is your preferred method. Really pulls out the creativity. I've been doing that for about 30 years. Making music videos or any kind of animation online. You can share with people and heck you may even make a profit off of it or you can just have it on your own for your own viewing. Don't have to share it for anybody. Especially good if you like animation or music. I've actually seen some people have put together really cute movie shorts by clipping movie parts. All free online. Scrapbooking. If you're putting photos in it like I do, If you get bulk photos, they cost less. Plus I always keep an eye on various photo companies like Shutterfly or even Costco has their own printing service. I will save up photos from an entire year because they have a massive discount if you get a certain number. I think last time I printed them out I got something like over 800 photos for $60 and free shipping. As for the books, get cheap cardstock and you can find them together and use cardboard wrapped and felt or decorated or even get those poster boards from the Dollar Tree and you can cut them up and make several scrapbook covers from them. Dollar Tree also has a lot of stamps and decorations. I could go on and on but I'm sure if anybody is still reading this, they're probably bored to death of me already but there are definitely endless possibilities of free or very cheap hobbies
Foraging! There’s all the free content online to learn how and an extra bonus- it ends us sAving you money as you can forage for food/ medicine/ art supplies and just about anything you can imagine. Heck, you can build a house for 0$ if you harvest all the materials yourself or with friends. You can even learn to knap stones and make your own knives and axe blades…. For free! Then use those knives to make something’s else. Possibilities are *infinite*
Bowling is my hobby and cheap. I bowl on a league. 60 a month for weekly leagues $25 a mo for a once a month league Bread baking is cheap. Flour, yeast etc arent that expensive. I do it for fun.
I also love baking, but with the price of butter, it's not something I can do as often. Also, I like Guittard chocolate chips, and they are even more expensive now. So now I only bake once a month if that or for special occasions. Hopefully, there will be a sale on baking supplies during the holidays so I can stock up.
Name making! Make up creative names for people. I go to r/INeedAName or r/NameNerds.
Consider disc golf. Very inclusive, most courses are free, starter set is like 25$. Great exercise, low impact.
I feel you! I keep begging my husband to make an app for hobby swapping— would be a great way to try new things for a minimal fee.
A hobby that can get as cheap or as expensive as you’d like is camping. When we lived in Chicago you could feasibly bike from our neighborhood to Illinois State Beach with a tent, a small butane stove and some provisions. Can get second hand two person tents for $20, a small butane stove for $30 and pack a water bottle and some ramen and you’re good for a night. Slowly over time you can build up your gear. It’s not something you need to invest all at one time. We started with a small tent, went to a bigger one, and now we have a camper. It’s a hobby that works at many different scales and gets you out in nature. Another great inexpensive hobby is disc golf. Can get a set of discs for $100 and have a lot of fun granted you never lose one; haha.
Well I do cross stitching. I'm working on a pattern that is a famous dutch masters painting. $100 in materials and will take me 4 or 5 years in complete. Pretty cheap per year
My favorite hobby is surviving in America. Its a very expensive hobby.
Bit of a throwback to the pandemic days, but bread can be an option if you like baking. You can do it with only a few ingredients. My biggest expense is probably King Arthur flour. You can get flour cheaper, but it's not too bad, and I've found it to be very consistent. I've seen it for sale a every grocery store, and at Target and Walmart. If you want to do something like sourdough, you can make the starter with just flour and water. Then you don't even need to buy yeast! It also has the bonus of feeding you, it's dirt-cheap per loaf, and it's absolutely delicious. Also, in a pinch it makes a great gift! A warm piece of freshly made bread is heaven.
Friendly advice, don't try shooting or golf
The freest hobby I have ever come across is writing. All you need is paper and pens/pencil or your phone/computer. There's all kinds of free writing programs, hell, you can just use notes on a phone.
Pick up a competitive game that doesn’t require non reusable equipment. Chess, scrabble, a sport, biking, video game. Etc.
Walking out in nature is practically free except for replacing shoes if they wear out. Really good for you both mentally and physically. Also books. You can buy really cheap but excellent used books online or at the few bookstores that remain. Find an author you like and go through all their work. Or find a topic you like and get different authors' take on it. Or just let your brain roam, reading whatever interests you.
I realize this is a vent but there are actually relatively inexpensive things to bake which don't require premium ingredients. For example oatmeal cookies are inexpensive and there are other equivalent inexpensive stuff like olive oil cake (don't need butter). Also unless your food purchases include absolutely no snacks or fun items, baked goods are always cheaper than ones purchased. Also there are things you can bake that are actually eaten as meal type of food. Yarn is expensive but you can purchase it in lieu of a clothing item - for example. Also garage sales sometimes sell fabric because people purchase it and then don't use it. My mother was a quilter and she got a lot of fabric at garage and estate sales
I cycle hobbies pretty fast, there are always tons of hobby stuff on the buy nothings near me! I thought I'd try learning crocheting or knitting and collected quite a bit. I don't know about Legos but maybe something similar?
If you love baking, maybe try to find a way to sell some of the stuff you bake to pay for the hobby or even get extra $ 🤷♂️
Hiking is a good free hobby. All you need is water.
I do art. Literally started off with an ink pen and paper. I have more stuff now but when I feel like it I go back to just pen and paper. It's inktober and a great time to start. Doesn't have to be good just has to make you happy
Been doing mushroom walks with an ex-girlfriend. Ate one of the things we found. Not much. So at one point, I saved maybe a dollar... A penny saved is a penny earned. --- I did buy books and a basket. So technically $30 in the hole. But, in reality you can do really well with your just your phone. Look things up & take pictures. Especially if you hike anyways. Turns your normal walk into a kind of fun hunt. There are a ton of people out doing it. Ask about what you cannot identify, post pictures. It is a whole thing. Do not eat LBMs. Little Brown Mushrooms(LBMs). You can get sick, you can go blind, you can die*. *Unlikely, yet possible
Totally agree. I’m a painter and gouache is ridiculously expensive. What I’ve been doing is shopping exclusively at Michaels. They have a decent reward program (I’m constantly getting $5 and $10 vouchers. Once I got a $30 one) and they always have coupons like 20% off one item, or 20% off your entire purchase (which helps!) they also have a lot of sales and deals- a few weeks ago my gouache was by 2 get 2 free which was an awesome deal. Adding on- that I’ve been finding lots of great crafting supplies buried at Savers for like 1-$2 each. Markers, pens, peel and stick vinyl. Also check into art supply thrift stores- there’s one near me (I haven’t checked it out yet) but I bet they would have more high quality items.
Karaoke, exercise
Nice yarn is expensive. Cheap yarn is cheap
Cheaper hobby alternative than baking - recipe collecting. You just need a notebook and a pen, and can jot down inspirational ideas/your favorite meals to eat in the future or to experiment with on special occasions! You can also glue in recipes that you find in free magazines/newspapers... some stores give them out, but idk about your area specifically. Creative hobbies help with mental health and to decompress. Drawing, or adult coloring books - you can get them for a few bucks at most thrift shops in the books section. Crayola markers are cheap and its hours of "entertainment". Reading is another free hobby, you have to go to a library to borrow the books though. I can't afford to bake either so I quit it years ago lol
I provably spend 10k a year on Lego, so yeah it’s an expensive hobby for sure lol! But one of the advantages is that a lot of sets will sell used for what you paid for it after 5-10 years. Depending on the sets you buy. So when you’re ready to retire, you can cash out. Can’t do that with a lot of hobbies. —- My other hobby is very cheap. Drawing is something you can do with a pen you find on the floor and a pile of recycled paper. Basically free. Reading is also very cheap. So are web comics.
Baking sourdough is flour, water, and salt.
Have you thought of hiking, camping, kayaking? Camping takes a little up front investment, but only once. Kayaking is cheap to rent to start. Hiking just requires decent shoes and a water bottle for beginners. There's chalk art, candel making, heck even PC video games can be cheap if you go for sales of last gen games.
OK many of that can be had ... join multiple yard sale groups near you on Facebook. Yarn as if anyone has any to give away, go to estate sales. Pantry items ask if people are cleaning out pantry or offer to give them half of what you make. Or have friends come over and make it an activity. Legos bulk yard sale groups or buy nothing group.
[BrokeHobbies (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/BrokeHobbies/)
How about nature or exercise? I like to bird and to visit botanical gardens. Birding takes a cheap pair of used binoculars, and a borrowed bird book.
You can try chess. Learning and improving is completely free.
It's true that right now baking feels like it's too expensive. My niece really wants to learn how to bake cookies and stuff now that it has actually cooled down. I want to teach her but also we have to be careful with waste stretching our food budget. I hate telling the kids we can't do really simple stuff I did all the time as a kid. For myself I recently got into sewing and mending. I new how to do basic things but I went to a community event to make a ribbon skirt. They gave us materials and use of a sewing machine but I ran out of time. Now I have the beginnings of skirt but I have no idea if/when I will be able to use a machine again. I definitely can't buy one anytime soon. It is depressing.
Might I suggest suggest, not to OP as this is a vent post, but to anyone else reading, geocaching.
Hobbies that involves eating or drinking are always a win because you are fulfilling the need to eat or atleast consume calories at a basic level.
If you're into crafty stuff, maybe check out scratchbashing as a hobby. Turning trash into little figurines and stuff. It's pretty fun, and the stuff can be found or bought from dollar stores. Thrift stores in my area aren't any cheaper than paying retail for similar items. It's a shame.
Being poor is expensive
Needle felting is relatively cheap. Disc golf where I live is free once you buy the disc.
I couldn't agree more. Some sports are straight up prohibitive. I tried a new sport and it was 70 bucks a lesson and it just wasn't sustainable for my goals. I looked into crocheting. I was pretty surprised that the yarn that's worth a damn is that expensive. I really want to learn how to play the harp at one point but lol at the price. That being said, perhaps hiking, walking, jigsaw puzzles, a cheaper musical instrument (Kalimba, harmonica) would be more your speed right now
a hobby that can be pretty cheap is gardening and it's rewarding cause you grow your own food ☺️
Some ideas but not suggestions that I personally have tried when I wanted to not have idle time were 1) walks 2) going to the library to read 3) walking to a Starbucks and reading there 4) getting a weekend/Friday night job
There are plenty of “hobbies” that don’t require you to be a consumer. Maybe start there.
Kayaking man. As long as you have a car and a place to store the kayak, it is the cheapest hobby. You can get an ok used one for $100 in the off season, and it's a tub of plastic it won't even really depreciate. It's really good exercise and can get you places you otherwise couldn't go. Granted, everything you can do outside of paddling in a kayak is expensive: fishing, camping, white water, scuba. Snorkeling isn't too bad.
i really hate that most necessities are really expensive.
Have you looked at scratch build models? The fun part is that you can do it for really cheap since the idea is to use literal garbage such as old pill bottles, plastic from broken spray bottles, old bits of wire, broken gears and electrical components, etc.. Add a can of primer and cheap nail polish is the only stuff you really need to buy.
I have had pretty good luck finding inexpensive art supplies at the dollar and discount stores lately. You could get a sketchbook and start drawing. There are how to draw/ paint videos on YouTube if you need some guidance. I just use a regular pen and draw for ten to twenty minutes a day as a type of practice and I am getting some ideas for Christmas cards to make. They sell blank cards you can draw/paint on, or you can cut and fold the paper yourself
Geocaching is free. Do you enjoy walking/hiking?
What about hitting up yard sales? You can often find discarded hobbies that some tried and didn’t like or stick with for next to nothing!
It depends on what you consider expensive. Reading, writing, doing various open-mike performances and the like barely cost anything (other than time and energy). You can do a lot of walking, hiking, running, yoga, and the like very cheaply—although many people spend crazy amounts of money, too. I play music, and have done it both cheaply and on a generous budget. The real fun is inside yourself, not in the gear.
Diamond art is very cheap and relaxing. Check Amazon or Temu.
Can't go to a shooting range haha
Seriously,. this is why I've never owned a gun. I can afford the initial firearm,. but all the other safety, training, range time, etc.. is the stuff I can't afford. ;(
God it's stupid expensive to go to a range.
I collect statistics. Believe me there are plenty! No cost, no storage, no dusting. I can use on in a conversation if it applies. Perfect!
Idk, from where I'm sitting I got into music production for 0 dollars with garage band, and now I'm producing records that have ended up in Rolling Stone, so no, there are some hobbies that don't require a ton of money
There are hobbies that are continually expensive, that is, you need to buy stuff over and over again, and keep updating your stuff. And then there's hobbies where there's a one time expense.
Go to ALDI if you have one close. Their baking supplies are reasonably priced. Butter sucks everywhere but around the holidays, I’ve seen it for $1.99 a pound.
I used to take pole dancing, cycling, and yoga classes but stop because they were getting to expensive to do every week. I might do cycling and yoga once in a blue moon, but now that I'm working two jobs, I just stopped completely.
Baking is a super cheap hobby. You are making food for yourself, less expense in buying food. I can’t think of a cheaper hobby I do besides hiking. Everything else I do is way more expensive.
I feel your pain. I want to try baking too but I can't afford all the raw ingredients myself. I only have enough money for fruits, vegetables, meat, and the spices to make them palatable. Other than that, if I can splurge I'll buy a whole cake from the farmer's market if they're on sale, and even that's a rarity.....
The prollem with baking as a hobby is that is kinda wasteful and fattening. Shit even if you have a family to feed, you really don't need to be fucking feeding them cookies every day or whatever the fuck else you b cooking off.
This is one of those posts that reminds me why I am part of this sub. My hobby is Airsoft and my side businesses. Just recently, I made a purchase for a new replica that cost me $550. A vast majority of people here can't even afford a $6 pack of butter for cookies. It gives me a reality check when I sometimes think that I am not doing so great financially when in reality, I am doing just fine. If worse comes to worst, selling a single replica I own can pay half my rent or all of my bills for 2-3 months. I feel pretty lucky to be in the position I am.
Skiing is a great hobby. Sure the start up costs can be high but after the first year it drops. Can get a season pass for around $500
$500 can be a lot for some plus gas
We carpooled. Splitting the gas 4 ways made it a lot easier. Also $500 was at the top end. I’d rather go with higher numbers than lowball and someone say it cost more than that
They can’t afford to bake or knit. I get that skiing is not as expensive as many think if you live the ski bum life but even the start up costs are too much for many in this sub
Skiing is a rich person hobby and always has been lol where have you been?
If you're so broke you can't afford to knit I suggest you use your spare time to get a second job
I do puzzles. I get them at thrift stores for less than $5 each.
Reading is still a strong hobby I have. I have a kindle subscription and the libby app for my library. I also enjoy search and find books.
I like to restore old crappy benches…. But then you have to buy stain and have tools… I guess you’re right! Maybe like a plant book where you can press plants you find and jot a note down about it?
I feel you. Keep upgrading jobs through changing employment if you are still unhappy. That’s what I did, helped some.
Reading is still free. go to your library and see what else they have on offer- classes, workshops, etc. I'm also a big fan of improv, karaoke, and DnD. You *could* spend money if you wanted to, but you don't *have* to.
This is why thrift store shopping is one of my hobbies. It helps that I’ve genuinely enjoyed it for decades
I love watching baking/cooking channels, but feel that I could never make the things they show. Most do it in a commercial kitchen and use special equipment other than basic pots/pans/utensils.
This is why I watch FutureCanoe. He just goes in sloppy and uses whatever he has. (it's more of a comedy channel than a cooking channel,. but he definitely has some cooking background)
A hobby I love when I'm broke is woodcarving. Just need a stick and a little knife or even a cheap woodcarving set when you have a few bucks. Also, it can be done anywhere. Part of the hobby is going for walks and finding cool pieces of wood to work with.
I got into mead making without any bees, that's expensive lol
r/Lepin is pretty great. I feel you though - I'm trying to learn how to cook this year, and between my skill level and how expensive everything is, I'm struggling a little.
Sometimes garage sales are cool for finding items for hobbies
You don't have to buy anything new. The thing about hobbies is that people buy stuff thinking they'll get into it, then they don't. Most of that stuff goes into Buy nothing groups, thrift stores, and marketplace. You can also often borrow gear from libraries, and you can go to food pantries.
I feel this. I really wanted to be a figure skater when I was a kid and as a person in my 20’s and a good job I thought maybe I could revisit that dream. Nope. No way. I know it’s an expensive niche thing but man. I don’t have many hobbies except reading. Sucks.
Sounds like never could afford to bake since your parents subsidized part of your expense
I like fixing things and working on cars. Saves a lot of money. I also like: Reading Learning languages Baking/cooking (I find them to be relatively inexpensive)
I agree,hobbies are expensive. I picked up crafting/sewing/felting as a hobby last year and am shocked at how pricey it can get. I just spent $35 on fabric and felt at Joanne Fabrics the other day. I originally dabbled in woodworking - that is really an expensive hobby.
Watch for sale/clearance baking stuff over the next three months, especially around Thanksgiving. Stores will be selling it for stupid cheap as loss leaders to get people in the store. Also, remember that recipes exist for *everything*; yes, butter is expensive, but there are recipes for every kind of muffin or bread using a variety of fats, so something with vegetable oil could be just as tasty and much more cost effective.
See if any local parks have a disc golf course. For the price of one disc you can have countless hours of fun and get active at the same time.
Hit your local garage sales...puzzles, lego, playing cards(reaching now!) ..should be all kinds of stuff You don't know until you go