Mine are hair braiding or styling(I discovered this one recently), watching movies and series, reading and sometimes making simple and easy desserts.
I'd like to get into crochet but it seems like an expensive hobby. I just feel like most of my hobbies are not very creative, they are rather about consuming some sort of content. I'm hoping to hear what people do for fun and maybe get some ideas!
What are some hobbies you have that are cheap or free?
byu/healthynewbie inFrugal
Posted by healthynewbie
27 Comments
READING AHHHH!!! I fucking love the library!!!!!
More niche but making computer games š most of the programs are free, and there are tons of online tools to get you started.
I like English Paper Piecing. I bought an acrylic template from Etsy and use any paper that I have on hand to make the templates. I bought a simple sewing kit from IKEA and it is still serving me after ten years. The only thing I added was more pins. I buy cheap flat sheets at the end of season to back the pieces (you can get very pretty cotton sheets from supermarkets on markdown when the season changes e.g. pretty florals or plain colours for less than 5 euros when they were twenty or thirty before), and the front pieces I make out of old shirts, table cloths, etc that I either find at home or friends/family give me.
I also make t-shirts into cushion covers. I love doing that when my t-shirts get too old and worn but I still love them. My cushions look like concert merch and it makes me laugh.
I also have soda can tabs waiting for chain mail project.
Crochet can be an expensive hobby but a simple set of hooks and some quality yarn is all you need – you can find both for a reasonable price online. Start with small things, and work your way up. YouTube has some great tutorials.
I write fanfiction – the ultimate free source of entertainment – as well as original works and I also have taken up going back to an old school kind of entertainment in the library and renting DVDs etc.
In my house, we decided to make a tv schedule and it is very helpful. Rather than binge watching a show etc, we have days for certain shows and we only watch 1-2 episodes. Wednesday is CSI NY day, for example, but we can make a single season stretch for months because we watch it slowly. We talk about it and get excited for the next week. It really helps to not binge watch things and hype consume things.
Baking bread, flours pretty cheap.
I share DangGanās enthusiasm for the public library lol. Iām also lucky enough to live close to some trails, so hiking is another one for me. Depending on how flexible your definition of āfreeā is, I commute exclusively by bicycle, so I consider cycling to be a āfreeā hobby of mine since my bicycle is a mandatory purchase for me anyways. In line with game development, if youāre a computer junkie with a love of programming puzzles, you can burn a lot of time on Project Euler or CodeWars for free
when i was a kid i loved playing with barbies & i learned how to sew so that i could make new outfits for them out of old clothes my family didnāt wear anymore. now i sew outfits for my daughterās barbies sometimes, and things like barbie purses, pillows & blankets.
i love cooking & baking (i make a lot of banana bread and garlic knots/sticks- they freeze well.)
coloring or painting can be cheap.
and i play video games a lot. depending on what you play on, you can rent video games at a library, buy cheap ones from a game store or download free ones. (palia is one of my favorite free games.)
Reading.
Yoga.
I started drawing mandalas as a kind of mindless task to keep my hands busy whilst listening to music. Just need paper, pencil, markers, ruler, compass and protractor.
Gym, walking, reading.
Cooking. I love to cook because I love to eat. I don’t have the budget to eat at amazing restaurants every day but cooking means I don’t miss out on delicious food.
Cooking can be expensive but can also save money.
There are many ways to be frugal in different hobbies and finding like-minded people doing your hobby can help you shop smart or share resources.
Shopping in season and finding great deals is part of of my cooking journey. I also do a bit of cooking as a side hustle so it generates money. My clients send me food to use. I earn more money through my cooking hobby than I spend on groceries. So net profit.
Saying that, not every hobby needs to be profitable. It’s just a nice bonus if a hobby can pay for itself.
My library has so much stuff besides books.
It has a cool maker space with lots of hobby tools in it from 3D printers to fancy sewing machines, cricut, and knitting and crochet supplies…etc etc.
I am currently working my way through their amazing jigsaw puzzle collection.
I love calisthenics — it’s just fun to jog to a nearby park and then just spend an hour or two doing push-ups, dips, squats, lunges, pull-ups, etc. in the summer sun. In winter, I do it with a pull-up bar in my apartment while I watch television. It’s got a relaxing, meditative quality to it (and will leave you pretty jacked and ripped).
Boxing and Judo are martial arts that are still pretty cheap (well, compared to the rest) and very effective for self-defense. Commnity sports like soccer and baseball can be pretty cheap and require little or no investment. Hiking and cycling groups can be found pretty easily. Bicycling around the city and around the beach is such a mood-booster for me.
Photography is a lot of fun — you can start with your camera phone until you get the hang of it and see if you like it. A great used starter camera and a lens or two is <$500 if you shop around, a set-up that will last you years.
As you can tell, all my hobbies are about being active because I spend so much time in front of the computer for work. The last thing I want to do is sit all night, as well.
I’ve also seen some fun, inexpensive or free MeetUp.com activities.
Honestly, cross stitch isnāt too bad. There are free patterns online, kits on sale or at resale shops. But it can get pretty expensive if you really get into it.
Baking, cleaning, naps, binge streaming, listening to nonfiction audiobooks, free online university courses for keeping my brain active, and online reading while listening to music on the free app Jango Radio. The library makes the audiobooks and online reading free along with GutenbergDOTorg and archiveDOTorg. Our rural village is too far for antenna so we currently have Hulu plus live. I might switch back to our local Cable, will visit the Spectrum office when in town May 6th.
Junk journaling is the ultimate free hobby of mine. Stamp collecting can also be free. Reading for sureā¦love the library so much.
crochet can get expensive, but it doesn’t have to be! I thrift most of my yarn, and if i’m in need of a specific color i just buy it new, basic acrylic yarn is usually pretty cheap.
I play my pc games from years ago.Ā They have given me more fun than I paid. You can get a ton of free custom content to keep them fresh.
I read a lot, most books from the library. Also free movies online from library apps like Hoopla and Kanopy. The Internet Archives, Project Gutenberg, Librivox also provide free entertainment.Ā
I get free books to keep from the sales or freebies at the library.
Free tv apps like Tubi, PBS..for tv.
I like to bake. I’m learning to decorate cakes next.
I also used to make Barbie doll clothes and getting back into it.
I walk in the parks, beaches, and around theĀ town for exercise (free).
My local library does craft nights for a couple bucks where they do a tutorial on an easy and fun craft project!
Gardening can be fun if you have the space to tend to plants.
Volunteering is a lot of fun. I help out at local race events (running, Ironman, etc.). Of course runningās not the only thing, pick a hobby or interest an thereās probably a volunteering opp for it. Itās a nice way to meet other people with similar interests!
Hiking can be pretty cheap once you’ve acquired the basic gear. Then it’s just transportation cost to wherever you’re going.
ttrpgs. while it can be expensive if you start collecting, it can be cheap if you stick to a basic set of rules (some are free), dice, and paper for notes. imagination is free.
i like sewing felt crafts! it is fun to do something slow and repetitive, plus it is a useful skill to learn. felt is also really cheap too. u can get 1 sheet of felt for less than a dollar at Michael’s or Walmart. and then everyone probably has a sewing kit lying around at home, i just borrow my grandma’s.
Card games r/cardgamemeetups
Bodybuilding. I don’t compete. It’s just for fun. I found a gym that has a lifetime membership but most can get gyms through health insurance or other means or no gym. You just need weight to sling around. It’s kind of fun to get creative with what you have available.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/comments/15a5qlf/free_or_low_expense_activities/](https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/comments/15a5qlf/free_or_low_expense_activities/)
I like hobbies that only have you buy something one and done(at least for several years) so I like drawing on my tablet(doesnāt have to be a new or expensive one) and I like doing yoga(you can do it at home for free and places like TJmaxx have cheap yoga mats from reputable brands). A one time purchase pays for itself!
Bird watching. Just need a basic pair of binoculars – keep an eye out at thrift stores for cheap.
Reading, crossword puzzles, math puzzles, being a hermit. š
Birding. I got the binoculars at Goodwill. Birds are everywhere.
Bird watching is a fun and inexpensive hobby.