We often think of hobbies as expensive, and some are. If you want to raise horses, collect antique cars, take up drag racing, or own your own plane to indulge your passion for flying, you’re going to pay a lot of money. However, there are plenty of free and inexpensive hobbies for you to enjoy. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that, just because you are on a tight budget (or don’t want to spend a lot of money), you can’t have any fun.
So, here is a list of low cost hobbies for your reading enjoyment.
Reading
There are a lot of places that you can get reading material on the cheap if not for free. Use the library, shop used book stores and sales, hit thrift stores and yard sales, and read free eBooks.
Metal Detecting
Who doesn’t have the fantasy of stumbling across hidden treasure? You can buy a metal detector for under $100 (less if you buy used)
Arts/Crafting
Crafting can get expensive, but if you create something unique or useful, you can sell it to recoup your costs. Some ideas:
- Knitting
- Embroidery
- Cross stich
- Decoupage
- Jewelry making
- Painting
- Scrapbooking
- Latch hooking
- Sculpting
- Drawing
- Crocheting
- Wreath making (inexpensive especially if you use natural, seasonal materials)
- Quilting
- Pottery (Rent a wheel, got to a facility where you can rent time on a wheel, or buy used)
- Paper mache
- Beading
- Stamping
Look for sources of less expensive supplies (clearance sales, wholesalers, trades, online stores) and try to use leftovers from one project in future projects to cut your costs. When you’re just starting out, buy the cheapest materials you can get so you don’t waste money on your “learner” projects. You can also find instructional books at the library and free/low cost classes at craft stores or community schools.
Writing
Whether it’s poetry, fiction, or just journaling, writing is basically free. You don’t have to write to publish if you don’t want to. If you find enough enjoyment in the process, you can do it just for yourself.
Puzzles/Board Games/Cards
Puzzles and board games are great free and inexpensive hobbies. These things can keep you busy for a while for little cost:
- Jigsaw Puzzles
- Cards (Get a copy of Hoyle’s Rules of Games for endless game ideas.)
- Board games
- Crossword puzzles
- Sudoku
- Word search puzzles
- Card games (using a game-specific deck like UNO or Rook)
- Chess, Backgammon, Checkers(often available as a 3-in-1 game set)
- Dice games (Get a copy of Hoyle’s Rules of Games for endless game ideas.)
- Find-the-items-in-the-picture puzzles
- Free logic, word, and picture puzzles online
Gardening – A Great Frugal Hobby
It doesn’t matter if you rent or buy, this is a hobby that can be adjusted to either situation. Seeds are inexpensive.
Photography
When many people think of photography as a hobby, they think of huge SLR cameras and professional editing software, or even a darkroom. But even small point and shoot digital cameras
Saving Money
The ultimate inexpensive hobby is saving money. Finding new ways to cut costs and use things more wisely and differently can be a great way to spend time. Couponing often becomes a hobby for frugal people. Savingadvice loves this hobby, and there are lots of great ways to save: cash back sites, money challenges, maximizing the interest on your savings account, etc.
Origami
All you need is some paper
Walking/Hiking
Both exercise and a hobby, walking has health benefits as well as being a way to pass some time. Go to a national park, local state park, nature trail, beach, or hiking trail for a change of scenery. Walking with friends is a great way to spend time together it’s a great way to explore those places both near and far that you have always wanted to see.
Bird Watching
There is something serene and relaxing about watching birds go about their business. All you need to start bird watching as a hobby is an inexpensive pair of binoculars
Insect/Butterfly Watching
The idea is the same as bird watching. We are including this in the list of 67 free and inexpensive hobbies as kids may find this hobby a lot more enjoyable than bird watching if you want to include them in the hobby.
Collecting
Pick something you like and collect it. Maybe you like rocks, bottle caps, sea glass, small figurines, stuffed animals, trading cards
Free Online Games
If you like video games but find them too expensive, try some free online offerings. There are a wide variety to choose from and you can play against people from all over the world. There are also online apps that pay you for playing such as Mistplay.
Playing Music
Beginner versions of most instruments
Foreign Language
Teach yourself a foreign language using books
Volunteering
Whatever skills or time you have can be put to use in the service of others. Find something you like to do and then find an organization that can use you. Volunteer is also a free and inexpensive hobby as it doesn’t cost you any money to volunteer!
Astronomy
Buy a used or inexpensive kids’ telescope
Meditation/Yoga
A quiet room and maybe a mat is all you need
Baking/Cooking
Baking should be in every list of 67 free and inexpensive hobbies. Baking has the advantage of cutting your eating out budget, too.
Blogging
Start a blog for free online and blog about whatever interests you. If you get enough traffic, you can run some ads and make a little money. Warning: starting a blog is not easy – it requires a ton of work and effort.
Listening to Music
You don’t have to buy CD’s to enjoy music. YouTube and Pandora are great places to discover new artists. Amazon
Museums/Zoos/Aquariums
If your area has a lot of museums, you can make a hobby out of visiting them often. If they’re government funded, they’re probably free and you can do this hobby in any new city you visit.
TV – Its Free and Expensive, But Will It Rot Your Brain?
We sometimes give TV a bad rap, but for many people it’s a hobby and not a source of wasting time. They love watching their favorite actors and seeing what’s new.
Cartooning
If you have a sense of humor and can draw, start creating cartoons.
Watching Movies
You don’t have to go to the theater. An inexpensive Netflix subscription can provide you with more than you’ll ever watch. Or, you can borrow DVD’s from some libraries.
Become an Expert
Many people have a topic that they are passionate about. Maybe it’s a sport, a celebrity or otherwise famous person, a historical period, space travel, gardening, or military history. Whatever passion you have, spend your time learning all you can about it. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert.
Kite Flying
Kites can cost only a few dollars
Computer Programming/Website Design
There are plenty of free tutorials available online and in library books. There are many free and open source tools available, too.
Juggling
Get three balls
Organize Old Family Photos
You probably have tons of old photos lying around. Spend time identifying the people and places and writing the information on the back so you’ll always know why these photos were important. This is also a great way to connect or reconnect with your family.
Flower Arranging
You can use inexpensive silk flowers
Sports
Swimming is inexpensive if you have a community pool or a YMCA nearby. Tennis only requires a racket and some balls available at Wal-Mart. Community courts are usually free. Basketball can be played at home on your own driveway with a basketball hoop purchased used or from Wal-Mart, or you can play on community courts. The same goes for soccer and baseball.
Fishing – Free and Inexpensive
Rods are inexpensive
Art from Scavenged Materials
I recently saw someone make a giant Lite-Brite out of old water bottles and a piece of wood. Another person made a large grasshopper out of old garden hose. If you’re creative and can make things from the discards of others, there’s your hobby.
Dancing
Group instruction in most forms of dance is relatively inexpensive. Or you can just watch videos and model what you see in your own home. You’ll get your exercise, if nothing else.
Camping
Tents and other equipment are relatively inexpensive
Whittling
All you need is a knife 
Genealogy
Online resources like Ancestry.com help you in your search for your family history. Librarians and other family members can also help you.
Running – A Great Free And Inexpensive Hobby
While running just to run can be a hobby unto itself, it gets more fun if you enter races. Local 5K’s, marathons, triathlons, and half marathons have reasonable entry fees and you usually get a lot of fun and camaraderie for your money. You can either race to win or just for the fun of entering.
Animation
You can either hand-draw your animations in a “flip book” style, or use free, open source computer software like Blender to create computer animations.
Singing
You can sing in the privacy of your own home or, if you have talent, sing in a church choir, perform the national anthem at local sporting events, or go to local karaoke nights. But if you feel like your singing could use some improvement so you can actual perform somewhere besides a karaoke bar or your shower, you can always take lessons on singing for beginners.
Sewing
You can make clothes, bags, or other household items, or sew “artsy” projects. Scavenge fabric from old clothes or clearance racks and buy your machine used or get a hand-me-down from a family member. Even a new, entry-level machine
Woodworking
You don’t have to build complicated projects. Simple shelves, birdhouses, and other small projects can be a good way to start and can be built from left over materials.
Plant/Flower Identification
Take nature hikes and identify the plants and flowers that you see using books borrowed from the library. This is generally a great way to both get some exercise as well as develop a new and useful body of knowledge.
Coloring Is A Great Frugal Hobby
Coloring books and crayons are cheap and it’s a great stress reliever
Free and Inexpensive Hobbies: Sex
Enough said. In fact, great sex can save you money. Just be careful to take the proper precautions to avoid any “unintended consequences” that would definitely add considerably to your financial outlay.
Fantasy Sports
A good addition to this list of 67 free and independent hobbies is to join a fantasy sports league and build your teams, track stats, and have fun all season.
Community Theater – A Great Inexpensive Option
If you have the acting bug, visit your local theater and see if you can audition for any roles.
Home Movies
Many cell phones and digital cameras have video capability, or you could pop for an inexpensive video camera
Calligraphy
You can get the special pens
Legos – Buy Them In Bulk
Don’t get the specialized sets ($$$), but instead opt for the big box of bricks
People Watching
Go where there is activity and just see what people do. Human behavior is really strange sometimes. People watching is totally free and inexpensive – it costs you nothing to go to the mall and watch people.
Part-Time Work
Some people find a job that they love, but which does not pay enough to make a full time living, to be a good hobby. If you hate your day job, do what you like to do on a part time basis.
Free and Inexpensive Hobbies Include Darts
A board and darts
Magic Tricks
Doing magic makes the list of free and inexpensive hobbies because simple tricks can be learned from books
Candle Making – Surprisingly Cheap
Supplies are surprisingly cheap at craft stores and you can make your own shapes and scents.
Public Speaking
Practice at home with family, or join Toastmasters International for a small fee to practice with others.
Cake Decorating
If you can learn to do this well, you can make some side money doing cakes for friends and family.
Take Classes
Some people make a hobby out of just taking classes through their local community college or library system. Usually inexpensive, you can take a class every term in whatever interests you at the time.
Learn Sign Language
You can learn the basics from books
Take up Parkour
Sometimes hobbies don’t cost a lot of money to do, but can end up costing a lot of money if you aren’t careful when you are doing them. The alternative physical training discipline Parkour is a good example of this. Go for it if it’s something you think you would enjoy — just don’t hurt yourself or do anything illegal.
Planking
There are some strange hobbies that take off for unknown reasons. Planking is one of these. Again, don’t do anything illegal or get hurt.
Geocaching or Letterboxing
If you already have a GPS capable device
Storm Chasing
No list of free and inexpensive hobbies would be complete without storm chasing. Please, don’t get killed. Seriously.
Meteorology – A Great Hobby For Frugal People
If storm chasing isn’t your thing, you can still follow the weather with your own wind gauge
Graphic Design
If painting with actual paint’s not your thing, you can try graphic design. There are a lot of free software programs available online.
Where To Find Free And Inexpensive Hobbies
Hobbies are limited by your imagination. For more ideas, visit your local community college or look at some community bulletin boards to see what kinds of activities are being taught or offered. You’ll likely find that many of these offerings are free or low cost and may become your next hobby. Just be sure that you don’t get so involved in the hobby that is ends up being a cause of unemployment — or if you do love it so much, make sure that you take the steps to make your hobby a money earner.
For More Great Saving Advice Articles, Read These:
Seventeen Bills Worth More Than Face Value In Your Wallet
The Best Place To Hide Money In Your Home: Conversations With A Burglar
Thirty Eight Ways To Make Extra Money You Haven’t Heard Of
Here Is A Handy List of Games You Can Play That Generate Extra Money
(Photo courtesy of Repoort)
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