These days, all the best hobbies seem to come with a steep price tag and a weirdly excessive time commitment. And oddly enough, the people who find the most enjoyment in these expensive activities always seem to have all the time in the world to invest in them. How they finance that lifestyle is a mystery for the ages, and the answer probably won’t help you find something cheap to do with your limited time off work.
If you’re looking for a new way to spend your free time without blowing through your three-figure paycheck, here are five cool hobbies you might actually be able to afford:
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Hiking
Even if you don’t live near a particularly mountainous region, getting outside and taking a hike through the woods is a seriously underrated form of exercise. You’ll sweat, you’ll experience nature, and you’ll probably be treated to a spectacular view and a wonderful sense of accomplishment once you reach the top. You don’t need a special outfit or expensive boots to finish a well-worn hike, so throw on some old clothes and get outside.
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Knitting/Crocheting
If you feel like you need to invest in the highest quality yarn, needles, and pattern books, knitting can get a little pricey, but a simple project almost never exceeds five or six dollars. And once you build up your collection of needles and learn to field the best sales on WEBS and Knit Picks, you’ll rarely spend more than two dollars making a gorgeous wool scarf.
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Drawing
Even if you can’t draw stick figures, drawing is one of the cheapest and most relaxing activities out there. Seriously, just buy yourself a Frozen coloring book and a 64-pack of Crayola Crayons. You won’t regret it. Draw some happy trees.
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Writing
If you have a computer or some paper and a pencil, you already have all the tools you need to craft the next great American novel.
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Ultimate Frisbee
If you’re a college student with a little too much time on your hands, you should probably be playing Ultimate Frisbee. It’s basically free, and if you take a walk down to your college’s grassy areas (the quad or the athletic fields), you’ll likely find at least ten people throwing a frisbee around at any given time. Strike up a conversation and start a pick-up game. And no, you don’t actually have to be a college student to play.
