23 Cheap Hobbies to Pick Up Today

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Last Updated on September 27, 2021 by Glori Surban

Looking for some cheap
hobbies that you can begin exploring today?

Believe it or not,
hobbies make us healthy—physically, mentally, and even emotionally. In addition
to having something to do in your spare time, you also have an opportunity to release your stress and increase brain activity.

Hobbies don’t need to be expensive. You can always find a pastime without breaking the bank. For $100 or less, you can start a new hobby today.

In this post, we share
23 hobbies that you can start without spending too much. We’ve set the budget at
around $100, and not more than $150. And with each hobby, we provide you a list
of all the items you need, as well as the estimated cost for each.

Let’s check them out!

23 Low-Cost Hobbies to Take Up

1. Watch
documentaries.

Documentaries are a fun
way to learn new things. They help you understand the world better, and can
educate you about a wide range of topics.

Watching documentaries
is probably the cheapest, most useful hobby that anyone can engage in. Your
costs are minimal, as all you need are a home Internet connection and a Netflix
or YouTube account.

If you’re looking for a
specific documentary that is difficult to find on free streaming sites, you can
always check Amazon Prime and rent it (if it is available). In some cases, sites
also let you purchases documentaries so that you can own them permanently.

Here’s a link to a bunch of clips and videos you can rent or buy from Amazon. You can rent 30 to 35 documentaries or purchase around 8 to 10 movies for around $100.

2. Play
cards and board games.

This is a hobby you can
do on your own or with friends on a Friday night—or any night of the week!
Cards and board games aren’t just entertainment; they can also be
beneficial in stimulating your mind. They can also be an outlet to help you
deal with stress.

To get started with this
hobby, you just need a set of playing cards or a board game. Here are our
recommendations:

Estimated Total Cost:
$54

3. Listen
to podcasts.

Shows never get old, and,
thanks to modern technology, radio shows are now better and more accessible
through podcasts. In fact, you can both listen to podcasts and create your own
podcast channel!

You can both listen to podcasts and create your own podcast channel! There is no need to spend any money at all.

If you only want to kill
time and listen to podcasts, there is no need to spend any money at all.
Podcasts are typically free, and there are thousands of channels you can listen
to. Here are some favorites:

If you want to start a podcast, you will need a recorder and other materials, which can be quite expensive. We recommend learning the essentials of podcasting first. A good book that can help you do that is John lee Dumas’s Podcast Launch: A Complete Guide to Launching Your Podcast.

4. Make
and fly a kite.

Did you know that
kite-flying has a substantial list of benefits? Indeed, studies show that
making and flying kites can be beneficial to your mental and emotional health.

These include boosting
your creativity and productivity, improving your intrapersonal and
interpersonal skills, and reducing your stress and anxiety levels. Some fitness
gurus also consider it to be good for physical health, as it involves some
exercise.

Essential items you
need:

Estimated Total Cost:
$60

If you don’t want to
make a kite but would like to fly one, there are ready-mades available on
stores and even online. Special ones with
lovely designs only
cost around $30.

5.
Stargaze.

Technically, simple stargazing
with your friends, family, or significant other doesn’t have to cost you
anything. You can do it anywhere, as long as the sky is clear.

But if you want to take
stargazing seriously and would like to locate stars and planets, you might need
the following:

• Telescope
• Finderscope – Your telescope set may already have one
• Binoculars

Estimated Total Cost:
$111

A blanket, flashlight,
and astronomy app or star chart are also a good idea. When it comes to finding
an app and chart, there are tons of free mobile applications available on the Internet.

6. Learn a
new language.

Learning a new language
is fun and exciting. Although it takes time and effort, it gives you an
advantage, especially if you are a traveler or you plan on making traveling a
hobby. Plus, it has tons of benefits, like improving your mental abilities and
boosting your social skills.

This hobby has become
pretty easy to embrace in recent years, as there is a wide range of mobile apps
that focus on providing language lessons. Check out this list of
the seven best language learning apps.

These language learning
apps offer premium services that can improve your language skills, and they typically
cost less than $100. We also recommend reading this book by Gabriel Wyner: “Fluent Forever: How
to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It.”

7. Attend
community gatherings.

This hobby is totally
free, yet very fulfilling. Not only do you get to spend your time doing
valuable things, but you also get to know the people in your community better.
This is one of the best ways to feel fulfilled and happy.

8.
Volunteer at animal shelters.

Pet care and animal
shelter volunteering is a great hobby for animal lovers. Look for the nearest
pet shops around your area so you have something to do every weekend. There’s
no reason to spend money—only your time, care, and love are needed.

A great hobby for animal lovers are pet care and animal shelter volunteering.

9. Visit
local museums.

Here’s another pastime
that doesn’t cost much money. You only need money for the bus fare—or gas if
you have a car. Some museums might charge a few dollars for a ticket, but many
provide free entry.

10. Start
gardening.

Gardening is one of the
most relaxing hobbies out there. Plants themselves make your life less
stressful, the act of gardening brings a lot of mental health benefits. Study
shows that it reduces the risk of dementia and other age-related mental
illnesses.

To start this hobby,
here are a few essentials you will need:

Estimated Total Cost:
$71

11. Knitting
and stitching.

Many people say that knitting
requires a lot of patience and grit, but that just serves to make it more rewarding
when you finish a project.

Essential items you will
need:

Estimated Total Cost:
$55

12. Sew
old clothes and spare fabric.

Sewing by hand can be a
cheap and fun way to create and repair clothes. Go through your closet and check
out the old clothes you have. Then find inspiration in magazines and TV fashion
shows to turn that old blouse into a sexy dress. Here’s a list of items you may
need:

Estimated Total Cost:
$124

13. Learn
how to cook.

Cooking can be more than
a way to provide your family with food—it can become a passion and a form of
artistic expression, and maybe even a business! With video and book tutorials,
plus the appropriate supplies and equipment, you might just be on your way to
becoming the next top chef

The items listed below
will cost you more than $100, but we decided to include this hobby today as you
might already have some of them in your kitchen. Here is some equipment you
might want to start out with:

Estimated Total Cost:
$121

14. Learn
how to bake.

If you love sweets or
baked treats, baking is a great hobby to get into. And if you don’t know where
to start, there are thousands of video tutorials on YouTube that you can check
out. You may also decide to buy some books online or at the mall.

Baking is a great hobby to get into if you love sweets or baked treats.

To get started, you will
need the following equipment:

Estimated Total Cost:
$126

15.
Explore candle making.

This is another hobby
for those who have artistic minds. Candle making is not just an outlet to
express your creativity, it is also a way to relax and make yourself happy—plus,
you end up with lots of beautiful, useful candles for your house!

Basic essentials include:

Estimated Total Cost: $103

16.
Scrapbooking memorable life moments.

Don’t you just love
preserving happy memories? Scrapbooking is a hobby for those who enjoy taking
pictures and designing albums. It can be a good outlet to reduce stress as
well—life becomes so much lighter when you remember the happy times.

Here are a few things
you’ll need for your scrapbooking journey:

Estimated Total Cost: $53

17. Do
some watercolor painting.

Studies have found that
painting one of the best ways to release tension and lower anxiety levels.
Plus, it provides satisfaction and fulfillment, not to mention a creative
outlet.

Watercolor painting is
way cheaper than any other types of painting. If you want to try painting but
have a tight budget, this hobby is right up your alley.

Supplies include:

Estimated Total Cost: $91

18.
Engage in origami.

According to experts,
origami is a good activity for adults. This is because it helps exercise your
brain, improve your focus, increase memory retention, and improve mental
clarity. Furthermore, it prevents the early onset of age-related mental
illnesses.

If you want to enjoy
these benefits and at the same time try a unique hobby, put origami on your
list of hobbies to try. Here are the things you will need, in addition to
scissors and a ruler:

Estimated Total Cost: $32

19. Write
and start a blog.

If you are looking for a
hobby that can help you express your thoughts and feelings, writing and
blogging are great options. Several studies indicate that writing improves the
mood and uplifts the soul. Moreover, a completed piece can bring you a sense of
fulfillment and satisfaction.

Writing and blogging are great options if you are looking for a hobby that can help you express your thoughts and feelings.

There’s not much you
need to buy to start this hobby. You surely have a pen and paper at home, and
you probably own a laptop or computer as well. But if you want to have a
separate notebook and pen for your writing hobby, check out these items:

You can check out these
books for writing techniques and strategies:

Estimated Total Cost: $59

20. Try
calligraphy.

Calligraphy is an exciting hobby that many women have
explored, and some even
ended up turning it into a business. But calligraphy can be just a fulfilling
for men and children. It takes a lot of patience, but it is truly satisfying in
the end.

If you want to learn how
to do calligraphy, there are several artists that offer online courses. You may
also check out YouTube videos to see how exactly it is done. For starters, here
are the items you will need:

Estimated Total Cost: $91

21.
Explore bullet journaling.

The online bullet journaling
community is well and truly thriving. Both men and women are into this style of
journaling, as it is a good way to keep track of your goals, activities, and
responsibilities.

If you aren’t sure what
to include in your journal, there are hundreds of bullet journal ideas available on the Internet to draw inspiration
from. For example, you can include a mood tracking list, a financial and savings log, or a space for journal prompts.

There’s no real standard
format to follow—it all depends on how you want to style your journal. And it’s
pretty easy to start this hobby, as long as you have the right supplies:

For a comprehensive
guide to bullet journaling, you can check out this post. If you are looking for the best notebooks and
pens, click the links below:

Estimated Total Cost: $34

22. Learn
how to trade or invest.

This hobby serves a dual
purpose: You develop your financial skills, and you have the potential to earn
money while doing so. Recent research indicates that more and more men are being drawn to this hobby of trading and buying stocks. But the stock
market is equally popular with female investors, with many of the wealthiest
traders in the world being women.

Technically, there is no
minimum amount of money required to engage in stock trading. You can even open
an account with just a dollar or two. But if you want to get serious about it,
a $100-200 investment can get you started.

Here’s a book you can
check out to get an idea of what trading involves: A Beginner’s Guide to
the Stock Market: Everything You Need to Start Making Money Today by Matthew R. Kratter.

23.
Manage your finances.

Since we’re talking
about money, why not make managing your finances a hobby?

This is actually an
essential part of a responsible life. You have to take your finances seriously
if you want to be able to pay the bills and save for retirement. You don’t necessarily
need to buy anything to start this hobby, but if you want a separate notebook
for it, try this product:

Estimated Total Cost: $20

Final words

Life is more enjoyable when you are passionate about something. Hobbies are a great way to discover your personal passions and interests, and they don’t have to cost a fortune to pursue.

You can start out with a small budget, and if you decide that you are really into something, then you might decide to upgrade your equipment sometime down the line. You might find that you enjoy sewing and eventually decide to buy a sewing machine; or you might get so excited about the stock market that you decided to invest more.

But the most important thing is that you enjoy what you are doing and pursue it with passion, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of your other life responsibilities.

Have you already tried some of the hobbies above? We’d like to know which ones! Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and let’s chat about your favorite leisure activities.

Finally, one proven way to improve your happiness and life satisfaction is to focus on goals that truly matter. To get started, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals.

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