Need a Hobby? 56 Inexpensive & Interesting Hobbies for 2023

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Have you ever said to yourself, “I need a hobby?” Are you looking for some fun, inexpensive, or interesting hobbies to try?

Hobbies are a great way to challenge yourself, learn a new skill, or provide some extra income. And they’re especially fun if they don’t cost a lot of money to get started.

If you’re looking for something new, check out these 53 choices.

Fun & Interesting Hobbies that Became Successful Businesses

Check out this list of people whose hobbies turned into huge earning potential. They each created a successful business from a hobby started at home.

• Mrs. Fields Cookies. In 1977 Debbie Fields started trying to sell her homemade cookies. She stood outside and gave samples to passers-by in Palo Alto, California. She made $75 that first day. The business grew to more than $300 million in sales.
• Ping Golf Clubs.  Karsten Solheim started Ping in his garage. He was an engineer at General Electric, and also an avid golfer. He built his first golf putter for himself because he was not happy with the putters that were available in 1959.
• Apple Computers.  In 1975 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started building their first computer in Wozniak’s apartment and Job’s parent’s garage.
• Teresa Greenway Teresa is a mother of 10 who went from working part-time in a bakery to making $5k a month doing what she loves. See hobby #1 below to learn how.

A. Skilled Hobbies

There are a number of skills that you can learn to do that cost you very little, and may even save you money. Learning some of these could really improve your life. And they could also enrich your wallet and inspire your friends.

1. Baking

If you’re like us, you love tasty baked goodies. Back in 1977 Debbie Fields took her passion for baking and turned it into a side hustle that turned into a huge business.

A friend of ours started a family business making homemade pretzels. Her kids were involved and it proved to be a fun hobby that taught the kids to earn money too.

Or you can take an online Sour Dough Bread Baking course from Teresa Greenway on Udemy.

Teresa is a domestic abuse survivor who overcame her past. She turned her passion for baking and teaching into an amazing small business.

RELATED ARTICLE: Super Delicious Pie Recipes

2. Canning Food and Preserving

Canning and preserving food is making a comeback. It’s a great way to create an emergency cache of food or to preserve a bumper crop of veggies or fruit. Watch this video to learn what we did with a huge haul of Red Peppers we got from a produce rescue.

It doesn’t cost a lot to get started canning. And you can usually find canning supplies at thrift stores and yard sales.

– Learn about How to Can from Ball, the canning jar manufacturer
– Here are the canning jars we use.

3. Cooking

Do you have a friend who has taken cooking to a whole new level? Learning from an experienced chef is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to learn.

Getting together with a group of friends to do a bulk cooking day is another way to learn new recipes and skills.

Perhaps you could job shadow a friend who is a chef for a small restaurant and learn from him or her.

Many community colleges offer community enrichment, cooking classes. The instructors are usually experienced, professional chefs. These enrichment classes don’t cost much and are a great way to meet like-minded friends.

Cooking can be an inexpensive hobby and can actually save you thousands of dollars each year. And it can also make you some money as a side hustle. Check out the next idea below.

If you get good enough at cooking you might start hosting meals for pay through TasteMade or EatWith. You can list your food event on one of these sites and charge per person. Each site takes a fee for what you earn.

As far as hobbies go, learning to cook can really save you money – we consider it a cheap, chic, hobby.

You may want to learn about bulk cooking from our book, Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half.

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook is one of our favorite resources.

4. Raising Animals

Animal husbandry is an amazing and fun hobby.

We’ve raised birds, hamsters, dogs, and turtles. We’ve bred and sold all but the birds. Our kids loved learning about genetics. They also became very accomplished in caring for and training the animals.

Our daughter Becky currently volunteers at an organic farm. This farm grows some amazing veggies. Becky has also learned a lot about raising and caring for the goats they have on the farm.

She has been taught how they milk the goats and how they process and used the goats’ milk. She’s created lots of delicious recipes. Volunteering at a small farm is a great way to learn from a pro.

RELATED ARTICLE: Eating Organic on a Budget

5. Restoring Furniture

Refinishing and reupholstering furniture is a fantastic hobby. We’ve turned unsightly woodworking into beautiful cabinets, tables, and other things.

We’ve even refurbed trash picked items. We’ve cleaned them up, done a little refinishing and sold them. We’ve made money selling them on CraigsList, OfferUp and at Consignment stores.

RELATED ARTICLE: 25 Sites Like CraigsList

In our area, people are constantly throwing away usable and repairable furniture. This “junk” becomes home décor items or cash.

6. Woodworking

Creating something useful or creative from scratch out of new or used wood is an amazing skill to learn.

We had a friend who built guitars in his garage. Another built a wooden kayak with his son. Building furniture, grandfather clocks, cabinets, and wooden art is super rewarding.

Years ago, Steve traded a motorcycle to a friend. In exchange, the friend built several pieces of mahogany furniture for our house. Steve worked with him and learned plenty.

You can take woodworking classes from companies like Rockler and many community colleges.

You can find used woodworking equipment at bargain prices on OfferUp and Craigslist.

Steve’s favorite manufacturers are Delta (table saws and grinders) and Bosch (hand sanders and jigsaws).

Woodworking is really a cool hobby – you can make awesome stuff from virtually any kind of wood. And you can repair almost any type of broken wooden item.

RELATED ARTICLE: Home Hacks – Money Saving Tips

7. Home Construction & Carpentry

This is a skill that can save you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. Learning to install baseboards, hang doors and wire light switches are invaluable skills.

Stores like Home Depot and Lowes host classes where you can learn some of these skills.

You can also watch thousands of videos on YouTube to learn from pros around the world. Steve learned to do carpentry and drywall work from Annette’s dad. Over time, Steve has passed these skills on to our kids and sons-in-law.

RELATED ARTICLE: Carpentry and Home Repair Tips

8. Metal Working – Forging

With the advent of the Forged in Fire TV show, our son Joe decided to build a small forge and start making custom knives.

For raw materials, he collects discarded steel (old wrenches, heavy-gauge steel parts). Then he transforms them into usable and beautiful knives and tools.

He is in the beginning stages of learning this hobby and is really enjoying the process.

RELATED ARTICLE: Teaching Your Kids to Repair Things

9. Sewing

With the popularity of Pinterest, sewing is experiencing a resurgence. Stores like JoAnn’s have classes where you can learn the basics. And of course, there are hundreds of videos on YouTube to educate and inspire you.

Sewing clothes or home décor can be a huge money-saver and a real esteem booster.
Also, sewing home decor items such as pillows, curtains, and cushions for chairs can also be a fun and inexpensive hobby as well. Especially if you find your fabric at garage sales or used from thrift stores or online platforms that sell used items.

And quickly being able to repair damaged clothes is a great bonus. Used sewing machines can be found at garage sales, thrift stores, and on OfferUp. We’ve also seen them listed on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.

10. Crafting for Money

Do you know how to sew, sculpt, or work with wood or metal? These and dozens of other hobbies could become side hustles. And these side hustles could turn into money by starting an Etsy Store.

Our daughter Becky, makes handcrafted animal ornaments and pet memorials. She sells them through her Etsy Store – Whimsical Winnies.

11. Start a Recipe Club

We’ve seen book clubs, and wine clubs, but if you’re wanting to focus on expanding your culinary horizons, have you considered a Recipe Club?

If you have some like-minded friends why not try a monthly recipe get-together?

Just pick a key ingredient for the month. Have everyone bring a small sample dish that uses that ingredient. Everyone can taste the samples and grab the recipe cards of the ones they like the best.

This next set of hobbies will require some real thinking skills but could be super rewarding too.

B. Cool Intellectual Hobbies to Enrich Your Brain

These are hobbies that will enhance your thinking and improve your mental ability. Many people believe that activities like these can ward off Alzheimer’s or other mental conditions.

12. Recording Audio Books

If you love reading out loud, you could volunteer to read books for the hearing impaired.

These are just a few organizations that could use your help:

– LibraVox.org
– LearningAlly.org
– Perkins School for the Blind

The number of recording opportunities is unending. And who knows, you may find a career in reading audiobooks.

When we were recording the audiobook version of our first book, “America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right“ on the Money,” we met an actress who earned a very steady stream of income recording novels for one publisher.

We also read the audio version of our third book, “The MoneySmart Family System.” You can listen to Annette read Chapter 1.

If you don’t want to do the recording thing, volunteer to read aloud to kids at a library or a grade school near you.

13. Reading

This is one of the least expensive hobbies and one of the most rewarding.

Of course, you can lose yourself in a fictional novel as a wonderful break from real life. Or you can delve into a subject of interest that will enrich your life.

It is said that the most successful men and women are the most prolific readers. Making use of a public library keeps this hobby from costing a lot of money.

Most libraries loan print and audiobooks. Some libraries are making audiobooks available in downloadable formats. Now you can listen to books on your computer or phone (driving, walking, or working out).

Could you read one book a month as a start?

WellKeptWallet lists 20 websites that pay or give you free books for reading and reviewing.

14. Start a Book Club

If reading is a passion of yours, then why not get together on a monthly basis with some like-minded friends?

It doesn’t have to be a rigid thing, just pick a book you all want to read, then come back and discuss it over coffee, tea, or ice cream.

Most public libraries have small meeting rooms available and of course, you could also meet at a local coffee shop or even a local church.

If you’re not sure how to start, check out these “How to Start a Book Club” books on Amazon.

15. Play a Musical Instrument

You don’t need to start with expensive music lessons to learn to play. Just borrow an instrument from a friend and watch YouTube videos. Or take a course on Udemy or Teachable.

Steve learned to play guitar sitting across the campfire with a college roommate. He watched his hand positions and copied them.

If you become really good at playing your instrument you could:

• Start a Garage Band
• Write and record your own music
• Play with a community band
• Join a church worship group
• Try out for the X Factor and compete for prize money

Following current affairs can really keep you in the know. You could track a single subject like politics. Or you could become well-versed in a wide variety of topics and issues from around the world.

Leaving comments on news websites could lead you to be quoted in the media or a writing career.

Or you could become a video blogger and record YouTube commentaries on the news. The sky’s the limit.

17. Writing

Is there something you’re passionate about or do you have a deep understanding of a subject? Why not start writing down your thoughts?

We did this before we launched our website and received so much positive feedback that we pursued it.

You may not start off writing a best seller, but you could help and inspire people and that is super rewarding.

Having a systematic way to track what you write is imperative. We use Evernote to record our ideas. We’re building a page that lists resources for How to Start A Blog.

Our friend Holly Johnson at ClubThrifty has a course that teaches you how to make money writing. Visit EarnMoreWriting.com for details.

18. Become a Wikipedia Editor

Writing new Wikipedia entries or editing existing ones can be a great hobby. And it can turn into a paying side hustle. Learn more about getting paid for editing Wikipedia from Quora.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about becoming an editor:

Whether you’re an expert when it comes to history, grammar, or obscure murder cases, you (yes, you!) can become a Wikipedia editor — and it doesn’t even require registration. Anyone can start, and you’ll be helping Wikipedia continue to be the endless wealth of information that it is.

To get started, take a look at Wikipedia’s Help: Editing page. It tells you how to make edits, what kind of tone to use, how to add references, and more. Peruse some Wikipedia pages you find fascinating, and when you find changes to make or have an interesting addition, you can get going and submit edit requests.

19. Genealogies and Your Family Tree

Several of our relatives have been bitten by the Genealogy Bug. They use sites like Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com to help them unearth information. Learning about your family can be rewarding and sometimes a little shocking too.

In a recent review by TheWirecutter.com:

The Wirecutter (a NY Times-owned publication) reported that after spending more than 80 hours researching several DNA testing services, “We think Ancestry.com is the best DNA testing service for most people curious about their ethnic roots.”

20. Learn a New Language

If you want to travel to a foreign country or just learn a language as a hobby, there are plenty of resources to help you. Libraries have full courses for learning foreign languages. One of the most popular platforms is Rosetta Stone.

Or you could take a risk and make friends with someone who speaks your desired language and learn from them.

Another option is a community college. They usually have language courses you can take for enrichment or college credit.

21. Learn a New Game

We love playing games at our house. And when we led a young adults group at our church, we learned all kinds of new games from the kids who attended.

We have created a list of our favorites board, strategy, games, card and number games. You can read these reviews in our Resources and Reviews section. Playing new games is a fun hobby to pursue.

A couple of our favorite games are Settlers of Catan and Puerto Rico. 

Click for More Great Game Ideas and Reviews. 

This section includes Card Games, Number Games, Word Games, Strategy Games, and Board Games.

Click for more Activities and Game Ideas

22. Drawing

All you need are a few artist graphite pencils or colored pencils and a sketch pad. Doodling can turn into full-fledged drawings. You could copy the masters or create your own masterpieces to decorate your home or to give as gifts.

Learning to do caricatures can be a great way to earn a side hustle income. A couple of great places to get your art supplies at a discount are Michaels and Hobby Lobby

If you like to doodle and color, check out our Free Printable Coloring Page for Adults article.

23. Learn Calligraphy

Learning to write with a calligraphy pen can be a fantastic hobby and a lucrative side hustle. Handwritten invitations, place cards, and menus are all the rage.

We have a friend who has done calligraphy for decades and she has created some of the most memorable, framable gifts that we have ever seen.

You can take a calligraphy class at a community college or community center, or you can learn from a book. One of the best-rated Calligraphy books on Amazon is “Lettering and Modern Calligraphy: A Beginner’s Guide: Learn Hand Lettering and Brush Lettering“

24. Housesitting, Petsitting & Free Lodging

We met a woman at a bloggers conference who has traveled all over the world and received free lodging. She found her opportunities by being part of TrustedHouseSitters.com. On the website, you can search for people who are looking for a person to live in their home and care for a pet or a few pets.

If you love animals and are neat and responsible, this could be a great hobby. Lodging is free. Often you’ll be given the use of a vehicle and some food. We asked if our friend ever received payment for her services and she said, “No.” But if you consider what the price of a hotel or an Airbnb would be when traveling, you’re being compensated pretty well.

Believe it or not, there are tons of hobbies that you can do on your phone or computer-checkout the next section.

C. Online Affordable Hobbies

The internet is huge and so are the opportunities for connecting with people and hobbies. Give some of these hobbies a try.

25. Create a Blog

If you love to share your ideas and are looking for a new hobby, consider blogging.

Blogging is a great hobby that could turn into a life-changing passion. You can get started by setting up a free blog on WordPress.org. Or if you’re more ambitious buy a domain and launch a website using a hosting plan. Hosting plans can cost as little as $50 per year.

Being consistent and transparent in your writing is what can really make a blog gain a following. There’s a lot more to becoming an effective blogger, but the key is to start and keep writing.

We started our first website back in 2003 and knew nothing about social media, blogging, or HTML. Today it is so much easier to get started. We’ve created a quick-start list of blogging resources here to help you start a blog.

When we first started our website we would get excited if we had 10 visitors each day.

Now thousands of people from around the world visit our site. They leave comments and ask questions. They also find information that helps them to build a better financial future.

26. Take Surveys and Get Paid

There are a lot of online survey companies popping up on the internet. We’ve tried several but there are two sites that we like the best. We have found Swagbucks and SurveyJunkie to be the most ethical and rewarding of them all. Read more below.

This is a really interesting hobby as you share your opinion and get paid for it too. You won’t make much, but it’s a fun way to make your spare time profitable.

Swagbucks

This is one of our favorite sites and we earn SB (Swagbucks Points). We earn SB when we take surveys (but we don’t do these every day). We also earn SB when we purchase at sites like Amazon, Home Depot, GoDaddy, and hundreds more. Swagbucks also rewards you for watching videos, playing games, and much more.

SB can be redeemed for hundreds of different gift cards. Read our detailed review and earnings summary here.

Read our review of Swagbucks and Get a Bonus if you choose to sign up.

Or sign up now using this Swagbucks link and get a cash bonus.

Survey Junkie

We’ve talked with people who work there and people who have signed up for Survey Junkie. Signing up is quick and easy AND you can start taking surveys right away.

They have more than 4 million people who have signed up as survey takers.

They are a fair and honest company to work with. Steve has taken dozens of surveys with them and has consistently earned some money from them.

They are honest and say that you won’t get rich taking surveys, but you can earn a little extra money. Once you’ve earned $10 in points, it can be deposited directly into your Paypal account.

RELATED ARTICLE: There are dozens of other survey websites and apps out there. Read our Best Survey Apps blog to learn more.

27. Watch YouTube Videos

YouTube has some hilarious videos on it.

If you need a laugh this is the place to visit. We recently watched a collection of drone fails that had us rolling on the floor laughing.

Or you could watch home repair, cooking, auto mechanics, and sewing videos. Or perhaps, comedy, Ted Talks, biographies, or other types of videos. And you can save your favorites to playlists that can be shared with friends and family.

If you want to watch some money-saving videos, check out our YouTube Channel.

28. Podcasts – Listening & Learning

Podcasts are so plentiful and diverse. There’s bound to be one that piques your interest and will motivate you. You can improve your skills and talents. Or you can find those that are purely entertaining.

There are podcasts for starting online businesses, parenting, saving money, making money, acting and so many more. Two different groups have ranked the top podcasts of 2017 – you can see the lists here:

1. Podtrac.com

2. Esquire Magazine

29. Buy and Resell Items Online

Buying valuable items at garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment stores at super-discounted prices and then turning them into cash for profit is a fun hobby.

We have a friend who lost her job as a TV news anchor. She started going to garage sales and doing thrift flipping. She earned enough money doing this to make her house payments for a whole year.

If you want to learn how to make money from Garage Sale items, check out the pros – Rob and Melissa Stephenson at Flea Market Flippers. They’ve made more than $80,000 a year flipping stuff they picked up at flea markets and garage sales. 

Learn more about Rob & Melissa by participating in their FREE webinar – it’s recorded and runs every day.

We love selling things on CraigsList, OfferUp, eBay, and some on Amazon (textbooks). But you might also consider selling your finds at local consignment stores.

We’ve done “consignment flipping” often and used the credit to redecorate several rooms in our home.

RELATED ARTICLE: Retail Arbitrage: Make a Living Bargain Hunting

30. Pinterest – Gathering Ideas to Beautify Your Life

Pinterest is a treasure trove of ideas for any pursuit that you might have. We’ve found awesome home décor ideas for our fireplace mantle.

Making boards on Pinterest is an inexpensive hobby. But it can turn expensive when you start to do the projects.

Our daughter Abbey found a great idea for her wedding reception. We transformed a plain church gymnasium into a canopied restaurant with twinkle lights. We used a 90’ military cargo parachute suspended from the ceiling.

She got the idea on Pinterest and saved it to her wedding reception board.

This idea didn’t cost us a lot of money because a friend loaned us their parachute, but it did cost us a lot of planning and engineering time.

This is a 90-foot-diameter cargo parachute hung over a gymnasium floor for our daughter Abbey’s wedding reception.

This is a 90-foot-diameter cargo parachute hung over a gymnasium floor for our daughter Abbey’s wedding reception.

We’ve found great ideas for family pictures, organizational tips, and of course, lots of recipes. Set up your Pinterest account and start organizing your ideas for your future. Check out our Pinterest Page here.

Indoor hobbies are great when the weather is too hot or too cold, but the next set of hobbies is for when the out of doors is beckoning you.

D. Popular Outdoor & Interesting Hobbies

Getting outdoors and breathing fresh air while you do something you enjoy is about as good as it gets.

Be sure to dress for your climate and if you’re out in the sun, use sunscreen and bring water to drink.

31. Hiking

You don’t need to go into the far-off wilderness to enjoy a nice hike. Every area has forest preserves or large parks where you can take a leisurely stroll or a more robust hike. It’s a great way to get in shape and see new areas.

Be sure you’ve got sturdy shoes – getting a blister isn’t one of the rewards of hiking that most people enjoy.

In Arizona, if you want to hike in the summer we have three options.

1. Hike early in the morning when it’s not so hot.
2. Head to the north country where it’s 20 to 30 degrees cooler.
3. Or “hike” indoors at one of the many air-conditioned malls.

32. Camping

You don’t need a lot of gear to start camping. Most of what you need can be purchased at thrift stores or from CraigsList or OfferUp.

We spent years involved with Boy Scouting and learned a lot about camping. We always pitched a tent and slept in sleeping bags on inflatable cushions.

We’ve camped in hot weather and cold weather and even camped during torrential rainstorms. It’s always a great bonding time and lots of fun.

33. Gardening

Gardening is a great hobby – especially if you can grow your own organic food. We have gardened for years, but now due to travel and work schedules have let the gardening go. But we do have several fruit trees on our property that we cultivate.

You could lower your grocery bill and eat healthier at the same time. Gardening is a great skill for kids to learn too.

We used and loved the concepts presented in the book Square Foot Gardening. Mel Bartholomew developed this strategy which makes efficient use of space and time. He teaches his square-foot gardening method all around the world.

Many County Extension Services have classes to train you in gardening in your area. They also have Master Gardener training classes. In these classes, you receive training and are sent around to teach groups how to garden better. Find the county extension service near you.

34. Composting

Learning to compost goes hand in hand with gardening. It’s not only a hobby but it can become a way of life. Learning to conserve more and waste less. is ecologically friendly and puts less waste into landfills. Many cities are now collecting yard waste in separate containers and creating their own mulch and compost.

At MoneySmartFamily we utilize a triple compost bin system. One bin is for fresh yard waste, the second is “cooking,” and the third is ready for use.

35. Rock Collecting

Lots of kids love rocks, we had our share. John, our eldest, really enjoyed rock collecting. He even started polishing some of his gems and giving them as gifts.

Steve’s parents gave him a small rock tumbler for his birthday one year. John loved seeing his precious rocks turn into beautiful “gems.” You can buy a rock tumbler for between $50 and $200 from Amazon.

Rock Collecting is a hobby that can grow with you as you get older. There is a large gem and mineral show every year in Quartzite, Arizona – people come from all over the world to buy, sell and trade rocks, minerals, and jewelry.

If you’re really into gems and minerals, check out MineRatMinerals.com. Mark Kielbaso started collecting rocks as a kid. Over time he turned his hobby into a huge business selling minerals from all around the world.

36. Geocaching – Treasure Hunting

We did this years ago with Steve’s brother Theo. Geocaching is a treasure hunt using a GPS or your Cell Phone. You can download the apps here:

You find the coordinates of a hidden cache. The cache is usually a 5-gallon bucket or waterproof container that contains trinkets. Using your GPS app you hike to the area and search to find the cache.

When you locate the treasure, you write your name in a logbook and leave a trinket you brought with you. You also can take a trinket from the bucket. There are millions of Geocaches registered and hidden around the world.

You can do this in almost every city you visit (we have more than 4000 in the Phoenix area). Learn more at the Geocaching.com website.

37. Fishing

We had a dear friend who absolutely loved fishing. It was therapy for him to be out on a lake or wading in a stream. He was so patient and good at it that he taught dozens of other men to fish too. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started.

38. Hunting

Hunting is a great hobby for adults and kids alike. We’ve got lots of friends who love the challenge and the serenity of hunting. It’s not an inexpensive hobby, but can be rewarding. If you’re a beginner, connect with an experienced hunter before you go solo.

Whether you want to hunt with a gun or a bow, you may want to get trained by an expert. And consider taking an NRA Gun Safety Course.

39. Bird Watching

We’ve never done this as a focused hobby, but we have spied out some amazing birds in the desert when we’ve been out walking or camping.

We’ve seen falcons, hawks, roadrunners, great horned owls, cactus wrens, bald eagles, and tons of hummingbirds.

Use your cell phone or more expensive camera equipment to capture what you see. This is a great way to share and enjoy your discoveries. Learn how to Start Bird Watching.

40. Metal Detector Treasure Hunting

If you love to take walks at the beach, park, forest preserve, hiking trails or just about anywhere else, turn it into a treasure hunt.

Buy an inexpensive metal detector and you’ll find all kinds of lost metal items including rings, money, cans

If you’re looking for hobbies that could put some cash back in your pockets, keep reading.

E. Fun Finance Inexpensive Hobbies

It can be rewarding to work on growing your finances. You can learn to increase your investments. Or learn to better manage your money. Find new ways to earn money. There are even people who are learning to do bitcoin mining. There are lots of fun things you can learn in the area of finances.

41. Garage Sales & Thrifting – Treasure Hunting

This is something that we absolutely love. We’ve done lots of Christmas shopping at both Garage sales and thrift stores. It’s amazing to us how many brand-new items you can find at these places.

Some people may consider this a cheap hobby, but we look at it as a treasure hunt. It’s a way to repurpose unwanted things into treasures, gifts, or income

And if you’re buying things to use at home, what’s better than buying it at 80% off of retail? You can use it for several months or years and then sell it for what you paid for it.

Just be sure that you’re buying things you’ll use and not leaving them for your kids to donate after you’re gone.

We love using Gsalr.com to find sales while we’re driving around.

42. Baby Sitting and Childcare

This is a great way for kids to start earning money. Obviously, you want your child to be responsible and well-prepared before they have been entrusted with the care of someone else’s children.

And if you’re an adult who loves kids consider running your own daycare. This can be a great way to make a side hustle income or a full-time paycheck. Do your research and be sure you follow the rules and regulations for daycare providers.

Working at a daycare facility can earn you discounted childcare for your own kids. According to Slate.com, some larger daycare chains even offer college tuition reimbursement benefits.

43. Pet Sitting & Yard Clean Up

This is a great way for kids to start earning money. And as an adult, pet sitters and dog walkers are needed as well. Housesitting is another great way to earn money and free lodging.

44. Tutoring

If you’re an adult who loves teaching kids one on one, consider being a tutor. You can get paid to teach math, reading, writing or one of many other subjects.

There are websites where you can post your expertise, your price, and the area in which you live. You’ll get connected with parents or students who want to hire you.

The sites take a small percentage, but the visibility is amazing. And if you do a great job, you’ll get lots of referrals and earn more.

Check out these two sites:

– VarsityTutors (our son Joe has worked for them)

– Wyzant.com (our son-in-law Nolan tutored kids in Calculus through this).

VIPKid– Teaching English to kids in China. There are more than 20,000 teachers in the U.S. who teach Chinese children to speak English.

You’ll be tutoring from the comfort of their home via video chat. You need to have a college degree and go through an extensive interview process and training. You can work as many hours as you like and earn $20 per hour or more.

45. Couponing

Since the demise of double couponing, this hobby has lost some of its luster. But there are still some great opportunities to save money and get items you need for next to nothing.

Another option is to take the items you get and either give as gifts or sell them for a profit.

We know of some super couponers who buy things for next to nothing and then sell them at garage sales or online. Could you be one of these coupon queens?

This can be a really fun and profitable hobby. Just be careful to use what you buy, or share your treasures and not just hoard them.

RELATED ARTICLE: Couponing For Beginners

46. Volunteering (with Benefits)

There are so many different places and ways to volunteer. Public and private schools, food banks, hospitals, nursing homes, and just a few of the more common ones.

Consider volunteering at a public library or ushering at concerts or a theater. Volunteers often get special benefits and meet VIPs.

You could be a Scout Leader, serve with Civil Air Patrol, help lead a 4-H group, or volunteer at your church.

Or you could volunteer at a pet rescue. DogLoversDigest has a state-by-state list of rescues.

Have you considered donating your time to an adoption agency or an orphanage?

What about becoming a foster parent or providing respite care? These are positions that require some training, but also provide some monetary benefits.

One of the benefits of volunteering is that these positions can turn into paying jobs.

Author Og Mandino once said, “Do more than you’re paid for, and eventually you’ll be paid for more than you do.”

47. Start a Side Hustle

There are so many opportunities to try and start a side business to make extra income. Mowing lawns, cleaning houses, babysitting, and dog walking are just a few easy ones.

Here are a few others, some of which we mentioned earlier, but consider:

• Cleaning out storage units and selling what remains.
• Doing Airbnb with a spare room or an available couch.
• Driving for Uber or Lyft
• House Sitting
• Sell a service on Fiverr
• Become a Virtual Assistant – learn from our VA Kayla Sloan – she earns 10k per month
• Shop for Instacart
• Take Surveys on the Swagbucks website. Learn how we’ve made hundreds of dollars from Swagbucks Here.

48. Driving for Fun and Money

If you have a newer car and the desire to meet people and make money, try driving for Uber or Lyft. Our son-in-law Collin and our cousin Bill have both done this. They have shared some fascinating stories with us.

Signing up is pretty easy and the learning curve for how to make the most money doing it is pretty easy.

– Lyft
– Uber

If you want to learn more – check out our friend Harry Campbell’s site, The Ride Share Guy.

49. Money Management

If you’ve never set up and managed a personal budget, this can become a super rewarding hobby. We’ve used a money management system since day one of our marriage.

By managing our money with a budget system we’ve reached some amazing financial goals. Things like paying off our homes in record time and paying cash for all of our cars. We’ve also helped our kids get through college without any debt.

RELATED ARTICLE: Pro Athletes Live Below Their Means

50. Investing

Learning to invest can become a life-long hobby and possibly a business. You could get an education by reading books or attending seminars. There are online investment games that you can play to test the waters.

Our favorite book on investing is The Beardstown Ladies Common Sense Investment Guide.

Investing is a smart hobby that could turn your disposable income into a big retirement nest egg.

This Mashable article describes 5 Free online stock market investment games.

RELATED ARTICLES:
– How Frugal Living Helps You Retire Early
– Best Retirement Gifts: Frugal, Fun & Decadent

51. Get a Part-Time Job

Learning a new skill or chasing a passion with a part-time job is a great way to spend your time. And can pave the way to a new career, early retirement, or financial independence.

The next set of hobbies could wear you out, but they’ll end up making you stronger too.

F. Interesting Physical Exercise Hobbies

Exercise is a huge benefit to our bodies – and it doesn’t have to be super strenuous, sweaty or at a gym. Check out these exercise hobbies.

52. Body Weight – for Exercises

Many of you know that Steve was a collegiate gymnast. While he did lift some weights, most of his training was by using his own body weight to get stronger.

Exercises that strengthen your limbs and your core include:
– Jump squats
– Push-ups
– Pull-ups
– Sit-ups
– Lunges and many other exercises.

Many city parks have fitness trails where they have installed metal and wooden exercise equipment. And the best part: It’s Free!

We have an article that outlines 50 free places to work out.

53. Biking

Most of us have a bike on the patio or sitting in the garage. It’s time to dust it off, tune it up, and start peddling. This can save you gas if you use it to go to the store or run nearby errands and it can get you more fit.

Just be sure to ride carefully, wear a helmet and avoid cars. We know an older couple who bought a bicycle built for two and loved their cycling jaunts together.

See a list of the Best Cycleways around the world from Wikipedia

54. Swimming

If you live near a community pool, lake or the ocean, you can probably swim there for next to nothing. Swimming is a great full-body workout, and it’s low impact (if you’re experiencing joint pain). You may even be able to swim in a neighbor’s pool.

55. Running

This is an inexpensive hobby – all it requires is a pair of good sneakers. Just start slow, and make sure your shoes cushion your feet. Some high schools and community colleges open their running tracks to the public.

A couple of the tracks near us have padded surfaces and are meccas for weekend runners.

56. Join a League

Most cities have parks and recreation departments. They host kids and adult sports leagues like softball, basketball, and tennis. The cost for these leagues is usually very reasonable.

Steve has played in some city-sponsored racquetball tournaments and softball leagues.

57. Dancing

Dancing to a video exercise series in your home is a great way to get a cardio workout and learn some new moves. You don’t have to go to an expensive dance studio to learn. Amazon has tons of dance video courses and there are also some on YouTube.

You could also join a square dance group. WheresTheDance lists square dance groups around the world.

Have you tried Irish Contra Dancing? It’s an amazing group dance that we’ve participated in. We like to say it is “Square Dancing on Steroids.”

ContraDanceLinks lists groups all around the world. Give Contra dancing a try – we’ve done it and it is an amazing time of mental and physical exercise (and laughter).

Fun and Cheap Hobbies Wrap-Up

You have dozens of inexpensive hobbies to choose from, so you should never be bored – tired, yes, bored … never! Let’s develop some new skills and have a good time doing it.

If we left off an inexpensive hobby that you’ve done and grown to love, please leave us a note in the comments.