Looking for some fun inexpensive hobbies that won’t break the bank?
Starting with the most popular hobbies and then moving into different categories based on whether you want to indoor, outdoor, skilled, or even hobbies that can generate extra income each month — we have it all here.
But first, let’s head outdoors for the first nine fun inexpensive hobbies.
Contents For This Post (Click to Open)
Fun Inexpensive Outdoor Hobbies
Let’s move our fun inexpensive hobbies away from the computer and out inside the fresh air. Here’s a list of the top (and often free) hobbies that get you outside.
1. Gardening
Depending on how you go about it, gardening can be a pretty inexpensive hobby to try. If you get good enough at it, you might even be able to lower your grocery bill by growing more of your own food.
2. Camping
Camping is another cheap hobby than doesn’t have to be as expensive as you may think. I truly enjoy camping and waking up to a brisk morning. It’s almost like a vacation, only cheaper.
3. BBQ Master or Meat Smoker
Whether you’re looking to get better at barbeque or you want to take up meat smoking, this is a great hobby to get started with. There are thousands of blogs and videos on YouTube dedicated to teaching you the art of barbeque. As you are probably aware, the popularity of this hobby has created some great tools — and with that comes a lot of added expense. I would recommend starting with something simple like a Pit Barrel Smoker. You can buy one brand new, but I able to find one on OfferUp for $100!
4. Geocaching
Geocaching is basically a high-tech treasure hunt.
5. Rock Collecting
Pick up all those shiny things. If you call it a “collection” no one will judge you for bringing home random rocks anymore. 😉
6. Bird Watching
Just don’t become a crazy bird lady (or guy)!
7. Hunting
The equipment can be expensive if you don’t already own it, but you may also be able to borrow from a friend or family member to try out this hobby if you’re a beginner. Most hunters enjoy sharing their hobby with newbies to keep the sport alive.
8. Fishing
Same goes here! Most avid fishermen are more than willing to take along new people who don’t have their own equipment. Just don’t wear out your welcome if you fall in love with this hobby.
9. Target Shooting
Whether you own a pistol, rifle, or shotgun, target shooting is a fun activity you can do outdoors. Depending on where you live, you may look for safe area to shoot or lookup a nearby shooting range. The ammo can be a little expensive, however there are sites like Ammo Seek that will help you find the cheapest amm online.
The Indoor Hobbies
Here are the best hobbies on the cheap. Most of these literally don’t cost any money at all.
10. Reading
This is pretty much the ultimate frugal hobby. Almost every community has a library you can use for free as long as you follow the rules and return your books on time. You can also start a book club, or swap books with friends to find more reading material.
11. Running
Running is probably the cheapest form of exercise out there. All you need to get started is a decent pair of shoes.
12. Cooking
For some cooking is truly a hobby. Even if you don’t love to cook, it’s definitely a good skill to have because cooking and eating at home is way cheaper than going out to eat.
13. Home Brewing
There are lots of online resources that can teach you how to get started brewing your own beer, wine, or cider at home. It might a little equipment to get started, but if you regularly enjoy these beverages instead of buying them at the liquor store you’ll definitely save money in the long run.
14. Garage Sale-ing
I love this hobby because you get out of the house, you meet people, and you can make money. I have a friend who started with $30 and a few months later she was making $1,000 per month garage sale-ing. She would buy things for cheap at the garage sale and re-sell online and make a profit. Her first buy was buying a Little Tikes playhouse for $30 which she cleaned up and resold for $200!
15. Explore Your Genealogy
Ask your family members for help with this project, or start looking online. When I put together my family genealogy, I was surprised at how much information I could find online.
The Exercise Hobbies
First we started online, then we started making money with your hobby, then we moved outside and after that we started using our brain power for our hobbies. This next list is the best fun inexpensive hobbies that will also burn a few calories.
16. Hiking
Depending on where you live, you may have some amazing hiking trails near you. To find maps, pictures and trail reviews from people just like yourself, download free All Trails app. The app not only will tell you about the trail, but also will score the trail for you so you know whether it’s an easy, moderate, or difficult hike.
17. Biking
Most people have a bike sitting in their garage or storage shed. If you have an old unused bike, it won’t cost you much to give it a tune-up so you can start riding it again. Biking around your neighborhood is free.
18. Try Crossfit
Crossfit is a type of high intensity interval training. By combining strengthing and conditioning with functional movements we use everyday, Crossfit has exploded in popularity over the past 10 years. Whether you’re brand new, a veteran exerciser, in your 20s or in your 70s, Crossfit creates programming based on your skill level, age, and fitness capability.
You can find a Crossfit gym in your local area here.
19. Dance
I’m not talking about paying money and going to a dance studio – those things can be very expensive. Instead I’m talking about turning on your favorite music and using it to make up your own workout routine.
20. Country Line Dancing
Country line dancing is extremely popular in the United States and more and more dance studios are offering country line dancing lessons. Just search “country line dancing near me” online or you can also try taking online country line dancing lessons.
21. Swimming
If you live near a public beach, lake, etc. you can probably swim there for free. Swimming is a great cardiovascular exercise and it’s fun!
22. Join a Club Sports Team
Most communities have a Recreation Department that hosts sports leagues for kids and adults. They’re usually fairly inexpensive to join and offer lots of different sports to choose from.
23. Try Yoga
There are lots of free yoga video on YouTube. All you need to get started is a mat.
24. Practice Meditation
Exercise for your brain.
The Online Hobbies
We start with online hobbies since you’re actually online right now. These are hobbies you can start today from the same device you are reading this right now.
25. Starting a Blog
Since my hobby was and still is blogging, I’m going to open up with blogging to start.
Do you happen to love writing? If so, wouldn’t it be cool to start your own blog where you are free to write about whatever you want and put it out there for the world to see?
Here’s the secret to blogging as a hobby: write about whatever makes you happy.
Your mind is swirling with ideas and things you want to say, so say them through a blog.
Do you love being a mom? Then blog about it.
Do you love woodworking? Then you should blog about it.
Do you love coaching your kid’s sports? Then start a blog about it.
Or, do you love something no one has ever heard of? Then yes, you should definitely blog about that as well.
If you are ready (and I hope you are) to start you very own blog, I have personally put together a step-by-step guide so you can easily get started writing today for about $5 per month. I even included screenshots of the process to walk you through it step-by-step so you don’t have to worry about any of the tech issues.
In fact, if you can post something to social media or even ask Siri to call Grandma, then you can definitely start a blog.
26. Fill Out Online Surveys
There are dozens of these sites popping up that claim to pay you money for taking surveys online. Some of them are sketchy, however some of them are legitimate and will actually pay you in cash via PayPal or in gift cards.
Survey Junkie has been around since 2005 and is the most trusted in the survey industry with a Trustpilot Rating of 4.4/5.
If you’re going to spend your time on a free hobby, start out with Survey Junkie and they will send you cash to your PayPal, Amazon or Target gift card for taking surveys on your time!
27. Buy and Re-sell Things Online
There are so many re-selling websites to choose from these days, which can help you get the best prices for your “treasures”. OfferuUp, eBay, Craigslist, Facebook buy/sell/trade groups, Facebook Marketplace and Poshmark are just few of the best places to sell stuff online.
28. Listen to a New Podcast
There are podcasts about every topic under the sun. Surely you can find one that interests you.
You can start listening to the Money Peach Podcast in your car, at the gym, or on the go right here.
29. Watch Cat Videos
There are some pretty funny cat videos on YouTube that can keep you entertained for hours. (Or maybe that’s just me?)
30. Play Free Games Online
You may be surprised to learn that there are health benefits to be had from playing video games. There are so many websites where you can play games online and there are tons of different kinds of games to choose from too. There are even some sites that will actually pay you to play their online games.
The Financial Hobbies
What’s better than making money? How about a hobby that actually pays from extra pocket money all the way to full-time income.
31. Become a Landlord
You can start renting out a portion of your house on a site like Airbnb. If you find out you like being a landlord, you could always expand into owning rental properties.
31. Investing
Learning about investing and then actually doing it are two things that could almost be separate hobbies in and of themselves. Investing is a smart hobby to take up once you have a little extra income to put toward your investments. If you are already there and want to get started, here is our updated investing for dummies guide.
32. Thrift Shopping and Garage Sale-ing
When I lived in a bigger community I loved going to thrift stores and garage sales on the weekend. This is a fun activity, especially if you go with a friend. You can also save money as long as you avoid buying things you don’t really need.
33. Couponing
Again, couponing can be fun but you might end up spending more than you planned on if you aren’t careful with your purchases. One of our favorite couponing tricks is using the Honey browser extension. Instead of searching the internet for promo codes, Honey searches for you in real time and automatically applies the promo code for you at checkout.
34. Volunteering
That’s kind of financial since time is money, right? Give some of your time to your favorite charities, or join a group or board in your town to give back to civic organizations.
35. Start a Business
I’ve kind of touched on this before, but almost anything on this list can actually be turned into some kind of a money-making business or side hustle idea. Starting a business is fun and it’s a good way to make some extra money.
36. Budgeting Cash Flow Planning (that sounds better)
What list of hobbies on a personal finance blog would be complete without listing budgeting? It may not sound fun at first, but I actually love working on my projected budgets for future months now that I’ve gotten good at budgeting.
And if you would like to get started with your own budget, you can get started with the Cash Flow Formula for FREE.
The Cash Flow Formula is the #1 tool to start saving more money and stop overspending each month…and it’s a GREAT hobby!
Intellectual Hobbies
After exercising your body in the fresh air, here are the best fun inexpensive hobbies that only require brain power.
37. Writing
Writing can be a fun hobby and it doesn’t have to turn into more than that. You can write in a diary, write short stories for fun, or write even write to make money like I mentioned earlier. If you love writing and actually want to get paid for it, there’s currently a shortage of freelance writers. If this interests you, check out this post on getting paid to be a freelance writer.
38. Drawing
A pencil and paper is all you need to get started with this frugal hobby. Even if you expand your artist supplies later on, this hobby shouldn’t be too costly.
39. Learn a New Language
Is there a language you’ve been dying to learn? There are lots of resources online and books at your library that you can use to learn a new language.
40. Learn to Play an Instrument
Learning to play a musical instrument doesn’t mean you have to take expensive lessons. Many instruments can be self-taught, especially now that you can learn almost everything you need to know on YouTube.
41. Learn to Sew
Learning basic sewing skills is a good idea. Knowing how to sew has actually saved me money. For example, my sewing skills have helped me save my clothes from being thrown in the rag bin a few times when they only needed minor repairs.
42. Learn a New Game
Playing games is one of my family’s favorite hobbies, especially is the weather is crappy outside. We don’t discriminate, we like to play board games and card games. They can also be a good way to meet new people if you go to community game nights. You might be able to find some at your local library, churches, or on meetup.com.
43. Read the News
Doesn’t sound very exciting, but you might be surprised what you can learn when you start reading the news regularly. Don’t just keep up on local news either, the world is bigger than that. Make sure you find out what’s going on elsewhere in the world too.
Skilled Hobbies
Lastly, it’s time to apply your skills to your hobby list. From cooking, to home-brewing, and even woodworking, we have you covered with this last bunch of fun inexpensive hobbies.
44. Canning and Food Preservation
This old-fashioned skill can actually help you save money, especially if you are preserving food from your garden bounty to eat later on.
45. Furniture Restoration
I know several people who’ve taken up furniture restoration as a frugal hobby and they’ve also managed to furnish their homes with one-of-a-kind pieces they re-did themselves. You can also sell your restored furniture as a great side hustle hobby!
46. Animal Husbandry
Growing up we raised many different kinds of animals on my parents’ farm. I still love animals and taking care of them today and it’s definitely a good skill to have.
47. Carpentry
Even if you don’t learn how to make fancy things, basic carpentry skills can be good to have as they can save you money when you know how to fix things around the house.
The Not-So-Cheap Fun Hobbies
Maybe you’re just curios about the expensive hobbies? If so, here are a list of the top 10 hobbies that will absolutely break the bank.
48. Scuba Diving
Not only is scuba extremely fun, but it’s also extremely expensive. You can plan on $300 – $400 every time you throw the tank on and dive in and don’t forget it’s also extremely dangerous.
In fact, you will even have a hard time getting life insurance if you scuba dive on a regular basis.
49. Sky Diving
Technically their are statistics to prove you’re more likely to die in the car on the way to skydiving than actually jumping out of an airplane. As much as that is supposed to make me feel better, I still don’t like the $300 – $400 fee to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
However, if you have the extra coin to take part in this extremely intense hobby, then let us know how it goes in the comments below.
50. Flying
I don’t know if I need to go into a huge explanation here: flying as a hobby is expensive.
To even be certified as a pilot to fly your own plane will cost you $7,000 – $10,000. Then once you are certified, you then need to buy a plane or rent one at the starting cost of $125/hour. Then add on fuel and maintenance costs and you have an extremely expensive hobby.
51. Mountain Climbing
Where I live (Phoenix), mountain climbing is a very popular hobby. While getting started in this hobby is not extremely expensive, it will be eventually.
From the people I have talked to, you start off climbing the mountain near your home. After you climb that one, you start to travel to the next thriller of a mountain. Sooner than later you find yourself booking a trip to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro at a cost of about $4,000 not including travel expenses.
52. Ballroom Dancing
My wife and I actually looked into ballroom dancing lessons because we were told it was a fun inexpensive hobby. We were told wrong.
Thanks to Dancing with the Stars, this once inexpensive hobby will now set you back about $150 – $200 for each lesson. My wife and I went into ballroom dancing as something to bring us closer together. However, after seeing the cost we both realized it would only push us further apart (kidding).
Final Thoughts
Yes, you can always sit on the couch and Netflix and chill as a hobby. But, chances are since you’re reading this far down the page, you’ve been there and done that.
So what’s it going to be? Blogging, sewing, running, couponing, or are you going to dive into a more expensive hobby and jump out of an airplane?
Whatever you decide to do, please let us know about your new fun hobby in the comments below.
35 Comments
Walking. There’s nothing like a brisk walk to gather your thoughts besides the fresh air and scenery.
Good one!
These ones really helped me with my homework n grade six.
how do i start mineral collecting
I would start by researching the area where you live, or plan to go to collect rocks or minerals. You could also visit museums, join clubs, and check out books at your local library. You could also purchase either paper books or e-books about the minerals in your area or the ones you are most interested in. Talk with others you know who are interested in minerals and rock collecting too. I hope this helps you to get started with a fun new hobby!
Hunting? Seriously?
I’m glad I live in a country that requires people to take a course (and exam) about the local animals, ecology, and gun safety before they go out and hunt anything.
It’s a legit suggestion depending on where you live.
In Wisconsin it is more than a hobby, it is a way of life.
Yes, we can call it many things. But for some, saving money, budgeting – or whatever you choose to call it! 🙂 – it is a fun hobby even if it is necessary. I get what you are saying, though. It should just be a natural part of what all of us do.
Who said you DIDN’T have to take a hunter safety course??? Most states that I know of require it — thankfully!
Actually, in Texas if you were born past a certain year (1996 I believe?) you have to have a hunters education card that can be obtained by a course or in school.
Is there something wrong with hunting?
Absolutely not! It’s fun, great exercise and, as previously pointed out by another reader, necessary for some to supplement their budget or just survive.
Ooooo, giving obvious responses in blogs is an easy and cheap hobby.
Yes, that is another cheap hobby. 😉
Yoga, gardening and art
Good ones!
Im nit even going to lie i love collecting different bottle tops and different soaps if I go somewhere but a new drink go to a different country I’ll get soaps or bottles and collect them
I want to try almost of them 🙂 I think is good to try something new and find out that you can be good in it 🙂
Absolutely Joan! There are so many hobbies to start and enjoy that don’t have to necessarily break the bank 🙂
Wood working, wood carving, bee keeping are good hobbies.
That’s also a GREAT hobby Patrick. Do you have any sites we can send our readers to if they wanted to learn more about woodworking?
This is a great list! I live alone and don’t like it much. I love to read, but I can only read so long before I hit a wall. I have Netflix but can only watch so much before I hit a wall. I don’t have a lot of money to spend. I’ve never googled anything like this and can’t believe I found such, reasonable, inexpensive, ideas. I will try several of them, thank you for your list!
most of these are BS and require financial investments
It doesn’t say “free”. It says “inexpensive”. 😉
he got u there
I enjoy watching documentaries on YouTube and Netflix mostly anything ww2 Extraterrestrial and firearms also stuff about Rome and the visigoths stuff about the Freemasons and the nights Templar is also good
This is a well meaning, helpful post. Amazing how many negative remarks there are. Ty for the suggestions! They definately helped me to start thinking of things I’d like to try in the new year!
I’m glad we could help you out! I wish you all the best in the new year!
Scrapbooking is another great hobby! I started around two years ago! It’s really in inexpensive to get started. You can take $10 to salary and get everything you need!
any suggestions or websites for beginners? Great Idea. Thanks
Definitely try either Bluehost or GoDaddy. You can purchase your website domain (URL) there and then you can go through a very simple process to get your website up and running. If you can set up a Facebook page, then you can definitely set up a website as a beginner with Bluehost or GoDaddy.
I already do most of these things but some I haven’t and I’m super excited to start the hobbies I was interested in
Where’s bowling located at a hobby
Great point! Yes, bowling is a great hobby and I don’t know how I missed that one — thank-you Lee!