Budget-Friendly Hobbies to Try This Year
Wanting to try new things this year is a step in the right direction. Thankfully, there are plenty of budget-friendly hobbies to indulge in. Whether it’s drawing or short-film creation, there’s surely an activity on this list you’ll enjoy!
1. Cook and Meal Prep
Learn to cook and prep your meals during the weekends. It can be therapeutic to prep a range of ingredients, and you get delicious food at the end. Once you get used to the kitchen, you may feel less inclined to dine out or order in, which saves even more money.
2. Make Themed Playlists
Building playlists is a perfect hobby if you’re a music enthusiast. Mix and match your favourite artist’s song for a beautiful themed collection, or try creating a fictional situation and tell a story with different tunes. You could also just create an upbeat one for your morning routines and make a softer one to fall asleep to.
3. Doodle In a Sketchbook
Tap into your artistic side with a sketchbook. Doodle whatever’s on your mind to bring the image to life. A pencil sketch can already feel rewarding, but you can go the extra mile with coloured pencils. Practise different techniques like outlining and shading to add depth and dimension to your little masterpiece.
4. Working Out
Working out can be a fulfilling hobby, as it helps channel some of your energy into physical activity. Even without a gym membership, you can go for a walk in the park or search for yoga videos in your yard. Even dancing to the music in your living room is fun!
5. Read at the Local Library
Reading books is a fun hobby, as it allows you to escape the real world through facts or fictional stories. You can even save money from buying new titles by heading to the local library. The space can always use new visitors, and you get to tap into a wide variety of novels and manuals. Borrow one and head to your cosy reading nook at home.
6. Get Crafty With Clay
Dive into the world of polymer clay projects. The sky’s the limit, whether you want to make DIY dessert figures or flower sculptures. All you need to do is make the intricate shapes and bake them in an oven according to the packaging’s instructions.
You can even attach little magnets with epoxy or hot glue at the back. That way, you can display your proud work on the fridge or other metal surfaces in your home.
7. Start Writing Poetry
Become the next Shakespeare by writing poetry. You can type it out on your computer or go old-fashioned with paper and pen. There’s so much to write about, from your personal experiences to what the world is currently going through. You can also look for poem prompts online to spark your imagination.
8. Create Mobile Short Films
If you have an eye for photos and videos, consider dabbling in mobile filmmaking. Take different candid videos and edit them together in free software. There’s so much room for creativity, from changing the colours to making a voiceover to adding subtitles. Create a personal piece of art, and maybe even share it with the online world.
9. Grow Fruits and Vegetables
Getting a green thumb is a learning process, so what better time is there to start than now? Tons of vegetables and fruits are easy for first-time gardeners to grow. Some are also quite the commitment. For example, did you know asparagus comes back over and over for 15 years, even if you plant it just once?
Discover New Hobbies
You can enjoy so many hobbies with minimal to no expenses. Focus on the experience and enrich your life with new knowledge and skills. At the least, they’ll be fun stories you can share about yourself in the future.
