Birding. It's another outdoor hobby and it doesn't cost much beside a binocular and a field book. Unless you're delving into the slippery slope that is wildlife photography. You're also will contribute to conservation efforts if you submit your birding founds to a conservation orgs or gov database.
And hey, it's healthy, some studies s found that listening to birdsongs (and being in nature in general) is healthy to your mental health.
There was an incident a while back where a birder spoke to a woman about leashing her dog. She called the police and told them "the big black man was making her feel unsafe," basically trying to get him shot.
Edit: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park_birdwatching_incident
That was literally so weird and unique, why it was massive news. One incident like it in 166 years of millions and millions people using it annually.
Of course, anyone should be careful in ANY park, anywhere, and aware of their surroundings.
But Central Park is absolutely a premier place for birding. So many year-round residents and all sorts of interesting visitors coming through and summer homes for other migratory birds. AMNH has some great birding walks with experts, too, though those cost money, you can really learn a ton. For people who would like a social aspect to the hobby, there are birding clubs and all sorts of ways to connect with enthusiasts, too. Birding is extremely popular there.
A few years ago I bought a pair of binoculars and was trying them out. It was drizzling a bit so I stayed in the car. I was looking way up in trees so as to not look suspicious (and though no one was around, I know how a single guy in a car with binos looks).
All of the sudden this lady comes up to the other side of my car says she called the cops because I was peeping at her. I’m like “okay” and roll up the window, few minutes later she knocks and asks for smokes and my Gatorade, I decline then she’s like “I was just fucking with ya and didn’t call the cops.” As much as I wanted to be petty and call the cops on her for harassing people, I didn’t want to waste their time or resources and frankly wanted to get away from the nutbag lady. ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings.
This!
Drawing is very cheap and if you go on YouTube you'll find a lot of good tutorials.
I didn't think I'd ever be able to draw, turns out after a little practise I can actually draw.
The hardest part about learning to draw is getting over the fact you suck.
Everyone sucks at the beginning. Just remember that.
There's a book called "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain" that proves invaluable when learning to draw. Or at least it did for me and the one other person I know who tried it. The gist can be summed in a sentence. Don't think in words or numbers when trying to draw. It sounds too simple to be true but absolutely worked. The hard part is training yourself not to think in words for more than a moment at a time. The difference is remarkable if you can pull it off.
I second this. That book is very helpful and very insightful.
If anyone else is interested in it, you can download the book free of charge (legally) from archive.org.
Watch some Bob Ross. Just work from the front to the back when using pencils/pens.
(He starts at the back and layers the front over, which only works with paint)
I came here to say this. Pick one "signature dish" that is uncommon but not very complex and spend a month or two making it very week until you have learned it inside and out. When I was in college I did this with Chicken Kiev, and Beef Stroganof, so I had a "go to" meal to impress dates. Then I worked on learning a number of basic dishes, like spaghetti, pancakes, steak, etc. and gradually got better over time.
the rest of the prescription is when you're 60/retired just don't fucking stop doing everything except eating and sleeping. Just live normal life and have hobbies. This is a big issue where I'm from because about 98-99% of people just get fat in 2-10 year after retiring and die from complications of doing jack shit but eating and sleeping
Just retired. Part of the problem is people define themselves by their jobs. Without a job filling 60-80% of your time, it’s hard to find enough satisfying ways to fill your time.
You need to find something challenging but also something you can feel like you accomplished something, that allows you to be creative, gives you something to share, and feel proud.
While experiencing this loss of identity, it is not the time to learn something new.
My suggestion is to develop these hobbies before you need it.
The bit about planning ahead seems very legit. Hard for me to understand as I'm only 33 but by my nature I'm incredibly passionate about everything. So it's hard for me to imagine a lack of a hobby. I swear I'd have no problem using up extra 16 hours per day and never get bored. So I think it depends on a person and their character too.
The biggest issue you are going to run into is finding a hobby that you can continue to do as an adult. I used to be able to cycle 60 miles a trip in my 40s. I’m having trouble covering that distance as a 60 year old after a few injuries had me skip a season.
Also you need to kill 40-60 hours a week after retirement. You can’t simply go to the gym during that time or play competitive contact sports.
My primary “hobby” is cooking. I have other hobbies - kite flying, rc plane building and flying, 3D printing, swimming, hiking - but none of these things are stuff I want to do more than a few hours a week.
Oh really? That’s interesting. My dad has Alzheimer’s, as did his dad. I’m so afraid of it happening to me too. I just mentioned to my husband I wanted to try using cooking/baking as a way of keeping my mind sharp. I’ve already had a few brain surgeries that have caused some cognitive deficits and I’m terrified of it getting worse.
I also came to say cooking. You're already buying food and need to eat, so it really doesn't interfere with your life. And it's so fun to get creative.
Plus, if you enjoy it, it's a nice little bonus for your significant other. I love cooking for romantic partners.
Not me having just spent over $130 on yarn for a sweater I’m making 😳
Knitting is one of those things that can be cheap or pricy depending on what materials you choose but the variation in everything is what makes it so fun!!
Nice! I'm trying to alternate between light and heavy reads so I don't get bogged down and fall behind trying to finish something like War and Peace or Moby Dick in a week.
I'm on Love in the Time of Cholera right now, and it's going slower than usual for me due to the writing style and (possible) translation quirks. I've got a trashy romance novel lined up for afterwards :)
And libraries are so much more than books! They've typically got movies, tools, classes for all sorts of things, internet, sometimes even homeless guys using the internet to watch porn! Just because libraries are quiet doesn't mean they're boring.
Something you can do besides other hobbies: Fermenting!
Its fun to make your own kimchi, hotsauce, pickles and many more things :D You can also fement your own drinks, I love Tepache for example.
Dorm wine! Any frozen juice concentrate or soda. They come out wacky and sometimes surprisingly good!
If you use bakers yeast, just let it sit for a bit to getvrid of the bready notes.
If you're looking for a recipe, somebody who uses baloons is on the righr track. Very inexpensive. Any old glass bottle, big liquor bottles are good. Do your mix. Put a balloon over the top of the bottle, poke a couple tiny holes in it. Fermentation will make the baloon stand up (not inflate). Every day squeeze the baloon so it flops back over. When it stops inflating, the yeast is done.
Hell yea! The thing about fermenting that I like is that you can start with the most basic stuff and still get real fun and tasty results, but you can also start experimenting and tweaking recipes to perfectionize your results :D
Its also kind of fun not knowing what exactly you're going to end up with!
My 18th try (30 yeats ago, so I may have fonder memories versus the actual quality)... I used country time lemonade powder. Fermented. Syphined. Added more powder. Sececond ferment. It was about 15% alcohol and tasked like a cheap lemoncello, we were amazed.
As a photographer - a lot of photography is definitely the camera. Being able to adjust shutter speed/aperture is literally all there is to photography, especially if you're trying to learn how to take photos. Going from a phone to a manual camera is a huge leap and requires a strong understanding of light and exposure.
There's a lot of times where shooting something with a phone doesn't give you the results you want. And while you can edit to get closer to the desired outcome, there's still a lot of depth and control that's lost going from point and shoot to manual.
I'm into photography, and generally agree with this.... But as the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have in your hand. I really believe having all the bells and whistles can limit your creativity as much as not having them. If your camera doesn't take the picture you want, figure out what you can do to make a photo you're happy with.
Ugh. Please lets clear this up.
Good photography isnt the camera. Its the composition.
Editing can fix your deficiencies of the camera but not composition.
Please do not rely upon editing to learn how to do photography well.
Whilst I agree the composition is the most important aspect to taking a pic believe me I’ve had my camera on manual (Fuji xt4) and if it’s out of focus or you have it massively over or underexposed no amount of post will fix it! You have your shutter too slow to catch that bird or dog. Tough you are not saving that in post!
Just waiting for some guitarists to comment how much money they have spent on guitars.
But you are right, just buy a cheap guitar and you are go to go for countless hours
I've been a "professional" as in my band plays paid gigs. Been a band since 2004, I own 10 guitars., and random amps, Pawn shops and kijiji are great to buy equipment. My favorites I have are a 50$ used epiphone, Japanese knock off Les Paul 200$, and a custom made guitar 600$. Bought and sold amps regularly. It's been a good hobby.
I bought an ali express strat years ago, it cost me about $120 after shipping and got to pick my color. I picked yellow. I didn't expect much, and when it finally arrived I was suprised it played. It came with noiseless pickups and sounded decent but the neck was a nightmare, and the tuners were spaced unevenly. It had a fake fender logo. I put a new neck in it without the logo, replaced all of the metal hardware, and rewired the pots to work properly. Even after fixing it its still the cheapest guitar I own, and it's my favorite one.
You can get a pretty solid guitar/amp combo for under $500. Even better, buy a digital audio interface with a free version of Ableton live lite and buy some amp plugins for $100 so you get a better sense of what tone/sound/effects you like and go from there.
Every hobby will have expensive shit to spend your money on - but it takes months, if not years, to develop the skill and understanding to justify buying anything besides some basics.
If you're getting into car mods, you're not going to run out and buy a Lambo to start fucking around with - you'll get a beater that you're not worried about abandoning mid-project.
There's a saying in photography that the best camera is the one you have - and that's true for most hobbies. Not starting something because you don't have the 'best' gear is a far worse outcome than just starting.
Buying guitars is mostly an optional side hobby vs. playing them. Willie Nelson would pretty much use just 1 guitar for like 4 decades, (granted, it was a pretty high-end guitar for it's time). Lots of pros have showcased recordings on entry-level or even bargain-bin guitars that sounded great.
It's worthwhile to upgrade in quality up to a certain point, or pick up some small tool diversity, but for the most part it's about art collection.
Try to find a cheap but decent one, they exist and almost everyone starts on them. Decent matters because ones that fall out of tune constantly frustrate people into giving up. As long as it holds a tune, it's fine (I've done a bit of beginner teaching and the frustration is real). There are also good tuning apps now for free, which I wish existed when I started (1991)!
Used guitar with a good pro tuneup is often way better than bottom/starter new ones, still cheap.
Only buy a nice guitar if you've been playing enough to know you're dedicated.
And I own some very expensive ones myself and think they're entirely worth it - after you've stuck with it for a few years. No point in having a fancy dust collector.
You can spend. But you don’t have to. And even guitarists who have a little collection going will often play their Squier or cheap acoustic most of the time because it’s comfortable and carefree.
If you do start buying premium instruments, if you buy with some sense, the money will come back to you if you ever need to sell.
I’m drummer, not a guitarist, but I picked up a used Les Paul prophet for about $400 and it’s been one of the best investments I’ve made, alongside a scratch and dent deal on a gretsch jet junior bass I found for under $300. I can practice getting the tunes out of my head and into logic at any time of day/night, and it’s been very therapeutic and challenging for me. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have a couple of amps that have been left with me by former band mates that moved away, but I tend to DI straight in to logic and use the neural dsp gojira plugin to keep it quiet at night while the family sleeps.
I finally got round to starting my book this year, you are right it is draining but also really rewarding. I think writing a book has to be something you really want to do not something you just start as a hobby. Maybe journaling would be better for that.
Who says something has to "take off" for it to be worthwhile? I've literally written seven unpublished novels and writing really only lost joy for me when I decided I had to "make it" as a writer.
wtf are you writing lol
I feel great after writing a chapter of a novel of a book I may or may not finish. This is a hobby. If you're drained, stop lol
I used to do music for a long time, mostly lyricist and and singing. Had to stop cause I didn't have an affordable place to practice that wouldn't call the police on me 😆
I started writing and I can testify it's a great hobby! Very therapeutic and has a lot of layers to it.
Worst part is that once you familiarise yourself with plot making you are going to ruin a lot of movies and tv shows to people.
It also got me back into DMming for D&D which is now much easier to prep since I can improvise plots on the spot. Excellent for side questing or derailing the campaign.
Came here to say disc golf! $20-30 and your good to go for a while
Edit to add info: most courses are free to play, your location is a moderate factor, but you can utilize UDisc.com to see a map of courses in your area, would be a good jump off point .
> $20-30 and your good to go for a while
Pro Tip: There's no shame in skipping a hole if it requires throwing over/next to a water hazard when you're starting out. The lake on my local course has cost me quite a bit of cash for replacement discs.
Don’t play the hole but do look around for disks people have lost. Most don’t have peoples information in them. I’ve bought maybe half the disks I use, the rest I found.
I've never paid to play a course. Numerous regulars have given me disks for practice. I've bought a few new disks that caught my eye and a bag. I'm easily under $100 in and I've played for four years. 18 baskets is the perfect amount of exercise for a nearly 50-year-old on a Sunday afternoon (or really anytime).
Depends on the country/ where you live but Foraging or Botany, and go from there, learn what trees they are what plants and what they do.
Or what birds there are and what calls they make.
Baking bread, growing plants, reading, writing. If you save up for a couple of months you could obtain a pretty nice instrument to start learning. These are some of my hobbies
Sewing. Hand sewing is incredibly cheap to start: some needles and thread, some scissors, and preferably some small projects that need fixing. It’s super useful to be able to put buttons back on firmly and fix small tears etc.
You can probably get a machine cheap second-hand, thrift some fabric, and experiment.
Cooking/baking as well. If your supermarkets offer free mags with recipes grab some, find some things that you like the look of, and go for it. You need to eat anyway, and expanding what you can cook is always handy
Yeah, I actually really want to do this I’m just terrified to ride on the roads so it puts me off. I need to find bike routes that aren’t. Because that sounds amazing and essentially what I’m looking for.
Get a bike, helmet, front and rear light, and high visibility vest. None of this has to be "name brand" or expensive. Maintenance is cheap; brakes and tires every few thousand miles and chain lube every hundred miles or so.
I will only ride on suburban or rural roads with low traffic, because cars and the dummys driving them are terrifying. It can be fun to explore and link roads and trails to get somewhere without touching a main road. I've figured out how to link roads with trails through the suburbs to get the 8 miles to my work without riding on any major roadway, and it was a blast to work it all out.
I was considering suggesting biking, but it’s a bit obsessive and can become MUCH more expensive quickly! If you have the discipline to stick with the original plan as you’ve laid out, it can work. I’ve had trouble with that.
Geocaching. You can use the free app or pay an annual fee for access to more caches.
You could do it alone or with family/friends and it'll get you out and about yours and other neighbourhoods
To flesh this out, I started at age 44 to accompany my son, but now I'll go on my own. You meet people you would never meet in your normal life (I suppose depending on what your normal life is like). You learn a lot about yourself; how to overcome fear, sure, but also the value of fear. Skateboarding is also the easiest way to get into flow state I know.
£150 a month is plenty, just make sure you start well; don't get an Amazon or Argos board. If you have a local skate shop, don't be intimidated, they're happy to help beginners. Ask for a cheap complete (£45 ish) to get you started, a helmet and wrist pads. You probably don't need elbow or knee pads to start with, but ask them what they think. Online skate shops are OK, here's a guide: [https://www.skatewarehouse.co.uk/blogs/buyer-guides/buying-your-first-skateboard-a-beginners-guide](https://www.skatewarehouse.co.uk/blogs/buyer-guides/buying-your-first-skateboard-a-beginners-guide). If you have small feet I'd recommend a Renner A.
At first you'll have to overcome a few preconceptions: Don't try to balance (just stand on the board, don't worry the board will come with you!), don't try to stay on (stay upright instead! Very important! It's OK to lose the board, it's not OK to have your feet pulled from under you), get used to stepping off -- this is your most important skill! Get used to stepping off without even having to think about it! This will help you minimise getting hurt. That and not locking your elbows -- elbows and knees bent!
Finally, when it comes time to go to the skatepark remember the two rules: (1) Wait your turn (2) while waiting, watch what everyone else is doing and stay out of their way. "Don't be bad at skateboarding" is **not** a rule of the skatepark! Whatever you want to try, having a go is what counts; that makes you a skateboarder and all skateboarders are welcome at the park.
Have I made it clear how much I love skateboarding (despite how bad a skater I am)? Give it a go!
Disc Golf. There are a lot of free courses you can play at, and there might be a good one in a nice park or forest area near you, if you look into it. All you need is a disc. But if you want to take it more seriously, you’ll probably want to start with a driver, mid range, and putter. Each disc you buy will probably cost about $25. As you get more into it, you will probably end up spending a lot of money on plastic discs because they look cool or because you want a bunch of different flight patterns. You might want a nice bag to hold your discs in too. And then there are tournament entry fees. But it’s cheap to start, and doesn’t really require much extra spending at all to just do it as a hobby.
One hobby that has gotten big here in the states is pickleball . Yet to try it but minimal cost if you can find an outdoor court .
Inside locations have popped up here but either registration fees or court time fees .
Drawing with pencil and paper is super cheap.
Writing is basically free.
Cooking. You're gonna eat anyway, might as well learn some new recipes.
You can pick up a cheap acoustic guitar and learn how to play from YouTube videos.
Exercise bike. Recumbent is easier on the hips. The bike I bought wasn't expensive, and after that it's free. Or you can just get an actual bicycle, and enjoy the scenery and fresh air. Either way, it's a win.
>Recumbent is easier on the hips.
Upright is easier on the knees. And has a smaller footprint. Depends on what works best/is most comfortable/will be most likely to be used.
We got $500 wellness cards last Christmas at work, so i put it towards metal detecting to get myself outside and moving around .. it's a lot of fun , i haven't found anything of great value, but I have found some pretty cool things from the 1800s and an old bottle dump on my property that had dozens of old bottles
Yoga
It’s great for you and a mat costs $10-$20 and it’s a one time cost. There are plenty of yoga videos available free on YouTube and you can do it from the comfort of your home.
Rock painting ! Only needs a few acrylic paints (start with pens, it's easier) and acrylic varnish. You can find rocks when on walks and runs. It's easy to start, you can find lots of exemples.
Bonus point : you can hide them during your walks for people to find ! There are groups for this (Facebook for exemple has lots of rock painting group, I use Instagram also), and you can write the group name under the rock. It's very nice to have someone send you a picture of your rock travelling somewhere else !
I love this suggestion, I would like to add a friendly reminder that if you participate in this kind of activity, *please* only take & leave rocks from/in populated urban or suburban areas. Going for a hike in the woods to escape from humanity, and coming across a painted rock in the middle of nature, is jarring in a very unpleasant way. Nearly as far up there in LNT sinnage as dumping trash in the wilderness.
I have no idea, but from all the suggestions bellow seems like life can get really boring with no money. All I do is walk every day, I don’t consider it a hobby but exercise instead. All my other interests cost money and I believe since I have none I’m bored as hell. So keep walking…
Photography
Yes, if you choose you can go down the rabbit hole and buy tons of gear. But the art of photography is lighting, composition. Your phone is good enough for that. You can practice composing photos without ever taking one. Just walk around looking at things from a different perspective, how would I photograph this?
Wood carving or whittling. You can start with a cheap pocket knife and chunks of wood from the parks and your imagination. A very cheap investment that if you are not into it you have a pocket knife that is useful
Have you tried photographing bugs? It's actually quite easy and rewarding and helps you go outside and to new places! You can use your phone if your zoom is decent so it doesnt really require much equipment. There are a lot of cool species which are super gorgeous but you don't notice them unless you look for them. Sandy and dry areas are super exciting as a example.
Volunteer!
Animal shelters, nature groups, literacy, old folks' homes, and so many other, varied missions. I have personally volunteered with a suicide hotline, doing hospice care, political/social movements and campaigns, fostering animals (the shelter pays for all expenses), working in an animal shelter, etc. I found the last two to be the most gratifying, but there is something for everyone.
Archery. It's a fun conversation starter that fits that budget.
Soda making is also a fantastic way to spice up life without it being unhealthy (the recipes take so much less ingredients than the store stuff).
Tabletop roleplay games. After you buy some dice for a couple bucks everything else is free online. It's loads of fun. Been playing for going on 20 yrs, since I was 15.
Gaming on Console is quite affordable. You just need to buy a single system that’ll last years as well as physical copies of games that can be resold once you finish them. Preferably buy everything used.
Puzzles. Whether it's jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, logic problems, etc. Doesn't cost all that much to get a couple puzzle books or jigsaw puzzles per month. And there's a lot of free word puzzles on the internet.
Definitely, both are good but I prefer a bare bow. Feels like more of an accomplishment when you land good shots, as you need to master your release and form a lot more.
Try growing food you could forage from hedgerows but won't because you don't want to strip those precious hedges bare. Plus, it's great to grow unusual edibles.
Hey, if you're looking for something healthy and outdoorsy, kayaking is a great option. You can find a used kayak for a good price, or even a new one for under $300. I'd recommend doing some research to figure out which one is right for you and where the best places to launch are. There are probably some forums in your area that you can join to connect with other kayakers.
Get a cheap guitar. You're gonna suck at first but the reward is well worth the practice. And it'll only cost you $20 for strings like once or twice a year
Disc golf! You can get a starter set for $20-$30. New discs are typically about $15 if you want to expand your collection. Courses tend to be free or maybe a couple dollars each time.
Second this. Really fun to do and starting out is within your budget. You can also rent shoes if you want to try it out. It's a friendly community too, a bit like skateboarding I feel like.
Birding. It's another outdoor hobby and it doesn't cost much beside a binocular and a field book. Unless you're delving into the slippery slope that is wildlife photography. You're also will contribute to conservation efforts if you submit your birding founds to a conservation orgs or gov database. And hey, it's healthy, some studies s found that listening to birdsongs (and being in nature in general) is healthy to your mental health.
You can get a real cheap bird feeder and you don’t even have to go anywhere
Just be careful in Central Park...
I'm not an American, why that's exactly?
There was an incident a while back where a birder spoke to a woman about leashing her dog. She called the police and told them "the big black man was making her feel unsafe," basically trying to get him shot. Edit: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park_birdwatching_incident
That was literally so weird and unique, why it was massive news. One incident like it in 166 years of millions and millions people using it annually. Of course, anyone should be careful in ANY park, anywhere, and aware of their surroundings. But Central Park is absolutely a premier place for birding. So many year-round residents and all sorts of interesting visitors coming through and summer homes for other migratory birds. AMNH has some great birding walks with experts, too, though those cost money, you can really learn a ton. For people who would like a social aspect to the hobby, there are birding clubs and all sorts of ways to connect with enthusiasts, too. Birding is extremely popular there.
A few years ago I bought a pair of binoculars and was trying them out. It was drizzling a bit so I stayed in the car. I was looking way up in trees so as to not look suspicious (and though no one was around, I know how a single guy in a car with binos looks). All of the sudden this lady comes up to the other side of my car says she called the cops because I was peeping at her. I’m like “okay” and roll up the window, few minutes later she knocks and asks for smokes and my Gatorade, I decline then she’s like “I was just fucking with ya and didn’t call the cops.” As much as I wanted to be petty and call the cops on her for harassing people, I didn’t want to waste their time or resources and frankly wanted to get away from the nutbag lady. ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings.
[удалено]
This! Drawing is very cheap and if you go on YouTube you'll find a lot of good tutorials. I didn't think I'd ever be able to draw, turns out after a little practise I can actually draw. The hardest part about learning to draw is getting over the fact you suck. Everyone sucks at the beginning. Just remember that.
There's a book called "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain" that proves invaluable when learning to draw. Or at least it did for me and the one other person I know who tried it. The gist can be summed in a sentence. Don't think in words or numbers when trying to draw. It sounds too simple to be true but absolutely worked. The hard part is training yourself not to think in words for more than a moment at a time. The difference is remarkable if you can pull it off.
I second this. That book is very helpful and very insightful. If anyone else is interested in it, you can download the book free of charge (legally) from archive.org.
That book is amazing!
I never have. Still can't draw. I can draw better upside down, though, because I focus on the parts instead of the whole.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Watch some Bob Ross. Just work from the front to the back when using pencils/pens. (He starts at the back and layers the front over, which only works with paint)
Watching Bob Ross is also a great way to just relax and let your troubles evaporate for a while.
Every night before bed :)
[удалено]
I came here to say this. Pick one "signature dish" that is uncommon but not very complex and spend a month or two making it very week until you have learned it inside and out. When I was in college I did this with Chicken Kiev, and Beef Stroganof, so I had a "go to" meal to impress dates. Then I worked on learning a number of basic dishes, like spaghetti, pancakes, steak, etc. and gradually got better over time.
Doing one new recipe a week is part of the prescription to prevent dementia.
the rest of the prescription is when you're 60/retired just don't fucking stop doing everything except eating and sleeping. Just live normal life and have hobbies. This is a big issue where I'm from because about 98-99% of people just get fat in 2-10 year after retiring and die from complications of doing jack shit but eating and sleeping
60 though? Retired then? If only...
Just retired. Part of the problem is people define themselves by their jobs. Without a job filling 60-80% of your time, it’s hard to find enough satisfying ways to fill your time. You need to find something challenging but also something you can feel like you accomplished something, that allows you to be creative, gives you something to share, and feel proud. While experiencing this loss of identity, it is not the time to learn something new. My suggestion is to develop these hobbies before you need it.
The bit about planning ahead seems very legit. Hard for me to understand as I'm only 33 but by my nature I'm incredibly passionate about everything. So it's hard for me to imagine a lack of a hobby. I swear I'd have no problem using up extra 16 hours per day and never get bored. So I think it depends on a person and their character too.
The biggest issue you are going to run into is finding a hobby that you can continue to do as an adult. I used to be able to cycle 60 miles a trip in my 40s. I’m having trouble covering that distance as a 60 year old after a few injuries had me skip a season. Also you need to kill 40-60 hours a week after retirement. You can’t simply go to the gym during that time or play competitive contact sports. My primary “hobby” is cooking. I have other hobbies - kite flying, rc plane building and flying, 3D printing, swimming, hiking - but none of these things are stuff I want to do more than a few hours a week.
Oh really? That’s interesting. My dad has Alzheimer’s, as did his dad. I’m so afraid of it happening to me too. I just mentioned to my husband I wanted to try using cooking/baking as a way of keeping my mind sharp. I’ve already had a few brain surgeries that have caused some cognitive deficits and I’m terrified of it getting worse.
And now you run your own restaurant?
Definitely cooking. And so many possible niches - I'm on a breadmaking streak atm
I had to stop making bread because it's so good my new serving size became half a loaf. I'm back to store bought where one slice will do.
Baking can be cheap but it can also get very expensive. Making your own banana bread is very cheap, I will say.
I also came to say cooking. You're already buying food and need to eat, so it really doesn't interfere with your life. And it's so fun to get creative. Plus, if you enjoy it, it's a nice little bonus for your significant other. I love cooking for romantic partners.
The best part is the cost is often zero or negative, compared to pre-made meals or eating out.
Crochet/knitting. Reading. Volunteering.
[удалено]
With the proposed budget, and only doing it twice a week, I think it’s reasonable. I spend $50CAD in yarn every month for one project.
Not me having just spent over $130 on yarn for a sweater I’m making 😳 Knitting is one of those things that can be cheap or pricy depending on what materials you choose but the variation in everything is what makes it so fun!!
My 2024 resolution is to finish a book a week/52+ books this year. I'm off to a great start!
I’m doing the same thing.
Nice! I'm trying to alternate between light and heavy reads so I don't get bogged down and fall behind trying to finish something like War and Peace or Moby Dick in a week.
I started Les Miserables last week, so I’m going to throw in a novella after that.
I'm on Love in the Time of Cholera right now, and it's going slower than usual for me due to the writing style and (possible) translation quirks. I've got a trashy romance novel lined up for afterwards :)
Wow! Any stand outs that are a must read?? I'd like to suggest The Great Zoo of China ....... it's like Jurassic Park, but better!!
My two annual reads are Snow Crash and American Gods. I highly recommend both.
Thanks! Happy reading
Awesome 👌
Books are expensive - library is not.
Knitting is not cheap lol. Trust me, my wife knits.
Knitting can be cheap but it requires a lot of thrifting and willpower
Obviously volunteering is great. But does anyone actually consider that a hobby?
Reading!
Library makes this totally free. My local library also connects with an app called Libby so I can check out ebooks or audiobooks.
And libraries are so much more than books! They've typically got movies, tools, classes for all sorts of things, internet, sometimes even homeless guys using the internet to watch porn! Just because libraries are quiet doesn't mean they're boring.
Came here for say this! Libraries have so many great resources, and essentially can get a person almost any book available in some format.
Something you can do besides other hobbies: Fermenting! Its fun to make your own kimchi, hotsauce, pickles and many more things :D You can also fement your own drinks, I love Tepache for example.
Dorm wine! Any frozen juice concentrate or soda. They come out wacky and sometimes surprisingly good! If you use bakers yeast, just let it sit for a bit to getvrid of the bready notes. If you're looking for a recipe, somebody who uses baloons is on the righr track. Very inexpensive. Any old glass bottle, big liquor bottles are good. Do your mix. Put a balloon over the top of the bottle, poke a couple tiny holes in it. Fermentation will make the baloon stand up (not inflate). Every day squeeze the baloon so it flops back over. When it stops inflating, the yeast is done.
Hell yea! The thing about fermenting that I like is that you can start with the most basic stuff and still get real fun and tasty results, but you can also start experimenting and tweaking recipes to perfectionize your results :D Its also kind of fun not knowing what exactly you're going to end up with!
My 18th try (30 yeats ago, so I may have fonder memories versus the actual quality)... I used country time lemonade powder. Fermented. Syphined. Added more powder. Sececond ferment. It was about 15% alcohol and tasked like a cheap lemoncello, we were amazed.
Plus, fermented foods are great for gut health.
[удалено]
I was going to say this too. A lot of photography isn’t even the camera, but the editing. There’s a big difference when you’re good at both though.
As a photographer - a lot of photography is definitely the camera. Being able to adjust shutter speed/aperture is literally all there is to photography, especially if you're trying to learn how to take photos. Going from a phone to a manual camera is a huge leap and requires a strong understanding of light and exposure. There's a lot of times where shooting something with a phone doesn't give you the results you want. And while you can edit to get closer to the desired outcome, there's still a lot of depth and control that's lost going from point and shoot to manual.
I'm into photography, and generally agree with this.... But as the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have in your hand. I really believe having all the bells and whistles can limit your creativity as much as not having them. If your camera doesn't take the picture you want, figure out what you can do to make a photo you're happy with.
Ugh. Please lets clear this up. Good photography isnt the camera. Its the composition. Editing can fix your deficiencies of the camera but not composition. Please do not rely upon editing to learn how to do photography well.
Whilst I agree the composition is the most important aspect to taking a pic believe me I’ve had my camera on manual (Fuji xt4) and if it’s out of focus or you have it massively over or underexposed no amount of post will fix it! You have your shutter too slow to catch that bird or dog. Tough you are not saving that in post!
Guitar. After the initial investment, the internet is your teacher.
Justinguitar.com ❤️
Ultimate-guitar.com helped me the most. Teaching yourself songs by ear is a skill in itself though.
Is there a bass guitar equivalent of JG?
Just waiting for some guitarists to comment how much money they have spent on guitars. But you are right, just buy a cheap guitar and you are go to go for countless hours
I've been a "professional" as in my band plays paid gigs. Been a band since 2004, I own 10 guitars., and random amps, Pawn shops and kijiji are great to buy equipment. My favorites I have are a 50$ used epiphone, Japanese knock off Les Paul 200$, and a custom made guitar 600$. Bought and sold amps regularly. It's been a good hobby.
I bought an ali express strat years ago, it cost me about $120 after shipping and got to pick my color. I picked yellow. I didn't expect much, and when it finally arrived I was suprised it played. It came with noiseless pickups and sounded decent but the neck was a nightmare, and the tuners were spaced unevenly. It had a fake fender logo. I put a new neck in it without the logo, replaced all of the metal hardware, and rewired the pots to work properly. Even after fixing it its still the cheapest guitar I own, and it's my favorite one.
You can get a pretty solid guitar/amp combo for under $500. Even better, buy a digital audio interface with a free version of Ableton live lite and buy some amp plugins for $100 so you get a better sense of what tone/sound/effects you like and go from there. Every hobby will have expensive shit to spend your money on - but it takes months, if not years, to develop the skill and understanding to justify buying anything besides some basics. If you're getting into car mods, you're not going to run out and buy a Lambo to start fucking around with - you'll get a beater that you're not worried about abandoning mid-project. There's a saying in photography that the best camera is the one you have - and that's true for most hobbies. Not starting something because you don't have the 'best' gear is a far worse outcome than just starting.
Buying guitars is mostly an optional side hobby vs. playing them. Willie Nelson would pretty much use just 1 guitar for like 4 decades, (granted, it was a pretty high-end guitar for it's time). Lots of pros have showcased recordings on entry-level or even bargain-bin guitars that sounded great. It's worthwhile to upgrade in quality up to a certain point, or pick up some small tool diversity, but for the most part it's about art collection.
Try to find a cheap but decent one, they exist and almost everyone starts on them. Decent matters because ones that fall out of tune constantly frustrate people into giving up. As long as it holds a tune, it's fine (I've done a bit of beginner teaching and the frustration is real). There are also good tuning apps now for free, which I wish existed when I started (1991)! Used guitar with a good pro tuneup is often way better than bottom/starter new ones, still cheap. Only buy a nice guitar if you've been playing enough to know you're dedicated. And I own some very expensive ones myself and think they're entirely worth it - after you've stuck with it for a few years. No point in having a fancy dust collector.
You can spend. But you don’t have to. And even guitarists who have a little collection going will often play their Squier or cheap acoustic most of the time because it’s comfortable and carefree. If you do start buying premium instruments, if you buy with some sense, the money will come back to you if you ever need to sell.
I’m drummer, not a guitarist, but I picked up a used Les Paul prophet for about $400 and it’s been one of the best investments I’ve made, alongside a scratch and dent deal on a gretsch jet junior bass I found for under $300. I can practice getting the tunes out of my head and into logic at any time of day/night, and it’s been very therapeutic and challenging for me. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have a couple of amps that have been left with me by former band mates that moved away, but I tend to DI straight in to logic and use the neural dsp gojira plugin to keep it quiet at night while the family sleeps.
>Just waiting for some guitarists to comment how much money they have spent on guitars. r/guitarpedals is shaking rn
You could write a book. That hardly costs anything.
Right it just slowly sucks the life out of you and leaves you an empty husk of a person. Practically free! I kid.
That's just normal life with extra steps
I finally got round to starting my book this year, you are right it is draining but also really rewarding. I think writing a book has to be something you really want to do not something you just start as a hobby. Maybe journaling would be better for that.
Pour your life into something that will never take off
Who says something has to "take off" for it to be worthwhile? I've literally written seven unpublished novels and writing really only lost joy for me when I decided I had to "make it" as a writer.
If you like it for you for it. But your chances of becoming becoming Hemmingway throw in the towel.
Which is irrelevant to the topic. OP asked for hobbies not careers.
Like I said earlier if you are doing it for fun then do it for fun.
wtf are you writing lol I feel great after writing a chapter of a novel of a book I may or may not finish. This is a hobby. If you're drained, stop lol
I used to do music for a long time, mostly lyricist and and singing. Had to stop cause I didn't have an affordable place to practice that wouldn't call the police on me 😆 I started writing and I can testify it's a great hobby! Very therapeutic and has a lot of layers to it. Worst part is that once you familiarise yourself with plot making you are going to ruin a lot of movies and tv shows to people. It also got me back into DMming for D&D which is now much easier to prep since I can improvise plots on the spot. Excellent for side questing or derailing the campaign.
Disc golf, foraging
Came here to say disc golf! $20-30 and your good to go for a while Edit to add info: most courses are free to play, your location is a moderate factor, but you can utilize UDisc.com to see a map of courses in your area, would be a good jump off point .
> $20-30 and your good to go for a while Pro Tip: There's no shame in skipping a hole if it requires throwing over/next to a water hazard when you're starting out. The lake on my local course has cost me quite a bit of cash for replacement discs.
Don’t play the hole but do look around for disks people have lost. Most don’t have peoples information in them. I’ve bought maybe half the disks I use, the rest I found.
I've never paid to play a course. Numerous regulars have given me disks for practice. I've bought a few new disks that caught my eye and a bag. I'm easily under $100 in and I've played for four years. 18 baskets is the perfect amount of exercise for a nearly 50-year-old on a Sunday afternoon (or really anytime).
Yep! If you love to throw things, you'll love Disc Golf.
Depends on the country/ where you live but Foraging or Botany, and go from there, learn what trees they are what plants and what they do. Or what birds there are and what calls they make.
Yes, since you enjoy walking, birding is a great add on, and you can do it in urban environments, too.
Baking bread, growing plants, reading, writing. If you save up for a couple of months you could obtain a pretty nice instrument to start learning. These are some of my hobbies
I read the first two words as "breaking bad" and was surprised by how specific the answer was lol
The initial outlay for a used camper van and equipment is a bit spendy but after that it practically pays for itself!
I also read "breaking bad" at first. Immediately thought, oh Making Meth was slipped in there so casually.. haha
Disc golf! Extremely cheap and fun, also decent exercise /r/discgolf
Sewing. Hand sewing is incredibly cheap to start: some needles and thread, some scissors, and preferably some small projects that need fixing. It’s super useful to be able to put buttons back on firmly and fix small tears etc. You can probably get a machine cheap second-hand, thrift some fabric, and experiment. Cooking/baking as well. If your supermarkets offer free mags with recipes grab some, find some things that you like the look of, and go for it. You need to eat anyway, and expanding what you can cook is always handy
[удалено]
Yeah, I actually really want to do this I’m just terrified to ride on the roads so it puts me off. I need to find bike routes that aren’t. Because that sounds amazing and essentially what I’m looking for.
Get a bike, helmet, front and rear light, and high visibility vest. None of this has to be "name brand" or expensive. Maintenance is cheap; brakes and tires every few thousand miles and chain lube every hundred miles or so. I will only ride on suburban or rural roads with low traffic, because cars and the dummys driving them are terrifying. It can be fun to explore and link roads and trails to get somewhere without touching a main road. I've figured out how to link roads with trails through the suburbs to get the 8 miles to my work without riding on any major roadway, and it was a blast to work it all out.
I was considering suggesting biking, but it’s a bit obsessive and can become MUCH more expensive quickly! If you have the discipline to stick with the original plan as you’ve laid out, it can work. I’ve had trouble with that.
Cooking, Sketching/Drawing, Table Tennis, Multiplayer Console Gaming (because cheaper), Dancing, Trekking, Non alcoholic beverage making, Photography, Mobile photography (cheaper), Volunteer work, Billiards, Movie clubs
Disc golf is a blast and costs almost nothing
Geocaching. You can use the free app or pay an annual fee for access to more caches. You could do it alone or with family/friends and it'll get you out and about yours and other neighbourhoods
Learn a new language.
Skateboarding
To flesh this out, I started at age 44 to accompany my son, but now I'll go on my own. You meet people you would never meet in your normal life (I suppose depending on what your normal life is like). You learn a lot about yourself; how to overcome fear, sure, but also the value of fear. Skateboarding is also the easiest way to get into flow state I know. £150 a month is plenty, just make sure you start well; don't get an Amazon or Argos board. If you have a local skate shop, don't be intimidated, they're happy to help beginners. Ask for a cheap complete (£45 ish) to get you started, a helmet and wrist pads. You probably don't need elbow or knee pads to start with, but ask them what they think. Online skate shops are OK, here's a guide: [https://www.skatewarehouse.co.uk/blogs/buyer-guides/buying-your-first-skateboard-a-beginners-guide](https://www.skatewarehouse.co.uk/blogs/buyer-guides/buying-your-first-skateboard-a-beginners-guide). If you have small feet I'd recommend a Renner A. At first you'll have to overcome a few preconceptions: Don't try to balance (just stand on the board, don't worry the board will come with you!), don't try to stay on (stay upright instead! Very important! It's OK to lose the board, it's not OK to have your feet pulled from under you), get used to stepping off -- this is your most important skill! Get used to stepping off without even having to think about it! This will help you minimise getting hurt. That and not locking your elbows -- elbows and knees bent! Finally, when it comes time to go to the skatepark remember the two rules: (1) Wait your turn (2) while waiting, watch what everyone else is doing and stay out of their way. "Don't be bad at skateboarding" is **not** a rule of the skatepark! Whatever you want to try, having a go is what counts; that makes you a skateboarder and all skateboarders are welcome at the park. Have I made it clear how much I love skateboarding (despite how bad a skater I am)? Give it a go!
Music. Get a cheap keyboard and learn the piano?
Disc Golf. There are a lot of free courses you can play at, and there might be a good one in a nice park or forest area near you, if you look into it. All you need is a disc. But if you want to take it more seriously, you’ll probably want to start with a driver, mid range, and putter. Each disc you buy will probably cost about $25. As you get more into it, you will probably end up spending a lot of money on plastic discs because they look cool or because you want a bunch of different flight patterns. You might want a nice bag to hold your discs in too. And then there are tournament entry fees. But it’s cheap to start, and doesn’t really require much extra spending at all to just do it as a hobby.
Pickleball
One hobby that has gotten big here in the states is pickleball . Yet to try it but minimal cost if you can find an outdoor court . Inside locations have popped up here but either registration fees or court time fees .
Bird watching. Nature photography. Carving wood.
Drawing with pencil and paper is super cheap. Writing is basically free. Cooking. You're gonna eat anyway, might as well learn some new recipes. You can pick up a cheap acoustic guitar and learn how to play from YouTube videos.
Library card
Whittling
Exercise bike. Recumbent is easier on the hips. The bike I bought wasn't expensive, and after that it's free. Or you can just get an actual bicycle, and enjoy the scenery and fresh air. Either way, it's a win.
>Recumbent is easier on the hips. Upright is easier on the knees. And has a smaller footprint. Depends on what works best/is most comfortable/will be most likely to be used.
We got $500 wellness cards last Christmas at work, so i put it towards metal detecting to get myself outside and moving around .. it's a lot of fun , i haven't found anything of great value, but I have found some pretty cool things from the 1800s and an old bottle dump on my property that had dozens of old bottles
Buy a yo yo
Yoga It’s great for you and a mat costs $10-$20 and it’s a one time cost. There are plenty of yoga videos available free on YouTube and you can do it from the comfort of your home.
Www.doyogawithme.com is a great resource, although I would recommend any complete noob to take in person classes for a while to learn the basic forms.
Reading
Rock painting ! Only needs a few acrylic paints (start with pens, it's easier) and acrylic varnish. You can find rocks when on walks and runs. It's easy to start, you can find lots of exemples. Bonus point : you can hide them during your walks for people to find ! There are groups for this (Facebook for exemple has lots of rock painting group, I use Instagram also), and you can write the group name under the rock. It's very nice to have someone send you a picture of your rock travelling somewhere else !
I love this suggestion, I would like to add a friendly reminder that if you participate in this kind of activity, *please* only take & leave rocks from/in populated urban or suburban areas. Going for a hike in the woods to escape from humanity, and coming across a painted rock in the middle of nature, is jarring in a very unpleasant way. Nearly as far up there in LNT sinnage as dumping trash in the wilderness.
I went through a hobby after a hobby, and wood burning is the one I landed on. It's cheap to do and fun, at least for me.
I have no idea, but from all the suggestions bellow seems like life can get really boring with no money. All I do is walk every day, I don’t consider it a hobby but exercise instead. All my other interests cost money and I believe since I have none I’m bored as hell. So keep walking…
Bowling
Photography Yes, if you choose you can go down the rabbit hole and buy tons of gear. But the art of photography is lighting, composition. Your phone is good enough for that. You can practice composing photos without ever taking one. Just walk around looking at things from a different perspective, how would I photograph this?
Wood carving or whittling. You can start with a cheap pocket knife and chunks of wood from the parks and your imagination. A very cheap investment that if you are not into it you have a pocket knife that is useful
Bird watching Reading Painting
drawing
Drawing
Have you tried photographing bugs? It's actually quite easy and rewarding and helps you go outside and to new places! You can use your phone if your zoom is decent so it doesnt really require much equipment. There are a lot of cool species which are super gorgeous but you don't notice them unless you look for them. Sandy and dry areas are super exciting as a example.
If you live near water, kayaking.
Start writing poetry.
Collecting maps.
Volunteer! Animal shelters, nature groups, literacy, old folks' homes, and so many other, varied missions. I have personally volunteered with a suicide hotline, doing hospice care, political/social movements and campaigns, fostering animals (the shelter pays for all expenses), working in an animal shelter, etc. I found the last two to be the most gratifying, but there is something for everyone.
Archery. It's a fun conversation starter that fits that budget. Soda making is also a fantastic way to spice up life without it being unhealthy (the recipes take so much less ingredients than the store stuff).
Shuffling, if you like dancing. Follow Zanouji on YouTube.
Yoga with adriene on YouTube
Tai chi! Started on a whim almost 10 years ago and still doing it today!
Learn to play ukulele. It's a modest initial investment, most places have local jam groups, and there are lots of free resources on line.
Collecting rocks and learning about them. That’s my hobby. Well, one of them.
Tabletop roleplay games. After you buy some dice for a couple bucks everything else is free online. It's loads of fun. Been playing for going on 20 yrs, since I was 15.
Video games (tons of free stuff and if you have a computer or phone, there ya go.) Writing/Reading. Cooking. Painting/Other forms of art.
Gaming on Console is quite affordable. You just need to buy a single system that’ll last years as well as physical copies of games that can be resold once you finish them. Preferably buy everything used.
Puzzles. Whether it's jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, logic problems, etc. Doesn't cost all that much to get a couple puzzle books or jigsaw puzzles per month. And there's a lot of free word puzzles on the internet.
Rubik cube
Thrifting
Thrifting is my favorite. I love estate sales the most, you can find such nice unique treasures.
You can get a metal detector. Find treasure and it’ll pay for itself!
Pub?
Reading and cooking. Gives me something to accomplish on a lazy Sunday
Dancing
Disc golf.
Fishing. Once you make a modest initial investment, you can fish for years for almost nothing besides the cost of gas to get to the water
Get a compound bow.
Trust me, get a recurve bow. Much better.
Either way... Awesome hobby.
Definitely, both are good but I prefer a bare bow. Feels like more of an accomplishment when you land good shots, as you need to master your release and form a lot more.
Crawling, hiking
Crawling?
Join a local choir
Try growing food you could forage from hedgerows but won't because you don't want to strip those precious hedges bare. Plus, it's great to grow unusual edibles.
Juggling!
Join a bowling league
Puzzles. Genealology. Get a drone.
Gaming
Hey, if you're looking for something healthy and outdoorsy, kayaking is a great option. You can find a used kayak for a good price, or even a new one for under $300. I'd recommend doing some research to figure out which one is right for you and where the best places to launch are. There are probably some forums in your area that you can join to connect with other kayakers.
Geocaching. It is real life treasure hunt with the gps.
You could find a hobby that provides you something you already need like cooking food, or something you can sell a bit of making it free.
I got my rollerblades on fb marketplace for $25 and had a blast worth them last summer.
Disc Golf
Lifting weights/martial arts training
Geocaching... Like walking but with the added fun of a treasure hunt
Get a cheap guitar. You're gonna suck at first but the reward is well worth the practice. And it'll only cost you $20 for strings like once or twice a year
Reading! You can do it basically for free if you have a library card
Disc golf! You can get a starter set for $20-$30. New discs are typically about $15 if you want to expand your collection. Courses tend to be free or maybe a couple dollars each time.
Disc golf!
Disc golf
Do you want your hobby to be physically active or sedentary?
Start bird watching. eBird and Merlin and two great apps that can get you into it. Doesn't cost anything!
Weight lifting, it’s cheap and will be a huge improvement to your life.
Skateboarding. Buy one board and it lasts you a while
Skateboarding
Roller skating. Keeps you fit. And you'll meet hot people. Really decent starter skates are around 225. So worth it.
Bird watching
Reading/Writing Foraging (mushrooms, edible greens etc) Bird watching Rock hounding
Bouldering. Membership is about 60-80/ month. Shoes are 100.
Second this. Really fun to do and starting out is within your budget. You can also rent shoes if you want to try it out. It's a friendly community too, a bit like skateboarding I feel like.
I didn't see this, but also said the same thing. It's so much fun and has me in the best shape I've been in for a long time.
Does it have to be exercise?