The short answer: A hobby is an activity you do regularly in your free time for enjoyment, not for a paycheck, such as reading, hiking, baking, knitting or playing a sport. The right hobby fits your energy, your schedule and your budget. This list of hobbies has 80 ideas in 8 groups, plus what each type typically costs to start, so you can find one you'll enjoy without spending a fortune.
Our picks for list of hobbies
Spreadsheets
Sinking Funds Tracker
It does the math: how much to set aside each month to hit every goal on time.
Printables
Budget Planner Printable
Twelve undated pages you can print every month: budget, bills, spending, savings and debt.
Spreadsheets
Annual Budget Spreadsheet
See exactly where your money goes every month - without complicated software.
Starter pickPrintables
100 Envelope Savings Challenge
Classic, half and 52-week challenges to print, plus a spreadsheet that tracks every envelope and tells you how much to save each week.
New hobbies can get expensive fast. Our Sinking Funds Tracker helps you save a little each month for bigger gear, so you pay in cash instead of on a card.
The full list: 80 hobbies in 8 groups
1. Free and nearly free hobbies
- Reading library books and audiobooks
- Walking and hiking
- Running
- Journaling
- Birdwatching
- Stargazing
- Bodyweight workouts
- Volunteering
- Learning a language with a free app
- Meditation
2. Creative hobbies
- Drawing and sketching
- Watercolor or acrylic painting
- Calligraphy and hand lettering
- Photography
- Creative writing or poetry
- Scrapbooking
- Bullet journaling
- Pottery
- Jewelry making
- Video making
3. Hobbies with yarn, fabric and wood
- Knitting
- Crochet
- Sewing
- Quilting
- Embroidery and cross-stitch
- Woodworking
- Furniture refinishing
- Candle making
- Soap making
- Model building
4. Active and outdoor hobbies
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Pickleball
- Tennis
- Rock climbing
- Kayaking or canoeing
- Camping
- Fishing
- Dancing
5. Food and home hobbies
- Baking bread
- Cooking new cuisines
- Cake decorating
- Canning and preserving
- Fermenting foods like sauerkraut or kombucha
- Gardening
- Houseplants
- Composting
- Home organizing and decluttering
- Interior decorating on a budget
6. Mind and learning hobbies
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Crosswords and sudoku
- Chess
- Learning an instrument
- Genealogy and family history
- Astronomy
- Online classes
- Collecting coins or stamps
- Reading history or biographies
- Podcasting
7. Social hobbies
- Board games and card games
- Book clubs
- Trivia nights
- Community choir or band
- Rec sports leagues
- Community theater
- Hosting dinner parties or potlucks
- Running clubs
- Volunteering with a group
- Language exchange meetups
8. Hobbies that can make money
- Thrifting and reselling
- Furniture flipping
- Baking for local orders, where your state's cottage food law allows it
- Handmade crafts for markets
- Photography sessions
- Sewing and alterations
- Graphic design
- Writing and blogging
- Tutoring or teaching a class
- Making printables or digital templates
Hobby costs at a glance
Costs vary a lot by what you buy and where you live, but this is the usual pattern:
| Hobby type | Typical startup cost | Ongoing cost | Cheaper way to start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, walking, journaling | Free to very low | Free to very low | Library card and a notebook |
| Drawing, writing, puzzles | Low | Low | Basic sketchbook and pencils |
| Knitting, crochet, embroidery | Low | Low to medium | One beginner kit and a library how-to book |
| Cooking, baking, gardening | Low to medium | Medium | Use what's in your kitchen; start seeds |
| Social hobbies and rec leagues | Low | Low to medium | Free meetups and library clubs |
| Sports with gear (cycling, climbing, kayaking) | Medium to high | Medium | Rent or borrow before buying |
| Woodworking, pottery, photography | Medium to high | Medium | A class with shared equipment |
How to choose a hobby you'll stick with
- Decide what you want from it. Energy, calm, creativity, people or extra income. Pick from the matching group.
- Look at your real free time. Fifteen minutes a night suits reading or crochet; a free Saturday suits hiking or a class.
- Try it cheaply first. Borrow, rent, buy secondhand or take one class before buying gear.
- Give it two to four weeks. Most hobbies feel awkward at first. Decide after a few tries, not one.
- Set a hobby budget. Pick a monthly amount you're comfortable with and stick to it.
- Save for big upgrades. Want a better bike or a sewing machine? Save for it in a sinking fund instead of charging it.
Cheap hobbies: 12 ideas under $25 to start
| Hobby | What you need to start |
|---|---|
| Reading | A library card |
| Walking or hiking | Comfortable shoes |
| Journaling | A notebook and pen |
| Sketching | A sketchbook and pencils |
| Crochet | A hook and a skein of yarn |
| Birdwatching | A free bird ID app |
| Bodyweight workouts | A free video and floor space |
| Puzzles | A secondhand jigsaw puzzle |
| Baking bread | Flour, yeast, salt and water |
| Houseplants | A cutting from a friend's plant |
| Card games | One deck of cards |
| Learning a language | A free app or library course |
How to budget for a hobby
A hobby is a planned expense, just like groceries or gas. Give it a line in your budget so you can enjoy it without guilt:
- Add a "hobbies" or "fun money" line to your budget. Our budget categories list shows where it fits among your other categories.
- Save for gear in a sinking fund. The Sinking Funds Tracker ($4.99) works out how much to set aside each month for a target price and date.
- Track monthly spending. The Budget Planner Printable ($5.99) has monthly pages to log spending in each category, including hobbies.
- Make saving a game. The 100 Envelope Savings Challenge ($3.99) is a simple way to build a hobby fund over a few months.
- Plan the whole year. The Annual Budget Spreadsheet ($6.99) shows how hobby costs fit next to everything else, month by month.
Want your hobby to earn money? See our list of side hustle ideas for ways to turn a skill into extra income. Looking for ideas to do with others? Try our list of things to do with friends, or our self care ideas for small ways to recharge.
Sinking Funds Tracker
It does the math: how much to set aside each month to hit every goal on time.
$4.99 · Instant download. Print at home or fill it in on screen. Or browse the full Budget & Money collection.
Frequently asked questions
What are some good hobbies to try? Good hobbies to try are ones that match how you want to feel: active hobbies like hiking, cycling or dancing if you want energy; creative hobbies like drawing, knitting or photography if you want to make something; calm hobbies like reading, puzzles or gardening if you want to unwind; and social hobbies like board games, a choir or a rec league if you want people. Try a cheap or free version first before buying gear.
What are cheap hobbies? Cheap hobbies include reading with a library card, walking and hiking, running, journaling, drawing with a basic sketchbook, bodyweight workouts, cooking and baking at home, learning a language with a free app, birdwatching, volunteering, board games you already own, and gardening from seeds. Most cost under $25 to start and very little each month.
What are free hobbies? Free hobbies include walking, running, hiking public trails, reading library books and audiobooks, borrowing movies from the library, writing, bodyweight exercise, birdwatching, stargazing, volunteering, learning from free online classes, meditation and playing pickup sports at public courts. A library card unlocks a surprising number of free hobbies, from ebooks to museum passes in some areas.
What hobbies can make money? Hobbies that can make money include photography, baking where your state's cottage food rules allow it, crafts and handmade goods, sewing and alterations, woodworking, furniture flipping, thrifting and reselling, writing, graphic design, tutoring a skill you love and teaching a class. Treat it as a test first: track what you spend and earn for a few months before calling it a side business.
How do I find a hobby I enjoy? Find a hobby you enjoy by thinking about what you liked as a kid, what you lose track of time doing, and what you envy other people doing. Pick three ideas from different groups on this list, try each one cheaply for two weeks, then keep the one you look forward to. It's normal for the first two or three tries not to stick.
How much should I budget for a hobby? Budget for a hobby in two parts: a one-time startup cost and a monthly amount for supplies, fees or classes. Many people set a fixed monthly hobby amount inside their fun money, then save separately for bigger gear with a sinking fund. Our Sinking Funds Tracker ($4.99) shows how much to set aside each month to buy a bike, camera or sewing machine in cash.
What are good hobbies for adults at home? Good hobbies for adults at home include reading, cooking and baking, knitting or crochet, drawing or painting, puzzles, journaling, indoor plants, learning an instrument, home workouts or yoga, writing, genealogy research, model building and learning a language. They fit around work and family time and don't require travel.
What hobbies are good for mental health? Hobbies many people find calming include walking and time outdoors, gardening, crafts with repetitive motions like knitting, cooking, playing music, journaling, and social hobbies that build connection, like a club or volunteering. Hobbies support well-being but aren't a substitute for professional care; talk to a doctor or counselor if you're struggling.
How many hobbies should a person have? Many people do well with two or three hobbies, one active, one creative or calm, and one social, though there's no right number. That mix covers different moods and seasons without spreading your time or money too thin. If a hobby has started to feel like an obligation, it's fine to pause it.
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Sources
- Hiking nps.gov
- Stargazing science.nasa.gov