Hobbies are a great way to unwind after a long, stressful day, but unfortunately, many hobbies have high barriers to entry.
It’s not just the learning curve. They cost too much.
Don’t despair. There’s plenty you can do on a budget. Discover the best low cost hobbies you can start with less than $20!
Low Cost Hobbies
We already wrote an epic article featuring over 60 cheap hobby ideas, but “cheap” is relative.
Even relatively low-cost hobbies like painting can cost a small fortune for beginners. You need a canvas, brushes, and at least a few paint colors, which cost nearly $10 a bottle!
Today, we’re going for bargain basement hobbies that cost less than twenty bucks to start.
If you’re short on cash and need a new hobby, consider one of these!
Bird Watching
You can watch birds for free at any local park. All you need are your eyes!
Most bird watchers also want a journal to record all the wonderful species they encounter, but you can grab a cheap notebook for less than $10. You can also grab a field guide to birds for a few bucks at your local bookstore.
Dedicated birders do pay a lot of money for their hobbies. Some invest in a nice pair of binoculars for viewing, while others spend big bucks traveling for the chance to see exotic species. You don’t have to do all that to get into the hobby, though.
Drawing
All you need to start drawing is a pencil and paper. Although you can start with simple school supplies, those who want to get into it should invest in high-quality pencils and sketch paper, but even these aren’t that expensive.
You can get a decent pencil set which includes a handful of pencils, charcoal, eraser, and sharpener, plus a small sketchbook for less than $20 at nearly any art store. That’s more than enough material to explore the hobby.
Chess
A one-time board game purchase can turn into a fantastic hobby. Simple chessboards only cost about $20, and you can find one at any local big box store.
Of course, there are ways to get started for even less. If you have a gaming system, you can probably find an online version for a relatively low cost. Alternatively, you can explore online chess sites where you can play online for free.
Origami
If you don’t care about specialty paper, you can start with origami for free.
We all have random scraps of paper lying around the house. Transform old receipts and junk mail into something beautiful.
If you decide you love it, you can buy origami paper at most craft stores for less than $10.
Gardening
It’s easy to get sucked into gardening and spend hundreds of dollars on seeds, pots, and tools.
However, you can get started with small plants for far cheaper. Set your $20 budget and buy a few seed packets and starter pods. Watch your flowers bloom, then transplant them into the soil near your home.
As a bonus, if you love gardening, you can learn how to grow your food, which may save you money in the long run.
LARP
LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) isn’t exactly a low cost hobby. People who love it spend hundreds of dollars on costumes and gear.
However, you can typically try it for free.
Find a Larping group in your community, and show up. Many have loaner gear they offer to newbies to let them get a taste of it.
Be warned, if you fall in love, you may spend a lot of time crafting your own gear. If you’re frugal, you can transform stuff you already have at home into Larping gear, but most people spend good money acquiring what they need.
Journaling
All you need for a journaling hobby is a journal and a pen. You can get started with a cheap office pen and a dollar notebook if you want, but when you get into it, you’ll probably want a real journal and special pens.
The good news is that neither costs a fortune. You can get a decent journal for around $10 and a set of colored pens for the same.
There are various types of journals available for anything you want to write about – consider a bullet journal for a hobby that will help you stay productive, or a junk journal to make your own journal out of scraps.
Programming
All you need to start programming is a computer, which is expensive, but you probably already have one.
You can find tutorials all over the internet for free. Check Reddit for resources on getting started, then go to GitHub, where the professionals hang out and share their best tips.
Knitting or Crochet
All you need to knit or crochet is yarn and a needle, which can cost under $10 to start. You can find various online tutorials to teach you the correct technique, and as a bonus, you get to make valuable items for yourself or as gifts.
It can get a little pricey as you get into it. You must keep replacing the yarn, and those who love it end up spending more and more on new patterns.
However, if you want to keep it simple with scarves and hats, you can enjoy creating new things with your hands for a relatively low cost.
Writing
Writing, in general, is a fantastic hobby that’s basically free to start if you have a computer. Put your creativity to work and write the next great American novel!
The best thing about writing is the versatility. You could invest a lot of time and energy into a novel, or you could write short stories instead. If you struggle to come up with your own characters, write fan fiction based on your favorite shows.
Poetry
Poetry is a subset of writing, but it’s so unique that it enjoys its own callout. The low cost hobby allows you to play with language in fun and unique ways.
Use rhythm in your writing, find ways to rhyme, and explore the variety of literary techniques that make verse roll of the tongue.
Rockhounding
Rockhounding is a low cost hobby that gets you outside and helps you learn something new.
The next time you take a walk in a natural area, pay attention to the stones on your path. Use your smartphone to check out what they might be. Collect the ones you love and display them at home.
Of course, be sure to check any local laws regarding collection. Typically, you can’t take things out of state or national parks, but public parks and stream beds may be fair game.
Reading
If you have a library in town, you can read hundreds of books for free.
But because I live on the outskirts of town and don’t pay “city taxes,” I have to pay a small annual fee for a library card, so it’s not always free, but it is always a low cost hobby!
Paper Mache
You can make homemade paper mâché paste with flour and water, and paper scraps you have lying around the house for your strips.
Depending on what you’re making, you can use nearly anything as a base. Use old water bottles to make decorations, or paper towel rolls to make costume knives. The only limit is your creativity.
You may need to buy some paint, glitter, or other items to decorate your creations when they dry, but you can find cheap hobby decorations at any dollar.
Kitbashing
Kitbashing is one of my favorite low cost hobbies. Although it started with creators who mixed expensive model kits from games like Warhammer, budget-savvy creatives found ways to do it for less than $20.
I’m one of them.
I head to the dollar store with a $10 budget and buy a bunch of random toys, decorations, and glue. Then I embrace my inner Sid from Toy Story and create new characters.
If you get into it, you might spend more on paints and higher-end decorative items, but if you just want to give it a try, you can get a lot of material for less than $20 at the dollar store.
Mobile Gaming
It’s impossible to call gaming a low cost hobby, since most of the time you need an expensive console or gaming PC to get started.
But, most of us have cell phones.
If you do, you can enjoy a mobile gaming hobby for free. In fact, if you use an app like Mistplay, they’ll even pay you to play the games!
Tarot
Embrace your divine feminine by learning tarot, a low cost hobby that provides hours of enjoyment.
All you really need to get started is a deck of cards, which you can find for less than $10 at nearly any bookstore. I recommend starting with the Rider-Waite deck, as most “learn tarot” resources use it as a guide.
If you love it, you might end up collecting a ton of books that provide different interpretations and offer unique spread ideas (don’t ask me how I know 🤐), but you don’t need them to enjoy the hobby.
Lots of Inexpensive Hobbies to Try
Though we limited our list to 17 low cost hobbies and tried to offer unique ideas, there are tons of inexpensive hobbies out there.
Consider the tried and true walking, working out, or cooking that you’ll find on nearly every list (though are those low cost hobbies, or free hobbies? Should the lists be combined?)
Try sporty hobbies like frisbee or joining a local sports team, or wellness hobbies like meditation.
The point of this (and all our articles about cheap, free, and fun hobbies) is that engaging in a hobby doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and you’ll be happier and less stressed out if you find something fun to do in your free time.
So try a hobby, any hobby, and find something that fills your life with passion. You’ll be glad you did.