# Free/very cheap hobbies you have. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2008, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682 "2008-11-02T05:18:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/41 "2008-11-02T20:25:51Z")
Jacking off, though I tend to neglect the hobby when I’m dating. Sorry, Rosy. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/42 "2008-11-02T20:34:06Z")
The SDMB. Running. Softball. The only really essential piece of equipment is a glove, which i got for about $40. The league i played in used to run about $40 per season, plus $2 per week for umpire fees. Now, i play in a pick-up group where there are no league fees. We just give the organizer a few bucks every now and then for new balls and replacement bases. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/43 "2008-11-02T20:48:48Z")
Music is both cheap and expensive. Once you own a serviceable instrument or instruments of your choice, then you don’t need to lay out significant sums of music on a regular basis. On the other hand, you still feel like a kid in a candy store when you go inside a guitar shop. I want…I want…I want! Sheet music is another expense if you are into classical playing. Even if you live near a good (usually academic) music library, and are allowed to use it, working with borrowed music is never as good as owning your own copy. But in general it’s a cheap pastime, unlike, say, golf where you have to pay green fees every time. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/44 "2008-11-02T20:52:11Z")
Free browser based flash games. My favorite site is: > **[Kongregate: Play free games online](http://www.kongregate.com)** > > Play thousands of free web and mobile games! Discover the best shooters, role playing games, MMO, CCG, tower defense, action games and more! but armorgames is good too, and miniclip and addictinggames are more well-known. ---
**Author:** ![Momofgirls](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/momofgirls/32/21798_2.png) [@Momofgirls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Momofgirls)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/45 "2008-11-02T20:55:57Z")
Baking. Basic ingredients are pretty cheap, they’re usually on-hand and it makes your house smell wonderful. Plus you have a happy family, friends, coworkers, whoever you share the goods with. I take quite a few baked goods to my daughter’s elementary school, so I’m expecting her to bring home straight As. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/46 "2008-11-02T21:07:52Z")
> [@EpicNonsense](#): > > –Is Gimp and better than Photoshop or about equivalent? I’m pretty decent with Photoshop. Flash is fun to mess with too. Gimp is FREE! That makes it better, in the context of this thread, anyway… Of course, if you already have Photoshop you’re set. I’m a rank n00b at photo manipulation so I can’t really give an informed opinion as to which is better, but so far Gimp has been able to handle anything my _Photoshop For Dummies_ e-books have referenced. > [@Chronos](#): > > How can gardening get expensive? I can get a plot for $10 per year, and seeds/plants for about another $15, and then maybe $20 up front for a spade, hoe, and hose that last for many seasons. That hardly even adds up to the amount you’d pay for fresh vegetables from the store, and the ones you grow yourself are generally going to be much better than the store-bought ones. Well, I have indifferent luck starting from seed (frost tends to come late in these here parts–and when you least expect it) so I get lazy and buy started plants, then I get involved in finding the fifty weirdest varieties of basil possible (I’ve never found seeds for lime basil, and have had little luck harvesting my own seed from grown plants) and I have Mutant Ninja Papyrus Grass From Hell With Attendant Rhizomes so it’s really easier in the long run to hire a rototiller every year–it adds up! I make all my trellises and other garden structures from tree trimmings and string so that’s cheap, and I rescue chunks of urbanite from Craig’s List when I need to make retaining walls and I’ve been collecting recycled windows and glass doors to make a cold frame and/or greenhouse but still, if you really wanna get crazy about it or you have a good sized yard gardening can turn spendy on you. The front herb garden was mostly sweat and effort but it’s all perennial so it pretty much takes care of itself now with just weeding and mulching to keep up on. The two veggie gardens have their own challenges and need to be attacked separately–the rest of the yard is still mostly potential, but there’s gonna need to be some earth moving going on sometime soon… I also want a goat to keep the damned blackberry vines down, but that’s a whole 'nother level of expense! > [@twickster](#): > > I’m pretty sure bait worms and earthworms are two different kinds of worms. Not if you go to the bait store and buy a batch of red wigglers to stock your worm farm–that’s about three bucks max and wigglers are easier to stomach handling than the gigantic earthworms I get around here–I’ve pulled suckers out that were eight inches long! I’m pretty sure I’d gag and gross out if I had to deal with an overloaded worm farm full of giant mutant earthworms. ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/47 "2008-11-02T21:12:30Z")
After the initial outlays, biking and Kayaking are free. Birdwatching. Whittling. Learning to play the pennywhistle (pretty cheap for an instrument) Training my dogs to do tricks (competing is expensive, though) Walking. Hiking. Winter tracking. Snowshoeing. Cross-country skiing. Botonizing. Origami. Word games and puzzles. I’m broke, but happy! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/48 "2008-11-02T21:16:58Z")
I love to go hiking. Nothing decompresses me like some quality “alone time” out on the trail. I also like to wander around and take pictures of random things in the neighborhood. I’ll just go out and photograph whatever catches my eye: store displays, seasonal decorations, flyers on lamposts, local flora and fauna, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/49 "2008-11-02T21:46:16Z")
Walking is cheap, but I’m not really sure if I’d consider it a “hobby”. Looking at property on-line. Real Estate web sites have been a huge boon to me. I’m no longer limited to small print ads or driving around. I can sit in the comfort of my own home and look at huge numbers of properties in many areas, complete with pictures. Oh, I can’t afford any of them, I just like looking. ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/50 "2008-11-02T21:57:25Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Walking is cheap, but I’m not really sure if I’d consider it a “hobby”. > > Looking at property on-line. Real Estate web sites have been a huge boon to me. I’m no longer limited to small print ads or driving around. I can sit in the comfort of my own home and look at huge numbers of properties in many areas, complete with pictures. Oh, I can’t afford any of them, I just like looking. Oh, I do that one, too! Only, I’m looking for my dream camping land. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/51 "2008-11-02T22:44:57Z")
[Where’s George?](http://www.wheresgeorge.com). One can (like I have) spend money on custom-made stamps for this, or just use a pen. Regardless, it’s fun and addictive, and free. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/52 "2008-11-02T23:06:35Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Walking is cheap, but I’m not really sure if I’d consider it a “hobby”. > > Looking at property on-line. Real Estate web sites have been a huge boon to me. I’m no longer limited to small print ads or driving around. I can sit in the comfort of my own home and look at huge numbers of properties in many areas, complete with pictures. Oh, I can’t afford any of them, I just like looking. Heh. I just closed the tab on the mls.ca website. I was looking at my neighbour’s back yard. And bedroom. I’m going to take the dog for a walk next. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/53 "2008-11-03T01:29:16Z")
Amateur geology, although I’ve rarely had time for it lately. Not only do you get to see nature but you get to figure out why it is the way it is. Also collecting microscopes and unusual magnifiers. There are some pricey ones but I try not to pay more than $10 per item. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/54 "2008-11-03T01:35:24Z")
Another one i’ve adopted recently: Since we moved to San Diego, i’ve become something of a hobbyist seashell collector. I love walking the beaches and looking for shells that the waves leave behind. Of course, many of those in the sand are broken, the result of having been tossed around against one another, and against the sand and the rocks. But it’s nice to occasionally pounce on a nice, intact shell. I haven’t yet done anything elaborate in order to find shells; they’ve all been collected simply by beachcombing. I also make sure that i don’t collect any shells that still have their little creatures living inside them. Not only am i not interested in killing something just so i can keep it’s house, but California law prohibits inter-tidal collection of live molluscs. Some days there are virtually no shells at all, and some days there are quite a few. The best day i’ve had so far was a trip just last Friday to Coronado; the tide was low, the beach was quite deserted of people, and there were a few decent shells and lots and lots of sand dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/55 "2008-11-03T17:55:59Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > Free browser based flash games. > My favorite site is: > > [www.kongregate.com](http://www.kongregate.com) > > but armorgames is good too, and miniclip and addictinggames are more well-known. I just want to thank you, pedescribe, for getting me addicted to a new game. I read your post this morning and paid a visit to [kongregate.com](http://kongregate.com) where I found Fantastic Contraption. What an amazing game. I’ve always been fascinated by machinery and this game is close enough. So far I have managed to create fourteen contraptions that succeeded in moving the pink wheel/box to its goal. Of course, I created many contraptions that failed completely or in part before figuring out ways that work. I’m going to kongregate right now but I stopped in to thank you for posting the link. I’ll get to those other two sites you named eventually. Thanks again. Thin Ice ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/56 "2008-11-03T20:30:15Z")
> [@Deereman](#): > > Antique tractors. Buy one for $900. Put $4000 worth of parts into it, plus endless hours of labor. Sell for $3000. Pure profit. Oh, wait, did you say CHEAP? Nevermind. :smack: 😃 ## My signature: ## Some folks will just never know the satisfaction of taking $3000 in tools, and $2 in scrap and making a $7 part that can be bought for $1.50 My Mom asked my why I was restoring a lathe, what could I _possibly_ do with it? I said: “I’m going to make piles of shavings out of big metal blocks.” ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/57 "2008-11-03T20:51:47Z")
After the outlay for a camera (of whatever quality you can afford), digital photography is a GREAT cheap hobby. I seldom print my photos, and use flickr to host them and share them. I second/third/whatever gardening. Most of the time, if you’re interested in planting non-food or even food plants, you can get seeds/cuttings from a friend who gardens. My neighbors and I swap plants and cuttings back and forth all the time. Oooh, birdwatching! I love bird-watching, and you can sometimes combine that with the digital photography hobby, too. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/58 "2008-11-04T05:25:19Z")
> [@TroubleAgain](#): > > After the outlay for a camera (of whatever quality you can afford), digital photography is a GREAT cheap hobby. I seldom print my photos, and use flickr to host them and share them. I agree. I’ve made stereoviews and panoramic pictures with my digital camera. Lots of fun and the results are impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Hrududu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Hrududu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hrududu)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/59 "2008-11-04T10:15:20Z")
Jogging, digital photography, the odd skate on my inline skates, reading, watching way too much TV, writing, but that one is very seldom as I get annoyed at my inner editor. > [@](#): > > People watching with someone that likes to people watch. > > Seriously, give me a park and people and someone to talk to? > > Hours of fun. I used to have a friend that was on the same page as me with regard to people watching. We would invent stories about everyone we watched. We came up with entire backstories for people in restaurants. It was one of my favourite things to do. I really need to find another person that likes that crap. I miss it. ---
**Author:** ![Labor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Labor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labor)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682/60 "2008-11-04T15:34:27Z")
Free public library. Foraging, ala Euell Gibbons. Kids love to help look for nuts, berries or other good stuff. Cooking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-very-cheap-hobbies-you-have/470682.md?page=4)