Cooking is actually a really good shout for people who have very limited culinary skills, you don't need to become a master chef but learning the basics so that you can at some point just look in you'd fridge at a bunch of nearly expired produce and then make something of it.

You will save yourself bigtime cash cooking for yourself if that's not something you do already fairly routinely

Writing fiction is so much fun.

When you start writing, you're in control, but about 1/3 of the way through a longer story, the characters start taking over and leading the way, to the point that if you're not careful, they'll lead you astray from the story you want to write, and they'll start writing their own story--which may or may not be a better story. If you've never experienced this, it's surprising the first time it happens.

For anyone considering this, Harvard University's cs50 course is free and invaluable to anyone who wants to pursue these interests.

That's my career 😭. I honestly wish to change careers and do programming just as a hobby, but right now, it's already what I do.

To add: if pen and paper aren't your thing you can create computer art with free programs like Blender. Or you can use something like FreeCAD to design objects that are easier bring into the real world via 3D printing or other machines available at most makerspaces (though those are materials and makerspaces will cost something).

To add to the last point, you can find a humongous amount of instruction videos for any kind of bodyweight exercise on Youtube. Just start clicking around until you find something that works for you. Yoga or calisthenics might be a good place to start.

Yes! Libraries are free, and awesome. Unless you don't have one near you. Even then, used books can be had pretty cheap, and you can often find ebooks given out free or cheap. Plus stuff like Gutenburg and Standard Ebooks for older texts. Doesn't take long to build up a stack of books you have no hope to finish reading!

I have a very weird relationship with reading. I either am not reading one, or I'm obsessively reading one. I've completed not so small books in 2 days, like project hail Mary. I completed animal farm in a day.

Great suggestion, but I need better time management while reading books.

Thanks, as a person who has never learned how to play chess, Lichess seems like a good start

Chess.com also has a lot of good stuff in the free tier, like lessons and daily puzzles.

the geocaching website requires a subscription now...

Gardening can be so expensive! I have a big fruit orchard and a vegetable/herb garden, I have a well and don't pay for water, and I have my own compost system, and I chop and drop and prune my fruit trees to maintain keep them within reach. I get a free load of wood chips annually that I use for mulch, and it takes me 3 days of backbreaking work to install it all.

I still spend hundreds annually just on soil to top off the vegetable/herb gardens. Then there's fertilizers, pest control, lady bugs to control aphids, mesh bags to cover my grapes and figs so birds don't eat them all (they still get most of my berries). I don't account for mowing and weed whacking as charging them barely makes a dent in my electric bill, but trimmer line and sharpening/replacing blades is another cost. Weed barrier, shade fabric, trellises, I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of other things.

If you have a couple small raised beds you use for herbs and maybe a small tomato plant, it can be relatively cheap, but the average person will not save on grocery bills by gardening.

The exception is herbs! Don't buy that $7 bunch of mint from the grocery store, just cut a small stem and throw in the bottom of your shopping cart and pretend you don't notice it, when you get home throw it in a water cup and give it a few days to root, move it to soil and now you have free mint for life. Same with most herbs. Save your green onion bottoms and do the same with those, don't but a bunch every time you need a few leaves.

But that's not much of a hobby on its own, as soon as you start gardening for a hobby, it starts getting expensive.

yeah even with the increase cost in groceries if you buy the elements for cooking and baking the material stretches way further than ready made food. and you can learn as you go.

All great suggestions! They definitely will have a huge learning curve in practicing their new skills but the time to skill ratio pays off eventually, and you are investing in yourself which is a priceless

healthier

I love baking biscuits but is a good gateway to moving to baking bread... and space cake.

Gardening only started to cost me money when I wanted to expand and do more things after trying it for free.

My free starting point: take a cutting of rosemary, I see several growing around town so I just took a few of them. Root them in cups of water and then plant. Let it grow larger and you now have a free supply of rosemary to have with roast potatoes.

Take more cuttings to propagate further. I have quite a few now because I really like roast potatoes and make my own herb salt. Currently go with 1:1 dried herbs to salt by volume, using rosemary and sage.

I see binoculars at thrift shops all the time for the price of a semi-fancy coffee. Just make sure the lenses are clear and they focus correctly (sometimes the optics are messed up).

I would have started running a lot sooner if someone just told me that it's actually fun to go slow. Now my slow is my old fast.

Ours has some board games too, including some fun ones that can be played with others or solo.

Hiking definitely is a simple hobby with a lot of exploring and experiencing fresh air. They only qualm I have is with accessibility, in the sense that you are required to own a car to drive out to parks and trails. Cars are a huge money pit and break down constantly, I wish I could get a bus from downtown to a state park and it would take less than 45 minutes.

Though, proper hiking shoes do make a big difference and are expensive.

But you can definitely start walking in nature for free. Just be warned that you will enjoy it and want to do more challenging trails, which will require at the very least proper shoes.

Hiking with some geocaching is great

I've been crocheting too! Making a huge granny square blanket. Easy, can zone out or watch/listen to stuff while I do it. It's kind of cathartic.

On this note, 3d printed ukes are available. Pair that with a library that may have a printer. $10 for strings and pegs and you've a cool uke.

And you can get a sketchbook at the dollar store!

You again Cousin?