Do hobbies always seem overly expensive to you? Here are 5 frugal and minimalist hobbies that are very enjoyable.
Over the last few years, I’ve been going from spending money to please other people to live a frugal life. This has been a great transition for me and it has brought me so much!
I choose to have a frugal life and it has served me well. Very well.
The last two years I have spent saving money and investing a ton, because I am striving towards financial independence.
On top of that, I have decluttered my house a lot – which has lead to me having a lot more mental and physical space to try new things. I am embracing and trying the minimalist lifestyle, meaning that I am learning to live my life with less.
I have less furniture, I have fewer clothes, and I have less clutter in general.
On a daily basis, I declutter, give things to friends and family, and donate things I no longer need.
As I do things Radical style – no area of my life has been left untouched. I have thought about which relationships I wanted to keep and what hobbies would best suit me.
My Past Hobbies
When I was a kid I loved collecting things. Whether it was post stamps, Pokémon cards, stickers, or shells – I had them all. When I grew up those things held little value to me anymore. I stopped caring about them altogether.
My mom noticed that I stopped caring about them and gave all those things away. Of course I was surprised when I found out years later – but the fact that I didn’t miss them for such a long period of time says it all.
After I realized that I did not need or want these things in my life, I noticed that having fewer things means that you don’t need to worry about a lot.
I decided that decluttering would be good for me, that was the end of me collecting all the things.
Another hobby I had was reading. I would go to the library 2x per week and read 10 books per week – no kidding. I would also ask books for my birthdays or other celebrations. The result? I would have an entire book closet filled with books.
This is another hobby that I had to give up, as it took up too much space in my room.
My Frugal And Minimalist Hobbies
After I’ve let go of some of my old hobbies it was time for something new. Something that didn’t take up so much precious space in my small home.
At the same time, it’s good to see that these hobbies that are taking up less space are also saving me some money.
Here are some of my hobbies!
1. Reading
As I already said, I loved to read when I was a kid. I still do. I love to dive into books and read for hours on end. For most years of my adult life, I would finish somewhere between 30-50 books.
Reading is a hobby that could even be absolutely free if you rely on your local library for your books. But, if you buy every book you want to read completely new, it can become a pretty expensive hobby.
If you stick with what is available at your local library and don’t buy books unless you know you are absolutely going to read it, you will be fine.
What I’m currently doing is taking my e-reader with me on my four month mini-retirement, where I’ve saved around 100 books. I mostly got them from friends, meaning they did not cost me anything.
My favorite books so far:
- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The Law of Attraction by Esther Hicks
- The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
2. Blogging
Well, this one doesn’t take up much space for sure! All you need to start a blog is a functioning computer. Perhaps a desk, otherwise the bed would work just fine.
Basically all you need is a computer and some time, that’s about it. I am fortunate enough to have access to both of those things.
I started my blog in December 2018 with Bluehost and it has served me so well.
Blogging even helps me to earn a little income – which is nice. It’s not like I get thousands and thousands per month with blogging, but between $100-$150 monthly. Which is more than I would have hoped when I started out.
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I’ve personally followed the course and I totally love it, it has brought me so much! I would never have thought that you could make money blogging in such an easy and natural way.
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3. Board Games
Playing board games is something I love to do with friends or family. Often times I do board games when I’m having a night with friends. Depending on what location we are, we play different board games.
Playing board games can become expensive when it’s more about getting new board games fairly often. When you focus on playing the games instead of buying them, it is not such an expensive hobby.
If you’re going to different places with your friends for board games, you don’t need to acquire them all yourself. Meaning that you don’t have to store them as well.
Classic games we play are Monopoly or Risk. Other favorites include Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, and a recent favorite is Stone Age.Â
Additionally, board games are easily accessible online. Play some of the classics such as Yahtzee, the dice-game classic that involves rolling dice 13 times and scoring the most points in a variety of different combinations, which is available on Solitaired.com.
4. Hiking
To clarify: by hiking, I mean going out on foot and exploring green nature-y areas. Whether you’re walking 30 minutes in a forest nearby your house, you’re going backpacking in a national park, and everything in between. I consider that hiking.
It is a hobby that has little costs and it is very relaxing. It is a peaceful hobby that you can practice almost everywhere. All you need is a nice park or forest area where you can walk or hike.
I love spending time in nature. It is a great way to escape the busyness that is our everyday life.
It is the simplicity that really gets me. Just going outside for a walk to get some fresh air, sunshine, and move your body.
When you’re hiking around relatively flat areas with low intensity, you can just do it with the regular clothes that you already own.
When you’re hiking uphill on uneven ground, you may want to buy some hiking shoes. That’s all you need. I’ve got some nice hiking shoes that have hiked quite some mountains on quite some continents. They still last.
5. Photography
Today you can start with photography. It’s something I love completely, although I have to say my materials are not the best of the best.
Every time I’m going for holidays, trips, or I have some events, I love making pictures.
Pictures are such a great way to keep memories and to remember the places you have visited!
What are you favorite frugal and minimalist hobbies?
Marjolein is a financial consultant who has built over €4,000 monthly passive income and saves over 70% of her income. Read Radicals’ inspiring story, from stuck in the 9-to-5 to loving life. Feel free to send Radical a message at the bottom of this page
So many of our favorite hobbies overlap! Although my fiance’s book obsession does cost a bit – the books he likes are never at the library, but reading is his all time favorite thing to do, so it’s worth it. For me, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing than hiking and trail running! We’ve even managed to make a very small amount of income combining our love of photography and hiking. And speaking of board games, we just discovered our new favorite. Have you heard of Telestrations? It’s a hoot!!
One of the best hobbies are actually free. People have had “free hobbies” for thousands of yers, but consumerism has poisoned many people’s minds. Many people think that you have to have expensive gym membership, yoga classes or similar things to “have a hobby”, but it’s far from the real truth!
– FN
Hiking is amazing, trail running is something I haven’t done yet but would love to try! It seems so easy when people are just running past you when you’re walking a trail, but I’m sure it is so so hard – that’s why I haven’t tried it yet.
I haven’t tried Telestrations, I will try to get my hands on it!
I agree, it’s easy to find hobbies that are not too expensive or cost any money at all! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I took up pottery back in college and over the last 6 years put together a small studio. I check CL daily and have connected with area potters and art teachers for equipment and resources. Initial investment is higher than most hobbies but it has an unlimited ceiling. Who would have thought an elective class would bring such long lasting pleasure.
When you start thinking about board games in terms of cost per hour, they’re more affordable entertainment than almost anything. If I spend $50 on a cool boardgame with a lot of replay value, I might get 100+ hours of entertainment from it. That’s 50 cents per hour.
Compare that to a $10 movie ticket for a 90 minute film.
You’re right, though — you gotta play the game for it to be worth the money.
That’s great to hear Craig, sounds like a lot of fun!
I love playing board games, it’s something that you can do with friends and family. It’s a fun night out and 50 cents per hour of play sounds very reasonable!
I love to watch birds while hiking. I have a pair of binoculars. So glad there are others who enjoy simple pleasures!
This might relate to the hiking segment, but I love going to the dog park with my dog. These parks are PERFECT if you are limited in yard space for your pup to run around in, and they are completed free! Also, I have found that if you are open to chatting with people, it’s a great place to meet fellow dog lovers.
That sounds great Susan!
That’s a great tip Tiffany, thanks!
Thank you, I can totally relate on your post. I decided to change my lifestyle to less earlier this year. I took an organizing class which helped a lot in organizing not only with my living space but also other aspects of life. I got rid of my storage, declutter my space and living frugally. Its hard and very challenging at times. I need to remind myself why I’m doing it…. to live happily with less. Hiking has been my all time favorite as well as photography and reading.
That sounds great Yolanda!
I love it! Thank you for sharing your hobbies. It challenges me to live a simple life.
Thanks Jake!
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Thanks for letting us know. We’re just switching ad agencies, so we’ll communicate that! Can you please send a screenshot to info@radicalfire.com? That way we can resolve the issue!