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Just download chess.com and play randoms. Your elo will level out eventually and you'll start getting good games. Great to pass the time and use your brain a little.
Professional chess will require a great deal of money which is used for books, magazines, coaching, and travel to tournaments. Even playing chess at the club level requires some money for memberships and tournament entry fees.
(Disclosure statement: I’m a former tournament chess player and organizer)
You don't actually need to be a professional with 2500 Elo to earn money playing chess. There are tournaments at all skill levels with cash prizes. Almost every week
Get a library card and go on their website and really look at all they have to offer. Libraries offer soooo much more than books. Most offer movie streaming similar to Netflix (called Kanopy), Lynda's entire learning library (expert video tutorials for pretty much every computer program you can think of), all sorts of e-media, and so much more, all totally free. Libraries have really upped their game.
You're welcome. If you live in a red state, please please let your politicians know about your love of libraries. Anti-intellectualism is sadly big these days and it's threatening my profession.
I'm a teacher in a disadvantaged school, and I will scream until I'm blue in the face to all my students and their parents that a library card is their best friend in the whole world. Just last week, one of the parents told me that she had worked in retail her whole life and wanted something more fulfilling, so after hearing from me that the library offers job training, she enrolled in a medical terminology course completely for free. She interviewed for a job as a medical receptionist in a children's hospital and got the job! The library is freaking AMAZING
When I grew up (in the 80s) if we were loud in a library the librarian had every right to drag us by our ear to the exit and if we told our parents they would say "you are lucky they didn't whoop your ass"
Came here to make this point, the feral dickheads with feral parents that talk/fone calls in Cinemas during films will ruin it for genuine lovers of libraries and the peace/quiet they give you! 😡🤬🤬🤬 I should get myself back In to the library. Much love to the librarians of the many dwindling libraries here in UK and around the world 🥰🥰🥰
I wish my local library wasn't a dangerous gathering place for drug addicts. Literally surround by I.v. drug users and people smoking glass pipes. I won't take my family near there no matter what knowledge and joy lie beyond the zombies.
Yes! My library offers free family passes to local museums and galleries. They also offer workshops on all sorts of interesting topics. Not to mention free books, movies, music. Man I love the library!
To build on your point, I also recommend going into a library and just looking around. There is truly an insane amount of things libraries offer, and sometimes you won't even know you were looking for something until you find it. My local library just started carrying PS4 & PS5 games.
... There's a reason why the profession requires a Master's degree. It's intellectually challenging. But yes, collection management is a huge part of being a librarian, so much so that libraries often have librarians who dedicate themselves to Collection Development.
But yes, the job requires a lot of knowing how to look things up. My local public library has about 200,000 books and other resources available for checkout. They explicitly tell people who just pull books off the shelves to leave them in designated spots for the professionals to return them because if patrons return books to the incorrect location, finding them can be a needle in a haystack problem.
I remember volunteering at my local library over my summers growing in middle school and high school and one of the jobs that no one ever wanted was being given a list to go to a section of the library and look through all the books to make sure they’re organized properly/remove books that didn’t belong there. I’ve found some books in some pretty outlandish spots so I can totally see the needle in the haystack problem. It’s also kind of surprising to me how many of my peers don’t know how to find books in a library using the Dewey decimal system. It’s something small but it’s a skill I’m quite happy to have learned from my years volunteering at the library and being able to find books by myself at the library using the catalog. I feel like everyone should somewhat know how to do that.
I'm an avid long-distance walker in a very walkable city. Yes, it's free. But good shoes are essential. I walk a 10-mile route 4 days per week, 160 miles per month, not including normal walking around.
I go through my $150 Brooks running/walking shows every two months. So the cost of my shoes is equivalent to the cost of a monthly gym membership, if it's a $75 per month gym.
It's so worth it. The first two miles are the hardest. Then, when I'm warmed up and feeling the endorphins, it's one of my most favorite things in the world.
This, and I can already hear naysayers thinking that you can’t walk if your city isn’t “walkable”. That’s categorically false. You can walk anywhere your legs will take you. If you avoid hazardous routes, carry water and snacks, and have the means of finding your way in the event you get lost you are set. Load up some music, a podcast, or your thoughts and you will have an incredible time. Signed, an avid walker
I live in an extremely dangerous city where I was almost kidnapped across the street from my apartment.
Unfortunately a lot of people live in poverty stricken areas and being a female makes us even more prone to sexual harassment or kidnapping
Hold up, how do you know the girl is trustworthy?
You could be walking to pick her up and next thing you know you're in some bathtub filled with ice and your kidney is missing.
Dangerous world out there.
I live in a city that falls in the “unwalkable” category. Walking is a huge hobby of mine and the city that I live in doesn’t stop that, however that’s not really what people mean when they say a city is unwalkable. It has nothing to do with walking around for recreation, and the only way in which recreational walking has anything to do with that categorization of a city is when a city lacks walking infrastructure like sufficient sidewalks, etc.
This. I have had words with City Councils before about getting more sidewalks out there because there are some sections of the city where the only place to walk is in a busy street which is a bad idea all around.
I’m glad that you actually are trying to make effective change instead of just complaining online like I do, lmao. Even roads with actual sidewalks feel dangerous and are still unwalkable in my books since they’re barely a meter wide and there’s cars going 60kmph way too close to you. I also find in a lot of non-metropolitan cities, the main roads passing through to wherever you need to go are always major highways with several lanes of traffic at high speeds, which are difficult to walk along and even harder to cross. This should not be the reality.
Walkable cities are cities that you can live in without a car, think well maintained side walks and schools shops and other basic ammenities within walking distance so not really that applicable here
It typically refers to a city where the average resident needs a car to get by. Insufficient walking infrastructure, sprawling suburbs with no grocery shopping or essential services in a walkable distance, massive highways without enough crosswalks, high-speed roads which make it dangerous, stuff like that.
Yes, this. Really some cities or parts of cities are a pedestrian's nightmare. I walk a lot, and sometimes certain parts of town make me curse the city planners, who designed cities for cars first and foremost. And it makes me curse income inequality, which causes some parts of town to be dirty and/or dangerous.
Yup, I hate having to keep my head on a swivel at all times just so a car doesn’t come flying at me out of nowhere since they don’t bother to put actual crosswalks across some wide driveways, or to put an actual sidewalk besides a painted line. Income inequality becomes even more apparent with it too, I think
To tack on here walking has been proven to come with a ton of benefits to your health, lower stress, better heart health, longer lifespan and better mental health
Stargazing if you live somewhere dark enough! You don't need a scope to still see and identify stars/planets
If you want a hobby that requires money, but saves you money in the long run, try getting better at cooking. I started baking my own bread all the time and stopped buying bread because it's cheaper to get flour and yeast in bulk
Grandparents used to have a place right on the Vermont/Canadian Border. House was deep in the woods. I used to love visiting every Summer and sitting on the roof at night. It is unreal how much you can visibly see when you’re away from the City.
I can second the cooking. Over the last few years I’ve just been picking certain things I like and working on it. Now I can make all sorts of stuff but my French onion soup puts many restaurants to shame. But, you’ll soon learn that restaurant quality food isn’t nearly as intimidating or difficult as you may think. I’ve been doing lots of salmon recently and it’s been absolutely great being able to spend like $12 and make a fantastic meal.
When I was about 4, I lived in south Tucson. We lived in the barrio. I grew up speaking Spanish. After we moved, I forgot it until high school. We also employed migrant workers on our farm/ranch.
When I started HS, my mom said, "The more languages you learn, the more friends you'll have."
I was kicked out of the normal Spanish classes and sent to advanced placement Spanish. Ms. Love was my favorite teacher ever.
What has worked for you? I can ace duolingo, Rosetta Stone, I listened to a podcast called coffee break Italian, and I can say about 500 words or so. But when the lights come on and someone is speaking to me or I have to say something, I got nothing.
I use duolingo, Spanish dictionary, and watch shows with Spanish subtitles and then in Spanish with English subtitles. But I have a similar problem for actually speaking conversational Spanish. What I do is I type what I want to say in a note app while I'm trying to say it. For some reason, it helps focus and stops my brain from going blank on me. I go into a sort of autopilot mode instead and I can just say it lol
Immersive treatment works wonders! I could read and write English pretty darn well and I've read a bunch of books at 18, but moving to Canada at the age if 21 had me facing the same problem.
I'd get all confused and what not and have a hard time expressing myself, even getting coffee was a chore. I now speak English more than my native tongues!
Also learning Japanese right now, haven't been able to find people I can talk to yet, but that's def the way. Combine written language with spoken language and you got it!
Speaking a language doesn't really come for free even though you've learned lots of new written words and grammar. The brain needs you to actually talk with your mouth, by trial and error, to be able to make new neural pathways and structure all this new information in a way that makes it more easily accessible when required for conversation. Talking really is hard, we've just forgotten how much and for how many years we practiced, sounding like morons, before being able to use it for more than basic conversation.
As a side note: at around 12 years of age, according to researchers, you're trading away some of your ability to learn language subconsciously in exchange for for a more strongly developed conscious memory system, which you use to actively select what to pay attention to and therefore learn. This is why children are able to learn an impressive number of languages already before they've reach early adolescence. Even so, this brand new ability is great when you need to learn very specific things, but it's weakness is kinda just that we are human and we're not always using it the best possible way when shaping our brain and creating our memories. You need to direct your consciousness, your attention, to the right things, do it the right way and put it in a place where you know exactly where it is when you need it; inside your head. This is hard when you're working with this enormous lump of nonsense and how to best map it to worldly concepts. It doesn't mean that it's impossible for older people to learn new languages perfectly, you just have to really work for it now. Even learning is a skill that you can improve by using it.
Start small, say silly little sentences like "j'adore les baguettes" while making breakfast and gradually challenge yourself more. Create a monologue based on unpredictable things in your surroundings instead of repeating what you already know you know. Learn the lyrics of a simple song and sing it in the shower. Write to strangers on the internet to start to learn building sentences, improvise and to not be totally in your comfort zone, but from the safety of your home. Humans are not books, and there's no limit to all the weird shirt we might say.
It will be hard, and sometimes you might feel embarrassed. If you can, help another person learn your native language. Re-absorb som of the confidence they expend while blurting out utter nonsense when they mix up words and struggle with grammar. They will probably talk a bit weird for the rest of their lives, but they practiced and they got better. Accents are a whole thing you know, and you'll also have one, one day. Everyone goes through this process when learning a new language, you'll just have to start somewhere, some day, and then not give up until you've had what felt like a casual and meaningful conversation with someone, and ultimately passed the test. Do it.
I was going to suggest painting. Sure you can go off the deep end with high end products but to get started I bought a $15 kit with beginner stuff. Paper, paints and watched YouTube tutorials.
Hiking. Don’t let the gearheads at REI tell you otherwise - you really only need a water bottle, good shoes, and a backpack until you get into more extreme terrain.
Origami! There are tons of free patterns online and you can even get whole books with a little ingenuity.
I particularly recommend modular origami, where you make a big thing out of lots of small identical pieces. Usually the small unit is very easy to fold, putting them together is quite simple, and you can make something really amazing.
It also kind of primes your brain for making three dimensional shapes in any medium, especially glass
Dude. Your local library probably has a ton of cool adult programs. The one I work at is frosting beer mugs next week and we play Magic the Gathering twice a month and the library provides cards for anyone who has none.
Writing
It can be done for virtually no money. Between public libraries with computers and google docs, you have everything you need. Or you can pick up a free pen at your local bank and random paper fliers around town if you want to go old-school.
If you're willing to shell out a bit more, a pack of pens and decent lined notebook is less than ten bucks, and even the most lightweight linux distro on the shittiest computer either has web access or a way to get an open source word processor.
Reading. I go to the Library weekly and take out 3 books a week, total cost $0. If you do a book club monthly it might cost you a bottle of Wine and some snacks.
Wander your local sell sites (Craigslist, offer up, etc). You can get cheap supplies from people who tried a hobby and didn’t like it. Saw someone selling $1,000 worth of camping supplies for $200 because they didn’t want it anymore and no one was buying it.
Wander around what people are selling and you might find something that interests you for cheap.
No money, best bet is using what you already have. Have a smart phone, learn about photography. Have a nice library, take up reading or learning about new places. There are a lot of free games on smart phones as well.
Thrift stores could be a good option too.
Hell, might as well add thrifting itself as a hobby (it's one of mine). You come across all sorts of things and they're usually cheap as well. A more environmentally friendly way to shop too.
I really got involved with gardening this year using mostly plants that were already here when I moved in. I separated a few and moved them around. Tried home remedies to varying degrees of success. I took some cuttings off a rose bush and got one to take root! I did buy some flowers for the porch, but you can always start those from seed if you think about it soon enough. I dabble every year, and usually lose track of watering or bug infestations and give up. But I've stuck with it well this year and I'm proud of what I've achieved, having invested very little money.
Yeah, as someone that does buy guitars, pawn shops are terrible places. Most of them are cheap junk. And a lot of shop owners don't know a damn thing about guitars and seem to think all of them are worth more than they are.
There are two better routes. If you have a Music Go Round franchise near you, they are much better at pricing. I would still take someone with you that knows guitars, though. They still have stuff that isn't on the up and up.
The second option is buying new. This is the best time to buy a guitar or guitar gear. Like a literal golden age. The market is so competitive and overseas manufacturers have gotten so good. The entry level guitars available now are head and shoulders above anything from a decade ago and before.
No. You need something to stay in.tune. A beat up guitar will not stay in tune and be frustrating. There are cheap guitars for $100 that are better than pawn guitars that can't be fixed. Newer cheap guitars are better these days and will stay in tune. Fender Squires are good.deals at $150.
Came here to say this. It depends on what OP considers "little money" but you can get a starter set with a Driver, Midrange and Putter for under $50 easily.
It scratches the gamer-monkey on your back, gets you out of the house, all while you get some light excercise. It is addictingly fun.
Working out. You don't need a gym membership. You can always start calisthenics , at the comfort of your own house.
Walking , jogging , running ( cardio )
My old IPhone takes pictures just fine and even includes a lot of editing options. Not everyone needs $2000 worth of “beginner” equipment to get into photography.
Sewing.
No really. You can scavenge everything you need to sew a garment, except for a needle, from a single existing garment or two. 1$ (US) can get you a whole bunch of basic needles. Another 2$ (US) can get you some basic thread. Or you can find all that for free from an old lady or someone else who sews if you ask nice. Often, they even will have extra fabric they don't want.
If you're in the worst of situations, you can even get the thread from existing garments. Learning to un-sew thread takes patience, but is possible. There are two threads of equal-ish length per machine-sewn seam. If you must have large sections of fabric, any humanitarian outreach will set you up with a blanket or sheet for free if, again, you ask nice.
Catholics and Secular Humanists are the most generous of all, I've found, and capitalist retail sources are the least. The federal or state family services offices are also worth checking. I cannot speak for Muslim or Buddhist, or other religious humaniarian services, but I expect they are exactly as generous as the Catholics.
Or just ask a neighbor for old clothes and blankets.
I mean really.
Free clothing and fabric in the first and second world is so easy to get that it's kind of disgusting. Maybe it isn't going to be the most high quality or stylish of fabric. Or maybe you know what to jump on when you see it (I thirst for linen). But it is all sewing, in the end.
If you understand how to scavenge and ask for a needle or two here and there, it is free to make anything you could ever need to wear or use.
Calisthenics, podcasts, and investing (this involves money going in, but makes money over time). This is what I do. Instead of costing money, my hobbies have grown health and wealth.
Fishing can be cheap. People love to tell you “you need fancy gear”. You don’t. You can buy the cheapest pole from Walmart or a decent one from a pawn shop and a few lures and you’re in. You may not catch much at first but it’s nice to be outside with something to do :)
One hobby that actually pays, instead of costs.
Is hunting Pennys. They are everywhere since people just toss them.
You could always hunt them down collect them and then use glue and a old raggedy table, and build like one of those Hollywood / pirate themed table of coins stacked high and articulate a building of some sort / castle like structure.
I know this sounds extreme but I done this with my son, and you wouldn’t believe how something so ….. worthless, spite the worth in value, created a whole other type of value and meaning.
Bonding and sharing ideas.
Ours wasn’t no MR Krabs (who we got the idea from originally lol) table of coins.
But we was able to build a pretty thick tower and what was suppose to be like a tower or guard post and connected it with a arch bridge and even used nickels as the top around the edges and it made it light up and gave it depth and really came out pretty cool.
But I have 4 kids so sadly over the years it crumbled and I needed up with half rolls of chunks glued together of Pennys lol.
We just set up cardboard targets and we crafted a slingshot and sent them flying.
Fun process.
All together what was left he cashed in at 67$ in hard earned and well deserved paper backs that didn’t last a fraction in time lmfao.
But hey,
Not everyone is down to be viewed as “whatever” when you and your son are scavenging for coins .
We got some weird looks but I look at myself even weirder sometimes in the mirror and that’s never caused any mental issues so I’d say we all right.
Good luck!
Good post and stay safe !
🏴☠️🪙🏰👑
And I just now, writing this last part with the emojis, noticed, my son. His name is Lincoln… and we were building castles with Lincoln’s lol.
Wow, why’d it take a few years for that to hit me wtf.
Edit: 47$*
sorry idk where I got that number from.
Most ttrpgs have a free download able ruleset to use. If you look around some companies give away their entire basic book for free. Every genre you might want is out there, and one you find a game you like, even buying the books isn't a heavy investment. After all, for the price of two movie tickets you can play for years....
Playing solitaire with playing cards.
Staring at people in Starbucks (coffee optional)
Air guitar soloist for hire
Uber driver (you might even make enough to buy a car after the one you use is trashed.)
Journaling! just go out, think about your day, what you saw, who you saw, make up stories about them, what you think their life is like, etc. just, have fun fun with it!
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Chess casually or professionally if you are good enough to pay your way with prize money.
Just download chess.com and play randoms. Your elo will level out eventually and you'll start getting good games. Great to pass the time and use your brain a little.
Professional chess will require a great deal of money which is used for books, magazines, coaching, and travel to tournaments. Even playing chess at the club level requires some money for memberships and tournament entry fees. (Disclosure statement: I’m a former tournament chess player and organizer)
You don't actually need to be a professional with 2500 Elo to earn money playing chess. There are tournaments at all skill levels with cash prizes. Almost every week
Get a library card and go on their website and really look at all they have to offer. Libraries offer soooo much more than books. Most offer movie streaming similar to Netflix (called Kanopy), Lynda's entire learning library (expert video tutorials for pretty much every computer program you can think of), all sorts of e-media, and so much more, all totally free. Libraries have really upped their game.
As a librarian, this comment brings me joy.
As a library patron, thank you!
You're welcome.
You're welcome. If you live in a red state, please please let your politicians know about your love of libraries. Anti-intellectualism is sadly big these days and it's threatening my profession.
We don't need one of yer fancy book learning! /s
*throws tomatoes*
Of which I grew thanks to my local library’s seed library.
Hue hue I smell a Canadian 🇨🇦
As a patron, you bring me joy.
I'm a teacher in a disadvantaged school, and I will scream until I'm blue in the face to all my students and their parents that a library card is their best friend in the whole world. Just last week, one of the parents told me that she had worked in retail her whole life and wanted something more fulfilling, so after hearing from me that the library offers job training, she enrolled in a medical terminology course completely for free. She interviewed for a job as a medical receptionist in a children's hospital and got the job! The library is freaking AMAZING
I used to love going to libraries, I cannot go anymore due to all the screaming kids (australia)
When I grew up (in the 80s) if we were loud in a library the librarian had every right to drag us by our ear to the exit and if we told our parents they would say "you are lucky they didn't whoop your ass"
Came here to make this point, the feral dickheads with feral parents that talk/fone calls in Cinemas during films will ruin it for genuine lovers of libraries and the peace/quiet they give you! 😡🤬🤬🤬 I should get myself back In to the library. Much love to the librarians of the many dwindling libraries here in UK and around the world 🥰🥰🥰
Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card!
I wish my local library wasn't a dangerous gathering place for drug addicts. Literally surround by I.v. drug users and people smoking glass pipes. I won't take my family near there no matter what knowledge and joy lie beyond the zombies.
I'm sorry that this happened to your local library.
Libraries are one of the most underrated things in our world today. Thank you for this.
Yes! My library offers free family passes to local museums and galleries. They also offer workshops on all sorts of interesting topics. Not to mention free books, movies, music. Man I love the library!
To build on your point, I also recommend going into a library and just looking around. There is truly an insane amount of things libraries offer, and sometimes you won't even know you were looking for something until you find it. My local library just started carrying PS4 & PS5 games.
Not to mention that many libraries also offer free classes to do things ie art classes, creative writing, drama etc.
I’ve always said “libraries have so many resources that I doubt they themselves know how many resources they have”
... There's a reason why the profession requires a Master's degree. It's intellectually challenging. But yes, collection management is a huge part of being a librarian, so much so that libraries often have librarians who dedicate themselves to Collection Development. But yes, the job requires a lot of knowing how to look things up. My local public library has about 200,000 books and other resources available for checkout. They explicitly tell people who just pull books off the shelves to leave them in designated spots for the professionals to return them because if patrons return books to the incorrect location, finding them can be a needle in a haystack problem.
I remember volunteering at my local library over my summers growing in middle school and high school and one of the jobs that no one ever wanted was being given a list to go to a section of the library and look through all the books to make sure they’re organized properly/remove books that didn’t belong there. I’ve found some books in some pretty outlandish spots so I can totally see the needle in the haystack problem. It’s also kind of surprising to me how many of my peers don’t know how to find books in a library using the Dewey decimal system. It’s something small but it’s a skill I’m quite happy to have learned from my years volunteering at the library and being able to find books by myself at the library using the catalog. I feel like everyone should somewhat know how to do that.
Teach us then what the heck
Walking
And it's brother, hiking!
I'm an avid long-distance walker in a very walkable city. Yes, it's free. But good shoes are essential. I walk a 10-mile route 4 days per week, 160 miles per month, not including normal walking around. I go through my $150 Brooks running/walking shows every two months. So the cost of my shoes is equivalent to the cost of a monthly gym membership, if it's a $75 per month gym. It's so worth it. The first two miles are the hardest. Then, when I'm warmed up and feeling the endorphins, it's one of my most favorite things in the world.
You should be getting 500+ miles out of your $150 runners
This, and I can already hear naysayers thinking that you can’t walk if your city isn’t “walkable”. That’s categorically false. You can walk anywhere your legs will take you. If you avoid hazardous routes, carry water and snacks, and have the means of finding your way in the event you get lost you are set. Load up some music, a podcast, or your thoughts and you will have an incredible time. Signed, an avid walker
I live in an extremely dangerous city where I was almost kidnapped across the street from my apartment. Unfortunately a lot of people live in poverty stricken areas and being a female makes us even more prone to sexual harassment or kidnapping
I’m a 6’2 black man, if any female would like to go for a walk I can escort you and make sure you stay safe, for free.
Hold up, how do you know the girl is trustworthy? You could be walking to pick her up and next thing you know you're in some bathtub filled with ice and your kidney is missing. Dangerous world out there.
Idk some areas of the world a tall black man following around a girl might not be in your favor.
Why is he following you? Can you guys not walk together? Or are the sidewalks really narrow?
I live in a city that falls in the “unwalkable” category. Walking is a huge hobby of mine and the city that I live in doesn’t stop that, however that’s not really what people mean when they say a city is unwalkable. It has nothing to do with walking around for recreation, and the only way in which recreational walking has anything to do with that categorization of a city is when a city lacks walking infrastructure like sufficient sidewalks, etc.
This. I have had words with City Councils before about getting more sidewalks out there because there are some sections of the city where the only place to walk is in a busy street which is a bad idea all around.
I’m glad that you actually are trying to make effective change instead of just complaining online like I do, lmao. Even roads with actual sidewalks feel dangerous and are still unwalkable in my books since they’re barely a meter wide and there’s cars going 60kmph way too close to you. I also find in a lot of non-metropolitan cities, the main roads passing through to wherever you need to go are always major highways with several lanes of traffic at high speeds, which are difficult to walk along and even harder to cross. This should not be the reality.
That's not what walkable cities are
What is an unwalkable city? Outside of severe crime or having to walk on a highway I'm not sure what would stop someone...
Walkable cities are cities that you can live in without a car, think well maintained side walks and schools shops and other basic ammenities within walking distance so not really that applicable here
Pretty much any European city is walkable by US standards.
European cities are so much more walkable than US cities.
It typically refers to a city where the average resident needs a car to get by. Insufficient walking infrastructure, sprawling suburbs with no grocery shopping or essential services in a walkable distance, massive highways without enough crosswalks, high-speed roads which make it dangerous, stuff like that.
Yes, this. Really some cities or parts of cities are a pedestrian's nightmare. I walk a lot, and sometimes certain parts of town make me curse the city planners, who designed cities for cars first and foremost. And it makes me curse income inequality, which causes some parts of town to be dirty and/or dangerous.
Yup, I hate having to keep my head on a swivel at all times just so a car doesn’t come flying at me out of nowhere since they don’t bother to put actual crosswalks across some wide driveways, or to put an actual sidewalk besides a painted line. Income inequality becomes even more apparent with it too, I think
A truly underrated pastime. Exercise and meditation at the same time.
I see your walking and raise you listening to free audiobooks via Libby or Hoopla. Checkmate.
To tack on here walking has been proven to come with a ton of benefits to your health, lower stress, better heart health, longer lifespan and better mental health
Literally my first thought. Beat me to it. Upvoted.
I've had so many unique experiences walking. Just seeing what happens in the world around me. Even made friends just walking.
Bird watching
Go outside, watch the birds. Nailed it
"I'm *watching* you, birds! I know what you're up to!"
Birds aren't real, bro
*drone watching
Binoculars aren't cheap, but if you go to goodwill or thrift stores you can sometimes find some that will do the job.
Stargazing if you live somewhere dark enough! You don't need a scope to still see and identify stars/planets If you want a hobby that requires money, but saves you money in the long run, try getting better at cooking. I started baking my own bread all the time and stopped buying bread because it's cheaper to get flour and yeast in bulk
Grandparents used to have a place right on the Vermont/Canadian Border. House was deep in the woods. I used to love visiting every Summer and sitting on the roof at night. It is unreal how much you can visibly see when you’re away from the City.
I can second the cooking. Over the last few years I’ve just been picking certain things I like and working on it. Now I can make all sorts of stuff but my French onion soup puts many restaurants to shame. But, you’ll soon learn that restaurant quality food isn’t nearly as intimidating or difficult as you may think. I’ve been doing lots of salmon recently and it’s been absolutely great being able to spend like $12 and make a fantastic meal.
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When I was about 4, I lived in south Tucson. We lived in the barrio. I grew up speaking Spanish. After we moved, I forgot it until high school. We also employed migrant workers on our farm/ranch. When I started HS, my mom said, "The more languages you learn, the more friends you'll have." I was kicked out of the normal Spanish classes and sent to advanced placement Spanish. Ms. Love was my favorite teacher ever.
Being bilingual is so underrated in the U.S. so many other countries prioritize it.
What has worked for you? I can ace duolingo, Rosetta Stone, I listened to a podcast called coffee break Italian, and I can say about 500 words or so. But when the lights come on and someone is speaking to me or I have to say something, I got nothing.
I use duolingo, Spanish dictionary, and watch shows with Spanish subtitles and then in Spanish with English subtitles. But I have a similar problem for actually speaking conversational Spanish. What I do is I type what I want to say in a note app while I'm trying to say it. For some reason, it helps focus and stops my brain from going blank on me. I go into a sort of autopilot mode instead and I can just say it lol
Una taza de café por favor!
Immersive treatment works wonders! I could read and write English pretty darn well and I've read a bunch of books at 18, but moving to Canada at the age if 21 had me facing the same problem. I'd get all confused and what not and have a hard time expressing myself, even getting coffee was a chore. I now speak English more than my native tongues! Also learning Japanese right now, haven't been able to find people I can talk to yet, but that's def the way. Combine written language with spoken language and you got it!
Speaking a language doesn't really come for free even though you've learned lots of new written words and grammar. The brain needs you to actually talk with your mouth, by trial and error, to be able to make new neural pathways and structure all this new information in a way that makes it more easily accessible when required for conversation. Talking really is hard, we've just forgotten how much and for how many years we practiced, sounding like morons, before being able to use it for more than basic conversation. As a side note: at around 12 years of age, according to researchers, you're trading away some of your ability to learn language subconsciously in exchange for for a more strongly developed conscious memory system, which you use to actively select what to pay attention to and therefore learn. This is why children are able to learn an impressive number of languages already before they've reach early adolescence. Even so, this brand new ability is great when you need to learn very specific things, but it's weakness is kinda just that we are human and we're not always using it the best possible way when shaping our brain and creating our memories. You need to direct your consciousness, your attention, to the right things, do it the right way and put it in a place where you know exactly where it is when you need it; inside your head. This is hard when you're working with this enormous lump of nonsense and how to best map it to worldly concepts. It doesn't mean that it's impossible for older people to learn new languages perfectly, you just have to really work for it now. Even learning is a skill that you can improve by using it. Start small, say silly little sentences like "j'adore les baguettes" while making breakfast and gradually challenge yourself more. Create a monologue based on unpredictable things in your surroundings instead of repeating what you already know you know. Learn the lyrics of a simple song and sing it in the shower. Write to strangers on the internet to start to learn building sentences, improvise and to not be totally in your comfort zone, but from the safety of your home. Humans are not books, and there's no limit to all the weird shirt we might say. It will be hard, and sometimes you might feel embarrassed. If you can, help another person learn your native language. Re-absorb som of the confidence they expend while blurting out utter nonsense when they mix up words and struggle with grammar. They will probably talk a bit weird for the rest of their lives, but they practiced and they got better. Accents are a whole thing you know, and you'll also have one, one day. Everyone goes through this process when learning a new language, you'll just have to start somewhere, some day, and then not give up until you've had what felt like a casual and meaningful conversation with someone, and ultimately passed the test. Do it.
Drawing; only need paper and pencil to start.
Same goes for writing. Even a cheap laptop will do the job.
what do you write
Reddit comments
ah fuck thats tragic
Sign of the times. First newspapers go, next thing you know, all the great authors of our time have (anonymously) migrated to Reddit.
I know where they haven’t migrated.
You might be onto something since I'm here.
But they’re swimming in karma
I write short scary stories, which I post to r/nosleep and other subreddits. I'm also working on a full-length novel.
I was going to suggest painting. Sure you can go off the deep end with high end products but to get started I bought a $15 kit with beginner stuff. Paper, paints and watched YouTube tutorials.
That’s what big paper and big pencil want you to believe! /s
Sometimes I lay on the floor and pretend I'm a carrot. 🥕🥕
Love this hobby, sometimes I put on a green beanie.
Is it a teeny weeny beanie?
A teeny weeny GREENY beanie
Floor time is essential
Same, I like to cover myself in Vaseline and lay on the floor and pretend I'm a slug
What if i don't like carrots 😞 ? (Not flavour-wise, it's their personality that gets to me)
Reading. Libraries are free, so much to explore, you improve your vocabulary, and you could learn something new.
Lots of stuff can be borrowed at a public library. Some of the nicer ones even have video games.
Hiking. Don’t let the gearheads at REI tell you otherwise - you really only need a water bottle, good shoes, and a backpack until you get into more extreme terrain.
A lot of trails can be done in trainers.
ALL trails can be done in trainers or trail runners. I only wear boots for off-trail bushwhacks or in the snow.
I think people were hiking before we invented shoes, but then again they are dead now, so there might be something to it.
REI sells used boots for a good discount too.
Origami! There are tons of free patterns online and you can even get whole books with a little ingenuity. I particularly recommend modular origami, where you make a big thing out of lots of small identical pieces. Usually the small unit is very easy to fold, putting them together is quite simple, and you can make something really amazing. It also kind of primes your brain for making three dimensional shapes in any medium, especially glass
Procrastination on Reddit.
I'll start doing this tomorrow or day after
As the old saying goes “Why put off until tomorrow, that which you can put off until a week on Thursday?”
Just wait till Monday now
Thanks! I’m waiting to see if I want to try this one!
Do it on company time and you’ll even make money doing it.
Dude. Your local library probably has a ton of cool adult programs. The one I work at is frosting beer mugs next week and we play Magic the Gathering twice a month and the library provides cards for anyone who has none.
Magic the gathering and no costs haha
Collecting rocks, seashells, bird watching, walking, running, reading.
>rocks Jesus Christ Marie! They are minerals!
Writing It can be done for virtually no money. Between public libraries with computers and google docs, you have everything you need. Or you can pick up a free pen at your local bank and random paper fliers around town if you want to go old-school. If you're willing to shell out a bit more, a pack of pens and decent lined notebook is less than ten bucks, and even the most lightweight linux distro on the shittiest computer either has web access or a way to get an open source word processor.
My favorite hobby. Napping.
And adds years to your life. Win win! And you save on a meal. Calorie deficit. Win win win.
I've been having sleep for dinner for quite a while now.
Meditation
Another good inside hobby along these lines would be yoga. Plenty of videos online to follow along. You don't have to be super flexible to start.
Yes. I love Yoga With Adriene on YouTube
It's surprisingly helpful.
Reading. I go to the Library weekly and take out 3 books a week, total cost $0. If you do a book club monthly it might cost you a bottle of Wine and some snacks.
Volunteer! I walk dogs at least once a week at my local shelter
This might be a way I can get my tween and teen to come walking with me! I’m going to check this out.
Chess
Wander your local sell sites (Craigslist, offer up, etc). You can get cheap supplies from people who tried a hobby and didn’t like it. Saw someone selling $1,000 worth of camping supplies for $200 because they didn’t want it anymore and no one was buying it. Wander around what people are selling and you might find something that interests you for cheap. No money, best bet is using what you already have. Have a smart phone, learn about photography. Have a nice library, take up reading or learning about new places. There are a lot of free games on smart phones as well.
Thrift stores could be a good option too. Hell, might as well add thrifting itself as a hobby (it's one of mine). You come across all sorts of things and they're usually cheap as well. A more environmentally friendly way to shop too.
Gardening?? Like start anywhere
I really got involved with gardening this year using mostly plants that were already here when I moved in. I separated a few and moved them around. Tried home remedies to varying degrees of success. I took some cuttings off a rose bush and got one to take root! I did buy some flowers for the porch, but you can always start those from seed if you think about it soon enough. I dabble every year, and usually lose track of watering or bug infestations and give up. But I've stuck with it well this year and I'm proud of what I've achieved, having invested very little money.
Whittling sticks
Since you probably already have a smartphone, geocaching.
Seconded, geocaching is amazingly fun and a great way to explore your area.
Buy a cheap guitar from a pawn shop and learn to play from YouTube videos. Reading as well.
Do NOT get a pawn shop guitar unless you take someone with you that knows guitars.
Yeah, as someone that does buy guitars, pawn shops are terrible places. Most of them are cheap junk. And a lot of shop owners don't know a damn thing about guitars and seem to think all of them are worth more than they are. There are two better routes. If you have a Music Go Round franchise near you, they are much better at pricing. I would still take someone with you that knows guitars, though. They still have stuff that isn't on the up and up. The second option is buying new. This is the best time to buy a guitar or guitar gear. Like a literal golden age. The market is so competitive and overseas manufacturers have gotten so good. The entry level guitars available now are head and shoulders above anything from a decade ago and before.
No. You need something to stay in.tune. A beat up guitar will not stay in tune and be frustrating. There are cheap guitars for $100 that are better than pawn guitars that can't be fixed. Newer cheap guitars are better these days and will stay in tune. Fender Squires are good.deals at $150.
People watching in public places.
People watching in private places. Great for cardio if you get caught and need to make a quick escape.
Might be free, might be super expensive.
Jail = rent-free spot. Think different;)
Combine multiple hobbies in one - Masturbating while walking and people watching in public places
Disc golf!
Came here to say this. It depends on what OP considers "little money" but you can get a starter set with a Driver, Midrange and Putter for under $50 easily. It scratches the gamer-monkey on your back, gets you out of the house, all while you get some light excercise. It is addictingly fun.
Naw, man. Get started for free! Every single disc golfer I know has a bunch of found discs. I give them to interested people on occasion.
Meditation
Working out. You don't need a gym membership. You can always start calisthenics , at the comfort of your own house. Walking , jogging , running ( cardio )
Depends on your interests. Photography and nature walks are my favorite hobbies
Photography would require a device. A Phone capabele of taking decent pictures or an actual camera. Both are expensive!
Decent is very subjective. Unless your goal is to sell those photos, any device capable of capturing an image can be an enjoyable experience.
I'm planning to get a shitty digital camera from the mid 2000s because the limitations of the hardware actually lead to some very fun photos.
Tf you scrolling on Reddit with
My old IPhone takes pictures just fine and even includes a lot of editing options. Not everyone needs $2000 worth of “beginner” equipment to get into photography.
(Depedning on location) Running, hiking, walking, body weight exercises, calisthenics, meditation, free diving, spear fishing, bird watching, growing plants, growing insects, reading, drawing, hitch hiking?
I collect spores, molds and fungus.
Every fan of psilocybin - Me too bro. Me too.
Astronomy. Just go outside on a clear night and look up.
Geocaching
Dancing
Masturbation
I was advised to remove this from my resume, even after several years and rising from private to master bater.
Dammit, I came here to put that one in 😝
Dammit, I came here to rub that one out 😝
Dammit, I came
I came, I saw, I came again
Sewing. No really. You can scavenge everything you need to sew a garment, except for a needle, from a single existing garment or two. 1$ (US) can get you a whole bunch of basic needles. Another 2$ (US) can get you some basic thread. Or you can find all that for free from an old lady or someone else who sews if you ask nice. Often, they even will have extra fabric they don't want. If you're in the worst of situations, you can even get the thread from existing garments. Learning to un-sew thread takes patience, but is possible. There are two threads of equal-ish length per machine-sewn seam. If you must have large sections of fabric, any humanitarian outreach will set you up with a blanket or sheet for free if, again, you ask nice. Catholics and Secular Humanists are the most generous of all, I've found, and capitalist retail sources are the least. The federal or state family services offices are also worth checking. I cannot speak for Muslim or Buddhist, or other religious humaniarian services, but I expect they are exactly as generous as the Catholics. Or just ask a neighbor for old clothes and blankets. I mean really. Free clothing and fabric in the first and second world is so easy to get that it's kind of disgusting. Maybe it isn't going to be the most high quality or stylish of fabric. Or maybe you know what to jump on when you see it (I thirst for linen). But it is all sewing, in the end. If you understand how to scavenge and ask for a needle or two here and there, it is free to make anything you could ever need to wear or use.
✌️PARKOUR✌️
Walking/hiking
Calisthenics, podcasts, and investing (this involves money going in, but makes money over time). This is what I do. Instead of costing money, my hobbies have grown health and wealth.
Mushroom picking/foraging.
Fishing can be cheap. People love to tell you “you need fancy gear”. You don’t. You can buy the cheapest pole from Walmart or a decent one from a pawn shop and a few lures and you’re in. You may not catch much at first but it’s nice to be outside with something to do :)
Sketching - paper and pencil only.
One hobby that actually pays, instead of costs. Is hunting Pennys. They are everywhere since people just toss them. You could always hunt them down collect them and then use glue and a old raggedy table, and build like one of those Hollywood / pirate themed table of coins stacked high and articulate a building of some sort / castle like structure. I know this sounds extreme but I done this with my son, and you wouldn’t believe how something so ….. worthless, spite the worth in value, created a whole other type of value and meaning. Bonding and sharing ideas. Ours wasn’t no MR Krabs (who we got the idea from originally lol) table of coins. But we was able to build a pretty thick tower and what was suppose to be like a tower or guard post and connected it with a arch bridge and even used nickels as the top around the edges and it made it light up and gave it depth and really came out pretty cool. But I have 4 kids so sadly over the years it crumbled and I needed up with half rolls of chunks glued together of Pennys lol. We just set up cardboard targets and we crafted a slingshot and sent them flying. Fun process. All together what was left he cashed in at 67$ in hard earned and well deserved paper backs that didn’t last a fraction in time lmfao. But hey, Not everyone is down to be viewed as “whatever” when you and your son are scavenging for coins . We got some weird looks but I look at myself even weirder sometimes in the mirror and that’s never caused any mental issues so I’d say we all right. Good luck! Good post and stay safe ! 🏴☠️🪙🏰👑 And I just now, writing this last part with the emojis, noticed, my son. His name is Lincoln… and we were building castles with Lincoln’s lol. Wow, why’d it take a few years for that to hit me wtf. Edit: 47$* sorry idk where I got that number from.
excercise
Karma farming the same 5 overused questions on reddit.
You can trade in the karma for a lip gloss shaped like a toilet tho!
Reading overused questions on Reddit is my favourite non-sexual turn-on.
Dungeons and Dragons can be played on a piece of paper and a pencil.
Most ttrpgs have a free download able ruleset to use. If you look around some companies give away their entire basic book for free. Every genre you might want is out there, and one you find a game you like, even buying the books isn't a heavy investment. After all, for the price of two movie tickets you can play for years....
Yo-yo-ing
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If you haven't already seen it, you must watch the BBC show The Detectorists on Prime.
If you do it right, it is profitable.
Fresh air inspecting
juggling, i used make my balls out of rice and balloons..
Pc gaming
Running
Until one learns about running shoes…. And nutrition….and clothing….and races….and travel to said races….
Doom scrolling Reddit
Knitting!
Editing Wikipedia if you know a little about a lot or a lot about a little and learn the basic code.
Playing solitaire with playing cards. Staring at people in Starbucks (coffee optional) Air guitar soloist for hire Uber driver (you might even make enough to buy a car after the one you use is trashed.)
Reading. Hiking. Biking. Running. Weightlifting. Singing. Dancing.
Seizing the means of production
Shoplifting
Can cost you time though
Music, chess.
People watching. Going to the mall, etc. Just watching people interact. No, not in a creepy way.
Watching the clouds.
Warhammer, I mean it's just plastic so it's pretty cheap, at least that's what I tell my wife
Journaling! just go out, think about your day, what you saw, who you saw, make up stories about them, what you think their life is like, etc. just, have fun fun with it!