These days, there’s so much mass-market entertainment available that many people don’t bother having hobbies anymore. It’s a bit sad: ask the average young person what they do for fun, and you’re likely to hear some variation of the following: “Partying,” “hanging out,” or “I dunno.” But now that bars and theaters are getting pricier and the recession is spreading, it’s time for us to start enriching our lives with hobbies that don’t cost a lot - and might even help us save money. What recession hobby is right for you?

If you’re curious about your result, or want to know about the others, here’s a rundown of some hobbies that fit well into our economic climate.

Hiking

It’s not just for “outdoorsy” types, believe it or not. If you choose easy trails, hiking can be fun even for people who aren’t in shape yet. Flat, well-cleared trails are just like taking a walk down the street, but with fewer cars and more trees. If you’re up for more of a challenge, hiking can provide that as well. In mountainous areas, finding a tough trail as as easy as hitting the foothills. In some areas you might have to go for a bit of a drive to find advanced hiking, but if you make a day of it and bring a picnic, it’s worth the trip.

All you need to hike are basic things like backpacks, water bottles, and good shoes. If you plan in hiking in the winter, invest in a good pair of wool socks. Beyond that, it’s all about enjoying nature and getting some fresh air.

Gardening

There are a lot of ways to garden without spending too much money. While it’s more difficult if you have limited space or no yard at all, it can still be done. Apartments with balconies are ideal for container planting, which allows you to grow almost anything you could grow in a traditional garden. Even without a balcony, gardening can still be done. Plenty of plants thrive indoors, with or without a grow light. Herbs are generally considered perfect for indoor-growing, and depending on how much sunlight you typically get, you can even try growing something more complex, like tomatoes. If you prefer to garden outside, speak to your landlord or property management to see if gardening is a possibility. A well-maintained, attractive, and fruitful garden can only be an asset to your complex. Some gardeners have found that their apartment maintenance is only too happy to surrender a small patch of ground in exchange for bags of fresh produce.

If you grow vegetables and eat them, gardening can save you a lot of money on groceries. The trick is to avoid spending too much money in preparing and maintaining your garden: surf sites like Craigslist to pick up gardening tools on the cheap. Check out sales in hardware and superstores towards the end of summer, when the gardening season is dying down. Finally, use internet resources to find ways to grow without spending money. If you have friends and neighbors who garden, see if they have extra seeds, unused tools, or plants from which you can take cuttings and grow your own.

Biking

If you already own a bike that you don’t use, then this one’s a no-brainer. Pull it out of the garage, fix it up, and enjoy. But if you don’t have a bike already, the investment of $200-2,000 might seem a bit hefty for a recession-friendly hobby. Once again, sites like craigslist and freecycle are your best friends. People are always trying to unload bikes they no longer use, and you should stumble across one that suits you in no time at all.

Once you have a bike, proper maintenance is the key to avoiding bigger costs down the road. Keep an eye on the chains and if you see or hear anything that doesn’t seem right, check on the internet for DIY solutions.

Bird-Watching

Bird-watching can start out simply enough: just start watching the birds that gather in your yard, or in trees near you. If you can, hang a birdfeeder or set up a bath for them. Look up a basic guide to birds in your area, and see how many different types you can spot.

If you want to take it a step further, or if you don’t have many birds near your home, venture out to nearby parks and woods. Snap pictures of birds that you see and bring them home for identification. The weather will be warming up soon, which means ideal bird-watching season is just around the corner.

Knitting and Sewing

If your mom or grandma never taught you how, never fear - there are plenty of online tutorials for every skill level. Basic knitting will soon become muscle memory, and you’ll be able to work on projects while watching TV, chatting on the phone, or listening to a book on tape. Warm homemade scarves, mittens, and hats will be a hit next Christmas - get started now and you’ll have plenty of time to hone your new craft.

Sewing is similarly rewarding, although it requires more of an initial investment. Hand-sewing is typically too slow and sloppy to create projects with, so a machine is necessary for anything more than basic mending and hemming. Again, sites like Craigslist can help you track down a lightly used sewing machine. But even before that, try asking your friends and their families for any cast-off sewing machines that are no longer being put to good use. Older machines are typically built sturdy, so even a machine that’s 50 years old or more may still be in fine working condition. Learning how to thread it will take some practice, but after that, sewing is easy enough - start making clothes from simple patterns and work up from there. If you buy fabric on sale, at the thrift shop, or on sites like eBay and Craigslist, you can save a lot of money on clothes - plus, they’ll fit and look better.

Reading

Yes, it can be a hobby! Keep a journal of books you want to read, and jot down thoughts and quotes from books you do read. If you find yourself drawn to reviewing books, try writing reviews on Amazon or starting your own book-review blog. Starting a book club at your job or school is a way to make reading a social experience, but if you can’t find a group of like-minded people in your geographical location, it’s time to turn to the internet once again. An online book club can help bring people together from all over the world. It’s not hard to set up a book exchange, either; for only the price of postage, people can exchange books that aren’t easily available to them otherwise.

Used bookstores are a good way to feed this hobby without spending too much, but the library is even better. Local library systems vary from town to town, so if yours isn’t up to snuff, try hitting one a few towns away. Most public libraries will let you sign up for a card if you reside close by - it doesn’t have to be in the same city, or even necessarily the same county. Just make sure it’s close enough that you can return books without spending too much on gas!

Photography

While it can become a very expensive hobby if you want it to, basic photography doesn’t have to be: learning the techniques and basics don’t require anything more than a decent digital camera, which many people already own. If you want to get into film, it’s a bit more of a venture. Film-development is getting increasingly difficult to find, and it’s not economical compared to digital photography (which costs nothing to develop, and you only need to print what you really want to).

Start by learning your camera’s settings and experimenting with still-life photography. Building an inexpensive light box is one way to take awesome pictures of objects, and if you plan on selling anything on a site like Esty or eBay, it’s by far the best way to show off its attributes.

Cooking

Another great way to save money and live better, cooking properly doesn’t need to be expensive. The money you will save on going to restaurants and eating prepared food from the store will quickly allow you to stock your kitchen with a few high-quality tools. It’s essential to own a good nonstick pan, a good cast-iron pan, a few large pots for pasta, soups, and stocks, some smaller saucepans or sauciers, and a few different types of knives. You don’t need expensive knives if you care for them properly: wash and dry them as soon as you are done using them, and store them in a cover or a wooden block. When they begin to dull, get a sharpener or have them professionally sharpened.

Look through recipes online and in cookbooks to figure out what ingredients can be maximized for use in many different meals. Basic herbs and spices and staples like potatoes, eggs, chicken, and rice can be used in hundreds of different meals; find your favorites and develop your unique tastes.

Hopefully this will help you choose a new hobby in these difficult times. And if you offer products or services that help people with these or any other hobby, remember that Kwanzoo’s branded quiz widgets can help segment users, drive traffic, target advertising, and convert casual browsers into buyers. Contact us today to find out more.

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