A counter question to the guy who posted a similar question few hours ago, cause most of the answers weren't helpful for someone like me, who doesn't have much money😅.

My wife has been crocheting up a storm this past week. You do need yard and hooks, but as far as hobbies go, it's pretty cheap.

masturbation

Hiking can be nearly free especially on beginner trails that don’t require special equipment

Writing is something I hated in school but as I’ve gotten older it can be fun to kinda play god with peoples lives.

Cooking isn’t free but could actually save you money if you eat out a lot.

Drawing. A pencil, pen, eraser and paper are the type of stuff you could even steal from an office and people wouldn't bother. Drawing for fun is mostly about just doing whatever or doing caricatures, the latter are great because if it sucks then it's actually better 😆

Writing. Stories, reviews, fanfics, whatever. You posted here, so you already have everything needed. Literally any working computer will suffice if you prefer a bigger keyboard.

Going out and walking or jogging. Not to any specific place, just literally walking around the place you live, get to visually know the neighborhood. Not fun when it's too hot outside. Related to walking, bodyweight exercises. Not really fun, but you don't have to pay anything to workout. Some people make hobbies out of physical exercise, so ymmv.

Check what physical goods your local library lets you check out. Some have tool libraries, creative spaces with access to artistic tools and supplies, kits to do citizen science, etc.

If you're low income you might also qualify for free or low cost recreation programs through your county or city's parks and recreation centers

Foraging. It costs almost nothing to learn about the plants that grow around you and what you can do with them. I've been doing it for about 5 years now, and spent maybe $80 on a good hori hori and $40 on a good mortar and pestle when I wanted to get serious. Neither of those are necessary to forage. A good field guide is something you can order at your local library. The main cost is time studying at home and on the field.

Here's some amazing pesto I made with wild mustard garlic greens.

And the before picture

I can not recommend the hobby enough. I'm happy to try and answer any questions you might have.

If you have a computer, you can learn to write code. The market for programming is in shambles, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun. You can do all sorts of things like make a game, build a personal website, make a custom app, make art, and more

Earlier today I saw a post about a lady who received the "Minas Tirith" LotR LEGO set for her birthday. It looked huge, and costs ~US$650.

Now, I like LEGO just fine, as you can observe in my posting history, but I was thinking... instead of her spending countless hours laboriously following what must be a telephone-sized instruction book, only to get something in the end that's noticeably different-looking from the scale models... why not build it (or something else) out of paper & cardboard, instead? It's cheap as heck, a creative craft, can look really good as a finished, painted piece, and can even be sale-worthy.

Not all of these are masterpieces, but:
https://www.google.com/search?q=impressive+homemade+paper+and+cardboard+models&udm=2

Stargazing. Binoculars can let you see more but not necessary to start

Many forms of exercise can be done for free: calisthenics, running, (depending where you live) swimming, hiking, (if you have a bike) cycling.

Creative processes like writing, drawing, there are free programs where you can make music (LMMS has a competition section where you can listen to songs people have made with it).

There are free introductory courses and tutorials for learning things like coding or language learning.

Technically not free, but already need to cook, so there are new recipes you can try on a budget.

Reading is of course free too.

reading.

I unfortunately live too deep inside the city to try that😅. There's very little vegetation around.

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.

There are some athletic activities that are free or only the cost of a ball (soccer, basketball, etc. though a court/field can help). Running, walking, etc.

There you need to buy books unless you go to thenlibrary

Geocaching

Being in a city, there could be lots of caches near you.

Obligation to say:
Try out the competition. Q'man, BlueBrixx, Cada, Cobi. They are sooo much better than lego. And for a better price

They are sooo much better than lego.

Hmm, how so?

Geocaching is free. You mentioned you are in a city so chances are that there are lots of them nearby.

On android look for c:geo, on iOS you might be restricted to free ones only unless you have a friend with Android you can explore with

Libraries have lots of other fun stuff, such as books and games

!geocaching@lemmy.world

!libraries@literature.cafe

You can also contribute to openstreetmaps while walking between geocaches. I recommend StreetComplete to start

So just go to the library. Lol. Or a second hand and get them super cheap

Leisure walking, either urban or through nature. Though it destroys shoes

Bird watching and sketching.

Yes I know that binoculars can be expensive, but you don't actually need them for casual birdwatching.

Look into Merlin or BirdNET Live. They're free apps that you can use to identify bird songs.

the geocaching website requires a subscription now...

is it not free?? That's so lame if not.

or go to anna's archive!!

There are a lot of Little Free Libraries in most towns these days, too. Take a walk, find a book, read the book, trade the book.

And you can get a sketchbook at the dollar store!

Invaluable means valuable? What a country!

:P

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.

Sure about that? Seems still to be working for me as always (all caches accessible accept the "Premium" ones)

This does sound very compelling, but how did you start?

Invaluable means the value can not be determined, not that it has little value.

yeah lol. I was just quoting the simpsons. "Inflammable means flammable? What a country!"

I’m not sure where you are exactly but you’d be shocked. When I was last in New York I actually took an “Urban Foraging Tour”. They showed us these wild weeds that grow on stoops that apparently make a great tea.

I don’t forage as a hobby so obviously this is all just experience from one two hour tour I took like five years ago but still!

Running? Maybe not free, but shoes are a pretty reasonable price for admission. Great way to get out and see more of your city, trails, or even while you're traveling. Healthy and feel good endorphins are a bonus.

Photography? Yes a proper camera helps, but your phone has one. Third party camera apps can help make it more manual and learn the exposure basics before committing to an actual camera. Used ones can be had pretty cheap if you decide to pursue further. This can be a rabbit hole hobby costing thousands but doesn't have to be.

Hiking, i just have to be there, the rest is free.

I always forgot library because it open only in weekdays.

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.

Chess. You can try Lichess, a free (and open source) website/app to play chess. There's countless of videos and tutorials on the internet about chess.

You again Cousin?

I like pottery and making things with clay, it cost $17 for 10 kilos of clay and if you buy the right one you can literally just put it in a backyard fire pit and you don't even need a kiln

A bit of clay too even..

I haven't seen Cooking, Baking and even Gardening on the list.
These are hobbies that saved you serious amount of $$.
Making food from scratch is always cheaper and healthier.
If you don't have much space you can have a tiny vertical garden (pallet) or just a few spiceso n your counter.
And technically growing weed to smoke is gardening and also saves money (tho I don't know first hand, I don't partake).

Edit: forgot about: hand sewing and hand embroidery, crochet and knitting. You can fix up clothes so they last longer - and you can spruce up existing clothes also.

If you have a computer, music production (using free DAWs like Zrythm and free VSTs like Vital, sample packs, etc.), writing, coding.

If you don't mind sailing the high seas or if you have access to a public library, discovering new video games, movies, music, and books can all be life changing. Many people will be more than willing to give you recommendations, or you can look up some "best-of" lists, either in specific genres/categories, or more generalized.

If you want to do things away from a screen, take a physical map, get a compass, and draw a circle from your residence of a radius that is how far you think you can walk round trip, then pick a random point and walk to it. Taking friends with you on the adventure is a great way to make things more fun if your schedules align.

You only have to pay for Premium.

Oh man I got to enjoy a chicken of the woods mushroom for the first time last year and it was amazing. We enjoyed sumac tea all summer and have a bounty of hickory nuts this fall. I made wild riverbank grape jelly from grapes harvested from my mom's backyard. Definitely need to be careful with ID'ing and never picking something you're not 100% sure of but it's liberating and satisfying.

When I go outside in a place that has plants I try to ID at least one that I don't know. When I get a positive ID on it, I'll look it up and sometimes it will have edible or medicinal properties.

i mean those are still accessible as long as you find them, you just don't get directions