I don’t think we’re alone in this when we say that we spend – or have spent a great deal of money out of boredom. You may not realize it at the point of doing so but if you think about it, why is it you go out for drinks with your friends several nights per week? Is it because you love the pub? You love drinking? Most likely not, its usually parts of those things but also due to the fact that you just don’t know what else to do together so there’s a convenience to “let’s go for drinks” instead of trying to come up with an actual plan of things to do.
Drinks is just one example of these money pits that we all seem to fall for.
Another common one is getting home from work, flipping on the TV and not moving until it’s time for bed to wake up and do it all over again the following day.
Today, we’d like to discuss a few hobbies that are free, or at least very affordable that can maybe not replace, but supplement some of your other hobbies that require quite a lot of money to participate in.
1 – Board Games
How old are we? 10? I know a lot of people haven’t played board games in years but what I’ve noticed is that every time we have a games night, either back home with family during the holidays or when we invite people over and bust out a game or two it’s always some of the most fun you could ever have. And the best part? Aside from the board itself costing maybe 10, 20, 30 dollars after that initial purchase it’s free to use for the rest of its lifetime. Now think about how many hours of enjoyment you can get out of one $20 purchase compared to when we spend our money out for a meal, drinks, movies etc.
Some of our favourite games include crib, sequence, monopoly (only if Mrs. FIC is winning), and 5 second rule. Every time we play these games we end up asking ourselves why we haven’t been playing them more often – and we suspect your reaction will be the same.
2 – Learn a language
Planning on taking a family trip? Every just been curious to learn something new? Learning a new language can be a great hobby to have and with apps/websites like our personal favourite duolingo.com making it so easy and structured there’s really no excuse not to try learning that new language you’ve always wanted to try out.
The best part about this hobby is that you can either do it alone at your computer or on your phone but if you’re learning with friends and family it gives you the opportunity to speak to each other and spend time together learning a new skill while spending absolutely no money! Win – win.
3 – Learn the stock market/investing
This one may not appeal to everyone, but another great hobby for those so inclined is to start reading and learning about the stock market. Whether you just want to learn how to value a stock, or how to build your own portfolio there’s an endless supply of knowledge on these topics all over the internet for free. A huge benefit to learning the markets is firstly that if you manage your own accounts you no longer have to pay someone else to manage your funds so you’re not only growing your knowledge base but also indirectly earning/saving yourself some money in the process.
4 – Blogging!
This can be free, but most blogs will run you a little bit of money to pay for hosting and domain name but the costs are minimal especially when you can virtually spend as many hours as you like writing about whatever you choose.
Love sports? gardening? investing? there’s a market out there for whatever it is your passion is and people would love to hear what you have to say on these topics. Once you’ve established a following online of loyal readers you can actually even monetize your blog and make it into a side hustle that can help you save towards your goals.
These are some of our favourite cost-effective hobbies, let us know below or on our Instagram @FindependenceCanada if you currently do any of these 4 or what your favourite low cost hobbies are! We’re always looking for new ideas and ways to spend our time.
Thanks for stopping by,
FIC.