10 Frugal Hobbies That are A Lot of Fun

It’s summer. The weather is awesome and school is out! This year, we will be a little frugal and mostly stay in town. We have a few road trips planned, but no international trips. Last year, we visited Thailand and the Maldives. That was a long trip and we want to relax at home this summer. So, let’s look at some frugal hobbies we can do this summer.

Everyone needs a hobby, right? We can’t be serious all the time. FIRE wouldn’t be worth it if you don’t have fun. I have some hobbies too, but I tend to gravitate toward frugal hobbies. I guess it’s because we weren’t well-off while I was growing up. We didn’t spend much money on entertainment. My brothers and I had to find ways to have fun on the cheap.

That must have stuck because when I finally started making a decent income, I still didn’t splurge on hobbies. My friends from work had hobbies like horseback riding, skiing, sailing, skydiving, and riding motorcycles. Those hobbies sound like fun, but they can be pretty expensive. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have quit my job and retired from my engineering career if I got hooked on expensive hobbies. Luckily, the activities I enjoy most are relatively cheap. Here are some frugal hobbies that are a lot of fun.

1. Reading

I loved to read ever since I was a kid. Doesn’t every kid? Books are awesome and you can immerse yourself in them for hours on end. We spent a ton of time in the local library when we were kids. They had AC, fun books to read, computers to experiment on, and it was a safe environment. I still go to the library at least once a week to pick up some reading materials and DVDs. I usually read fiction, but I try to pick up a non-fiction book once in a while so I can learn something new. I’m reading Paul Tough’s The Years That Matter Most. It’s about getting into college and succeeding there. It’s a good read, but a bit too long.

2. Hiking/exploring

Actually, I’m not much into hiking. But we still go hiking only several times every summer. We already hiked most of the local trails around the city so we’re looking for new (to us) trails this year. Actually, Mrs. RB40 took us to several nature centers and wildlife refuges recently. Those are awesome. We learn more about the local fauna and wildlife. It’s a lot of fun.

3. Freemium games

RB40Jr and I have been playing a few Freemium games on my phone and they are a lot of fun. These games are free to download and play, but you can purchase the in-game currency to help you advance. Generally, you can make a lot of progress in the first few days. This is to hook you in and get you to stick with the game. Once you’ve hit a certain threshold, then you’re usually stuck unless you spend some money or a lot of time. Normally, I play a game for a few weeks and move on to another game once progress slows to a crawl. This one can get expensive if you can’t resist spending money.

4. Finding fun/cheap events

There are a ton of free and cheap things to do in Portland. Finding these fun events is a great hobby. We enjoy scanning the paper and scrounging the internet for these events. There are discount days at the museums and zoo, cultural events around town, parades, free music, and movies. Here is a post I wrote about the fun stuff to do around town – My secrets to spending $0 on entertainment last month.

Many of these events were canceled in the last few years, but they are back in full force now. I can’t wait to enjoy some free concerts and shows.

5. Origami

Mrs. RB40 enjoys origami. It is the art of folding paper and it’s a great frugal hobby. She gets origami books from the library and has a great time experimenting with new shapes. She uses printer paper so it’s pretty cheap. Specialized origami paper can be more expensive, but they are still way cheaper than other artsy hobbies. The only things I can make are ninja stars.

6. Toastmasters

Mrs. RB40 loves Toastmasters. She was the president of a local club and enjoys attending speech contests. The membership due is pretty cheap at around $50 per year and you can learn a lot from going through their programs. Mrs. RB40 gained confidence and became much more comfortable with public speaking since she joined over 10 years ago.

*Mrs. RB40 has left Toastmasters. She learned all she could and wanted to move on.

7. Casual sports

When RB40Jr was small, he loved playing outside. We used to go to the playgrounds all the time. Now that he’s older, he is hooked on video games. But summer is here. We’ll go and play tennis, baseball, frisbee, and other sports. The fields usually are empty on the weekdays. I’ll cut back on delivery driving over the summer and enjoy the nice weather. I need more exercise anyway.

8. Board games

We used to play board games pretty often, but it had fallen off. Now that summer is here, we won’t be as busy. It’s time to bring back Board Game Tuesday! Board games aren’t cheap, but I think they are worth it. You keep them forever. I’m sure every family already has a collection of them.

9. Geocaching

This one is from my friends Lily and Syd. They go geocaching as a family and it looks like fun. All you need is a GPS device and you’re ready to go. The goal is to find “geocaches” hidden by participants all over the world. I haven’t tried this one yet, but it sounds like a fun activity to do with the kid. I’m sure there are a bunch of caches around where we live.

10. Great suggestions from our readers

I’m out of ideas. Do you have a frugal hobby that you would like to share with us?

• Coin collecting
• Rock collecting
• Fossil hunting
• Exercise, yoga, pickleball(?), sports
• PC gaming
• Watching movies at home
• Gardening
• Fishing
• Blogging/journaling

Image credit: wikipedia

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Joe started Retire by 40 in 2010 to figure out how to retire early. After 16 years of investing and saving, he achieved financial independence and retired at 38.

Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects across the USA so check them out!

Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital for DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.

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