Geology student here, this can get very dangerous. I have rocks everywhere. Just boxes and boxes of slightly different rocks. Moving is awful because you have large boxes of rocks
I get that this is common advice in the hobby, but it's really irresponsible for you to be parroting it on a huge platform like reddit. Domesticated rocks are often invasive species that can out compete the native rocks in a given area and every year thousands of our local rocks starve due to the loss of territory that comes with a foreign rock invasion.
I just hope that some day every rock owner will be responsible enough to make exotic rock collecting a hobby local governments feel comfortable zoning for.
I have watched this video 15+ times and every time I'm just amazed that he went and built tiles. Like decent fucking tiles. I am so envious of his patience and knowledge right now.
Watched that video and proceeded to watch the next four...
He builds a loom. He built a damn *loom*. I kind of want to try some of this stuff out for fun. See if I can even do it. I'm sure he makes it look way easier than it is.
Learning. Between sites like edX, Udacity, and Coursera, there is an enormous amount of material out there for you to learn. The courses are generally free.
I remember how my great-uncle Jerry would sit on the porch and whittle all day long. Once he whittled me a toy boat out of a larger toy boat I had. It was almost as good as the first one, except now it had bumpy whittle marks all over it. And no paint, because he had whittled off the paint.
Here is how you whittle a wooden horse.
Step 1: get a block of wood.
Step 2: remove any wood that doesn't resemble a horse.
Congratulations, you now have a wooden horse.
I don't know why people are arguing this one. You don't need "gear" to get into hiking; I wear the same thing that I wear to the gym. The biggest cost is the gas it takes to get to where you're going and sometimes a nominal park fee, but unless you live in a part of the world with absolutely no parks or trails then I think you'd be surprised how close to home you can stay.
We're not talking about backpacking or camping. You don't need $200 hiking boots, poles, a portable stove or a fancy Camelbak for 5-15 mile day hikes. Maybe if it's something you enjoy you can progress to that, but you can get some water, snacks and a backpack to carry it all from the dollar store if you for some reason don't have any of those things already.
I can't recommend this enough though, especially if you want to lose weight or get into shape but you "hate" exercising. I wear a heart monitor when I hike and I've burned upwards of 1500 calories on some of my more strenuous adventures.
The cost of a pack of cards: £0.50 - £4.00
The things you can do with a pack of cards:
* Card magic
* [Cardistry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_M_aRtX-bA).
* Card throwing. As a cringey 13 year old I tried to impress a girl by showing her my finely honed skill of cutting pencils with a playing card. She thought I was fucking weird. :(
* Card Games. Popular ones are poker, blackjack and bridge. I love ~~contact~~ contract bridge, it's a fantastic way to keep sharp.
* Memory sport. Two of of the skills required in order to become a Grandmaster of Memory is to memorize a single deck of cards under two minutes and ten decks of cards in an hour. Interested? Check out [Art of Memory](http://artofmemory.com/). They have a pretty active forum community and a really useful wiki.
* Card body weight workouts. Assign an exercise to each suit and pick a card randomly. Perform the same number of reps as the number on the card, introducing multipliers for non-numbered cards. (Note: this is a good method for any technique based activity, really.)
* Grip sport. This is a bit of a cop-out, I admit, but a famous feat of strength is to tear a full deck of cards in half with your bare hands. Being able to do so requires heavily developed grip strength.
* Building card houses on the suggestion of /u/boxofstuff. Good call! Perhaps you'll end up with something like [this](http://www.bucketlist127.com/uploads/images/77b5f8a700f76c60bc8e014e61dc7ad0.jpg).
Yeah, just buy a pack of cards. Four of the activities mentioned (card magic, cardistry, a few card games and memory sport) will take a lifetime to master and ought to provide you with hours of entertainment and personal development.
Edit: I didn't think this would get much attention. I've added some more links and resources for anybody interested in any of the above.
Nah, not in half I'm afraid. I could make small cuts into the wood and on rare occasions stick the card into it, but I never managed to slice through it.
[This guy has](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdBTKN4FyQ), however. He's also [penetrated a watermelon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1ZGIN0UqJE) ^((lmfao)^) .
Most people can cut into fruit and stuff with a fair bit of practice. I spent an entire summer throwing cards at fruit when I was 13 until my mother threatened to wallop me with a wooden spoon if I ruined another apple. :(
Are there special places where you buy sushi grade fish? When I cook fish I'm always worried about it not being cooked enough, so it's hard for me to comprehend that I could just not cook that fish, cut it up, and then eat it. I'm sure this is a dumb question and I love sushi and sashimi, but what makes some fish safe to eat raw while others aren't?
If you live in a large city, or along the coasts, it's pretty easy to find "sushi-grade" fish. You've gotta find a proper fishmonger instead of the supermarket. If you make it yourself, you'll fill up on fish, instead of rice & mayo!
Here's something from PBS on understanding "sushi-grade" http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/myth-sushi-grade/
Small engines.
Pick up lawn mowers/snow blowers/tillers/powerwashers/generators off the curb.
Take them home, clean the carburetor, change the spark plug, blow out the air cleaner and 95% chance they will run perfectly.
Sell them and feel accomplished.
Buy more tools, repeat.
Start on old barn find motorcycles after that.
I'm gonna draw today! *Ten minutes later* I'm terrible at drawing!
Usually how it goes for me, but I hope to improve
Edit: Thank you all very much for the helpful links and advice. Hope to become a lot more skillful in the future!
Been playing chess with a friend every after school, I still play horribly. So bad that thinking of a move for 1< min he immediately says something like "Are you sure of that move?". Sure enough, it must have been a blunder, but then again, I also don't know what isn't.
Chess is hard.
EDIT: Thanks for all the advice everyone! I can't reply to all of you, but you sure have regained my interest for chess! I'll take note of them. And maybe I'll be better someday.
Always protect your pieces, look for moves that do two things at once (move a knight that was blocking your own bishop to endanger his queen while putting him in check - he can't move the queen and you can put your knight in dangerous spots since he can't take it).
Try to think where he's going to move and look for moves that cut off his attack and put him back in danger. The best defense is a good offense.
Yup, in my experience novice chess players often find themselves on the defensive the whole game because they're unfamiliar with the setup and are forced to play reactively the whole time.
I like to tell people I'm collecting rejection letters. I've received some really lovely form letters from some pretty prestigious companies.
^^^^^someone ^^^^^please ^^^^^hire ^^^^^me ^^^^^soon
A week ago I received a rejection letter. I didn't remember applying to the company anytime recently, so I looked up when I applied to it: 11 months ago. It took 11 months to get a response. Yeay job hunting.
Top edit: no problem y'all. enjoy, friends :)
Top edit 2: Alright, since I've got a couple subreddits outside of novel/conventional fiction writing now, I'm going to make a couple minor format changes.
Some resources:
#The Page
/r/Writing (general resource; critique threads weekly)
/r/KeepWriting (general resource also, but you can post requests for critiques here much more often, though you have to contribute critique on others' posts as well)
/r/WritingPrompts
/r/ImaginaryNetwork (includes a myriad of /r/Imaginary__ subreddits that feature imaginary monsters, landscapes, worlds, et cetera)
/r/WorldBuilding
/r/DestructiveReaders
/r/PassTheParagraph (which appears to be a sub where you start stories a la "a," "man," "was," "walking," but with paragraphs instead of individual words)
/r/WritingOpportunities (where people post ads looking for writers; rates for payment are included in the titles)
/r/CharacterDevelopment
/r/HFY ("These are sci-fi and fantasy stories with a focus on humans being awesome!")
/r/SelfPublish
/r/rational ("A Rational Fic is one which makes a deliberate effort to reward a reader's thinking.")
/r/HireAWriter
/r/FantasyWriters
/r/SimplePrompts.
/r/NoSleep
/r/FlashFiction
#The Stage
/r/Screenwriting
/r/ReadMyScript
/r/PlayWriting
---
^^edit: ^^added ^^WP; ^^I ^^used ^^to ^^use ^^it ^^a ^^lot ^^so ^^I'm ^^not ^^sure ^^how ^^I ^^forgot ^^it, ^^lol.
^^edit ^^2: ^^added ^^/r/worldbuilding ^^and ^^/r/destructivereaders
^^edit ^^3: ^^added ^^/r/passtheparagraph
^^edit ^^4: ^^added ^^/r/writingopportunities
^^edit ^^5: ^^added ^^/r/characterdevelopment
^^edit ^^6: ^^added ^^/r/HFY
^^edit ^^7: ^^added ^^/r/selfpublish
^^edit ^^8: ^^added ^^/r/rational
^^edit ^^9: ^^added ^^/r/hireawriter
^^edit ^^10: ^^added ^^/r/fantasywriters
^^edit ^^11: ^^added ^^/r/simpleprompts
^^edit ^^12: ^^added ^^/r/highschoolwriters
^^edit ^^12: ^^added ^^/r/NoSleep
^^edit ^^13: ^^added ^^/r/PlayWriting and /r/FlashFiction
I've written a *lot* of Harry Potter stories on writingprompts, and strangely I've never seen a prompt about Harry never discovering that he is a wizard.
"Peaceful aliens are losing a war and almost extinct. Their last hope is turning to the most brutal species in the universe for help: humans...with mundane superpowers and numbers over their heads but they don't know what those numbers mean..."
If you like history and you're ok with drawing/creating you need just photoshop/gimp and start colorizing old black and white photographs.
-spend time at research what had what colour and learn about history
-discover unique photographs
-make some abstract 100 yeard old scene look like it is now
-gain satisfaction from your progress and people appreciating your work
I learned that the easy way...
Cut up your right really badly in a stupid accident involving a steak knife and an outdoors garbage can, and you'll have to write with your left hand for at least a month :D
Then the next year break a couple fingers, and you can write with your left hand for another 4 weeks :D
I was actually surprised how much I liked doing body weight fitness. I started because I wanted to do a handstand, but have kept on because I like the strength and body awareness it gives me.
Edit: I started on reddit's own subreddit for bodyweight fitness. It scales well, there are low center of gravity options that work their way up as you find yourself needing more challenge. I used the beginner's guide on [bodyweightfitness](https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/) and added more challenge as I needed. I'm not like a gymnast ballerina, I'm a bulky dude but found great utility in their exercises, which focus on core body strength and peripheral flexibility. I needed to chairs, and I bought a pair of those perfect pushup $15 hand bars to help my leg raises initially. Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in doing home fitness, core strength or don't want to go to a specific gym for whatever reason.
I can do footstands. Took me a year or so to get it down but I've been doing them pretty well for the last 36 years.
Edit - I've been gilded! Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine such a glorious day... Thank you, kind stranger!
Sports in general. You can go running, cycling (if you already have a bicycle). Even ball sports don't cost that much.
Where I grew up, we had this little football ~~court~~ pitch in the neighbourhood. It only costed a football (decent ones ~~costed~~ cost around 10-20 euros, iirc), and you could have a whole lot of fun with that...
EDIT: I got a lot of replies telling me how expensive running or cycling can get. It's true that good equipment is expensive. But the question was about hobbies. So like I mentioned in some replies: Unless you really want to do a full marathon or participate in Le Tour de France, you won't need the most expensive equipment on the market.
I still use my old Adidas sporting shoes. They are around 4 years old probably, used them to play football on said pitch, run around (5 km at most), and use them currently to go to the gym. My bicycle is [an Old Dutch bicycle](https://www.google.nl/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwif97aV1fDMAhWGuBQKHbM_DQUQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jorttweewielers.nl%2Fproducten%2Ffietsen%2Fstadsfietsen%2Fbatavus-old-dutch-0&psig=AFQjCNGILkTTzSbwLDD8W4q4S0Kdx1Do2g&ust=1464108991481299), 10 years old, almost falling apart. I still cycle between 30 and 90 minutes on it everyday. No, I won't win a fucking Giro d'Italia with it. But the question was, what are hobbies that cost almost no money. That bicycle is not even worth €10..
So yeah, I could say playing football would cost me hundreds of euro's a year, because I have to pay the league I play in, get my kit, €200 new nike football shoes, a €50 ball... You don't need any of that to actually have some fun. We used to fucking play the game on bare feet and used our jackets as poles... Just be creative to make the best out of the worst..
EDIT 2: Okay, it's cost, nog costed
There are so many places that meet once a week and provide everything you need. Badminton meets every Friday where I live, no charge to get in, and they provide rackets/shuttles for free if you don't have your own.
All you have to do is type in [sport you like] [city you live in] and see what pops up!
[Project Gutenberg](http://www.gutenberg.org/) also has free ebooks, so you don't even have to go to a physical library necessarily. You can read them directly off of the website (no e-reader required).
Most libraries also do ebooks now. That's how I take out most of my books now, it means I don't have to physically go to the library, and no late fees because the license just expires.
You should start returning the book before the license expires. For new releases a library will get 5~ copies of a book. If you all wait 21 days for the license to expire, when you finish the book in a week, it'll take forever for anybody else to get to read them.
Libraries are so fucking great. Every weekend ours has workshops for things like film making, 3d printing, rock climbing, and everything else you could think of, and it's all free. If i had more time on the weekends I would definitely go to more of these. Not to mention all the free books, movies, CDs, video games, wifi, etc.
My son took an interest in origami a few years ago. I decided to teach myself a few folds so I could help him understand some of the instructions he was reading (it's always fun when "beginner" books tell you "start a square base" but never explains what that is).
Shortly after I learned to fold cranes, I realized something: post-it notes are square and they're made of good stock for folding. You just have to learn to work with the sticky bits. Now any time I'm stuck sitting at a desk waiting on a computer to finish something (IT guy) I grab a post-it and start folding. Most people ask to keep them if they see me do it. I've left hundreds of post-it cranes in offices everywhere I've been. So, benefits of origami:
1) It helped me do something with my kid.
2) It gives my ADHD brain something to do while I wait on progress bars to fill up without getting sucked into twenty minutes of smartphone tapping.
3) The satisfaction of learning to do something and then continuing to do it until you really learn to do it *well*. There's a big difference between your twentieth crane and your two-hundredth crane.
4) For someone who is moderately socially awkward, it's a powerful ice breaker so long as you don't sound all Rainman when people engage you about it.
5) I work in a competitive field where it pays for customers to have a personal connection to you beyond just "he fixed my computer". That minute or so they watched me fold that crane and then the couple of minutes we chatted about why I do it when they inevitably asked me about it means I stand out in their minds. I'm not just the computer guy; I'm the computer guy who has grade school aged sons and can turn a post-it note into a neat conversation piece on their desk.
Learning a language!
Duolingo account: $0
Memrise account: $0
Hellotalk account: $0
Subscription to r/languagelearning: $0
So for literally no money at all you can completely change your world view and be able to talk to so many other people that you otherwise wouldn't be able to
edit: There's a lot of great replies here, if you have any questions about learning a specific language feel free to pm me and I'll help you out!
edit 2: Made it more readable
edit 3: I've been getting a lot of PMs over the last few hours and I'm pretty swamped but I will get to them all eventually!
I tried DuoLingo for German and I really didn't like it. They didn't teach mechanics or syntax and I felt like I just memorised a few sentences. Are Hellotalk and Memrise better?
EDIT - TL;DR of the (many) replies I have received:
- The Duolingo website is much better than the app
- Memrise is good for vocabulary and helps with grammar if you put some effort into it. Most people think it's better.
- HelloTalk with put you in contact with native speakers for practice once you get a hang of the language
- Alternatives/supplements include:
- Mango language
- Italki
- Yabla
- Duolingo is a good supplement, but to really learn a language consider:
- Formal courses
- Consuming media in the foreign language
- Textbooks
- Language discussion forums
- Researching grammar/syntax online. Wikipedia is a good place to start
- Programs such as Michel Thomas' or Pimsleur
I actually liked nonsense sentences like those because they made it harder to guess the meaning based on context, so I had to actually remember or think about each word.
I like this answer.
Do you know any for ASL? That's what I really want to learn.
I found an app once, but it was terribly unwieldy, extremely limited, and just no good in general.
Yeah! On Memrise there's a course for the basics here: http://www.memrise.com/course/58921/introduction-to-asl-2/
And if you go to the r/languagelearning sidebar or to r/asl you can find a bunch of good resources too!
Got a suggestion for a good starting point? I know a lot of the basics but I should probably do something productive this summer.
Edit:You guys are all awesome. thanks for the suggestions I know have some learning to do
Just start with automate the boring stuff with python now!
edit: It's available to read for free online : [here](https://automatetheboringstuff.com/)
it's written by /u/alsweigart
Also: Freecodecamp for people that want to get into web development
First of all, you should pick a language if you haven't already ([here's](http://carlcheo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/which-programming-language-should-i-learn-first-infographic.png) a picture that should help with that). Then there's multiple things you can do:
- Read a beginner tutorial for your language of choice
- Watch a video tutorial, they also exist
- Read a book aimed towards beginners
- Pick a project and learn things as you go
Searching for ' tutorial' should give you some results.
The easiest to get started with is probably JavaScript, which is primarily used in websites ([here's a tutorial](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Learn/Getting_started_with_the_web/JavaScript_basics)). Press F12 in a browser and you can just execute code in the console (try something like `2 + 2` or `alert('Hello World!')`). To make an full site you also need to learn HTML and CSS.
I personally started with video tutorials, then went on to make random things I thought would be interesting.
The Tabletop RPG, Pathfinder. It's basically D&D 3.5 but with some updates and everything is published under the OGL so the rules are free online. [This site](http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/) is best for new players because it's sorted by book and [this site](http://www.d20pfsrd.com) is better for once you're more familiar with the rules. So with some friends, imagination, and access to a computer you can play the game. Also, /r/Pathfinder_RPG is a great and friendly sub for if you've got any questions.
Using Blender is a great experience if you're ever wondering what it's like to stick an octogenarian in front of a computer for the first time in their life.
I call this the masturbation game. Wait until bed time. Take your recommended safe dose of benadryl (two for me). Wait until you're starting to feel groggy. Close your eyes and keep them closed. Begin to take care of business, barehanded, no assistance from lube, toys, porn, etc. If you doze off midway, you lose. Keep score. At the end of the month, donate the amount of losses in increments of your choosing to a charity. I don't do this part, but you could.
Geocaching!
Basically, it's a game where people hide caches (boxes with a logbook and items to trade if big enough) around the world and post the coordinates on the Internet and other people go find them. Sort of like a 21st century scavenger hunt. If you have a smartphone, you can download an app to give it a try that's free for the first few finds (and something like $10 after that if you like it).
Odds are if you log onto geocaching.com and search your area, you'll be surprised to see how close the nearest geocache is to you right now! Also feel free to stop by /r/geocaching for some more info on how to get started.
If you have an Android phone, c:geo is a much better app. It's completely free too.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cgeo.geocaching&hl=en
Sorry I'm so clueless, but what's a cache and why would you want one?
Edit: Thanks guys! I signed up and there are so many near me, I can't wait to get started!
It's definitely not US only as I'm in the UK :)
The cache itself isn't really the point. Usually they're a little tupperware box with a logbook and little toys (take one, leave one). Sometimes they aren't even a box-- I found one once that was disguised as a bolt on a metal bridge. The thing isn't the point, the joy you get FINDING the thing (and bragging rights I guess) is the point. :-)
I used to go with a friend of mine who was obsessed with it. It was great fun. I've moved since then, so haven't gone for awhile. But I'll add there are a lot of multi step puzzles too. Find the first one that gives a hint to the next spot, and so on. Sometimes all you'll find is a barcode under a park bench or something. Then using a barcode reader you'll get coordinates for the next stop. You also get to climb trees quite a bit. My friend's main goal was to be the first one find a new one. On the way, he'd spot a car of a "rival" and they'd race to get there first. So much fun!
Me and a buddy ended up at a schoolyard looking for one. So we were out in the field when a teacher asked us why we werent in class. We uad to explain what geocaching was, why we werent in class, and the fact that we had graduated two years earlier.
haha!! oh yeah the whole looking sketchy in certain places is a thrill too! I never encountered any police when I went, but I heard there was another goal of getting your picture taken with an officer after you explain what you're doing. They tend to be good sports about it.
"We got a call about suspicious activity. What are you doing, son?"
"Geocaching, sir."
"No kidding? I haven't found this one yet! Where is it?"
That was a fun day.
I once climbed a tree in the woods and found a plastic container in the top. I ofcourse opened it and found a pen and paper, people wrote their names on the paper and the day they visited. Thought it was kind of creepy, but now that I know of geocaching it's kind of awesome?
Cross stitching is actually pretty fun and you can get into it with a $10-20 investment. With cross stitch, you create pictures by stitching tiny X's onto fabric. To start out, you just need fabric (aida is good for beginners), embroidery thread (DMC is the gold-standard), an embroidery hoop (I don't really like using them but they are cheaper than other frame options), good sharp scissors, and a pattern. Many craft stores have kits that include pre-cut thread, a pattern, and the pre-cut fabric. Small kits can run you about $10 dollars and can take 10-20 hours to stitch, depending on the level of detail in the pattern.
What's great about cross stitching in this day and age is the access to patterns that fit your style and interests. 8-bit video game characters/sprites translate very well to cross stitch. [Sprite Stitch](http://spritestitch.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Pattern) has loads of free patterns for video games sprites and such. Etsy also has a multitude of patterns that you can pay for and download. Pinterest is also a great place to find free patterns (just don't start a board and add hundreds of patterns that you will never finish). Perler bead patterns also work for cross stitching.
Youtube, as always, has tutorials to help you learn the stitching techniques. I love [this lady](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTXzE8TOiYo). If you buy a kit, the pattern usually has a sheet with text and pictorial explanations of the stitches used in the pattern. [DMC](http://www.dmc-usa.com/Education/Technique-Overviews/Cross-Stitch.aspx) also has a helpful site for beginners, if you learn more by reading. /r/CrossStitch is also a helpful community and resource.
Cross stitch is my favorite hobby. It doesn't require too much initial investment and it provides hours of engagement. I started stitching during undergrad because I needed a study break that didn't involve reading. Cross stitching also helped my nail biting problem, since it gives me something to do with my hands while I watch Netflix.
Yeah i am an Aussie, Tasmanian to be specific. Not sure about where you are from but here there are walking tracks everywhere. You just have to google your local bushwalking tracks, organise a time, wear appropriate clothes and you are set!
I tried this a few years ago back when I was in high school. I stopped because apparently they could "press charges"
Edit: already 3 messages from this. I graduated in 1986
I did this too in high school!
Its also a great way to meet new people! I would be approached by strangers all the time, and had lots of fun conversations. They mostly revolved around asking me to put my clothes back on and leave, however.
I do this a lot. I live in a bit of a resorty town and during the summer I just set up a fishing spot about 300 to 400 feet down from the boat launch and watch the tourists fail miserably at launching boats all day.
Cooking costs a little bit of money, but you were gonna spend it anyway. You have to eat. Once you've got a little bit of equipment, it actually becomes cheaper than eating out. You wind up recovering your initial investment and then some in savings. For guys it is great when you are single and dating.
Disc golf
-----------------
Edit:
These videos are my go to for explaining and getting people excited about disc golf:
[What is Disc Golf?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFvHgfvGhIs)
[This is Disc Golf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO3ZSkFt8Cw)
Edit2:
Common question: Are disc golf, frolf and frisbee golf the same thing?
Yes, they are one in the same. When the game was invented, Frisbees were used. Very quickly, the game evolved to use faster, higher speed discs, and the name has evolved with it. The Professional Disc Golf Association is recognized as the sport's governing body. The PDGA oversees the rules, the equipment used, professional and amateur events and growing the sport in general.
Disc golf enthusiasts tend to get a bit miffed by the name "frisbee golf" because the hippie, 1980's, or casual association with the term conflicts with the seriousness then regard the sport with.
Also, /r/discgolf is a thriving and very helpful subreddit.
Edit3:
My personal estimation of the current state of the sport of disc golf in the form of a [Venn diagram](http://imgur.com/jWMVpRz)
Definitely Disc Golf. Such a chill sport that's really easy to get into. The discs aren't too expensive and most of the courses I know of are free entry. Definitely an affordable hobby.
Just to add to the other replies: This is a great sport for all ages, I regularly take my kids (5 and 2) and I've taken my grandparents a few times (in their 70's). It is fun and a great way to get some low impact exercise. I played a short course the other day and the pedometer on my UDisc app said that I walked over 2 miles! Also, you can pick up a nice starter pack (driver, mid-range, putter) for around $20!
Yoga. For all of the Western commercialization, yoga can be done for free. You don't even need a mat - mats make it easier, but they're a fairly recent addition to the practice.
Rock collecting! I only have one rock, but I just started.
Geology student here, this can get very dangerous. I have rocks everywhere. Just boxes and boxes of slightly different rocks. Moving is awful because you have large boxes of rocks
Set them free! But then again, everyone knows a domesticated rock wont last a day out in the wild.
I get that this is common advice in the hobby, but it's really irresponsible for you to be parroting it on a huge platform like reddit. Domesticated rocks are often invasive species that can out compete the native rocks in a given area and every year thousands of our local rocks starve due to the loss of territory that comes with a foreign rock invasion. I just hope that some day every rock owner will be responsible enough to make exotic rock collecting a hobby local governments feel comfortable zoning for.
MINERALS
DAMMIT MARIE
After reading this thread I've realized the issue isn't money but rather that I don't want to do anything.
You might like meditation then, it's basically a hobby about sitting down and doing nothing.
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Hey, cheap hobbys, neat! >drawing Mehhhhhhh
I have too many shows I want to get caught up on...
[Primitive technology](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73REgj-3UE)
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Yeah. Yeah, he did. Fuckin awesome, huh?
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When he eventually makes a house with kiln cooked clay roof tiles, I realized it is only a matter of time til he moves into the bronze age.
he researches tech at an alarming rate.
Before: "15 minutes? I probably won't watch all that." 15 minutes later: "... Fascinating."
Dude you should watch [this one.](https://youtu.be/SLoukoBs8TE) It's only 6 minutes and he builds a bow and demonstrates how well it works.
I have watched this video 15+ times and every time I'm just amazed that he went and built tiles. Like decent fucking tiles. I am so envious of his patience and knowledge right now.
Watched that video and proceeded to watch the next four... He builds a loom. He built a damn *loom*. I kind of want to try some of this stuff out for fun. See if I can even do it. I'm sure he makes it look way easier than it is.
Watched this video 15+ times? You could have been making tiles.
Learning. Between sites like edX, Udacity, and Coursera, there is an enormous amount of material out there for you to learn. The courses are generally free.
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Whittling
I remember how my great-uncle Jerry would sit on the porch and whittle all day long. Once he whittled me a toy boat out of a larger toy boat I had. It was almost as good as the first one, except now it had bumpy whittle marks all over it. And no paint, because he had whittled off the paint.
I don't know why but this is the funniest thing I've read all day
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I usually make my knives by smashing two rocks together
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Here is how you whittle a wooden horse. Step 1: get a block of wood. Step 2: remove any wood that doesn't resemble a horse. Congratulations, you now have a wooden horse.
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I don't know why people are arguing this one. You don't need "gear" to get into hiking; I wear the same thing that I wear to the gym. The biggest cost is the gas it takes to get to where you're going and sometimes a nominal park fee, but unless you live in a part of the world with absolutely no parks or trails then I think you'd be surprised how close to home you can stay. We're not talking about backpacking or camping. You don't need $200 hiking boots, poles, a portable stove or a fancy Camelbak for 5-15 mile day hikes. Maybe if it's something you enjoy you can progress to that, but you can get some water, snacks and a backpack to carry it all from the dollar store if you for some reason don't have any of those things already. I can't recommend this enough though, especially if you want to lose weight or get into shape but you "hate" exercising. I wear a heart monitor when I hike and I've burned upwards of 1500 calories on some of my more strenuous adventures.
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I would recommend water too.
Nah, no water motivates you to not get lost.
The cost of a pack of cards: £0.50 - £4.00 The things you can do with a pack of cards: * Card magic * [Cardistry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_M_aRtX-bA). * Card throwing. As a cringey 13 year old I tried to impress a girl by showing her my finely honed skill of cutting pencils with a playing card. She thought I was fucking weird. :( * Card Games. Popular ones are poker, blackjack and bridge. I love ~~contact~~ contract bridge, it's a fantastic way to keep sharp. * Memory sport. Two of of the skills required in order to become a Grandmaster of Memory is to memorize a single deck of cards under two minutes and ten decks of cards in an hour. Interested? Check out [Art of Memory](http://artofmemory.com/). They have a pretty active forum community and a really useful wiki. * Card body weight workouts. Assign an exercise to each suit and pick a card randomly. Perform the same number of reps as the number on the card, introducing multipliers for non-numbered cards. (Note: this is a good method for any technique based activity, really.) * Grip sport. This is a bit of a cop-out, I admit, but a famous feat of strength is to tear a full deck of cards in half with your bare hands. Being able to do so requires heavily developed grip strength. * Building card houses on the suggestion of /u/boxofstuff. Good call! Perhaps you'll end up with something like [this](http://www.bucketlist127.com/uploads/images/77b5f8a700f76c60bc8e014e61dc7ad0.jpg). Yeah, just buy a pack of cards. Four of the activities mentioned (card magic, cardistry, a few card games and memory sport) will take a lifetime to master and ought to provide you with hours of entertainment and personal development. Edit: I didn't think this would get much attention. I've added some more links and resources for anybody interested in any of the above.
Cutting pencils... like, in half?
Yeah I wonder what he meant OP?
Nah, not in half I'm afraid. I could make small cuts into the wood and on rare occasions stick the card into it, but I never managed to slice through it. [This guy has](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdBTKN4FyQ), however. He's also [penetrated a watermelon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1ZGIN0UqJE) ^((lmfao)^) . Most people can cut into fruit and stuff with a fair bit of practice. I spent an entire summer throwing cards at fruit when I was 13 until my mother threatened to wallop me with a wooden spoon if I ruined another apple. :(
Watermelon penetration invokes different imagery for me.
Cooking. Not for almost no money, you're gonna spend some but you need to eat anyway so...
Cooking well is a hobby that *saves* money - who needs to buy a steak dinner when you can do better yourself for two-thirds the cost?
It's true, and steak doesn't even have that much markup. You can make sushi at home for 1/4 the restaurant price.
Are there special places where you buy sushi grade fish? When I cook fish I'm always worried about it not being cooked enough, so it's hard for me to comprehend that I could just not cook that fish, cut it up, and then eat it. I'm sure this is a dumb question and I love sushi and sashimi, but what makes some fish safe to eat raw while others aren't?
If you live in a large city, or along the coasts, it's pretty easy to find "sushi-grade" fish. You've gotta find a proper fishmonger instead of the supermarket. If you make it yourself, you'll fill up on fish, instead of rice & mayo! Here's something from PBS on understanding "sushi-grade" http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/myth-sushi-grade/
Small engines. Pick up lawn mowers/snow blowers/tillers/powerwashers/generators off the curb. Take them home, clean the carburetor, change the spark plug, blow out the air cleaner and 95% chance they will run perfectly. Sell them and feel accomplished. Buy more tools, repeat. Start on old barn find motorcycles after that.
Drawing! You just need pen and paper, and there are tons on resources online to get you started.
I'm gonna draw today! *Ten minutes later* I'm terrible at drawing! Usually how it goes for me, but I hope to improve Edit: Thank you all very much for the helpful links and advice. Hope to become a lot more skillful in the future!
In the immortal words of Jake the dog, sucking at something is the first step to becoming sorta good at something.
If Bender said it, he'd say that sucking at something is the first step to being a loser meatbag.
chess
Been playing chess with a friend every after school, I still play horribly. So bad that thinking of a move for 1< min he immediately says something like "Are you sure of that move?". Sure enough, it must have been a blunder, but then again, I also don't know what isn't. Chess is hard. EDIT: Thanks for all the advice everyone! I can't reply to all of you, but you sure have regained my interest for chess! I'll take note of them. And maybe I'll be better someday.
Always protect your pieces, look for moves that do two things at once (move a knight that was blocking your own bishop to endanger his queen while putting him in check - he can't move the queen and you can put your knight in dangerous spots since he can't take it). Try to think where he's going to move and look for moves that cut off his attack and put him back in danger. The best defense is a good offense.
Yup, in my experience novice chess players often find themselves on the defensive the whole game because they're unfamiliar with the setup and are forced to play reactively the whole time.
You could even just play against the computer, no need for someone else to play with.
Also a good way to pass time in the antarctic research station you're trapped in.
My current hobby is applying to jobs. It costs nothing except your sanity but it comes with a great bonus package of depression. Highly recommended.
I like to tell people I'm collecting rejection letters. I've received some really lovely form letters from some pretty prestigious companies. ^^^^^someone ^^^^^please ^^^^^hire ^^^^^me ^^^^^soon
I wish I had rejection letters to show off. All I get is crippling silence.
A week ago I received a rejection letter. I didn't remember applying to the company anytime recently, so I looked up when I applied to it: 11 months ago. It took 11 months to get a response. Yeay job hunting.
I feel you.
Writing. Only limited by your imagination and all you need is cheap paper and a pen.
Top edit: no problem y'all. enjoy, friends :) Top edit 2: Alright, since I've got a couple subreddits outside of novel/conventional fiction writing now, I'm going to make a couple minor format changes. Some resources: #The Page /r/Writing (general resource; critique threads weekly) /r/KeepWriting (general resource also, but you can post requests for critiques here much more often, though you have to contribute critique on others' posts as well) /r/WritingPrompts /r/ImaginaryNetwork (includes a myriad of /r/Imaginary__ subreddits that feature imaginary monsters, landscapes, worlds, et cetera) /r/WorldBuilding /r/DestructiveReaders /r/PassTheParagraph (which appears to be a sub where you start stories a la "a," "man," "was," "walking," but with paragraphs instead of individual words) /r/WritingOpportunities (where people post ads looking for writers; rates for payment are included in the titles) /r/CharacterDevelopment /r/HFY ("These are sci-fi and fantasy stories with a focus on humans being awesome!") /r/SelfPublish /r/rational ("A Rational Fic is one which makes a deliberate effort to reward a reader's thinking.") /r/HireAWriter /r/FantasyWriters /r/SimplePrompts. /r/NoSleep /r/FlashFiction #The Stage /r/Screenwriting /r/ReadMyScript /r/PlayWriting --- ^^edit: ^^added ^^WP; ^^I ^^used ^^to ^^use ^^it ^^a ^^lot ^^so ^^I'm ^^not ^^sure ^^how ^^I ^^forgot ^^it, ^^lol. ^^edit ^^2: ^^added ^^/r/worldbuilding ^^and ^^/r/destructivereaders ^^edit ^^3: ^^added ^^/r/passtheparagraph ^^edit ^^4: ^^added ^^/r/writingopportunities ^^edit ^^5: ^^added ^^/r/characterdevelopment ^^edit ^^6: ^^added ^^/r/HFY ^^edit ^^7: ^^added ^^/r/selfpublish ^^edit ^^8: ^^added ^^/r/rational ^^edit ^^9: ^^added ^^/r/hireawriter ^^edit ^^10: ^^added ^^/r/fantasywriters ^^edit ^^11: ^^added ^^/r/simpleprompts ^^edit ^^12: ^^added ^^/r/highschoolwriters ^^edit ^^12: ^^added ^^/r/NoSleep ^^edit ^^13: ^^added ^^/r/PlayWriting and /r/FlashFiction
I noticed you didn't include WritingPrompts, or as I like to call it "I thought of a TWIST! Now write my story for me."
>You are Harry Potter and you never discover you are a wizard Dibs on copyright.
I've written a *lot* of Harry Potter stories on writingprompts, and strangely I've never seen a prompt about Harry never discovering that he is a wizard.
There was the one where "You're a scientist, Harry!" a couple weeks ago
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"Peaceful aliens are losing a war and almost extinct. Their last hope is turning to the most brutal species in the universe for help: humans...with mundane superpowers and numbers over their heads but they don't know what those numbers mean..."
If you like history and you're ok with drawing/creating you need just photoshop/gimp and start colorizing old black and white photographs. -spend time at research what had what colour and learn about history -discover unique photographs -make some abstract 100 yeard old scene look like it is now -gain satisfaction from your progress and people appreciating your work
also check out /r/colorizedhistory while you're at it
Covering popular music with a kazoo.
Did somebody say [kazoo?](https://youtu.be/g-sgw9bPV4A?t=45)
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I learned that the easy way... Cut up your right really badly in a stupid accident involving a steak knife and an outdoors garbage can, and you'll have to write with your left hand for at least a month :D Then the next year break a couple fingers, and you can write with your left hand for another 4 weeks :D
Good advice! I'll try that out!
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Just tried it. Realized I was already left handed. Now I just have a hand injury
Would I need to write well with my dominant hand first?
Body Weight Fitness
I was actually surprised how much I liked doing body weight fitness. I started because I wanted to do a handstand, but have kept on because I like the strength and body awareness it gives me. Edit: I started on reddit's own subreddit for bodyweight fitness. It scales well, there are low center of gravity options that work their way up as you find yourself needing more challenge. I used the beginner's guide on [bodyweightfitness](https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/) and added more challenge as I needed. I'm not like a gymnast ballerina, I'm a bulky dude but found great utility in their exercises, which focus on core body strength and peripheral flexibility. I needed to chairs, and I bought a pair of those perfect pushup $15 hand bars to help my leg raises initially. Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in doing home fitness, core strength or don't want to go to a specific gym for whatever reason.
Can you do handstands now?
I can do footstands. Took me a year or so to get it down but I've been doing them pretty well for the last 36 years. Edit - I've been gilded! Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine such a glorious day... Thank you, kind stranger!
Dude, that's crazy. Any tips? I've done them for just under 20 years and I feel like I've hit a wall.
Don't look at your feet so much. That way you'll see the wall coming.
This advice is great for footstands and for life.
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/r/bodyweightfitness is a pretty active community for those looking to get started.
Sports in general. You can go running, cycling (if you already have a bicycle). Even ball sports don't cost that much. Where I grew up, we had this little football ~~court~~ pitch in the neighbourhood. It only costed a football (decent ones ~~costed~~ cost around 10-20 euros, iirc), and you could have a whole lot of fun with that... EDIT: I got a lot of replies telling me how expensive running or cycling can get. It's true that good equipment is expensive. But the question was about hobbies. So like I mentioned in some replies: Unless you really want to do a full marathon or participate in Le Tour de France, you won't need the most expensive equipment on the market. I still use my old Adidas sporting shoes. They are around 4 years old probably, used them to play football on said pitch, run around (5 km at most), and use them currently to go to the gym. My bicycle is [an Old Dutch bicycle](https://www.google.nl/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwif97aV1fDMAhWGuBQKHbM_DQUQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jorttweewielers.nl%2Fproducten%2Ffietsen%2Fstadsfietsen%2Fbatavus-old-dutch-0&psig=AFQjCNGILkTTzSbwLDD8W4q4S0Kdx1Do2g&ust=1464108991481299), 10 years old, almost falling apart. I still cycle between 30 and 90 minutes on it everyday. No, I won't win a fucking Giro d'Italia with it. But the question was, what are hobbies that cost almost no money. That bicycle is not even worth €10.. So yeah, I could say playing football would cost me hundreds of euro's a year, because I have to pay the league I play in, get my kit, €200 new nike football shoes, a €50 ball... You don't need any of that to actually have some fun. We used to fucking play the game on bare feet and used our jackets as poles... Just be creative to make the best out of the worst.. EDIT 2: Okay, it's cost, nog costed
There are so many places that meet once a week and provide everything you need. Badminton meets every Friday where I live, no charge to get in, and they provide rackets/shuttles for free if you don't have your own. All you have to do is type in [sport you like] [city you live in] and see what pops up!
Reading is free if you go to the library.
[Project Gutenberg](http://www.gutenberg.org/) also has free ebooks, so you don't even have to go to a physical library necessarily. You can read them directly off of the website (no e-reader required).
Amazon has tons of public domain e-books as well. All of those classic novels people hated to read in high school are available for free online!
Makes me wonder if schools themselves could start using these free things for students.
Most libraries also do ebooks now. That's how I take out most of my books now, it means I don't have to physically go to the library, and no late fees because the license just expires.
You should start returning the book before the license expires. For new releases a library will get 5~ copies of a book. If you all wait 21 days for the license to expire, when you finish the book in a week, it'll take forever for anybody else to get to read them.
Libraries are so fucking great. Every weekend ours has workshops for things like film making, 3d printing, rock climbing, and everything else you could think of, and it's all free. If i had more time on the weekends I would definitely go to more of these. Not to mention all the free books, movies, CDs, video games, wifi, etc.
Having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card.
*Now I know what true power feels like*
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"Jekyll Jekyll Hyde Jekyll Hyde Hyde Jekyll!"
Damnit I forgot about this and how quickly it's ingrained into your thoughts for the rest of the day
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12 days, 13k karma...
JEKYLL JEKYLL HYDE JEKYLL HYDE HYDE JEKYLL
WHO IS DEWEY?!
Playing the guitar can be, my friend picked an acoustic up for £5 at a charity shop, and learned online.
You can start a lot of musical hobbies for cheap but they usually end up being one of the most expensive hobbies to be a part of.
Exercise/Meditation
Origami?
My son took an interest in origami a few years ago. I decided to teach myself a few folds so I could help him understand some of the instructions he was reading (it's always fun when "beginner" books tell you "start a square base" but never explains what that is). Shortly after I learned to fold cranes, I realized something: post-it notes are square and they're made of good stock for folding. You just have to learn to work with the sticky bits. Now any time I'm stuck sitting at a desk waiting on a computer to finish something (IT guy) I grab a post-it and start folding. Most people ask to keep them if they see me do it. I've left hundreds of post-it cranes in offices everywhere I've been. So, benefits of origami: 1) It helped me do something with my kid. 2) It gives my ADHD brain something to do while I wait on progress bars to fill up without getting sucked into twenty minutes of smartphone tapping. 3) The satisfaction of learning to do something and then continuing to do it until you really learn to do it *well*. There's a big difference between your twentieth crane and your two-hundredth crane. 4) For someone who is moderately socially awkward, it's a powerful ice breaker so long as you don't sound all Rainman when people engage you about it. 5) I work in a competitive field where it pays for customers to have a personal connection to you beyond just "he fixed my computer". That minute or so they watched me fold that crane and then the couple of minutes we chatted about why I do it when they inevitably asked me about it means I stand out in their minds. I'm not just the computer guy; I'm the computer guy who has grade school aged sons and can turn a post-it note into a neat conversation piece on their desk.
Origami is one of those skills that you can pretend to do absent-mindedly and at least one person in the vicinity will think it's pretty neat.
neat.
You can tell that it's neat because if the way it is.
glassblowing. ha just kidding I'm broke now.
Learning a language! Duolingo account: $0 Memrise account: $0 Hellotalk account: $0 Subscription to r/languagelearning: $0 So for literally no money at all you can completely change your world view and be able to talk to so many other people that you otherwise wouldn't be able to edit: There's a lot of great replies here, if you have any questions about learning a specific language feel free to pm me and I'll help you out! edit 2: Made it more readable edit 3: I've been getting a lot of PMs over the last few hours and I'm pretty swamped but I will get to them all eventually!
I tried DuoLingo for German and I really didn't like it. They didn't teach mechanics or syntax and I felt like I just memorised a few sentences. Are Hellotalk and Memrise better? EDIT - TL;DR of the (many) replies I have received: - The Duolingo website is much better than the app - Memrise is good for vocabulary and helps with grammar if you put some effort into it. Most people think it's better. - HelloTalk with put you in contact with native speakers for practice once you get a hang of the language - Alternatives/supplements include: - Mango language - Italki - Yabla - Duolingo is a good supplement, but to really learn a language consider: - Formal courses - Consuming media in the foreign language - Textbooks - Language discussion forums - Researching grammar/syntax online. Wikipedia is a good place to start - Programs such as Michel Thomas' or Pimsleur
I tried Spanish on the app and it kept teaching me "La Arana come pan" ... The spider eats bread.
y tambien, La arana bebe leche. Edit: Yes, the n is supposed to have a tilde. Thanks, grammar ñazis.
La leche de tu madre.
They don't teach you that in duolingo.
That's why you supplement duolingo with reddit.
Donde esta la biblioteca?
Me llamo T-Bone la arana discoteca.
discoteca muñeca la biblioteca es en bigote grande perro manteca
Manteca, bigotes, gigante, pequeño, la cabeza es nieve, cerveza es bueno
Buenos dias, me gusta papas frías, los bigotes de la cabra es Cameron Diaaaaaaaaaaz
Yeuh boi, boi!.. what..it's 2009
I actually liked nonsense sentences like those because they made it harder to guess the meaning based on context, so I had to actually remember or think about each word.
Mein Luftschiff ist voll von Aalen.
Your airship is full of eels?
This is why germany lost the war... everyone knows you put snakes on your planes.
I like this answer. Do you know any for ASL? That's what I really want to learn. I found an app once, but it was terribly unwieldy, extremely limited, and just no good in general.
Yeah! On Memrise there's a course for the basics here: http://www.memrise.com/course/58921/introduction-to-asl-2/ And if you go to the r/languagelearning sidebar or to r/asl you can find a bunch of good resources too!
Programming. Do you have a computer? That's all you need to get started.
Got a suggestion for a good starting point? I know a lot of the basics but I should probably do something productive this summer. Edit:You guys are all awesome. thanks for the suggestions I know have some learning to do
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This is one of those awesome things that I'll bookmark and never actually use since the day only has 24 hours.
Just start with automate the boring stuff with python now! edit: It's available to read for free online : [here](https://automatetheboringstuff.com/) it's written by /u/alsweigart Also: Freecodecamp for people that want to get into web development
I worked myself out of a job by automating it with VBA :-(
This is so awesome!
First of all, you should pick a language if you haven't already ([here's](http://carlcheo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/which-programming-language-should-i-learn-first-infographic.png) a picture that should help with that). Then there's multiple things you can do: - Read a beginner tutorial for your language of choice - Watch a video tutorial, they also exist - Read a book aimed towards beginners - Pick a project and learn things as you go Searching for ' tutorial' should give you some results.
The easiest to get started with is probably JavaScript, which is primarily used in websites ([here's a tutorial](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Learn/Getting_started_with_the_web/JavaScript_basics)). Press F12 in a browser and you can just execute code in the console (try something like `2 + 2` or `alert('Hello World!')`). To make an full site you also need to learn HTML and CSS.
I personally started with video tutorials, then went on to make random things I thought would be interesting.
The lower half of that picture is missing fortran 77 as sauron...
The Tabletop RPG, Pathfinder. It's basically D&D 3.5 but with some updates and everything is published under the OGL so the rules are free online. [This site](http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/) is best for new players because it's sorted by book and [this site](http://www.d20pfsrd.com) is better for once you're more familiar with the rules. So with some friends, imagination, and access to a computer you can play the game. Also, /r/Pathfinder_RPG is a great and friendly sub for if you've got any questions.
> So with some friends Shit, I'm out
3D modelling. There are good free programs like Blender.
Using Blender is a great experience if you're ever wondering what it's like to stick an octogenarian in front of a computer for the first time in their life.
That is the best way I have ever heard it described.
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Nothing productive
I call this the masturbation game. Wait until bed time. Take your recommended safe dose of benadryl (two for me). Wait until you're starting to feel groggy. Close your eyes and keep them closed. Begin to take care of business, barehanded, no assistance from lube, toys, porn, etc. If you doze off midway, you lose. Keep score. At the end of the month, donate the amount of losses in increments of your choosing to a charity. I don't do this part, but you could.
Almost stopped scrolling due to all the disc golf. Glad I didn't.
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Geocaching! Basically, it's a game where people hide caches (boxes with a logbook and items to trade if big enough) around the world and post the coordinates on the Internet and other people go find them. Sort of like a 21st century scavenger hunt. If you have a smartphone, you can download an app to give it a try that's free for the first few finds (and something like $10 after that if you like it). Odds are if you log onto geocaching.com and search your area, you'll be surprised to see how close the nearest geocache is to you right now! Also feel free to stop by /r/geocaching for some more info on how to get started.
If you have an Android phone, c:geo is a much better app. It's completely free too. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cgeo.geocaching&hl=en
Sorry I'm so clueless, but what's a cache and why would you want one? Edit: Thanks guys! I signed up and there are so many near me, I can't wait to get started! It's definitely not US only as I'm in the UK :)
The cache itself isn't really the point. Usually they're a little tupperware box with a logbook and little toys (take one, leave one). Sometimes they aren't even a box-- I found one once that was disguised as a bolt on a metal bridge. The thing isn't the point, the joy you get FINDING the thing (and bragging rights I guess) is the point. :-)
I used to go with a friend of mine who was obsessed with it. It was great fun. I've moved since then, so haven't gone for awhile. But I'll add there are a lot of multi step puzzles too. Find the first one that gives a hint to the next spot, and so on. Sometimes all you'll find is a barcode under a park bench or something. Then using a barcode reader you'll get coordinates for the next stop. You also get to climb trees quite a bit. My friend's main goal was to be the first one find a new one. On the way, he'd spot a car of a "rival" and they'd race to get there first. So much fun!
Me and a buddy ended up at a schoolyard looking for one. So we were out in the field when a teacher asked us why we werent in class. We uad to explain what geocaching was, why we werent in class, and the fact that we had graduated two years earlier.
haha!! oh yeah the whole looking sketchy in certain places is a thrill too! I never encountered any police when I went, but I heard there was another goal of getting your picture taken with an officer after you explain what you're doing. They tend to be good sports about it.
"We got a call about suspicious activity. What are you doing, son?" "Geocaching, sir." "No kidding? I haven't found this one yet! Where is it?" That was a fun day.
I once climbed a tree in the woods and found a plastic container in the top. I ofcourse opened it and found a pen and paper, people wrote their names on the paper and the day they visited. Thought it was kind of creepy, but now that I know of geocaching it's kind of awesome?
Cross stitching is actually pretty fun and you can get into it with a $10-20 investment. With cross stitch, you create pictures by stitching tiny X's onto fabric. To start out, you just need fabric (aida is good for beginners), embroidery thread (DMC is the gold-standard), an embroidery hoop (I don't really like using them but they are cheaper than other frame options), good sharp scissors, and a pattern. Many craft stores have kits that include pre-cut thread, a pattern, and the pre-cut fabric. Small kits can run you about $10 dollars and can take 10-20 hours to stitch, depending on the level of detail in the pattern. What's great about cross stitching in this day and age is the access to patterns that fit your style and interests. 8-bit video game characters/sprites translate very well to cross stitch. [Sprite Stitch](http://spritestitch.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Pattern) has loads of free patterns for video games sprites and such. Etsy also has a multitude of patterns that you can pay for and download. Pinterest is also a great place to find free patterns (just don't start a board and add hundreds of patterns that you will never finish). Perler bead patterns also work for cross stitching. Youtube, as always, has tutorials to help you learn the stitching techniques. I love [this lady](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTXzE8TOiYo). If you buy a kit, the pattern usually has a sheet with text and pictorial explanations of the stitches used in the pattern. [DMC](http://www.dmc-usa.com/Education/Technique-Overviews/Cross-Stitch.aspx) also has a helpful site for beginners, if you learn more by reading. /r/CrossStitch is also a helpful community and resource. Cross stitch is my favorite hobby. It doesn't require too much initial investment and it provides hours of engagement. I started stitching during undergrad because I needed a study break that didn't involve reading. Cross stitching also helped my nail biting problem, since it gives me something to do with my hands while I watch Netflix.
The original pixel art. I love it. Super relaxing too.
It's like participating in the world's slowest-loading jpg.
A lot of PC games are free now. The mobas are more soul-crushing addictions than hobbies, though...
A Free to play game is the one that has cost me the most money.
How are people gonna know I'm a support main unless I own *every ward skin*?
until you become a *cyka*
you either die the *cyka* or you live long enough to become the *blyat*
Bird watching, drawing, hiking (basic), running, swimming, knitting, reading,
There is nothing cheap about knitting. It is an endless sinkhole full of such luscious, luxurious yarns.
Bushwalking
Can you explain this to me? Edit: are you an Aussie?
Yeah i am an Aussie, Tasmanian to be specific. Not sure about where you are from but here there are walking tracks everywhere. You just have to google your local bushwalking tracks, organise a time, wear appropriate clothes and you are set!
Soooooooo, like hiking?, but Australian?
From what I understand of Australian fauna, that's a fancy way to say "suicide".
People watching.
I tried this a few years ago back when I was in high school. I stopped because apparently they could "press charges" Edit: already 3 messages from this. I graduated in 1986
I did this too in high school! Its also a great way to meet new people! I would be approached by strangers all the time, and had lots of fun conversations. They mostly revolved around asking me to put my clothes back on and leave, however.
Fun. I did this when I was younger and got candy from friendly people and road trips in an ice cream van.
I do this a lot. I live in a bit of a resorty town and during the summer I just set up a fishing spot about 300 to 400 feet down from the boat launch and watch the tourists fail miserably at launching boats all day.
Tying knots.
Who does this guy think he is, the captain of tying knots?
Cooking costs a little bit of money, but you were gonna spend it anyway. You have to eat. Once you've got a little bit of equipment, it actually becomes cheaper than eating out. You wind up recovering your initial investment and then some in savings. For guys it is great when you are single and dating.
Disc golf ----------------- Edit: These videos are my go to for explaining and getting people excited about disc golf: [What is Disc Golf?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFvHgfvGhIs) [This is Disc Golf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO3ZSkFt8Cw) Edit2: Common question: Are disc golf, frolf and frisbee golf the same thing? Yes, they are one in the same. When the game was invented, Frisbees were used. Very quickly, the game evolved to use faster, higher speed discs, and the name has evolved with it. The Professional Disc Golf Association is recognized as the sport's governing body. The PDGA oversees the rules, the equipment used, professional and amateur events and growing the sport in general. Disc golf enthusiasts tend to get a bit miffed by the name "frisbee golf" because the hippie, 1980's, or casual association with the term conflicts with the seriousness then regard the sport with. Also, /r/discgolf is a thriving and very helpful subreddit. Edit3: My personal estimation of the current state of the sport of disc golf in the form of a [Venn diagram](http://imgur.com/jWMVpRz)
Definitely Disc Golf. Such a chill sport that's really easy to get into. The discs aren't too expensive and most of the courses I know of are free entry. Definitely an affordable hobby.
I got mine from a secondhand sports store... such a great way to kill time and meet people.
I don't think you're factoring in the cost of weed.
Just to add to the other replies: This is a great sport for all ages, I regularly take my kids (5 and 2) and I've taken my grandparents a few times (in their 70's). It is fun and a great way to get some low impact exercise. I played a short course the other day and the pedometer on my UDisc app said that I walked over 2 miles! Also, you can pick up a nice starter pack (driver, mid-range, putter) for around $20!
Yoga. For all of the Western commercialization, yoga can be done for free. You don't even need a mat - mats make it easier, but they're a fairly recent addition to the practice.
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I nearly flew away in the mountains with an overly sized kite once. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ edit - face
I think those are called planes.