I need a hobby.

July 4, 2013 6:08 PM

I recently went from working 60 hour weeks to 35 hour weeks. Never thought I would say this, but I have too much spare time. What hobbies or pastimes have you taken up that have been most rewarding?

All my friends still work 60 hour weeks and I'm not tied to this town enough to make a point of making new friends meetup style but it would be nice to up the time I'm spending around other people. I'm looking for things to take up weekday nights, because weekends I'm usually pretty busy catching up with my bf who works at all other times. Things I do a lot of now are cooking, studying Spanish, going to the beach, hiking/rock climbing/other outdoorsy things, running, and talking to friends and family who live far away. Also, watching the first season of arrested development in a week flat.

I don't really have money to take a class or buy lots of startup equipment or buy a membership to anywhere. I'd be open to volunteering somewhere, maybe once a week on weekday evenings but I'm not entirely sure how to go about finding somewhere. I'm in Rhode Island in south county if anyone has location specific ideas. What hobbies have you taken up that you've ended up really enjoying? Open to social or solitary suggestions.

posted by geegollygosh to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (43 answers total)

Freelancing? I guess that isn't a very fun suggestion.

How about cooking incredibly well, always? Make your own pickled everything, make your own cheese, make your own pasta, make your own bread, etc.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:14 PM on July 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

I volunteer with free time. I'm a lawyer and accountant, so I've got a decent pitch, but orgs are always looking for people willing to help, whether that be joining the board or manning a booth or whatever. what I do is just find charities in the area where I like the mission and just firing off emails.
posted by jpe at 6:15 PM on July 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Learning more about the natural world around. What exactly are those trees over there? How about all these mushrooms growing from the ground when it rains? Is there anything edible in the natural vicinity around here? This branches out into culinary stuff, travel, never ending really. Can be as social (hiking, mycology clubs) or as solitary as you like.

Used to cost the price of a couple guidebooks and some library time to get started, but this pre-singularity eliminates even some of those expenses.
posted by telstar at 6:17 PM on July 4, 2013 [4 favorites]

Get a fishing pole, and the base line tackle that a big outdoor store like Bass Outfitters won't let you leave, without. Stay on the very low end, or buy used off Craigslist, and you can go all in, to start, for $25.

Get a fishing license, if you need one. You might need both salt water, and fresh water licenses, but check your state/local regs for particulars.

And then, just go fishing. You might be the worst fisherman on the beach/pier/bridge you initially choose, and you'll find, usually, pretty quickly, that more able fisherman come try to help you/get you untangled from their lines/chuckle at your innocence. Be humble, and learn to take advice well. The first steps in learning how to fish aren't really about catching fish. If fishing were actually about catching fish, they'd call it catching, not fishing. If you happen to be the best fisherman on the beach/pier/bridge you first choose, God help you, and all those lesser fisherman, but do what you can for the others, to make the outing pleasant and possibly, productive, for all concerned. Don't litter. Don't brag. Don't talk more than is absolutely necessary.

Protip: Fishing often leads to introductions to boaters, which leads to boating. You have been warned.
posted by paulsc at 6:24 PM on July 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Soap making is WICKED fun, and you are making presents and soap.

It combines the best of chemistry, cooking, an obsession with body care, and you get to science!!in your spare time.
posted by spunweb at 6:29 PM on July 4, 2013 [3 favorites]

For me, it's been photography. But a major reason why is because I'd spent years envying photographers. I'm the guy who would pay different professional photographers to do different portraits of my family just because I liked seeing how they did it in different styles, and then I'd get all the portraits double-mat framed because I loved 'em all. It's a skill I had admired for a long time, so it made sense for me to finally snap out of my envy and pick up a camera (I owned an iPhone and a cheap point-&-shoot) and learn how it works.

Maybe you have something like that.

I don't really have money to take a class or buy lots of startup equipment or buy a membership to anywhere.

Good, because too many people sink money into new hobbies unwisely. This is a point in your favor, not a demerit. Remember your public libraries, and remember YouTube.
posted by cribcage at 6:39 PM on July 4, 2013

Candymaking is like soapmaking; easy, cheap ingredients, and requires little in the way of expensive equipment. It's also science!! but you can eat what comes out -- or give it away as gifts, or sell it. I love experimenting with sugar in the kitchen.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:42 PM on July 4, 2013

I went from the couch to marathon, and have been running for about 3.5 years now.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:48 PM on July 4, 2013

Send letters to political prisoners?
posted by oceanjesse at 6:54 PM on July 4, 2013

If you're already cooking, you probably wouldn't have to buy too much new gear to get into baking (unless you're counting them as one and the same).

Something else I've been working on is learning to draw. That did take a little bit of "gear" since I had to get some proper drawing pencils and such, but hasn't required any other investment.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 6:57 PM on July 4, 2013

You probably have friends who could use help -- lend yourself out. Stain a deck, help somebody clear out their clutter and bring it to a thrift store, babysit for free, whatever. Being able to be a generous friend is a fantastic thing.
posted by kmennie at 6:59 PM on July 4, 2013

Homebrewing scratches all of the cooking-plus-SCIENCE! itches for me, plus there are lots of other fun wormholes it can take you down as far as you care to go: cultural history, language, microbiology, chemistry. Plus, you get good beer for (relatively) cheap. Startup costs are around $100.
posted by dr. boludo at 7:24 PM on July 4, 2013

Knitting is awesome. The starting materials are really cheap and you can learn how to do it from the internet.
posted by fullerenedream at 7:25 PM on July 4, 2013

Some people swear by Words with Friends.

You could read the Great Books! Most are available from Project Gutenburg for download to an e-reader.
posted by seemoreglass at 7:27 PM on July 4, 2013

As for volunteering, you could be a Big Brother/Big Sister.

I like yoga. It's cheap (almost no equipment needed) and you can do it alone or in classes/groups. My yoga class is extremely social, and I've come to know them all really well.
posted by fireandthud at 7:53 PM on July 4, 2013

Another vote for knitting. It can be solitary or social (knit nights!), you create a physical (and often useful) object, and there's all sorts of things you can learn if you wish. I heartily recommend Ravelry, a wonderful site for knitters, crocheters, and other fiber arts people.

Also, juggling! It's great for coordination and a fun skill to have. I'm just getting into it.
posted by wiskunde at 8:04 PM on July 4, 2013

Check out meetup.com . Meetup is good for finding some people who do X, Y or Z and giving it a go. I've found it's a good way to find people who like playing soccer or whatever.

Also getting a cheap bike might amuse you.
posted by sien at 8:08 PM on July 4, 2013

A choir, yes you can sing. A musical instrument.
posted by BenPens at 8:28 PM on July 4, 2013

You might know how to do this already...

Learn to make websites. Learn Wordpress or one of the other platforms and work out how they work. Learn html, css and some php. Honestly, I don't know how people can get by in the world these days without learning a little bit these things.

Like knitting or baking, the ability to make or understand websites can be a boon to friends and family and they can make a great gift.

Bonus: once you have made a website, you can add pictures and text about your life or activities and have a lot of fun with that.
posted by Kerasia at 8:35 PM on July 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

Whittling. I will often grab a stick or piece of bamboo and start carving. A small block of wood can become anything you choose. You can do it just about any time and any where. Taking a hike and stop for a rest. Whip out your small project. It can be very calming and relaxing while being a creative outlet too.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:02 PM on July 4, 2013

Also, not sure it is a hobby, but I love to write long hand written letters to my older relatives. I am usually trying to coax a story about their childhood or something out of them. Waiting for the response is fun too. Going to the mail box to get something other than a bill or some flyer advert is awesome. I have also written to several of my elementary school teachers that I could find and are still alive. They LOVE getting mail from former students to hear how you turned out.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:07 PM on July 4, 2013

I've never personally used it, but Serve Rhode Island looks similar to volunteering hubs I have used where all sorts of different organizations and groups in need of volunteers post volunteering opportunities. I've met lots of great people and learned some really interesting things/skills from volunteering. On a selfish note, you always come home feeling really good about yourself.
posted by retrograde at 9:09 PM on July 4, 2013

I love learning languages. It can be as solitary or as sociable, and as inexpensive or as fancy as you want. You get to expand your brain and your worldview, and you can communicate with a whole bunch more people if you want.
posted by melesana at 9:27 PM on July 4, 2013

Do you own your home? Gardening and home improvement can be very satisfying. If you are renting, you can do it in a smaller scale.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:42 PM on July 4, 2013

I've recently experienced the same situation (thankfully without a pay cut at my job). Two of my solutions are listed above: I've taken up running half marathons and it's been a blast (maybe in another year or two I'll graduate to a full one). I've also been working on starting a website about my interests. Both are cheap and engrossing hobbies.

One more idea might be to get a second job that you could do in the evenings for maybe 20 hours a week... but make sure it's a fun job, something that's entertaining, interesting, and in line with what you enjoy. I'm a liquor connoisseur, so I'm working to find out more about working as a barback or a server at a few bars nearby that specialize in fine liquors and great cocktails. I also love sports, and I live near my city's downtown stadiums and arenas, so I'm looking into jobs where I can work as an usher or staff for games and events. Both jobs would have me on my feet, meeting people, getting lots of exercise, and working around something I really enjoy. And, I'd make a little extra spending money too.
posted by Old Man McKay at 10:18 PM on July 4, 2013

Sailing. I know it sounds anachronistic. It gives you an amazing connection to the natural world and comeraderie with the people you crew with, and it can be practically free if you're sailing on someone else's boat. The hard part is getting started, but if you are outgoing you can normally get taken out on a Wednesday night (or whenever your local club has informal races) for little more than some friendly conversation and an offer to help. People will teach you how to sail just because they need crew and you're a decent personn.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 10:50 PM on July 4, 2013 [3 favorites]

What with it being the fourth and all, I recommend PYROTECHNICS!
posted by boilermonster at 11:42 PM on July 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Nthing knitting, and also spinning. Materials are dirt cheap to start (a set of needles and a ball of yarn, or a bit of fiber and a toy wheel drop spindle, Youtube and/or library books as teaching material). You make stuff, which you can keep or give as gifts. There is nothing quite like wearing something that you've handspun and handknit, where before you had it it was only a lump of fluff and now it's a useful object. There are knitters and spinners everywhere, and I've met a lot of people in the fiber community.

Does learning additional languages interest you? With Spanish, you would have a good leg-up on learning Portuguese, Italian, or another Romance language.
posted by Gordafarin at 11:45 PM on July 4, 2013

Geocaching?

It's outdoors, can be done alone or with other people, and all you need is a GPS (the one on your phone will do) and an app (but this is not strictly necessary). You'll often meet other geocachers when you're out geocaching, and they also organise meet ups fairly often if you want to get more social.

What I like about it is that you can spend as much or as little time as you want/have. So anything from "I'm 15 minutes early for an appointment, I'll see if there's a cache around here" to a full day doing nothing but racking up the finds.

If you take up all the suggestions in this thread, you might need to go down to a 10 hour work week.
posted by pianissimo at 12:33 AM on July 5, 2013

How about sewing? There are tons of tutorials on the Internet for clothing, quilts, accessories, home stuff, etc. you can get an all-metal, vintage sewing machine from a thrift store or Craigslist for under $25. The vintage ones are often better than the cheap plastic ones you get at Target or Wal-Mart.
posted by christinetheslp at 1:07 AM on July 5, 2013

Seconding gardening and DIY. Very satisfying, especially as you get more knowledgeable and skilled, and one day something breaks, a leak starts, and you break out your tools and the extra part you got just in case and FIX IT ON THE SPOT. Then, not only have you used up some of that free time, you have also saved yourself even more time (spent calling a plumber or electrician, setting a date) and money (paying them). The flip side is also true: when something happens that you know you can't handle, you appreciate a good plumber/electrician all the more.

Sounds like you've got sports down, looking for new places to visit for hikes can be loads of fun when you have more free time.

I also have a little freelance activity on the side; what's great about it when you have a stable, reasonable-hours job is that you can pick and choose your clients with a lot more freedom. It's had some unexpected bonuses for me in my day job too, so there's also that.

Cat or dog, if you like animals and genuinely feel up to the responsibility? They're such lovebugs, and their experience of your living space tends to open you up to it in different ways. For instance, I no longer see my dining table as a "dining" table, but also as a cat bed, cat wrassle arena, cat jumping board, and platform for feline avian observation. Oh, maybe birdwatching as a hobby for you? It can get addictive, especially if you also like photography.

Music, sewing, knitting, crocheting... Try them out before buying so you know if one fits your personality better than another! I love sewing, find crocheting great fun, but for whatever reason cannot bring myself to knit. On the other hand I have friends who love knitting, can't bring themselves to crochet, and only sew a bit. Everyone's different! Try things out and see what fits - testing different hobbies is loads of fun too.
posted by fraula at 1:10 AM on July 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Hobbies I've done that I've enjoyed:

• Hiking
• Jogging
• Sewing
• Music
• Fishing
• Making Jam/Home canning
• Woodworking
• Making Kites
• Gardening

All of these can be done relatively cheaply. In most cases, the start-up cost can be exchanged for your time in locating decent used equipment. For example, I did woodworking initially through an adult education evening class. It was relatively cheap overall - I think it ended up costing $10 a class for access to a high school wood shop and the shop teacher. I think the most expensive hobby listed above is either Jogging, Hiking (if you don't have decent shoes), or Music (and only music if you pick an expensive instrument).
posted by plinth at 6:42 AM on July 5, 2013

Yoga ftw.
posted by corn_bread at 10:16 AM on July 5, 2013

If you like history, doing your family genealogy can be incredibly interesting.
posted by beccaj at 10:37 AM on July 5, 2013

Sailing.

This! In addition, it's a hobby you'll never know everything about. It really is the hobby for thinkers, noodlers, adventurers, and tinkerers.
posted by functionequalsform at 12:30 PM on July 5, 2013

Papercrafts? There's a ton of free templates on the nets that you could print out on thick paper. This requires having a supply of thick paper and a color printer though.
posted by curagea at 1:22 PM on July 5, 2013

Swing dancing's a fun way to meet people, get some exercise, and just get out of the house for a little while.
posted by dean_deen at 1:49 PM on July 5, 2013

Answer AskMetafilter questions all day like the rest of us.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:53 PM on July 5, 2013 [4 favorites]

If music is interesting, consider a ukulele. They're inexpensive, portable, easy to get started with, and there's lots of free instruction and chords / tab online. Uke music is crazily diverse, and ukes make great campfire instruments, too.
posted by momus_window at 4:52 PM on July 5, 2013

If you like to create things I'm finding screen printing to be really rewarding. It's a bit retro-analog like film photography, but not such a pointless exercise is luddism. By which I mean it isn't easily surpassed by cheaper modern means.
posted by unmake at 12:10 AM on July 6, 2013

Also, maybe there's a hacker/maker-space in Providence? They seem like great places to try new stuff, be it welding or 3D printing or building robots.
posted by unmake at 12:13 AM on July 6, 2013

I know that this Reddit thread has answered this question before.
posted by jermspeaks at 1:17 AM on July 6, 2013

I got a puppy, which has become sort of a hobby. It's a lot of work, but totally worth it, and he gives me a reason/excuse to get out of the house and go for walks, to the park, etc. And I've met some really interesting other dog owners (plus pretty much all of my neighbors).

Of course, getting a dog is a big commitment and not something you'd do just for the hell of it, but if you've wanted a pet and haven't gotten one because you're busy, this might be the time.
posted by lunasol at 11:43 AM on July 6, 2013