Retirement is a time that should be inexpensive, as you’re meant to enjoy yourself without having to stress about money. You’ll probably want to spend some time with your family and spend some time traveling, but how else are you supposed to entertain yourself?
Ideally, you’ll find entertaining hobbies and pastimes that are relatively inexpensive, conducive to your physical capabilities, and supportive of healthy habits.
A Few of the Most Inexpensive Hobbies
What are the best options for you?
Video Games
It’s a stereotype that video games are for younger people, especially these days. Even if you have no prior experience playing video games, this is a hobby you can pick up quickly – and potentially enjoy for the rest of your life.
Playing video games is advantageous for retirees for many reasons.
For starters, there’s a practically unlimited library of titles and video game types for you to enjoy. For example, if you’re interested in topics related to cybersecurity, hacking, and technology, there are plenty of games for you to choose from – such as Watch Dogs, Papers Please, and Not for Broadcast. If you’ve always had a fondness for farming and gardening, there are farming simulators in which you can partake.
There are lots of games that focus on quick action and reaction time, but if these aren’t your cup of tea, you can always choose strategy games that are much more self-paced. There are also video games in a wide range of genres, including shooters, role-playing games, horror games, competitive strategy games, and more.
Initial Expenses Required for Video Games
Video games do require an upfront expenditure in most cases. Notably, you’ll need some form of hardware to play your games; for most people, this is either a dedicated video game console or a PC with specs good enough to run modern games. However, if you’re willing to buy an older model, or buy used, even this expense should be minor.
Depending on your preferences and needs, you may also need an internet connection. If you plan on playing online, it’s not a bad idea to invest in a VPN service as well, which essentially creates a secure tunnel between your device and the internet.
Still, video games themselves are relatively cheap, especially if you look for discounts, and once you own them, you can play them over and over again.
Another benefit for retirees is that video games allow you to stay social. If you play competitive or collaborative games, you’ll have an opportunity to talk to people online. This can be a great way to stay in touch with geographically distant relatives and a way to meet new people.
In the Kitchen
If video games aren’t your speed, consider baking or cooking. Whether you’ve been a culinary aficionado all your life or you’ve mostly relied on restaurants and premade meals, your golden years are a golden opportunity to fully explore your kitchen as well as your creative potential within it.
This hobby is inexpensive in part because you’ll need to pay for food and sustenance anyway; you might as well turn this basic living expense into something creatively stimulating and personally enjoyable. You can explore different cuisines, experiment with different recipes, and even develop novel creations of your own.
In the simplest form of this hobby, you’ll be baking or cooking for yourself and your close family members. But keep in mind that this is also an income-generation opportunity. If you carve out a niche for yourself and spend a bit of time building a business and marketing, you could easily sell your culinary creations as a way to make some side income.
Taking Care of Others
Similarly, you might dabble in babysitting, pet sitting, or house sitting. These are generally not intensive activities, though many of them require some regular exercise. Depending on demand in your area and your level of competition, this could also be a way to generate significant revenue.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of this type of service is that it introduces you to new people. If you love kids, you’ll have an opportunity to meet lots of new children and watch them grow up. If you’re an animal lover, you can spend quality time with dogs and cats – without necessarily taking on the burden of owning your own.
Birdwatching
Do you love nature? Are you in search of something self-paced, relaxing, and accessible? If so, birdwatching could be for you.
The idea behind birdwatching is quite simple; all you need to do is find a suitable area, look for perching or flying birds, and document your findings. Some people appreciate the quiet, solitary patience required to spot these magnificent creatures. Others prefer the challenge of hunting down rare and unusual species. Still others use birdwatching as an excuse to visit new areas, including parks and nature preserves.
Whatever your motivation is, you can get started with a simple pair of binoculars and a birdwatching manual, both of which should be relatively inexpensive. And if you’re interested in a more social activity, you can consider joining a birdwatching group in your area.
Outside Exercise
Hiking and walking are very similar, with the exceptions being related to location, terrain, and difficulty. Generally, hiking is more intensive and takes place in slightly less accessible environments, so if you’re concerned about your physical abilities or stamina, start with walking.
Both walking and hiking give you an opportunity to physically exercise without taxing your body, and both are free or nearly free activities that you can do almost anywhere. For some retirees, simply walking around the city is a form of refreshing stimulation. For others with a penchant for secluded nature or physically intensive activities, there are challenging hiking trails all around the country.
If you’re struggling with joint pain, or if you just want to preserve your joints for as long as you can, consider taking up biking as an alternative. Biking has many of the same advantages of hiking and walking, but it’s much easier on your joints and is much less intensive – especially if you’re willing to invest in an electric bike with a motor you can switch on when you’re feeling fatigued. Obviously, buying a bicycle is going to be more expensive than a pair of hiking boots, but even so, this is a relatively inexpensive hobby.
Gardens
Some retirees immediately delve into gardening because of its affordability, accessibility, and countless benefits. Depending on where you live, you may be able to plant a garden in your own backyard, or you may be able to take advantage of an existing community garden.
Either way, there are many things you can attempt to grow – and many motivations that could drive you in your pursuits. For example, you might be interested in growing flowers around your property for the purpose of beautification and increasing the value of your home. Alternatively, you could grow vegetables, herbs, and other crops either for personal use or to sell as a secondary stream of income at local farmer’s markets.
Gardening does have some physical demands, but even somewhat physically limited retirees should be able to handle them. This is a relatively slow-paced activity that only requires minimal upkeep – and yet, the bounty can be incredible.
Musical Instruments
If you’re looking for a way to keep your body moving while also stimulating yourself creatively, consider taking up a musical instrument or more heavily practicing a musical instrument you’re already familiar with. Regularly playing music is a way of staying in tune with your creative side while also perfecting your own levels of dexterity.
Depending on your motivations, you can learn a musical instrument as a private pursuit or consider joining a band with other musicians. There are also many different instruments to choose from. Instruments like guitar and piano have greater dexterity requirements but offer an impressive range of possible performances. Somewhat simpler instruments like brass instruments and certain percussion instruments are slightly more accessible, yet still offer impressive creative range.
As you develop your skills, you can branch out into learning music theory and composition, or simply try to perfect your own virtuosity. If nothing else, you’ll eventually be able to play along to some of your favorite songs – and possibly perform for your close friends and family members.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s too late to learn; anyone can learn a musical instrument at almost any age.
Board Games and Card Games
If video games aren’t your style, but you like the idea of a challenging and competitive intellectual activity, consider learning new board games and card games.
Modern board games come in all varieties and are designed to appeal to many demographics simultaneously. You might be familiar with classics like Monopoly or Scrabble, but there are much richer experiences available.
Dense, complicated strategy games force you to think deeply about every move. Light, social games give you a great opportunity to socialize with others and unwind. There are even mystery games in which you work with other people to solve problems or make deductions.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also learn a competitive trading card game, like Magic: The Gathering, which includes elements of collecting, strategic deck building, and both competitive and casual play.
Photography
Photography is a hobby you can practice almost anywhere, assuming there’s a subject that fascinates you. Some retirees like to wander into the depths of nature to see what they can photograph, while others prefer human subjects at events like weddings.
Either way, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate your artistry, visit new locations, and meet new people. And, depending on the quality of your work and your subject matter, you can turn this into a side gig as well. Starter photography equipment isn’t particularly expensive, though you will need to make an initial investment.
Books
There are few activities as intellectually stimulating or rewarding as reading. It’s a simple hobby, but one that’s completely free if you’re willing to visit libraries and search for free digital books online. If you’re a lifelong reader, this won’t be news to you. But if you’ve avoided reading out of disinterest or lack of time, this could be the perfect opportunity to jump into the arena. There are books on almost every conceivable subject, covering hundreds of years of creative and intellectual authorship, so you should never run out of material to digest and absorb.
Arts and Crafts
We’ve already explored a couple of artistic hobbies on this list, but practically any art or craft could be a valuable retirement activity.
For example:
Woodworking: Some types of woodworking demand expensive equipment, but you can always rent this equipment or borrow it from others. You could even join a coop to take advantage of community resources. If nothing else, you could pick up an inexpensive wood carving knife and focus on carving.
Crocheting and knitting: Crocheting and knitting are very similar hobbies with slightly different technical approaches. If you learn to master these skills, you could be able to produce blankets, quilts, hats, scarves, and even cute plushies for kids.
Painting, sketching, and visual arts: If you consider yourself more visually inclined, you might want to pursue painting, sketching, or other forms of visual art. If you’ve never done it before, you might face an initial learning curve, but try not to be discouraged; even your earliest, amateurish works will be fun to make and satisfying to appreciate.
Sculpture: If you like to get hands-on, you can also try sculpting. It forces you to think in three-dimensional space while also exercising your creative instincts.
Nearly every artistic hobby or craft offers an opportunity for income generation as well.
Your Evolving Retirement
Retirement unfolds in phases, and depending on when you retire and how long you live, there might be too many to count. You don’t need to find the perfect hobby right away, nor are you confined to only pursuing a certain number of activities.
Experiment with several hobbies and activities to see which ones you like – and even when you feel comfortable with your current lineup, try to remain open-minded about new opportunities.
Anything that keeps you physically, socially, and intellectually stimulated without compromising your budget is going to be well worth your time.
