Last Updated on February 2, 2026 by Alexandra Markin, Dip.Mgmt.St.
Explore the ultimate list of free and cheap hobbies for women of all ages! If you’re looking to keep costs down or try something new without spending a fortune, this post has you covered.
A 2025 Frontiers study found that taking part in leisure activities, (ie. hobbies), can improve women’s health and overall well-being, and may be especially helpful during transitional stages of life, such as college, early adulthood and midlife.
As a college woman in her 40s balancing school, work and life responsibilities, I constantly encourage myself and others to include a hobby you love no matter how busy your life is.
Whether you’re a college student on a budget or a women in your 20s or beyond, I’ve curated this list of free and cheap hobbies for women to get inspired at any stage of life. Enjoy!
60 Free and Cheap Hobbies for Women to Try
Keep in mind that any hobby can become expensive if you let it. For example, purchasing baking supplies for multiple types of desserts can add up quickly.
This posts focuses on how you can add or try new hobbies while keeping costs low. Even seemingly expensive sports like tennis can be affordable with the right strategies.
When purchasing necessary hobby supplies, keep your budget in check by shopping at places like:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Free Buy Nothing groups (on Facebook)
- Second-hand sporting goods stores
- Second-hand book stores (my favorite, and they often have puzzles as well)
- Thrift stores
- Walmart
- Dollar stores
- Watching for sales on Amazon
- Yard/garage sales
- Church markets
At Home Hobbies for Women
1. Cooking
Cooking meals at home is one of my favorite cheap (but definitely not free) hobbies for women because we have to feed ourselves anyway. Why not make it enjoyable while building your recipe repertoire?
In today’s economy where the cost of food keeps rising, cooking most of your meals at home can save thousands of dollars on groceries every year.
Tie on a cute cotton apron, put on some music and whip up a delicious loaf of sourdough bread to go with a comforting bowl of vegetable soup.
2. Sourdough Baking
Learning to make sourdough bread is easy. Once you make your starter, the only real ingredients you need are flour, water and patience.
Sourdough is extremely versatile: use it to make pizza crust, bagels, cinnamon rolls or flavored breads like pumpkin or cranberry.
3. Baking
Baking is a cozy, budget-friendly hobby that lets you make the sweet treats you crave for a fraction of the cost.
Stick to recipes that only require a few basic ingredients and minimal baking tools to keep it affordable.
4. Board Games
Playing board games is an underrated hobby that is fun and social while keeping your brain sharp.
Purchase board games second-hand, trade with friends or see if your local library has a lending program to keep games cheap and on rotation.
5. Card Games
Even cheaper than board games, a pack of playing cards can provide endless entertainment and be tossed into a bag to take to the beach, the park, a friend’s house or wherever your travels take you.
Think poker, rummy, bus stop, 31, snap, bridge or grab a crib board to play cribbage.
6. Reading
Reading is one of the most well-know cheap hobbies for women, and can even be free with a little effort. From fiction, fantasy, self-development, true crime, murder mysteries or biographies, there is a genre for every season of life.
Buy second-hand from bookstores, thrift stores or book swaps. To keep it totally free, borrow unlimited books from your local library, trade with friends or download free e-books.
7. Start Meditation
Meditation is a calming mindfulness practice where you sit quietly, breathe deeply and gently focus your attention to become more present. The benefits of meditation are powerful, and it’s a completely free self-care hobby.
Start by setting your phone timer for 10 minutes and build from there.
Creative Hobbies
8. Cross Stitch
A type of embroidery, cross stitch uses small X-shaped stitches to create a design or picture on fabric.
Inexpensive cross stitch kits include all supplies and multiple patterns, giving you a finished piece you can use to decorate your home or gift to others.
9. Needlepoint
Different from cross stitch, needlepoint uses a variety of stitch techniques to create decorative patterns, pictures and even functional items like pillows and bags.
Start with a beginner needlepoint kit that includes a canvas, thread and several patterns for an affordable price.
10. Small Knitting Projects
Knitting is one of the coziest creative hobbies you can start, and it’s not expensive as long as you stick with small projects like dish cloths, mug cozies and coasters using cotton yarn. Knitting kits are great for beginners and don’t cost much.
As soon as you get into larger items like sweaters and blankets, the quantity and cost of yarn jumps, especially if you opt for higher end materials.
11. Crocheting
Extremely popular with women of all ages, crocheting is where you use a single hook and a skein of yarn to make everything from simple dishcloths to blankets, accessories and cute home décor.
It’s one of the most affordable needlecrafts to start. All you need is a set of crochet hooks and yarn. Stick to small projects to keep costs low.
12. Friendship Bracelets
Friendship bracelets are decorative, hand-knotted bracelets made from colorful threads and given to someone as a symbol of friendship.
Not just for kids, Taylor Swift recently made this nostalgic 90’s craft popular for adults through her song “You’re on Your Own, Kid” turning the childhood art of friendship bracelets into a social and community phenomenon.
Grab a friendship bracelet kit and try it today!
13. Acrylic Painting
Painting is calming and creative hobby, and it’s not expensive as long as you use the basics: a cheap set of acrylic paints, a couple of brushes and a sketchbook or canvas pad.
Acrylic paints can easily be cleaned with water, making clean up quick, easy and cheap.
14. Diamond Painting
Diamond painting is a relaxing craft where you place tiny, colorful resin “diamonds” onto a sticky canvas to create a shimmering image. Think paint-by-numbers but sparkly!
Beginner diamond painting kits are very affordable and include everything you need: the canvas image, diamonds, applicator pen and tray.
15. Adult Coloring
Coloring as a grown up? Yes please! All you need is a coloring book (or free printable pages online) and colored pencils or markers.
Try mandalas, nature, seasonal, animals, characters or any design that sparks your fancy.
16. Drawing/Sketching
Drawing/sketching are incredibly affordable creative hobbies because all you need is a pencil and a notebook.
Doodle, sketch objects around your home, design women’s fashions, try simple YouTube tutorials or take your notebook outside for some nature inspiration.
17. Writing
Writing has been a favorite hobby of mine since I was a child. You can write poetry, novels, short stories, blog posts or letters, and all you need is a computer with word processing software or a notebook and pen.
Join writing challenges to hone your skills. The popular November National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) writing challenge helps aspiring novelists write 50,000 words towards the first draft of their book.
18. Blogging
Blogging gives you the freedom to write and be creative in the online space, and has the potential to turn into a profitable hobby or full-time career (like my blog you’re currently reading!)
Blog about anything you like: lifestyle, food, college life, wellness, hobbies or even your personal journey. I started with Bluehost to host my first blog, and there are endless free themes and blogging resources to get you started.
💻 START YOUR BLOG: Ready to get started? With Bluehost, you can get hosting, a free domain and WordPress set up in minutes, all for an affordable, beginner-friendly price.
19. Journaling
Another classic hobby, journaling, keeps things low cost because all you need is a basic lined notebook and a pen.
Use journaling to express gratitude, write daily affirmations, process your day as a “dear diary” entry or try keeping a photo journal. No rules, no fancy supplies and no extra cost.
20. Bullet Journaling
Different from traditional journaling, bullet journaling is a highly customizable method for organization that can function as a planner, to-do list, habit tracker and more using a dotted gird notebook.
It blends creativity with organization, and it’s a perfect hobby for women of all ages. I love bullet journaling as a student because I can keep myself on track using custom bullet journal spreads that complement my self-paced online college courses.
Basic bullet journaling supplies include a dotted notebook, pens, a ruler and a few highlighters. Or, purchase a bullet journaling starter kit that includes stickers and stencils. Bullet journaling can be as decorative or as minimal as you want!
21. Hand Lettering
Hand lettering is the art of drawing letters. It’s those decorative titles and fancy fonts you see on handmade cards, home décor signs and those aesthetic-looking college notes.
Grab a beginner hand lettering practice book and a hand lettering pen set to get started.
22. Calligraphy
Slightly different from hand lettering, calligraphy is the art of writing beautifully, using calligraphy pens to create thick-and-thin lines.
Get some calligraphy practice paper and hit up YouTube for free tutorials to improve your planner, journal or everyday writing.
23. Handmade Cards
Creating handmade cards is both a personal and budget-friendly hobby. Grab some cardstock and markers to make cards you need for any occasion: birthday, thank-you, holiday or thinking of you.
Keep it simple with hand-drawn designs or make them more elevated using hand lettering or calligraphy.
24. Singing/Voice
Singing is a free, fun and expressive hobby with no lessons required. You can sing at home, in the shower or in the car.
Find free warm-up and guided tutorials on YouTube, join a local or church choir, or use a free app like GarageBand (for Mac) or free software like Audacity to record yourself without paying for studio time.
25. Dancing
Dancing is another hobby for women that can be completely free. You don’t need expensive classes or even a partner to get started – just some music and a little space at home.
YouTube has hundreds of tutorials for different types of dance: jazz, hiphop, bellydancing, burlesque, salsa, contemporary, ballet, etc.
I created a DIY “mirror wall” above my couch in my living room so I can watch my progress. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we can do in small apartments!
26. Small-Scale Gardening
Gardening doesn’t have to mean a whole backyard, fancy soil or a big budget. Small-scale gardening is perfect for indoor windowsills, balconies or tiny patio spaces to grow herbs, flowers and maybe a few tomato plants.
Start with growing seeds in recycled containers like tin cans, mason jars or old mugs to use as planters. This approach is also a great way for beginner green-thumbs to get started.
27. Smartphone Photography
Taking photos using only your smartphone camera is a free and creative hobby for women who want to capture memories, learn basic composition and editing or build a personal or professional social media profile.
Our smartphone cameras are very powerful. Editing with your phone’s built-in software or use a free app like Snapseed make your photos look polished without spending a dime.
28. Vlogging
Vlogging (short for video blogging) is the process of recording and sharing your life, ideas or interests through video on social media.
All you need is your smartphone and a free editing app like CapCut. Whether you film day-in-the-life clips, college routines, travel diaries or hobby tutorials, vlogging is a fun way to connect with people who enjoy the same things you do.
Active Hobbies for Women
29. Walking
Walking is one of the easiest and completely free hobbies for women! Find a local park, waterfront promenade or walk around your neighborhood to get fit, clear your head and get a does of vitamin D.
I like to listen to podcasts or music, or walk with a friend to double as a social hobby.
30. Outdoor Running
Running is an empowering and free hobby you can pick up. Just step outside your door! Use the athletic clothes and sneakers you already have – upgrading can come later if necessary.
There is no cost to use trails, parks, sidewalks and waterfront boardwalks. Download the free Nike Run Club app to track your progress and access guided runs and beginner tips. I used it when I was training for my first 10K and it was really helpful.
31. Running Races
I know several people who regularly run races as a hobby. You don’t have to sign up for a marathon or half-marathon – there are lots of 5K, 8K or 10K races you can participate in around your city.
There are even theme runs: fun runs, foam runs, color runs and seasonal runs like the turkey trot at Thanksgiving! Register early to access discounted early bird pricing.
Many races give finisher metals. Start a collection! I have race metals for 5K, 8K and 10K runs.
32. Hiking
Hiking combines exercise, fresh air, nature and stress relief all without spending a dime.
No need for fancy gear – just start with your runners and a backpack with water and snacks. Stick to local trails and parks or tackle a more challenging hike depending on your experience level.
Download the free version of the AllTrails app to find trails in your area.
33. Weight Lifting
Strength-training is one of the best cheap (and often free) hobbies for women. With both health and confidence-boosting benefits, it’s especially important for us to maintain muscle mass as we age to build bone density and help prevent osteoporosis.
Keep it free by starting with your bodyweight only: sit ups, push ups and lunges. Or, grab a set of dumbbells (or soup cans) and use YouTube for free weight-training workouts.
TIP: You can still get strength-training benefits by lifting lighter weights and doing higher reps – perfect for weight-training at home without bulky dumbbells. This Blogilates arm-toning workout was one of my favorites during covid and I highly recommend it!
34. Low-Cost Gym Membership
A gym membership isn’t always as expensive as you might think. Many gyms offer low monthly fees, giving you access to weights, cardio machines, group classes and a dry indoor space to work out year-round.
Choose budget chains like Planet Fitness (Canada) or 24-Hour Fitness (USA). I had a membership at Planet Fitness and I only paid $15 + tax per month!
Also, look at your local community center or YMCA for inexpensive memberships. Or, if you just want to supplement your home workouts occasionally, just pay their drop in fee as needed.
35. Roller Skating/Blading
Roller skating is a fun and nostalgic hobby to keep you active. Seek out smooth surfaces like city bike/skate paths or sidewalks, and keep an eye out for free community skate nights during the summer months.
Check Facebook Marketplace, thrift stores or second-hand sport stores, or shop inexpensive roller skates and a helmet on Amazon.
36. At Home Pilates
Pilates is a low-impact, full-body workout that improves muscular strength, posture and flexibility using bodyweight only.
Skip the expensive pilates studio membership, grab a comfortable yoga mat and put on a free Move With Nicole pilates YouTube workout.
37. At Home Yoga
Yoga is an active yet relaxing hobby that benefits both body and mind. It improves flexibility, strength and balance while reducing stress – perfect for women in all stages of life. All you need is a yoga mat and some space to move.
My favorite yoga Youtube video of all time is Yoga Joy by Yoga With Adriene.
38. Frisbee/Disc Golf
Frisbee Golf (as known as Disc Golf) is a sport where players throw flying discs (frisbees) into targets, typically a metal basket with chains. The goal is to complete the course with the fewest throws possible.
This game can be played at public parks, and you may have seen the metal baskets and wondered what they were (as I first did). All you need is a set of frisbees and a friend and the rest is completely free.
39. Tennis
Contrary to popular belief, you can play recreational tennis for next to nothing. Public tennis courts are free to use, and most cities have multiple courts located next to public parks.
My first tennis racket and set of tennis balls were from Walmart, and they did the job just fine.
40. Pickleball
Pickleball is a paddle sport similar to tennis, but on a much smaller scale. It’s played on a small court with a paddle and lightweight plastic ball – very cost-effective and beginner friendly.
With the popularity of pickleball on the rise, grab a set of cute pickleball paddles and a friend and head to a free outdoor public court.
41. Biking/Outdoor Cycling
Biking is an active and fun hobby that gets you outdoors without needing much more than a bike and a helmet.
You don’t need a fancy bike, and there are lots of second-hand options. Learn how to do simple maintenance and hit up local trails or your neighborhood for some energizing fresh air.
Outdoor Hobbies for Women
42. Birdwatching
Birdwatching might have the reputation as an “older” person’s hobby, but it’s become popular with all ages! Observe birds from a park, trail, neighborhood or your own backyard or balcony.
Free apps like Merlin Bird ID helps you identify birds by photo or sound, no expensive gear required.
43. Geocaching
Geocaching is a real-life treasure hunt using your phone’s GPS, and it’s completely free. People all over the world hide small “caches” (tiny containers or markers) in parks, trails, neighborhoods and public spaces, uploading the coordinates to the free geocaching app. Track them down, sign the little logbook inside and sometimes swap a small trinket.
44. Outdoor Community Events
Attending community-hosted events is free! Cities and community services host outdoor events year-round: concerts, art walks, sunset yoga, farmers markets, movie nights, cultural festivals and seasonal events like the classic Christmas tree light up.
45. Collect Rocks or Seashells
Collecting rocks or seashells is a completely free nature-inspired hobby.
Explore beaches, rivers, parks or hiking trails and see what unique shapes, colors or textures you can find. Many collectors sort their finds into jars to display on shelves or use in DIY projects.
46. Stargazing
If you live somewhere that has minimal city light pollution, you can identify constellations, track planets or watch for meteor showers with nothing more than you eyes.
47. Picnics
Grab a blanket, some snacks or a simple homemade meal and head to a nearby park, beach or your own backyard. Make it social by inviting friends, or grab a book or another individual activity and spend some quality time with yourself.
Budget-Friendly Hobbies
48. Volunteer
Volunteering is the act of giving your time to support a cause, organization or community.
No matter how busy you are, I highly recommend volunteering to meet new people, build new skills and make a positive difference where you live. Over the years I’ve volunteered at The Canadian Cancer Society, The Salvation Army and The Vancouver International Wine Festival.
49. Join a Book Club
Joining a book club compliments the number one free hobby for women: reading.
Check Facebook or the library to join in-person or online groups in your area.
50. Host Potluck Dinner Parties
Hosting potluck dinner parties is a fun and budget-friendly way to socialize without taking on the entire cost of food yourself. Pair with a board game or card game for endless entertainment.
51. Host Theme Nights
Not only is hosting a theme night much cheaper than going out, it’s often outrageous, low-cost fun!
Think classics like a murder mystery night, or try a book swap and desserts, spa night, seasonal movie marathon, board game, craft night or wine tasting.
52. Thrifting
Thrifting is one of my most favorite hobbies ever. Not just for saving money, but for the thrill of the hunt.
Pick up clothing, shoes, home décor, books, kitchen supplies or anything that catches your eye.
Educational Hobbies
53. Learn a Language
Language learning can be very rewarding, and useful! Download the Duolingo app to learn for free. It turns language learning into a fun, game-like experience with short daily lessons, streaks and (persistent) friendly reminders that keep you motivated.
It’s also a semi-social app, so follow others to complete friend quest challenges and keep yourself on track. I’m currently on a 680+ day streak – follow me @AlixMarkin and let’s be language learning friends!
54. Listen to Podcasts
Listening to podcasts is a completely free hobby! Whether you’re into fiction, self-improvement, true crime, health, comedy or college-life motivation, there’s a podcast for everyone.
55. Watch Documentaries
If you love learning but want something both free and low-effort, documentaries are the perfect choice.
Stream on YouTube, borrow DVDs from your library or use the Kanopy app, or browse Amazon Prime or Netflix if you have a subscription.
56. Take Free Online Courses
Taking free online courses are the perfect budget-friendly hobby to increase your knowledge and skills.
Look at online learning platforms like Coursera and Khan Academy that offer a selection of free online courses. The free options are limited, but great for general interest and continuing education.
57. Jigsaw Puzzles
Puzzles keep your mind sharp and can be very relaxing. They’re also very affordable. Pick them up for next to nothing at second hand book stores, thrift stores or see if your library has a puzzle borrowing program.
58. Sudoku Puzzles
Sudoku is a challenging, number-based logic puzzle where the goal is to fill a 9×9 grid so that every row, column and 3×3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 without repeating any numbers.
Grab a book of 1,000+ Sudoku Puzzles or find them for free online or on Sudoku apps.
59. Crossword Puzzles
A classic hobby for women of any age, crossword puzzles are a word game where you fill in a grid with words based on clues provided for each row and column.
Crosswords range from easy to extremely challenging. Try some famous crossword puzzles from the New York Times, and grab a crossword puzzle dictionary if you’re an avid puzzler.
60. Visit Museums
Visiting museums is a classic hobby for history buffs that’s often free or very low-cost. Many local museums offer free admission days and student discounts.
With free admission, I could spend days in a single museum in London, UK!
Why Free and Cheap Hobbies for Women Are Worth Trying
Hobbies aren’t about perfection or spending money. They’re about infusing joy into your everyday life or exploring your interests and passions. Sometimes, the simplest activities can be the most rewarding.
If you’re like me and find you have too many hobbies and too little time, try combining them. Turn a walk into a photography session, or listen to an audio book while crafting or puzzling.
What’s your favorite free or cheap hobby? Share in the comments – I’d love to hear what sparks joy in your life!
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