If you are finding yourself with some spare time or just want to learn how to do something new, make sure to try out these 6 budget-friendly & sustainable hobby ideas! These 6 sustainable hobby ideas require little investment and material, making them both affordable and environmentally friendly. Trust me, if your’e looking to try some new things, there’s something for you here!
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1. Audiobooks
Reading is a wonderful sustainable hobby for people of all ages. But let’s be honest, it can sometimes be hard to find the time and energy to pick up a physical book or e-reader in our packed and busy lives. That’s part of why I love listening to audiobooks! First of all, since most of us practically go everywhere with our personal devices, audiobooks are things that you can access anywhere and everywhere. Whether that’s on your commute to work or school, while preparing dinner, or while resting in bed, audiobooks are the perfect accompaniment!
Second of all, unlike books you read yourself, audiobooks don’t require 100% of your focus or attention. You can be driving, studying – practically anything – and still follow along with the story being told. There’s just something so comforting and relaxing about listening to someone read to you and it makes following the story easy and comforting! This is part of what makes this hobby so unique and one of my favorites of these 6 sustainable hobby ideas.
-Where can I get Audiobooks?
My favorite platform for accessing audiobooks is through audible. Audible is a monthly subscription service that gives you access to thousands of different audiobooks spanning all sorts of genres. Trust me, there’s something for everyone on Audible and it’s a fantastic place to get started!
If you aren’t sure whether audiobooks are for you, you can access a one month free trial to AudiblePlus HERE!
2. Watercolor
Watercolor is another fantastically delightful and relaxing hobby to pick up during your free time. Trust me, you don’t need to be ‘good’ at art or really even know what you’re doing to have fun with it. This past holiday season I received a watercolor palette from family members. Since then, I’ve had a blast teaching myself new techniques and just getting to mess around with it! It’s a perfect sustainable hobby to explore more of your creative side!
–Skillshare
With watercolor, I just started doing my own thing. Mixing colors, experimenting with the weight and stroke of the brush, and trying new things. But, soon, I started looking for other ways to learn and landed on Skillshare. Skillshare is a learning platform where you can access classes from industry leaders, artists, and professionals in whatever subject they’re teaching. Whether it’s a class on watercolor, creative writing, gardening, food photography, or video editing. They really have everything you could ever wish for!
Skillshare is a subscription based service so you pay a small fee per month and bam! You have a whole world of knowledge right at your fingertips. You can literally access it all right from your comfy couch! If you use the code I have below, you can access a whole month of Skillshare for free! Meaning you can explore all that it has to offer before deciding to invest any of your money into it! Definitely recommend giving it a shot 😀
–Eco-Friendly Watercolor Supplies
If you don’t have any supplies at the moment, do not fret! Watercolor requires very little in terms of material and tends to be pretty affordable. You can find the eco-friendly watercolor palette I have here, and the watercolor paper I use here.
Palette – Sakura Koi Watercolor
Watercolor paper – Canson Watercolor Paper
3. Gardening
Gardening is one of the most sustainable hobbies out there. Growing plants not only helps sequester carbon from the atmosphere and restore greenery into your community, but it also requires little in terms of materials. This sustainable hobby also provides you with the opportunity to grow your own food and maybe save some money on groceries!
Trust me, growing your food gives you satisfaction like no other. Everything tastes 1000% times better when you’ve poured your hard-work and love into growing it! Even if you’ve never tried gardening before, it’s never too late to start. There are plenty of ways you can get started even with a limited budget and space.
This can mean growing some herbs like cilantro, parsley, or mint indoors, or growing some lettuce and spinach greens outside in a balcony or yard. Or maybe a succulent garden is more your vibe – or a butterfly garden!
I highly recommend doing some research into the plants that grow well or are native to your area to improve your chances of success. You can also start off by buying plants from a local nursery rather than starting from seeds. That way you’ll have a higher chance of success and support a local business.
If you want some inspiration to get you going, make sure to check out this post.
So, if you’re interested in giving this incredible hobby a try, watch the Garden with Me video to get started on your journey!
4. Cooking or Baking!
Cooking and baking are another fantastic and fun hobby that can help you reduce your environmental footprint! One of our largest sources in our footprints of greenhouse gas emissions is through food and agricultural products, especially highly processed items. If you want to learn more about the environmental footprint of our food system, check out this article here. This means that making an effort to try new recipes and cook more often from scratch can have a huge environmental benefit!
Cooking from scratch can also help you lead a healthier lifestyle and have more energy. When you’re in charge of cooking, you know exactly what goes into your meals. Not that processed food isn’t delicious and healthy in moderation, but you’d be surprised how far a couple weekly home-cooked meals could take you in terms of your health!
If you’re looking for some inspiration for nourishing, home-cooked plant-based meals, check out some of my favorite recipes like healthy vegan tofu tacos, oven-baked falafel, and meal-prep breakfast burritos!
If you’re interested in purchasing a cookbook to help you get started or to try new things in the kitchen, make sure to check out our post on our 5 top favorite plant-based cookbooks!
5. Hiking
Hiking is another lovely hobby to pick up if you have some spare time on your hands and an eagerness to explore. It’s one of my favorite things to do during the springtime when it’s starting to get warmer out and everything feels greener, but it’s great all year long!
Take the time to do some research into the hiking areas nearby and don’t be afraid to start small! That can mean starting with a 1 mile loop and then working your way up from therre. Also, do not underestimate the importance of a good pair of hiking boots! Sometimes you need a pair of shoes with more traction and ankle support, and also a pair of shoes that you’ve set aside to get more dirty than you’re regular sneaker, can make all the difference.
I recommend visiting an outdoors activity store like REI to try on a few pairs and decide what feels right for you. Of course you can still use your sneakers, but if you want to get more into hiking and do some longer or more challenging trails, this is a must.
6. Photography
And last but not least, is photography! Contrary to popular belief, photography doesn’t require much in terms of materials. Most of us already own cell phones with cameras, and that’s really all you need to get started! This can mean going outside to take pictures of plants, flowers, landscapes, and people; it can really be anything you want it to be. There are plenty of online resources for getting started with photography and learning some of the basics, and one of my tools so far has been Skillshare’s iPhone Photography class (which you can access through their free 30 day trial here!).
I’ve found that starting photography has helped me see more of the natural beauty on this planet, and notice little things that I hadn’t before. It truly is a beautiful art form, and one that is deceptively hard to master, but worth all the work.
Any sustainable hobby I left out?
If there are any other sustainable and budget-friendly hobbies that require little in terms of material and training, please leave a comment down below! I’d love to hear your ideas and am always eager to try out some new hobbies. As always, thank you for reading through my post, and make sure to subscribe to my email list to get updates on new stories and recipes.
Curious for more Eco Food Stuff!
If you loved reading this, make sure to check out our posts for free zero-waste swaps, 5 best plant-based cookbooks, and How To Get Involved in Environmental Activism!
Great recommendations! Now that I have a little more time, I will try a few.