Photo by Sarah Brown via Uplash.

In a world that moves at a frantic pace, it’s important to have hobbies that slow you down, nourish your spirit and don’t drain your wallet. Cozy hobbies aren’t just for snowy afternoons or rainy Sundays. They can be part of everyday life, offering a retreat from the stresses of work, school or endless scrolling. Even better, most of them are surprisingly affordable! Here’s a look at some cozy, inexpensive hobbies that can add a little more comfort (and joy) to your days.

1. Reading

Few things are cozier than curling up with a good book. Libraries offer free access to thousands of titles and used bookstores, Little Free Libraries and online resources like Libby make reading accessible—even on a tight budget! Whether you prefer fantasy epics, mystery novels or soft-spoken poetry, there’s something magical about getting lost in another world.

2. Knitting or Crocheting

Yarn crafts are often associated with grandmas, but they’ve become popular across generations—and for good reason. Knitting and crocheting are calming and can produce something tangible and useful. A basic set of needles and some inexpensive yarn are all you need to start. Plus, handmade scarves, hats, and blankets make heartfelt gifts.

3. Journaling

Journaling is both an emotional outlet and a creative hobby. All you need is a notebook and a pen. Whether you’re writing morning pages, recording dreams, making gratitude lists or creating artful bullet journals, journaling invites you to slow down and check in with yourself.

4. Baking

Baking fills your home with warm, delicious smells and gives you something delightful to enjoy (or share). Ingredients for simple recipes, like bread, muffins or cookies, are inexpensive and often already in your pantry. 

5. Puzzle Solving

Puzzles, whether jigsaw puzzles, crosswords or Sudoku, offer hours of cozy, focused entertainment. A single puzzle can be reused, traded with friends or borrowed from libraries. They’re great for chilly evenings when you want something relaxing but mentally engaging.

6. Nature Walks

You don’t have to scale a mountain to enjoy the calming effects of nature. A simple walk through a local park, trail or even a quiet street can do wonders for your peace of mind. Listening to the birds, feeling the breeze and watching the seasons change are free pleasures available to anyone.

7. Drawing or Coloring

Art supplies don’t have to be fancy to be enjoyable. A basic sketchpad and pencils or a coloring book with markers can unlock hours of creativity. Doodling, sketching or even painting simple watercolors is less about making a masterpiece and more about enjoying the act of creating.

8. Listening to Audiobooks or Podcasts

Sometimes, the coziest hobby is simply sitting in a comfy chair with a warm blanket and letting someone else tell you a story. Audiobooks (free from libraries or affordable through apps) and podcasts on every imaginable topic provide endless cozy content for little to no cost.

Closing

In the end, cozy hobbies remind us that comfort doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It’s about creating small rituals that bring peace, beauty and creativity into daily life. 

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lucy Beattie, a junior chemistry and secondary education double major, took up knitting as a way to relax and refocus.

“I was looking for something to do with my hands while also learning how to make stuff in that dark time,” Beattie said. “I started learning how to knit, and it ended up being very calming and cathartic. It became a really good way for me to get my anxiety and worries out without being destructive.”

Now as a favorite hobby of theirs, Beattie can be seen working on their projects just about anywhere on campus.

“I’ll do 10 minutes here and there as a way to take a study break and get my mind focused on something else or just to let my mind drift,” Beattie said. “Right now, I’ve been making a lot of scarves. I’ve made scarves for all of my hometown friends, and now I’m working through making them for my college friends.”

Although knitting may seem complicated to beginners, Beattie asserts that the best way to learn is to practice.

“I definitely did not understand how knitting worked at all before, but the important part is to figure out generally how the knitting works together and then figure out the motions,” they said. “People will learn how to knit very quickly because the motion itself is very fast, but you don’t have to be very quick at first. It’s better to take your time to learn the motions and do them correctly.”

Beattie has been knitting for almost three years and first learned through watching tutorials online. Unlike other craft-based hobbies, they explained that knitting is affordable.

“It’s not very expensive because once you find knitting needles in a size you like and find some yarn that you like, you’ll only spend between $5 and $10 every now and then,” they said. “You’re not buying stuff every week unless you’re really hardcore at it. I’ll shop about once a month for supplies.”

Currently, knitting is only a hobby to Beattie, but in the future they hope to cross over different mediums like crochet and possibly even sell their work.

“Right now, I’ve mainly been making gifts for people,” Beattie said. “I think eventually, one day, I would like to knit and sell sweaters and stuff.”

Jake Ray, sophomore political science and international relations major,  has an outdoor, limited equipment solo hobby he likes to do. Ray is a bird watcher. 

Ray likes to relax by going out with a pair of binoculars and finding birds in their natural habitat. A few years ago, he started “birding,” as he calls it, and finds it to be an excellent way to procrastinate homework. 

He invites anyone curious about nature to explore bird watching. All it requires is for you to step outside and look around. One of Jake’s favorite spots to bird-watch is Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, just one and a half miles from campus. However, he advises looking up the hours of operation first to avoid a lengthy conversation with the police. Yes, you read that right. Once, Jake had the police called on him while birding because he entered the nature sanctuary too early. After the police realized what had happened, they laughed and let him continue with his hobby.

That was not the only exciting story Jake has concerning bird watching. Another time, in Springfield, MO, he had an interesting sighting. Not a bird, but instead an older man using nature’s port-a-potty in the woods. While he occasionally runs into other bird watchers, he rarely finds a sighting such as that. 

Regardless of the peculiar sighting now and again, he thinks birding is a great hobby that keeps you moving, outside and relaxed. 

Georgia Hatfield, a sophomore elementary education major, loves Christmas and celebrates all season by wearing Christmas sweaters. Most people have one or two Christmas sweaters, as ugly Christmas sweater parties and themes are common during the holidays. Hatfield enjoys collecting and searching for the perfect sweater to add to her growing collection. Her collection has expanded over the years: she has accumulated over three large tubs numbering over 35 festive sweaters. Hatfield also has other Christmas accessories in her collection including headbands, leggings, necklaces and hats. 

During the Christmas season and even after Christmas, Hatfield is on the hunt for more sweaters for her collection. She gets sweaters from a variety of places including Dillards, Kohls, Cracker Barrel and Walmart, among other stores. Hatfield enjoys a good ugly Christmas sweater but dislikes how boring some are due to the product’s commercialization. She enjoys lights and other embellishments but dislikes when lights are low quality or make cleaning difficult. Among her collection, Hatfield’s favorite sweater is her mom’s vintage black turtleneck with reindeer. According to Hatfield’s philosophy, the best Christmas sweater has lots of personality and a hint of cuteness. “If I could see my grandma wearing it, I usually buy it,” said Hatfield.

Hatfield started her collection as a freshman in high school after her mother began embellishing Christmas sweaters for sweater parties. She jokingly told her mom, “I should wear a Christmas sweater every day.” Hatfield’s mom usually makes her a sweater a year and she even went as a Christmas tree for Halloween one year. Black Friday marks the official day for wearing a Christmas sweater each day. Hatfield begins with the more simple Christmas sweaters and gradually moves to her crazier sweaters as Christmas approaches. 

Hatfield says the best part about wearing a different Christmas sweater every day is seeing the reactions that people have to her fun sweaters. “People enjoy sweaters, and some have told me it’s their favorite part of the day seeing what sweater I wear,” said Hatfield. Her large collection of sweaters fascinates many and she says the most burdensome part is when people constantly ask to borrow her sweaters for Christmas parties. She often gets gifted new Christmas sweaters and even Christmas sweater ornaments or accessories. Make sure to check out Georgia Hatfield’s Christmas sweater collection as she wears a different festive sweater every day on the Hill!