cheap hobbies

Have fun without your wallet taking a hit with these college affordable hobbies

By Logan Phillips

Edited by Rachel Klosterman

Photography by Shaelyn Thomas

Illustrations by Allison Rhodes-Croy

Layout by Grace Knapke

Having a hobby can help you unwind from the stress of college and can help develop skills for later in life. Just a little bit of free time dedicated to a hobby can help you make or learn something to be proud of. There are many hobbies that may seem overwhelmingly expensive, but there are also many that you can do for little to no money, which is great for college students.

Photography

Photography can be very fun and rewarding as a hobby. All it takes is a camera, which most people have already built into their phones, and a subject or place to photograph. You could photograph friends and family, animals and nature, or anything that is of interest to them. These photos could then be printed out or used digitally, like on a social media platform like Instagram, to show off and/or document things you have seen and experienced. As for things to photograph, Grand Lake Saint Marys, Eastview Park, and the Celina Lighthouse are just a few scenic places near lake campus that may be worth photographing. If you want to take the hobby a step further and learn more about photography Wright State offers Photography classes. It may also be helpful to go to meetings of the Celina Photo Club. They post information about meetings and lots of helpful photography advice on their Facebook page.

Coding

Coding is a fast growing, easy to learn hobby that you can do from home or anywhere they have access to a computer, like the computer lab or library on campus. Coding can be used to make many things like websites, video games, apps, or even something entirely new. It’s all up to your creativity. Coding can also be a very marketable skill. Many careers can involve some sort of computer coding nowadays meaning this hobby could open you up to more career choices than before. There are many places like Kahn Academy, Codecademy, or even just YouTube videos where you can learn how to code in any coding language. There are even websites like Scratch from MIT that make code into blocks that can be connected to make code easier for beginners of any age. If you want to take it a step further and get advanced classes, Wright State offers many coding and computer programing classes.

Bird watching

Bird watching can be a relaxing activity that brings you out in nature. There are many different types of birds in Ohio, each with unique visual and behavioral qualities to witness and learn about. The great thing about bird watching is you can do it just about anywhere outdoors. If you want to a good spot to find lots of birds, you might try nature preserves like Mercer Wildlife area or Gilliland Nature Preserve. Places like these are bound to have lots of different wildlife and possibly different species of birds. A great place to start learning about these birds is to pick up a birdwatching book from your local library or bookstore. These will tell you what birds live in what areas, how to identify them by look, call, etc., and whatever else makes them distinct from other birds. Bird watching can also be combined with photography to get great shots of birds you see and their behaviors.

Table tennis / pool

Table Tennis and Pool are 2 table sports that are relatively easy and fun to get started in. Also, while they are more fun with more people, they don’t require anyone but yourself to play. Table Tennis against a wall can be played alone and you can always just try shots alone in pool to grow your skills. Both games are already set up in the boathouse on lake campus and are easy to pick up the equipment and get started. If you want to get more people to play with, there is a table tennis club at Wright state. This is a great way to relax, learn a new game, and possibly make some friends that like these games as well.

Drawing

Drawing is a fun and productive hobby that can be done anytime, anywhere. All you need is a drawing utensil and something to draw on. You can even draw virtually on a tablet or computer with software like Photoshop or procreate. Drawing can help you capture ideas or moments in time through your eyes. Drawing is also a very marketable skill. Lots of people sell their art online digitally or physically as a side hustle. If you want to learn how to take your drawing a step further, Wright State offers many classes on drawing physically and digitally. You could even turn it into a career in design or another type of art if it really interests you.

Sports

There are many sports to choose from if you want a more physical and athletic hobby. Wright state has teams for basketball, baseball, volleyball, and more. Wright State even offers some intramural sports just for fun if you don’t want to join a regular team. One of the most interesting of these intramural sports is Canoe Battleship! There are many fun ways to get active and play sports with other people on campus. You can find a list of all the regular sports and intramural sports on the campus athletics and recreation websites respectively.

Volunteering

Volunteering in your community can be a fun and rewarding hobby. Helping others can give you a sense of joy and pride knowing that someone is better of in their life because what you have offered them. Even if you can’t help financially with donations, many charity organizations appreciate volunteers to help distribute their assistance to those who need it. In Celina alone there are many ways to get involved. There is the Mercer County Family Crisis Network that helps victims of domestic and family violence, The Wee Widdle Ones Chihuahua and Pug Rescue, Inc. that rescues abused, abandoned, and unwanted Chihuahua and Pug breed dogs, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America that matches caring adults with children to read together, play boar games, or just talk. There is also a program through Wright State called We Serve U that offers volunteering opportunities and projects to help Wright State students get involved in the community.