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Everyone needs a little down time to relax and unwind. While some choose to spend quite a bit of money on their hobbies and recreational activities (think downhill skiing or boating), your hobbies don’t have to cost a lot. Best of all, some frugal hobbies might even make you money!

Here is a list of 20 frugal hobbies you might enjoy:

Reading: Take advantage of the library and this hobby is free. Bonus, it’s also educational.

Learning a foreign language: Many libraries offer a language program, or you could audit a course at your local college.

Card playing: My grandpa used to play solitaire endlessly. Have more fun by getting a group of friends together to play for an evening.

Computer game playing: There are plenty of free games to play on the Internet.

Volunteering: Many organizations are in need of volunteer help. Know you are doing something good with your spare time.

Gardening: Growing your own vegetables can be relaxing, and save you some money!

Cooking: Experimenting in the kitchen can be a fun past time and can save you money if you stop going out to eat frequently.

Hiking: A hiking trip can be a half or full day excursion. Not only do you get to see beautiful sites, but you also get good exercise.

Couponing: You don’t have to be an extreme couponer to still save yourself quite a bit of money, and some like the “high” of tracking down a good deal.

Walking: Enjoy the scenery and take care of your health at the same time!

Cross stitching: Pattern books can be found for a quarter at garage sales, and a large cross stitch can keep you occupied for hours.

Doing puzzles: Whether you prefer jigsaw puzzles or crossword puzzles or mind benders, the possibilities are endless.

Sewing: This is especially frugal if you recycle old clothes and materials for new projects.

Researching your genealogy: Quite a bit of information can be found for free on the web and at libraries, but you could also get a subscription to a service like ancestry.com. (I can’t wait until my kids are a bit more independent to resume this hobby.)

Hobbies That Could Make You Money

Photographing: Thanks to digital cameras, photography is a relatively inexpensive hobby, and if you are good, you could make some money by selling your photos at stock photo sites or other places.

Blogging: Blogging can be done very cheaply. Get a large audience, and you could actually make money through affiliate sales and your own products.

Writing: You may just write in a diary every day, or you might choose to write for others and make money as a freelance writer.

Entering sweepstakes: Giveaways and sweepstakes abound on the Internet. Enter them as a hobby, and you may find yourself the lucky recipient of some great prizes. I know one couple who won a Caribbean honeymoon by entering a sweepstakes.

Pet sitting: Love animals? Why not pet sit and make money while caring for animals?

Singing: Join a choir or sing at local venues for profit.

There are many hobbies that you may enjoy, and quite a few of them will cost you very little money and may even make you some money!

What is your favorite frugal hobby?