If you feel yourself getting bored for whatever reason a new hobby might be the answer.  Before spending a ton of money and time on expensive gear why not consider some “guick setup” hobbies and see if you like them.  Then if you do you can then go all in on the fancy accessories and gear!  Here are some ideas to get you started.

Coin Collecting Using Pocket Change

Most people get started in coin collecting just looking at their pocket change or digging through the cushions in your sofa or your car seats.  You can collect by year or just save whatever seems interesting.  The point is you can do quite a bit without going out and buying expensive rare coins

Stamp Collecting Using Mail

I’m not an expert on stamp collecting but I assume you could start the same way as with coin collecting.  I see at least three ways to get started:

• Cut the stamps off any mail you receive.  With email and the Internet we get less regular snail mail then we use to but we still get some.  Over time you can build up a collection.
• Have friends and relatives also save their stamps for you.
• Visit the post office and see what interesting stamps they have.  Do this once a month and you have a good start to a collection.

Writing

For writing you just need a pen and paper, so you cannot get set up much faster than that!  Obviously, a word processor makes things easier.

Nature Observing in Your Backyard

You might be surprised what you can find in your backyard or maybe a nearby park if you live in an apartment or the city.  Start by identifying some of the trees and plants.  Use your phone’s camera to take pictures of anything interesting, from animals and birds to rocks and trees.

Drawing

I can’t draw to save myself, but you might be more talented!  All you need is a pencil and paper.  Maybe check on the Internet to find some beginners tutorials or courses.

Bird Watching

For bird watching all you really need is your eyes and some patience.  Maybe dig out those binoculars sitting in the back of your closet.  If you can manage to get close enough use your phone to take some pictures.  Keep a journal of your findings.

Walking

You can start walking 30 seconds from now.  Just put on some sneakers and head out the door.  If the weather stinks start up that treadmill collecting dust in the corner.  Or just grab an umbrella and short of a blizzard head off for that walk regardless of weather.  In the beginning it is just about getting into a routine.  Everyone knows the health and mental benefits of walking are numerous.  Eventually start keeping track of your distance or maybe keep a journal of your wanderings.

Listening to Music

Most of us listen to music.  It’s easy to turn this into a hobby by organizing your collection or possibly expanding your listening.  Today’s streaming makes it easy to sample new artists and new kinds of music that you haven’t paid attention to before.

Photography (just grab your phone or old digital camera you have laying around)

With today’s technology anyone can be a photographer.  Just grab your phone and justify that expensive phone’s camera.  Or maybe you have an old digital camera lying around that just needs fresh batteries.  With your computer’s software and inexpensive hard drives, it’s easy to store and clean up your photos.  Have fun.

Short Trips Travel (just grab a local map)

I’ve written an article on this one but the basic idea is to grab a local map and draw a circle a few miles out from home.  Pick out some towns within the circle and then hit the Internet.  Look for parks, hiking trails, bike trails, historic sites, tours, and scenic overlooks within the circle.  Then visit the sites you find.  You might be surprised.  Maybe take some pictures or keep a journal of your travels.  It is good practice for when you decide to wander further in the future.

So, there are my ideas of “quick setup” hobbies to explore.  What are your ideas?

Many of us want to get back to nature.  We often think of far away big National Parks and neglect the park that is literally in our own back yard.

Trees and Plants

Identifying the trees in your yard is a good place to start and just that knowledge puts you ahead of most of your neighbors!  There are lots of good tree identification books out there.  My favorite is the Audubon field guide.  Speaking of field guides that may be a good place to start your education and resource toolkit.

What Plants Do You Have or Can You Add Some?

OK, so you have some ornamental shrubs as a part of your landscaping.  What can you learn about them?  Where did they come from?  Can you add some others that are helpful to animals and friendly insects?

Birds

Many varieties of birds seem to inhabit even the smallest of spaces.  Just go outside and listen early some morning.  Grab a field guide and maybe an inexpensive pair of binoculars and see how many kinds you can identify.

Bugs

If you think the variety of birds can be great in a small space wait to you start looking for insect varieties!  Take birds and multiply by a factor of 100 or more.

Leaves

Leaves can be a subset of your tree explorations.  An old hobby used to be drying varieties of leaves in the pages of an old book.  And then you have the color varieties of the fall.  What structure can you see with a magnifying glass?

Little Animals

With some trees or a little bit of brushy cover little animals like chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels will soon find homes.  With some quiet observation you will soon learn about how they live out their lives.

Photography

Take your digital camera and really start to look around. Look at the sky, trees, flowers and shapes of things.  Take a bunch of photos and bring them into a digital editing program and start messing around.  See what you can create.

Macro Photography

Macro photography is close-up photography.  Some cameras have a certain amount of capability built in, or sometimes you need a special lens.  You open a whole new world when you go close and even a small backyard or a local city park can provide thousands of opportunities.  Another thing to try is to pick up an inexpensive USB microscope that opens even more possibilities.

Bird Feeding

There are endless opportunities with bird feeding.  Find out what types of feed attracts what species.  Experiment with different kinds of purchased or self-made feeders.  Then mix in some photography and bird identification.  Just remember once you start feeding your feathered friends don’t stop and leave them hungry, especially in winter!

Bat Houses

Want to get rid of mosquitos and gnats?  Bats are voracious insect eaters and generally harmless to humans despite their vampire reputation!  Check online for bat house designs.

Mini Wildlife Sanctuary

Can you take a section of your yard and make it a mini wildlife sanctuary?  Pick a corner and let some grass and plants grow.  Maybe create a little brush pile.  Many little creatures will thank you and provide opportunities for observation.

Rocks

Depending on where you live you may find a selection of rocks nearby.  Grab a guidebook.  What kind are they?  How old are they?

Tools of the Hobby

Start simple with just a notebook to record your observations.  Maybe add some guidebooks and a magnifying glass.  Eventually you will want a camera if you don’t have one already.

Where To Go Next

Once you are hooked on nature the possibilities for growth are endless.  Consider state and national park visits.  Join a conservation effort.  Join a park or trail cleanup effort or start one.

Let’s hear your ideas!