http://earlyretirementextreme.com/ere-book author says he enjoys learning practical skills such as bike building, and cooking, instead of overseas vacations and other expensive recreations.
Similarly hobbies:
- computer system repair — can be fun
- home decoration
- home improvement
- wood work
- furniture improvement — I did a few times!
- calligraphy
These recreations are much cheaper than some of the promoted and /popularized/ recreations like
- overseas vacations including flights, hotels and dining
- digital music, hi-fi, … — compare to guitar, singing
- photography — compare to drawing, painting
- golf — compared to jogging
- mountaineering
(My cost assumptions could be outdated and over-estimated) These activities usually require complex equipment and trained personnel, and they have commercial sponsors. I don’t like their profit-motivation, but in reality, some of these activities can be life-enhancing for practitioners with special needs, such as the elderly or disabled.
There are significantly cheaper alternatives to these recreations (though this bpost is more about skill learning)