How to Explore Crafty Hobbies Without Overspending
I've always loved flexing my creative side, but exploring crafty hobbies as an adult can be surprisingly complicated, especially when you’re trying to live minimally and spend less.
As kids, artistic exploration was encouraged and, for myself, quite accessible in grade school with seemingly endless time to play.
But somewhere between teenage insecurity and adult responsibilities, we start to believe we have to be good at things right away for them to be “worth it.”
The truth is, being “bad” at something just means you’re learning.
As adults, though, that learning phase can get expensive real fast and may not result in anything tangible to show for it.
The learning process is invaluable, but we tend to forget that, and our society encourages us to make every new hobby we learn into a profit.
While I love a good side hustle (passive income is great!), I’m also reminding myself to create just for fun, but how do you explore crafty hobbies without a pile of clutter and a stack of receipts?
Beware of the Bundle Deals
When we’re excited about a new hobby, it’s easy to overcommit, but if we don’t have enough materials to play with, it’s hard to want to keep going.
For example, with my early attempts at crochet I managed to limit myself with one 6mm hook and a few skeins of yarn.
I’m so glad I didn’t buy a full hook set bundle, because the metal hook I started with is painful to hold, and I somehow managed to avoid bundle deals for yarn where you get a whole rainbow of colours that you will likely use one or two of…
However, while I didn't overspend, I also had no idea what I was doing and had few materials to play around with, so I quickly became overwhelmed and gave up…
Years later, I found the Woobles crochet kits, which come with the perfect amount of materials to make one or two of the design outlined on the package.
I did initially buy a bundle with the Woobles kits, which was unnecessary because it just showed me the same techniques across different projects, and I realized each kit should teach me something new.
Getting the perfect amount of materials was nice, but I didn’t want to rely on these kits forever.
So, I bought a bunch over a year (one or two at a time) as I learned different techniques and eventually felt confident to start buying my own materials to do my own projects.
Though the kits are expensive, it was overall cheaper than buying and wasting supplies or cluttering my space with bundle deals of yarn, and helped crochet become a long term hobby for me.
Spending Lesson: Test out hobbies with the bare minimum supplies, even if paying a bit of a premium for kits, and avoid bundle deals in the beginning to avoid buying the wrong things and cluttering your space.
Invest in Guidance, Not Gear
It might feel counterintuitive, but sometimes paying for a class is more budget-friendly than buying a bunch of supplies you may never use.
I have wanted to learn to sew my own clothes since watching That's So Raven as a kid.
Video tutorials can work, but the intimidation of getting from knowing nothing to knowing something with a sewing machine made me never even start.
While I could do some basic hand sewing, the process of making clothes was impractical to me without a sewing machine.
Recently, I found a true beginner class where you could sign up to learn how to set up and operate a sewing machine, and most of us had never even touched one before the class.
It was 100% worth it, and I ended up taking four classes where I learned the most basic of basics in the first and learned something new in each subsequent class, like following a pattern, lining a bag, and sewing a zipper.
I was able to borrow a sewing machine from the company hosting the class, and basically everything you needed was provided in the class.
No purchasing a machine without knowing what I was looking for, no buying patterns I wasn't equipped to take on, and no cluttering my space with unnecessary tools or fabric.
After I finished my classes and wanted to just play around with sewing, I took the step of buying my own machine and sewing notions with the confidence that I knew what I liked and didn't like based on what I learned in the class.
And so far, I've made use of everything I've purchased for sewing (though barely touched the many attachments that come with the machine).
Compare this process to my attempt at printmaking in university, where I bought a bunch of supplies for a class, thinking I’d love it, only to realize the process was tedious, messy, and not enjoyable at home.
It was one thing to make art pieces for assignments while using the large-scale machines, drying rack, cleaning materials, and other provided supplies with ease.
I then spent money on a half-assed home setup, created very little, and learned the hard way that I didn’t actually like the hobby itself - just the final result.
Spending Lesson: Start with a structured class or workshop when possible, as it’s a better investment than a pile of unused materials, and be honest with yourself about your enjoyment of the hobby before investing in an at-home setup.
Avoid Chasing Aesthetic Trends
It’s easy to fall into trend traps, especially with hobbies that are popular on social media.
For me, this showed up big time in photography.
I’ve always loved taking photos, and over the years I bought into the aesthetic of it all with instant cameras, retro film gear, and, even fairly recently, the Papershoot camera.
I told myself the Papershoot camera would help me be more present and offline, but I still ended up using my phone most of the time, or worse, taking one with the Papershoot camera and one with my phone just in case.
Now, I’ve circled back to using my trusty Canon point-and-shoot from 2015, with the timestamp turned on for those vintage vibes, though I still use it rarely since my phone is so convenient.
But it's low-fuss, and it offers that offline aspect as well, which would have been nice to realize before buying the Papershoot camera.
I have also recently taken up macramé, and was initially tempted to go all out with the thick rope and fancy hoops or wood to make things like I see online, but I managed to stop myself before spending unnecessarily, and was honest with myself about the projects I wanted to make.
Figuring out a setup took some creativity, though, and I ended up buying two S-hooks to attach to my clothing rack in my bedroom.
I also had materials from crochet that could be used for macramé, so I purchased a small amount of items for specific projects.
Did I buy all the materials and then put off making the project for about a year?
Yes.
But thankfully the materials didn't take up much space, and though I initially purchased everything for a wall hanging I eventually made (see beginning of post), what got me to finally pick up the hobby was the need for a yoga mat strap and the realization I could macramé one myself.
Spending Lesson: Before spending money to follow a trend, ask yourself: Am I buying this for me, or for the aesthetic? If it’s mostly the latter, pause, and truly think about what end result you want with this hobby.
Invest in Practical Hobbies
One way I have really found a balance with minimalist living and trying new hobbies is by finding practical uses for my hobbies.
For example, my most recent crochet project was making a simple dish towel for the kitchen.
It’s small, useful, and adds a handmade touch to our everyday space.
With macramé, I not only made a strap for carrying my yoga mat, but also a very functional keychain where the clip was repurposed from an old lanyard.
Sewing has also been incredibly practical as it’s allowed me to mend clothes, hem pants, and repurpose pieces that might have otherwise been donated or tossed.
There’s something deeply satisfying about giving new life to an old item.
I’m not someone who’s going to make, say, a bunch of beanies for everyone I know before Christmas, but handmade gifts can still be meaningful when they’re thoughtful and not obligatory.
For example, I have recently started a project to make a "Happy Birthday" banner with stuffed letters, but I knew I wouldn't want to keep it, so I asked my sister if she would want it before I even started the project.
It will take time for me to make it, but knowing it will be loved when I'm done with it makes the process better.
But my main goal with it is to practice sewing.
In one of my sewing classes, the teacher spoke of spending 50+ hours on a handmade quilt for her sister-in-law, just for her to think it was store-bought when opening it with other presents from their wedding.
Once her grandmother pointed out it was handmade, she apologized and said she would keep it safe in storage under her bed...
I’ve been lucky to receive some beautiful handmade gifts from people over the years, and I hope I have given the items the respect they deserve by not only caring for them but also using them.
We can't control what someone does with a gift once we give it, so if that's your only motivation for making handmade items (which I doubt), just keep that in mind.
Spending Lesson: When your crafty hobbies serve a purpose, they become more than just a pastime. You’re still spending money, but you're learning, crafting with intention, and avoiding store-bought versions of things you can make for yourself or others.
Reimagine What You Already Own
Not every hobby needs a trip to the craft store because some of the best materials are already in your home.
As a kid, I spent a lot of my allowance on jewelry-making supplies from Michael's.
But my favourite piece I made wasn’t made from anything new; it was a wine bottle bauble from a greeting card my mom received when I was in high school that I adapted into a charm and strung onto a cheap cord necklace.
I wore it for years and only recently let it go while decluttering.
Looking back, I could’ve saved a lot by upcycling more or sourcing materials secondhand, which, ironically, I loved doing with my wardrobe back then.
I am trying to apply this learning to my sewing today by sourcing materials from secondhand clothing to make something new.
I even recently made some clothes with my niblings for their toys using fabric harvested from their dad's old t-shirts.
Spending Lesson: You don’t always need to buy new to pursue a hobby.
Hobby or Side Hustle?
I bought an iPad specifically to use Procreate, which is a big investment for a hobby I wasn’t sure would stick.
But it quickly became a really useful creative tool, and surprisingly, also helped me change how I use social media.
I only access Instagram on my iPad now, which makes it less of a daily distraction and more of an intentional space for my Procreate designs and my photography.
What started as a personal creative outlet became something that now brings in a little income, which helps to offset the initial cost of the iPad.
But if I spent money I didn't have on the iPad with the intention of paying it off purely with this side hustle, well, it would have taken a long time.
Spending Lesson: If you’re going to invest in a tool for your hobby, make sure it actually aligns with your needs and that you can actually afford it with the money you have now.
Socialize While Crafting
I have a bi-weekly crochet night with a friend where it's just the two of us, tea in hand at my apartment, working on our current projects while catching up.
It’s low-key and low-cost.
As an adult, hobbies have been one of the best ways I’ve found to build and maintain friendships.
And recently, with sewing with my niblings during a sleepover, I got to teach them something new, bond with them, and help them make something they could use.
I’ve also taken classes to learn new hobbies, which can be both an investment in learning and a way to meet people with similar interests.
Whether free or paid, hobbies can offer a kind of social connection that’s low-pressure and genuinely fulfilling.
Spending Lesson: Skip the pricey outings with friends and connect through shared hobbies or maybe even try something new together!
Being Crafty Doesn’t Have to Be Costly
Exploring crafty hobbies as an adult doesn’t have to mean clutter or overspending.
Start small.
Learn through doing, or even better, through a class.
Use what you already have.
And be honest about your why, especially if you're tempted by a trendy hobby or fancy tools.
Whether a hobby becomes a side hustle, a social outlet, or just a fun way to pass the time, it doesn’t have to be productive or profitable to be worth it.
Sometimes, it can truly just be fun to make stuff with your hands.
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