Let's face it, most of us don't have thousands of dollars begging to be burned up on helicopter lessons, sailing, or other extremely expensive hobbies. Yet if you have time to kill, a new hobby can be one of the best ways to improve your daily life and give you new experiences. The best way to get a new hobby and not watch your savings disappear? Finding a hobby that's fun, but relatively inexpensive. Here are our top 5 picks.

Cook your way through a cookbook

Sure, you probably have your signature dish and a favorite cookbook. Have you ever gone through a cookbook and cooked everything though? Although there may be a few dishes you knowwill be disgusting, you may be surprised at how many wonderful new dishes you find along the way. Sure, you'll probably have a few mishaps and a few scary dishes too, but those will be fun stories to tell others about.

Best of all, by the time you get to the end you'll probably be a better chef.

 DIY everything

We take for granted how many things we can actually make ourselves, but frequently don't. Almost everything comes premade these days, from computers and clocks right down to the wooden spoon we stir dinner with. All these things can be made by hand however, and so can a surprising number of other things around the house. If you want a new hobby, pick up a DIY book from the local library, and try making a few of those projects at home.

 Adult coloring books

Coloring books aren't just for kids anymore. Adult coloring books have intricate detail that can keep you entertained for hours, without the struggle of trying to be perfect at drawing. Pick up a coloring book with one of your favorite characters, or just random swirls and shapes.

Calligraphy

Who doesn't want to be able to address a letter with super fancy handwriting? Practicing caligraphy can start with just a ball point pen, a notebook, and maybe a Youtube tutorial. You can always add on later with fancy fountain pens and different types of ink if you discover you like the hobby, and even then the investment isn't going to be huge.

 Embroidery

Lots of embroidery is done by machine these days, but there's still plenty of room for fun embroidery decorations on clothing and other crafts. Learning to embroider can run from very simple to very technical, but it doesn't take a lot of money to get started. All you need is an embroidery hoop, embroidery thread, and a good embroidery needle to get started. Youtube different stitches, or purchase a pattern if you're not sure what to do.

All of these hobbies are fun and unique, and best of all they won't break the bank. Prices run from free (if you use upcycling for those DIY projects) to very cheap ($10-$20 for coloring books) to no more than a few hundred dollars. Compared to say, horseback riding, these are affordable, yet still fun.