30 Days, 7 Hobbies, Zero Regrets: My Chaotic Quest to Try Everything

The Rules of My Little Experiment

Somewhere between my third scroll through a satisfying macramé reel and my second cup of lukewarm coffee, I made a decision. I was going to actually try the hobbies I kept bookmarking and never touching. Not to become an expert. Not to start an Etsy shop. Just to try — which is basically the whole reason this site exists, right?

So here were my ground rules: seven hobbies, roughly four days each, starting from absolute zero. I rated every single one on four categories: Cost to Start, Learning Curve, Stress Relief Factor, and Dabble-Ability — meaning, can a busy parent realistically pick this up and put it down without losing their mind? Each category is scored out of 5.

Let's get into it.

Hobby #1: Stanley Cup Decorating

Okay, yes. I leaned into the trend fully and without shame.

I already owned a Stanley (gift from my sister-in-law, obviously), so I grabbed some rhinestone stickers, a few charms, and a roll of decorative tape from the craft aisle. The first afternoon was genuinely fun — like being in third grade art class but with a glass of wine nearby.

The problem? My design looked like a disco ball had a disagreement with a scrapbook. My daughter, however, thought it was iconic, so I'm counting that as a win.

• Cost to Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Under $15 if you already have the cup)
• Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Genuinely zero skill required)
• Stress Relief: ⭐⭐⭐ (Fun but not exactly meditative)
• Dabble-Ability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Perfect for a Tuesday night)

Hobby #2: Sourdough Baking

I will be honest with you. The sourdough starter scared me.

I named her Gertrude. I fed her every day like a tiny, yeasty pet. By day three, she was bubbling enthusiastically and I felt like a proud mother all over again — which, honestly, I did not need more of.

Photo: Gertrude, via www.planetacestovani.cz

The actual bread-baking process is long. Like, really long. We're talking an overnight rise, a morning shape, and a two-hour bake window that needs to align with the exact moment your kids aren't home. My first loaf came out dense enough to use as a doorstop. My second was legitimately beautiful and I photographed it more than my children's first days of school.

• Cost to Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Flour, water, salt — very affordable)
• Learning Curve: ⭐⭐ (Steep. Gertrude demands respect.)
• Stress Relief: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Once you get the hang of it, deeply satisfying)
• Dabble-Ability: ⭐⭐ (Hard to do casually — the starter needs commitment)

Hobby #3: Pickleball

I showed up to the community court in leggings and overconfidence. I left humbled.

Pickleball is wildly more technical than it looks on Instagram. The kitchen rules alone took me two sessions to understand. But here's the thing — everyone at the court was incredibly welcoming, and by day three I was rallying back and forth and feeling like an absolute athlete. My knees disagreed, but my ego was thriving.

This one surprised me the most. It's social in a way that other hobbies just aren't, and that matters a lot when you spend most of your day talking to people under four feet tall.

• Cost to Start: ⭐⭐⭐ (Paddle runs $30–$80, court fees vary)
• Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐ (Moderate — but fast progress feels amazing)
• Stress Relief: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Absolutely obliterates a bad day)
• Dabble-Ability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Easy to drop in when you have an hour)

Hobby #4: Macramé

I went in expecting Instagram-worthy wall hangings. I produced what looked like a sad fishing net.

Macramé is genuinely meditative once your hands figure out what they're doing — and that takes longer than four days, I'll be transparent. YouTube tutorials are your best friend here. I got through two basic knots and made a small plant hanger that my husband diplomatically called "rustic."

What I did love: it's completely screen-free, it's quiet, and there's something oddly grounding about working with your hands. I'd revisit this one.

• Cost to Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Cord and a dowel rod — under $20)
• Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐ (Frustrating at first, then clicks)
• Stress Relief: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Very calming once you find a rhythm)
• Dabble-Ability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Easy to pick up mid-project)

Hobby #5: Candle Making

This one smelled incredible and nearly burned my kitchen down. (Kidding. Mostly.)

Melting wax is satisfying in a very primal way. Choosing scents felt like being a perfumer. Pouring the wax felt like science class. And then waiting for them to set — that part felt like parenting a teenager. A lot of hope, a lot of uncertainty.

My candles came out slightly lopsided but they worked and they smelled like a spa, which is frankly the closest I've gotten to one in years.

• Cost to Start: ⭐⭐⭐ (Starter kits run $25–$40)
• Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Forgiving for beginners)
• Stress Relief: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Very sensory and calming)
• Dabble-Ability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (A few hours start to finish — great for a weekend)

Hobby #6: Journaling (Specifically the 'Brain Dump' Method)

I resisted this one because it felt too simple to count. I was wrong.

The brain dump method — where you just write everything rattling around in your head without editing or structure — is deceptively powerful. By day two I was filling pages. Old anxieties, grocery lists, half-formed ideas, things I was grateful for, things that annoyed me at 2 a.m. Getting it out made more space in my head than I expected.

This is the cheapest, most accessible thing on this entire list, and somehow the one I'll keep doing.

• Cost to Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (A notebook and a pen. Done.)
• Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (There is no wrong way to do this)
• Stress Relief: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Genuinely transformative)
• Dabble-Ability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Ten minutes works. An hour works. All of it works.)

Hobby #7: Watercolor Painting

I saved the messiest for last.

Watercolor is humbling in the best possible way. You cannot control it — the paint goes where it wants, bleeds where it pleases, and produces results you didn't plan for. For a recovering perfectionist mom, this is either a nightmare or a breakthrough. For me, surprisingly, it was the latter.

I painted terrible sunsets and lopsided flowers and one abstract blob I told my kids was a mountain. They believed me. We all painted together on day four and it became one of my favorite afternoons of the whole month.

• Cost to Start: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Basic set runs $15–$25)
• Learning Curve: ⭐⭐⭐ (Moderate, but mistakes look artistic)
• Stress Relief: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Surprisingly freeing)
• Dabble-Ability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Easy to do in short bursts)

So What's Actually Worth Your Time?

Honest answer? All of it. Even the disasters.

If I had to pick three to recommend to a busy parent with limited time and money, I'd say journaling (zero barrier, massive payoff), pickleball (gets you out of the house and around actual humans), and candle making (feels indulgent without breaking the bank).

But here's what this month really taught me: the point was never to get good. The point was to show up for myself in small ways, to feel curious again, to let something be imperfect and do it anyway. That's the whole philosophy here at The Dabbling Mum — try everything, master nothing, love it all.

Photo: The Dabbling Mum, via media.teknodaim.com

Gertrude the sourdough starter is still alive, by the way. She's on her third week and I'm unreasonably attached. No regrets.