I don’t know about you ladies, but other than truly enjoying crafting one of the reasons I go crazy over DIY is to save money.

For enough money you can make your home look however you want, you can have custom blankets sewn and hire an interior decorator to do up your nursery. But if you want a show home on a budget, DIY becomes a necessity.

My first job while in high school was actually at a crafting supply store and I worked there for over 5 years cumulatively. I worked as a cashier, then later as a craft department manager and I know first hand what mistakes most crafters are making.

These are the BEST ways to save BIG on your crafts!

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1) ALWAYS Use Coupons

I never pay full retail on any of my crafting supplies.

Not ONE item.

I either buy on sale or use coupons, but I do not pay sticker price for anything in store.

At Hobby Lobby you simply have to type in “40% off coupon” into your search bar while waiting in line, show them the coupon, and receive 40% any full priced item in your cart. Michael’s and Jo-Ann offer in app coupons that are just as easy to look up. Jo-Ann even occasionally offers coupons for a percent off your total purchase price.

Yet for some reason at least 80% off the people I am in line with never pull out their phones. Look up coupons, it takes five seconds and the savings add up.

2) Plan Ahead

It’s Friday you have the crafting bug, and have a project you just HAVE to do this weekend.

I get it, I fight my impatient creative side too from time to time, but be warned you will end up paying more than if you started gathering supplies a while ago.

Maybe check to see what what you need for the initial step if it is multistep project.  Use a coupon on whatever isn’t on sale for that first step and gather the other supplies you need that are on sale.

Crafting store ads change weekly, so there is a good chance whatever you need will be on sale this week or the week after and each time you go you can pick up one additional thing that’s not on the sale list.

3) Enlist Help

Okay to start off with do not abuse this because your local craft store employee (and fellow crafters) will dislike you.

But say I have 5 items I need for a project, 3 are on sale and 2 are full price, I enlist the help of my begrudging husband and have him go through a checkout line with his own coupon. No I don’t give my five year old the money or claim that a second coupon is for my six month old infant, because well that’s just annoying.

4) Shop Clearance

Yes, the clearance area of most major craft stores looks like an EF-3 tornado selectively  targeted that part of the store, as an employee the bain of my life was that wall because there is no way to make hundreds of mismatched items look organized (and believe me I tried multiple times). However, if you are willing to go on a bit of a scavenger hunt there are always deals to be found.

Some departments like scrapbooking receive discontinued products lists weekly. Others only discontinue products if there is a major reset. Either way it’s worth a gander to see what can be found.

Seasonal markdowns is also a great place to look because while there may be a bunny or a christmas tree on the packaging, do you really care if it’s the same clear beads or finger paints as can be found full priced on the craft aisle?

5) Rewards Programs

Unfortunately rewards programs aren’t extremely common in  the crafting world, however there are a few to be found.

For example if you use vinyl in any of your endeavors Expressions Vinyl has a great one! The only thing I love more than crafting supplies are free crafting supplies (which is why Expressions Vinyl is one of my FAVORITE online shops!)

6) Comparison Shop

For some reason while Amazon has become most of our go-to for pretty much everything, crafting has been the exception.

Maybe it’s because us crafters are impatient and want everything we need now, or maybe we just aren’t as well versed in using Amazon for our crafting supplies.

Recently I needed watercolor pencils for a project since my old ones somehow got scattered to the wind. I took to my phone to check prices and here were the results for the same exact ones at that time: Hobby Lobby: $79.99 (47.99 with coupon), Michael’s : $69.99 (41.99 with coupon), Jo-Ann’s: $78.99 (47.39 with coupon), and I found them online for : $32.09. Even with a coupon online was cheaper than the least expensive in-store option by 23%.

7) Upcycle

Anytime a customer came in wanting jean scraps or bottle caps I did a bit of an internal cringe.

You are telling me that you have no old jeans you can sacrifice to the crafting gods and while the decorative bottle caps are cute, there aren’t any from beverages lying around your home?

The first thing I do anytime I start a project is take note of what I can repurpose around the house and it is a huge money saver!

I know I can take that cleaned out baby food jar and substitute it for the mini mason jars, I know my son has torn enough holes in jeans where I could do nothing but jean projects for months. So before you head to the craft store be sure to take a look around your home and get creative!

8) Hit Up The Dollar Store

Us DIYers love to turn the drab into fab so why not start with materials from the dollar store?

Believe it or not they have everything from blank mugs to wreath forms to fake flowers do perhaps check there before heading to the bigger (and more expensive ) craft stores.

9) Buy Bulk 

There are a few items that avid crafters use A LOT of.

Buying those items in bulk can save you A TON of money and also keep a few miles off your car by avoiding extra trips.

Personally I stock up on bulk hot glue sticks, Mod Podge, black and white Paint, and foam brushes. For you the items may be different but take note of the items you use again and again and next time consider buying the larger package

Just remember that yes that little tube of Mod Podge is cheaper BUT that big ‘ole jug is almost the same price once you use a coupon.

10) Garage Sales

Garage sales can be gold mines for crafters!

There are tons of items that can be repurposed into crafting materials.

–  Patterned Clothes  =  Fabric

–  Old Framed Paintings = Cheap frames for DIYS and home decor

– Costume Jewelry = Scrapbooking accents or beads for new jewelry

– Old Dishes/ Mirrors = Mosaic tiles

Who knows maybe you will get lucky and even happen upon a crafter trying to declutter a bit!

Hopefully I’ve opened your eyes to a few new ways to save some moola before your next project! Now go CRAFT!!