Tightwad Tuesday: Scrapbooking on a Budget

I am a huge scrapbook fan, although I rarely have the time to do this hobby justice. It is an expensive hobby though. I've learned a few things over the years though on how to keep it affordable and still fun.

Keep it simple: The complicated pages can be fun but not every page needs to be complicated. Simple pages are sometimes just as rewarding and beautiful and much cheaper.

Watch for sales: I will very rarely ever buy scrapbooking supplies unless they are on sale or I have a 40% (or more) coupon from Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or Joann's. Occasionally I will splurge on an item from an actual scrapbook store, but even then it is usually a sale item. I try to avoid those stores though because they are expensive and extremely tempting.

Share with friends: My friends and I are known for giving gifts to each other of leftover scrapbook supplies. I love buying the large paper packs but there are always several pages I know I won't need and they would be perfect for one of my friends. Sometimes I only need part of a sticker sheet but I know someone doing a page with a similar theme. I save these random things throughout the year and use them as birthday and Christmas presents. I love it when I receive the same gift too.

Another way to share with friends is to have a crop night. This is a great way to share supplies, tools, and ideas. I've found some great tools I never would have bought before thanks to friends and I've also learned of a few things I thought I wanted but realized I didn't after using them. Crops are a great way to get girl time in and finish a few pages.

Look for items around the house: I've been known to pull labels off products and use them in my pages. Office supplies make great embellishments too. Look around at your every day life and see what can be added to a page.

Use what you have: Most scrapbookers have way more supplies than they will ever use yet they keep buying the latest and greatest. When my husband had his hour cuts I quickly realized my little bit of spending money was gone and that meant no more new supplies. I challenged myself to use what I had and it was amazing some of the stuff I came up with. I used paper and embelishments I thought I would never use and the pages came out great. I've only bought a few items over the past year thanks to this challenge and I'm clearing out some of the clutter in scrapbooking stash at the same time.

Do you have any other ideas on how to scrapbook on a budget? I would love to hear your ideas.