Scrapbooking on a Budget

I am a devoted scrapbooker. Every moment I get to myself I hide in my little corner of the house and work on the endless pictures and momentos that never stop accumulating. Lately, I have been working on our wedding album which has over 300 pictures. Because I am constantly scrapping and have zero room in my budget for a hobby, I do the best with what I have by frugally scrapbooking:

• My little corner of the house, in the office, set up with a craft table and enough room to lay everything out. It is so much easier to make a plan when you can come and go as you please to your scrapping area. You're more likely to take your time and make good decisions.
• Pick up supplies at garage sales and thrift stores. I always find tons of rubber stamps, whether they are name brand or children's sets from the toy store. I have a lovely Harry Potter set that was never meant to be used for scrapbooking. REPURPOSE!
• The Dollar Tree is a goldmine for frugalness. You can get packs of paper, punch-outs, stamps, scissors, and stickers, all $1 a piece. My scrapbooks have even survived the dollar store glue.
• Momentos are great substitutes for stickers and embellishments. For our wedding album, I saved the ribbon and tags from the favors, the silk flowers from the decorations, the menus, and greeting cards. I made a Cinderella page with a Happily Ever After card someone gave us. Think in 3-D!



silk flower used on a wedding page

• Buy on sale, ALWAYS! Michael's always has sales on paper and stickers. They put coupons in the Sunday paper and I never shop without these. I know how low I can get paper, etc. and never shop until that price comes up.
• Scrap with friends! I sometimes attend "Crop Night" at a local scrapbook store. You pay $10, get dinner and full access to the store's supply room such as the Cricut machine, paints, and cutters. You also get to see other scrapbooks and chatting time!Save all of your scrap paper! Leftovers are great for tags and mounting pictures. A bunch of small squares can be used to make a checkerboard design.

If I left the house to purchase specific items for every scrapbook layout I would be very behind and in debt. I make do with what I have because my goal is to show off my family and friends, not how much I spent on the album.

Blow Out Sales

Today I was shopping at Sun Harvest for some fruits and veggies when I came across a table of baking goods that has been displayed at the front since Thanksgiving. There it was..a magical sign that said "99 cents Everything on Bake Table". YAHOO! Check out my loot!

I got all organic items for less than non-organic items. I was thrilled! This is why it is sometimes ok to shop without a definite list. I needed everything that I bought, but it wasn't a priority. At these rock bottom prices I just couldn't pass it up. So always keep at eye out for deep discounted items because they vary by region and store.

I also used a free Redbox code that I found over at Saving Sherry to get a free movie!

So thats my frugal day! Hope everyone else had one too :)

After-Holiday Deals

You have probably heard this time and again, but the best time to buy any seasonal item is right after the season itself is over. Today I stopped by CVS and found all of the Halloween AND Fall merchandise 50% off. We still have one whole month of "fall" left! I bought these two ceramic pumpkins for $2.99 total:



I thought these were great because I can use them anywhere for the whole month of October and November! All of the candy was also on sale, but I decided to get some pretzels for $1.90 instead. Other stores like Michael's, WalMart, and grocery stores clearance out their seasonal merchandise right away as well. It is worth checking out for next year's bounty. I am on the hunt for extremely reduced craft pumpkins!