Craft supplies

When times get tough our hobbies are generally first to suffer the cutbacks. The list below has just a few ideas to help you save money on craft supplies and you may also find yourself a new creative burst by trying them. Crafts don’t always have to be so expensive and it is fun to improvise.

Paper and card

Newspaper offcuts: A great place to get plain paper, particularly for kids crafts and drawing is a newspaper office. Our local newspaper has always had huge rolls of plain white paper available for around $10 - $15, that is a roll that is over a metre wide and 30cm in diameter. I believe it was over 100 metres of paper, well my daughter has had the same roll for over 5 years. It isn’t great quality but it has tons of uses like as a drop sheet for other projects, making patterns for sewing.

Scrapbooking paper and card: If you are finding the scrapbook stores too expensive try looking in newsagents, office supply stores and department stores for paper and card. They may not have the same range and quality but you may find something to help your supply of better paper last longer.

Op shops and flea markets

Fabric and wool: Second hand clothes found in opportunity shops and flea markets can often be a great source of fabric when you don’t need large amounts. Even when clothes are fairly old there are generally parts that are not faded or worn.