If you are like me then you are a sucker for a fun arts and crafts project with the kids. There is just something fun about it, and it allows us to be kids again…with our kids!
Honestly, I would do a lot more activities like this with my little ones if it wasn’t so expensive. When you take a trip to the local craft store you can spend a small fortune to gather the supplies for even the simplest afternoon project.
I’ve learned how to save the most money possible while stocking up on craft supplies, and I want to pass on my experience to you. My hope is that some of my suggestions click and you are able to figure out how to stock up without paying a lot of money, enabling you to spend more quality time with you kids doing something fun.
Online Mega Stores Like Amazon
I am constantly looking on Amazon for deals. Over time I have found some sellers that seem to always have some sort of outrageous deals where they just blow out supplies at the lowest prices you will find anywhere.
My guess is that they are buying huge amounts of overstock and blowing it out for a dollar over cost and banking on volume to turn a profit. Either way, when they are selling I am buying!
Be careful if it’s a new seller though. Even if a deal looks amazing I will not buy unless they have a lot of positive reviews. The last thing I want to do is get poor quality materials.
Specialty Online Marketplaces
Aside from Amazon, there are a lot of smaller online marketplaces that have more of a specialized focus like those custom stamps. Arts and crafts are a very small market, so you won’t always find them available on all of the big retail sites.
Options like the Whohou marketplace will often have unique offers that you won’t find elsewhere. You just have to be willing to do some searching, especially since it’s a very narrow product category. Amazon is the mainstream site you can search, but from there you need to uncover some little hidden gems.
Another great place that I have found some new online sellers is on popular arts and crafts blogs. They will often advertise on these blogs in an effort to find new customers. I’ve discovered a few good ones this way!
Local Mom and Pop Stores
There are a few local stores all within 45 minutes of me. I don’t make special trips, but if I am passing by I will dip in and see if they are running any specials.
If they have a good offer I will usually make a small purchase, especially since I know how important it is to try to support local businesses.
While I would say 90% of my purchases are online because of the selection and price, if I see something locally that is a decent deal I will pick it up. It’s also convenient because there is no wait time for shipping. I get to bring it right home and the kids like that more.
