Scrapbooking can be an expensive hobby. From patterned paper, accents, embellishments, and cardstock, it all adds up. I've been scrapbooking for about 7 years and at first, I went to all the fancy specialty scrapbook supply stores, where things are more expensive. Over the past several years though, I have found some great ways to save cash.

Scrapbooking Supplies at a Discount

The most obvious way to save money is to find a place to shop that sells scrapbooking supplies at a discount. I have found that website stores actually have lower prices then stores. One example is they carry the Hermafix Dotto Glue Refill for $3.99, this is $2.00 less then the two local scrapbooking suppliers. The only down side of this is that you will have to wait for it. So I like to find a site that ships same day. Another thing to look for on a scrapbook products website is free shipping. Good sites will offer free shipping if your order is over a certain amount. The lower, the better! The lowest I have seen is $25 and that is pretty good.

Cutting Paper Costs

Another way to save money on scrapbooking products is by using 12x12papers. You get more for the money than buying 8 1/2x11. It also goes along way. Also, get a wide variety of cardstock colors. You always use cardstock on a layout. Sometimes, that's all I use on a layout. This way, you don't use and therefore you don't need to buy patterned paper. This cuts down costs a lot.

"Easy on the embellishments, please"

A way to save more is by cutting down on scrapbooking accessories, like embellishments. The real focus of pages is supposed to be the pictures anyway. You won't have to spend money on little doodads and you'll save time too by not having to make something special.

If you just can't go without using embellishments, buy general embellishment materials that can be used on several different layouts instead of buying embellishments for one specific page. For example, get fibers in a package that has several different colors. Tags are another good embellishment that will go on any layout.

Scrapbooking doesn't have to be expensive. Remember that the whole purpose of scrapbooks is the photos and the memories, not how much money you spent!