Scrapbooking on a Budget???

I too am a scrapbooker. However, I use a completely different medium with you. I digitally scrapbook, and I've been doing it for nearly three years. This has been great for my budget because it is so close to free to do. The only thing that I have to invest in it is the cost of the program which is about 60 dollars. Then, I can use all of my digital pictures. I don't run out of medium over and over because you can use a digital kit infinitely many times. When I've got enough pages for a book I have them printed from one of the online printers and I wait until they have a sale.

I do alot of altered scrapbook projects, so Im always on the lookout for things:) I never see anything for what it actually is, I look at it and say oooo what can I do with this. The Dollar Tree is a great store for me to get things for altered art.

lol i am on your boat too, it is real good to keep the budget low, the price keeps rising every week, very difficult to make both ends meet.
Thank you so much for this nice discussion. keep sharing, happy posting, have a great day, cheers
ARUN

Do you have a walgreens near you? If so sign up for there emails. I get them all the time. They often have 10cent prints. I only buy my pictures when I can get them for 10cents a print. The last time I went to walgreens I had a few coupons and register rewards. I ended up paying like 17 bucks for about 450 pictures!!! Yes that was a REALLY good deal!

Becareful what you use because every thing needs to be acid free in order to preserve the photos.

I shop at joann fabrics or michaels after each season and buy all the clearance. I also always check the craft section at walmart and target. Remember it doesn't have to be in the "scrapbook" section to be used. I buy out of the kids section a lot.

Go to goodwill or any consignment store and get some games, I've seen scrabble peices used in SO many ways in a scrapbook. Bingo chips too.

Buy books of the paper instead of loose paper its MUCH cheaper.

Some little things to remember:
*When at the park taking pics... grab a leaf they look great in scrapbooks
*At a resturant ... grab a matchbook or some thing that has the resturants name on it.
*Keep ticket stubs
*Get post cards ... they are really cheap and can really dress up a book.
*Pick up flat shells at the beach.
*Keep an inch by inch square of different wrapping paper from holidays, birthdays.

Hope these things help!!

I have used several things....like small barretts that I bought for my granddaughter and she didn't like them.....colored paper clips I had in my desk drawer.....and those magnetic refrig pads....someone gave me one with snowmen on it and I just cut the snowmen out.....also have cut and used patterens off wrapping paper.

I sign up for free samples of paper online. You can get it in pretty much any texture and color. They mostly give you cream and ivory or white but most times you can get an off color as well. I signed up multiple times on the same site and just used friends addresses. They still sent them all though. I can't remember exactly which sites were free and which were just really cheap but you can google it and find some online.

I'm really into scrapbooking, especially frugal scrapping. It's real easy to get caught up in the commercialism and buy more than what you need or things that you don't really need. If you really have to buy something like adhesive or a paper cutter, then get the 40% off coupon from the newspaper for Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I make it a point to only buy one thing at a time. I used to work for Michaels and they count on you coming in to use the coupon and then thinking while you're there that you'll buy something on sale and then some other things at full price. Full price is way over priced so I make sure I only buy something at a craft store for at least 40 percent off if possible.