With the cost of basic foods and energy and gas prices rising so quickly we have all had to tighten our belts. Like me you may be wondering how to make your money go farther. That goes for our scrapbooking money too – if there’s anything left at the end of the month to use for hobbies at the moment, that is!
Often, as the purse-strings tighten, the stress levels rise, so having time and a small allowance for your hobby, if you can find it, will relieve the stresses. You very often have to be the anchor for your family, helping everyone else cope. And if you find scrapbooking and card making de-stressing, then maybe the children will find it helps them too.
So, one of the first tips to make your money go farther has to be to use our existing scrapbooking stash creatively, and finding ways to stretch the budget quickly follows.
We spoke before about some ideas to keep the costs down. Whether you are new to scrapbooking or a veteran scrapbooker these earlier posts will help.
For the novice scrapbooker: 10 Tips for Starting Scrapbooking on a Budget speaks about getting started, and how, more often than not, we have the basic tools already and can make a start to scrapbooking without spending money on specialized tools.
For the veteran scrapbooker: 17 Tips for the Frugal Scrapbooker talks about short cuts and quick inexpensive ideas for embellishments etc., saving you money. Things like covering your chipboard shapes and letters with your scrapbook paper to match your layout, rather than buying new things to specifically tone in with the one you are working on now. It’s great to be able to support the scrapbooking manufacturers, but sometimes money is just too tight to do it and we must become as creative as we can be.
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If you have a little money to spare, then would you believe ScrapGirls can help you save money, too. You get almost $30 worth of scrapbooking supplies for just $9.99 (plus State tax) each month as a member of the ScrapGirls Monthly Club. (There is no minimum sign-up period, so if your circumstances change you can stop at any time.)
With Christmas just around the door, could the family perhaps club together to buy you a (discounted) six-month or twelve-month subscription? That would set you up for the new year (and more!), wouldn’t it? Remember a digital kit lasts forever, as you can use it over and over and over again.
Scrap Girls October Club
The kit is Hearth by Shalae Tippetts and includes the following items:
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The saving is genuine as all these products are available separately at the ScrapGirls online store. Visit the club members’ gallery to see how other folks have used this lovely kit.
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Is it time for you to learn digital scrapbooking?
While we know we can print out digital scrapbooking supplies to use for paper scrapping, as another way to save money, perhaps it’s time to try digital scrapbooking. Learn to create beautiful digital layouts , save them securely, and print them when money is not so tight.
I’ve been learning computer scrapbooking for a couple of months now and I’ve been surprised how easy it is. I have a basic photo-editing kit that came free with my computer. I haven’t printed any pages out as I store them on my laptop. This means I can carry my scrapbook around with me very easily. If I want to make it even easier I transfer them to a memory stick or disk (and when I visit my Mum we can upload them to her digital photo frame.)
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Earn a gift certificate and make your money go farther!
Contact us with the tips that make your scrapping money go farther. There’ll be a $5 ScrapGirls gift certificate for you if we use your tips. That’s a great way to get started digi-scrapping, and to save money on scrapbooking supplies at the same time, isn’t it? What will you buy with your $5? Send us your paper or digital scrapping money-saving tips.
And to get you started on the digital trail, you’ll find a whole kit free on the Scrap Girls Freebies page.
I know it sounds really strange to be talking about spending money to make your money go farther, but it really does go farther with digital supplies. Have a go, you’ll be amazed how easy it is.
