Crochet coin purse free pattern from Just Be Happy
Crochet is a terrific craft in part because it can be a very affordable craft. It doesn’t require a lot of materials and you can save money by making items that you actually want to use. However, it’s easy to go overboard and spend a lot of money on crochet if you’re not careful. (My stash of pricey indie dyed yarn is proof of that!) If you are working on a budget, there are lots of ways to make the craft more affordable. Here are 25 tips for saving money on yarn, crochet hooks and your love of the craft.
1. Look for coupons and coupon codes to reduce the price of yarn and supplies. A quick look at Frugaa, for example, shows that the site currently has several coupons for yarn.
2. Check thrift stores and yard sales for crochet supplies. My thrift stores rarely have yarn or crochet supplies. They do sometimes have crochet items, however, that I can take apart and repurpose the yarn from. And we have a great artist’s thrift store here that has yarn, crochet thread and other supplies. See what is available in your local area.
3.Check your gauge. This helps with making sure that you get the right amount of yarn for a project. Getting the right amount saves you money. You get only what you need but you do get what you need so you aren’t spending extra later on to get the right dye lot of yarn shipped to you to finish up a project.
4.Crochet items that you’ll actually wear and use. This saves you money on your fashions and home décor purchases! This is one of the best ways to make sure that your craft actually saves you money!
Plarn crochet gift bag with flower free pattern from Plastic Bag Crafts
5.Crochet with affordable non-traditional materials. Use clothing scraps to make rag rugs. Use plarn to make crochet bags. Get creative. Here are 10 alternative materials for crochet.
6.Don’t hesitate to ask others to pay for the yarn if they ask you to crochet something for them. Many people enjoy crocheting for others and are happy to make blankets, baby items and other things when people ask them to do so. That’s wonderful. In my opinion, you should get paid for your time and talent but not everyone is comfortable with that. You should, however, at least ask for the person to purchase the yarn for the project that they’ve requested. That’s a totally reasonable thing to ask!
7.Go for cheaper yarn when it’s appropriate to a project. Making dishcloths? Low-cost cotton yarn makes more sense than a luxury wool yarn.
8.Ask for yarn for your birthday! When people are going to get you something anyway, make sure it’s something that you want!
9.Go yarn shopping and get other crochet supplies when you travel when the exchange rate is in your favor. I did this in the yarn district of Buenos Aires. Remember that there can be a cost to bringing back goods, sometimes in the form of extra baggage or shipping fees, so calculate that into travel purchases.
10. Host a local crochet supply swap. Put the word out amongst all of the crocheters that you know and get together for a swap. Everyone brings the crochet hooks, yarn and supplies that they no longer want and they trade for new things. You could also do this online although you’ll have to factor in the cost of shipping items to one another.
11. Limit the cost of embellishments. One area where I find that crochet items can get pricey is in adding embellishments. Ribbons and buttons are great additions to crochet items but you should be careful about your spending when it comes to these things. Collect affordable mixed media to use as needed.
12. Look for crochet giveaways online. Many crochet blogs / social media accounts host giveaways for yarn, crochet books and other crochet items. It costs nothing to enter and you can get free stuff.
13. Look for sales but be smart about your buying. Sales are great because you get yarn, crochet hooks and other items at a discount. However, if you’re buying more than you need just because it’s on sale then you aren’t saving money. Be smart about sale shopping!
Tapestry crochet coin purse free pattern from My Poppet Makes
14. Make some money from crocheting. Sell the items that you make at craft fairs or on Etsy to offset the cost of your crochet habit! Keep good business records to make sure that the work is profitable.
15. Make your own stitch markers. One of the supplies that you will probably want if you are crocheting is a set of stitch markers. There are some great stitch markers available for sale but you can also make your own using simple cheap supplies like paper clips.
16. Shop around, set a budget and never buy impulsively. These are common sense money-saving techniques that should apply to your crochet habit.
17. Swap crochet books online. You can use sites like Paperback Swaps to trade crochet books with other people when you are done using the ones in your personal library.
18. Try sites like Craigslist, Freecycle and Listia. You can find free or cheap crochet supplies and yarn on these sites at times.
19. Try supplies before investing in them. It can be tempting to try many different types of crochet hooks and stitch markers and other crochet supplies. Whenever possible, try before you buy. If you are part of a crochet group then you can often try items that other crocheters are using to help you decide what you really want.
20. Try a yarn diet. Many people who have huge stashes of yarn find that they need to put themselves on a yarn diet to save money. This means that you don’t buy yarn for a specific period of time, working instead from your stash.
21. Use coupons every single time that you buy crochet supplies. Get everything at a discount each time that you go shopping for crochet supplies and your annual craft spending should go down significantly. If you don’t have a coupon, wait to buy.
22. Use expensive yarn only for small projects. Save your expensive yarn for one-skein projects and little things rather than buying a lot of expensive yarn for big projects.
23. Use free crochet patterns. There are a lot of great costly crochet patterns online and in crochet magazines. However there are also a lot of great crochet patterns available for free. Use your free options , including free online crochet patterns and crochet books from the library. And try designing your own crochet patterns! That said, I do believe in supporting independent crochet designers and authors. You can create a portion of your budget for “artistic tithing” and consider it part of your work to make purchases from indie sellers!
24. Use your credit card rewards when buying crochet items. For example, I used my points when I wanted to get crochet magazine subscriptions. The points paid for the subscriptions plus I got cash back for the purchase with that particular card. Of course, you have to pay off your balance in full each month for this to be a money-saver.
25. Use your crochet skills to barter for other things. Crochet is a skill that you can teach to others and your crocheted items are crafts that have some value. Barter these things to get other things that you might need. For example, you might barter a crochet lesson for vegetables from your neighbors’ garden, reducing your own grocery costs.
This post was sponsored by coupon codes site Frugaa.