You’ll be surprised to find out which craft projects are actually cheaper to make yourself than buy in a store!
There have been a lot of memes over time about how having a crafty hobby can be expensive.
And there are others that joke about the person seeing something in a store and thinking to themself, “I can make that!” and then it turns out to cost three times the price of the store-bought item. And in a lot of cases, that’s probably really true. Especially if you factor in the cost of your time to make the thing.
But of course, we all know that saving money is not the only reason crafters like to make things. We love the joy of creating something and the satisfaction you get from a completed project. Even so, I thought it would be fun to talk about some crafts that are cheaper to make yourself. Yes, they do exist! And if you make some of these projects, you’ll get the joy of crafting AND save money. And because I like to keep it real, I’m only including crafts that are relatively cheap in both time AND money because your time is important!
If you’re a thrifty person like me, it doesn’t get much better than that!
Crafts that are cheaper to make yourself
- Candles
WHY do candles cost so much? Seriously, I do not understand it. Whoever branded candles as a “luxury” item is a genius. The good news is that they are really not hard at all to make yourself.
The supplies you need for candlemaking are:
–soy wax
–cotton wicks
–containers
-scent or essential oil (which is optional).
That’s it! You can bulk buy the wax and make 20 candles for the cost of one fancy one at the store. I priced it out and if you can make 20 8 oz. candles for $4.00 each with those supplies (probably less if you find supplies in a store and not online). If you use upcycled containers like tea tins, jars you have at home, etc. or make them unscented, the cost goes down even more!
If you want to try saving some money and making your own candles, here are some great tutorials:
–Recycled Candle Tutorial
–Crayon Colored Candles Tutorial
–Basic Candle Tutorial - Bath Bombs
Who doesn’t love a fun bath bomb, but they are SO expensive. And if you want the “fancy” ones they’re even worse. The store at the mall that people love charges $8-$9 PER bath bomb. So let’s talk about making your own. Supplies for making bath bombs include:
–citric acid
–baking soda
–cornstarch
–epsom salts
–sweet almond oil
–bath bomb molds/essential oils set (a one-time cost and optional)
I added up the cost of the ingredients based on the volume of each you’d need to make an even amount and it came out to around $1.70 per bath bomb. Can you even believe it? As with many of these crafts, buying the supplies in bulk saves more. But of course, if you’re making your own bath bombs now you can afford to use and enjoy them every time you take a bath instead of just once in a while! If you’re looking for some good bath bomb tutorials here are a few:
–Bath Bomb Recipe
–Homemade Bath Bombs
–All Natural Bath Bombs - Lip Balm
Lip balm, much like candles, is actually pretty easy to make. Assuming you don’t spill wax all over your parents’ kitchen as I may or may not have done once as a teen… Anyway, similar to candles, you melt the ingredients carefully together over a double boiler and pour into lip balm tubes. That’s it. The supplies you need to make lip balm at home are:
–lip balm tubes
–beeswax
–cocoa butter
–sweet almond oil
I added it up and using the supplies above you could make 50 tubes of lip balm (so many awesome gifts) for about $1 each. Doesn’t get cheaper than that at the store. If you decide you want to add scent, make sure you choose one safe for lips, and it may add a few cents, but it’s still a great deal! Here is a great basic lip balm tutorial! - Bath Salts
I feel like bath salts are the biggest racket of all because they are SO cheap to make and they’re so easy. Just stirring. No molds or anything. Actually, this is a GREAT craft to do with kids. The supplies you need to make your own bath salts are:
–epsom salts
–sea salt
–baking soda
-mix-ins like essential oils or dried flowers
I calculated it all out and you can make a ton of bath salts for less than $1 per 1/2 cup, that’s so much better than buying them! And put them in a pretty jar and you have a fantastic DIY gift! Here are a few bath salt tutorials to get you started:
–Homemade Bath Salts
–Bath Salts with Essential Oils
–Lavender Bath Salts - Jewelry*
Ok, so jewelry has an asterisk next to it because jewelry CAN be cheaper to make than to buy. It depends completely on the type of jewelry you’re making. For example, beaded and wired jewelry is yes, usually cheaper to make yourself. The cost of time and labor as well as special tools is relatively low for that kind of jewelry. But if we’re talking fine jewelry, jewelry using real gold or precious stones, and jewelry that requires more expensive tools like those to cut metal, you might be better of not trying to do it yourself. The investment in tools alone wouldn’t make it worth it unless you’re doing it professionally. Here are a few jewelry tutorials that WILL be cheaper to make yourself:
–Air Dry Clay Earrings
–Beaded Bracelets (these are SO cute)
–Wire-wrapped Stone Pendants
Ok, so did you get some ideas? Can you think of any other crafts that are cheaper to make yourself at home? Let me know!
If you liked this, you may also like some of my other posts…
- Learn to Knit – p3tog (Purl 3 Together) - September 12, 2024
- Alternating Rib Hat Knitting Pattern - September 10, 2024
- Learn to Knit – How To Use a Pom Pom Maker - August 29, 2024
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