Happy Friday, let’s talk budgeting!
When looking into the Cricut machine I found that all the supplies and the machine itself were quite expensive and that the costs were quickly adding up. However, I felt that with the type of crafts I wanted to make it would still be worth it. The most intimidating part of getting my Cricut machine started was the cost of the supplies. What I found the cheapest was buying a machine that came with basic tools such as tweezers, weeding stylus, scissors, a spatula, and a scraper. This at first seemed more expensive but after doing the math and adding taxes it was ultimately cheaper. Then I decided I would purchase some sample vinyl as well as basic colours such as black and white. I felt that this was a practical and a more affordable way to approach developing stock, as the sample materials were priced fairly and because basic colours such as black and white vinyl are what I would most commonly use. Once you are well stocked with materials budgeting becomes much easier as all you would need to purchase are shirts, hoodies and whatever else you want to work with.
A trick I have recently come across at Michaels craft store is purchasing non-Cricut materials. The materials I have been using are made by a Canadian company called Siser. These are actually slightly more expensive than Cricut, however, you are getting more material in the roll making it worth the small additional expense. To make this trick even better, the Siser rolls are eligible for Michaels coupons, as well as teacher and seniors discounts, whereas with the Cricut rolls you can’t use any coupons majority of the time. At times they will offer buy 3 get 3 free for Cricut items, but I never find its worth the cost. By purchasing Siser material I save money by using coupons with them, making them half the price of the Cricut rolls, and I receive more material.
Another little “hack” I’ve been doing is purchasing my shirts from amazon. I primarily use Gildan shirts as they are prewashed and preshrunk making them iron-on ready, and they are available at affordable prices on Amazon. They are usually $5-$7 at Michaels, which is still affordable however, you cannot use coupons on them and Michaels is limited in styles and colours, unlike Amazon. Additionally, Amazon also sells different hoodies and sweatpants made by Gildan, and at Michales I am only able to get shirts, making amazon my preferred choice.
Lastly, Cricut offers a subscription program called Access which allows you to access all of their ‘ready-to-make” projects for free (sort of) as well as their images that are customizable on your Design Space canvas. When I first purchased the machine I knew right away that I wasn’t going to subscribe to Access, as I couldn’t afford the extra monthly cost and I wanted to see if I could get by without it. I realized that it wasn’t necessary for me to subscribe to it as I don’t craft often enough to make it worth-while, not only that, I almost find it makes design space less enjoyable to use as you have unlimited options making it overwhelming to pick something as simple as a font style. I also realized that you can purchase fonts or images individually and the prices can range anywhere from $2.99 and up. This I find is a more practical route for me and I have purchased one font so far! Cricut also will have a small selection of seasonal items available for free, and each week/month they update their free section which has really helped me keep my costs down.
In terms of making a budget plan, I haven’t been successful as I don’t feel that it’s entirely necessary in my case. I don’t feel it’s necessary for me as I don’t need large amounts/colours of vinyl or clothing, I just purchase as I go. I do, however, make a conscious effort to buy items when they are on sale or when Michaels is offering coupons at 45% or more off, this way I can keep my crafting affordable.
I hope these tips and tricks are helpful to you, happy crafting!
Photo retrieved from Unsplash.com: Josh Appel