Note to Self: I Don’t Need Every Bead I See

"As artists, we know that a trip to the art supply store can be expensive. Shopping for one item can quickly lead to a full cart, and it’s exactly these careless habits that can become dangerous, especially for artists trying to watch their budget or turn a profit."

Read more: http://www.finearttips.com/2011/03/10-tips-to-save-money-on-art-supplies/#ixzz3DOcACMib

Picture taken from "http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com/"

Beads supplies or craft supplies hunting is one of my most favorite thing to do! My husband would be the most loyal driver who will drive me anywhere I want to go. Sometimes it could take just few hours and sometimes it could take the whole weekends. Art is definitely not a cheap hobby. Each time I see beautiful beads or something rare form of art, my mind just cant stop mingling around on what to do next with those. Well, for some may think its funny but trust me, its even funnier for any craft lovers not to be in love with all the craft things. 

Nevertheless, it is also important not to go over board and over spend than what you can afford to avoid waste and credit card debts. Here are some tips to buy your craft supplies wisely:

1. Make a shopping list

Evaluate what you really need and want. It is best to identify what are the collections or theme that you want to focus on for the time being rather than buy all. Sometimes some beads may sits in your storage box for months or years.

2. List out the to-do-crafts

Every time I have something creative that I want to do, I will always make a note in my book of ideas. So whenever my mind is finally made up, I will only buy the needed supplies. You may have hundreds of ideas at one time, but you only 2 hands and most of the time it's always about one man show. So having a book of ideas is also a great idea so that you will not loose out all the creative ideas that you might have and at the same time you spend on the supplies that you really need at the time.

3. Buy in bulk
Most of the time, it is also good to buy stuffs in bulks. Mainly because most shops offers discounts if you buy more.

4. Buy online
I love online shopping, simply because they are cheaper than normal shops. I could also spent hours and hours just going through the shop inventories at my own convenient. Further more, once I put things in my cart, I can always not to pay it straight away but just leave them in my cart for as llong as I want. Most shops also offers wishlist so that if some of the items that I want is no longer in purchase, but I can just include them in my wishlist and the retailer will know that the product is still in demand.

5. Lust - Don't be easily tempted
This is by far the most difficult thing ever that is to control your lust or appetite to shop especially when it comes to new materials. Best thing to do is, to pray. (Hahahaha) If you ever manage to resist your lust of shopping, then you must really be one tough chick. ;)

Hope this helps!