The Best Ways to Save on Your Jewelry Project

Making jewelry projects can really add up when you’re not paying attention.  While you can argue that the joy you get from making jewelry products is worth the cost, there is no need to rationalize it when you can easily save money.  Here are a few tips to save on your jewelry products.

Look for Wholesale Beads

Avoid cheap-looking beads and search for wholesale beads, instead.  Wholesale offers competitive pricing and allows you to buy more of what you need for less money.  Places such as Beads of Cambay offer wholesale discounts of their high-quality beads made in the United States.  This way, you aren’t skimping on quality, but you can still feel good about saving some extra cash.

Know What You’re Doing

If you plan on starting a craft, don’t buy only half the products needed for one.  It’s easy to start purchasing supplies for one craft, and then, midway through, start buying supplies for another craft.  If you plan to make an intricate necklace, stick to the plan and avoid buying things needed to make earrings instead.  It can be tempting to reach for other things as ideas pop into your head, but sticking to one project will help preserve your cash until you’ve completed the project you originally had in mind.

Sell Your Stuff

One of the best ways to get a return on your jewelry products is to sell them after you’re finished.  Not only can you make some extra money by selling your goods, it can also feel great to know that someone loves the jewelry that you make so much that they’re willing to buy it from you.  Etsy is a highly popular place for those who wish to sell the things that they have created, and many jewelry-makers have found success at Etsy.

Shop Thrift Stores

Occasionally, you can find some hidden treasures in thrift stores.  If you have some time, it doesn’t hurt to peek around a thrift store to see if anyone’s unwanted craft supplies are being sold for at a good price.  Plenty of people buy the supplies for jewelry-making, but then either lose the motivation, or become frustrated and give up on their projects.  This may be unfortunate for them, but could also mean that you find jewelry supplies for much less.

Use Projects as Gifts

If you put the time and effort into a quality project, then you can feel good about giving it as a gift to someone else for their birthday or for Christmas.  This way, you don’t have to purchase a gift that probably wouldn’t mean as much to the person anyway.  Crafting beautiful, beaded jewelry with the person’s favorite colors is a great gift, and you could save a lot when you compare it to the cost of simply purchasing that same jewelry from a store.  Making jewelry for family and friends is a great way to personalize your gifts and brighten anyone’s day.

Look for Coupons

Coupons for craft stores are always floating around, and they can be useful for acquiring the basics in jewelry-making.  However, it is recommended that you purchase your beads elsewhere for more unique-looking and high-quality beads.  Look inside newspapers or outside popular craft stores for coupons so that you can save on the basic jewelry supplies.

Stay Organized

Staying organized can save you money.  If everything is placed where it should be, you will have no problem knowing what you have in stock.  Many people accidentally buy items that they already have because of poor organization.  Look into purchasing some type of jewelry case storage box to hold all of your beads and other supplies.  Knowing what you need will also help you stick to purchasing those items and not waste money when you wander into a craft store.  Write down exactly what you need, and stick to the list.

Swap with Other Jewelry-Makers

You can save a lot of money by trading supplies with others who make jewelry.  This will benefit the both of you.  Another way to save money with a friend is to pool your money into purchasing larger quantities of beads and jewelry supplies at a wholesale supply.  If you need help searching for fellow jewelry-makers, you can always post an ad on Craigslist.com or host a Meetup.com group to get others involved.  The more people you get involved, the more money you could potentially save.