I am always looking for ways to make my art supply budget go farther. I like to have good quality archival art supplies and don't skimp on my pastels, paints and supports. But I do like to wait for a good online sale and order in bulk. I also like to scour the thrift stores for unexpected treasures. Look what I found today!
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| Brushes I found at the thrift store for $1.25 for all |
When searching in a thrift store you have to poke around. Don't be afraid to move things and look behind things. I found a few of these brushes taped together and shoved into a container with rulers and scissors. They were marked 99 cents. I kept poking around the area and in another box I found a few more brushes taped together and marked 49 cents but this tag color was 1/2 off. $1.25 for 10 brushes. They are in pretty good shape too. Several of them are Tintoretto Brushes from Italy which I don't know anything about. There are two nice watercolor brushes as well. All in all a good find!
Some other ways I keep on a budget with supplies:
- sign up for email notification of sales from my favorite online art stores. You often get better discount codes especially if you are a repeat customer.
- sign up for any programs offered by my local art stores...Blicks, Aarron Brothers will sometimes offer coupons for members.
- join up with artist friends to make bulk orders of supplies which also saves on shipping charges.
How do you save money on art supplies? I'd love to hear from you!
Good find! I try to shop around online before making huge purchases, and keeping tabs on their sales. Online shopping makes comparison shopping so easy!
ReplyDeleteI am a sucker for free postage. When one of my favorite art stores offers free postage I order immediately. I always looks for online coupons before I complete any online order. Love hearing about your find! I will start checking thrift and second hand stores for special finds.
ReplyDeleteThanks Angie! I do the same thing. I have a list going of things I need and when it is big enough I start shopping!
ReplyDeleteThanks Maria! It is hot or miss but I am always looking for things I might re-purpose into an art supply and then sometimes get lucky and find brushes!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you budget! Buying from online stores won't actually save you money, but also time. Considering the fact that there are many options available in the world wide web, it would be easier for you to find the best ones without any hassle at all! Keep on!
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