There’s no denying that starting a crochet hobby can get expensive. If you’re like me, you can hear the siren call of beautiful yarns, stylish hooks, and all the extras like stitch markers, blocking boards, and fancy scissors calling your name. Coupling this with living on a budget can make crochet seem like an unattainable hobby.
But, here’s the good news! Crocheting doesn’t have to be expensive, and you don’t have to give up all the fun of shopping for new supplies to stay within your budget.
Here I’m going to share five easy tips for getting started without breaking the bank.
1. Start With the Basics
When I started crocheting, I was only 16 years old. I did some babysitting for people, but I had no steady income and no money to invest in a new hobby.
My friend gave me a ball of yarn and loaned me a hook.
I quickly burned through that ball of yarn and wanted more!
Rather than going to the store and buying a bunch of yarn, I bought one large skein.
If you are working on small projects like washcloths, headbands, mittens, or a hat, you don’t need to buy a bunch of yarn and tools. This is especially true if you only need something for practicing the basic crochet stitches.
When starting, you don’t need the newest and best supplies. Instead, you can grab a skein of Red Heart yarn for $4.49 and a basic crochet hook for $2.99 to get started for less than $10.
Then, you can add or upgrade as you go rather than loading your cart and spending a ton of money all at once.
By spreading out the expenditures over time, crochet becomes an investment that you grow into over time, rather than an impulsive binge that leaves you feeling guilty and stressed.
2. Shop the Sales
There is no need to pay full price for your crocheting supplies. All the big chain craft stores have a plethora of sales throughout the year.
You can get signed up to receive updates that tell you when things are on sale. In addition, stores like Joann’s, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby have apps that offer coupon codes and access to their weekly deals.
Discipline to shop sales does a couple of great things for your crochet hobby.
First, it keeps costs down, removing financial stress from making crochet a habit. You have more than enough things in your life that cause stress and weigh you down. Crochet shouldn’t be one of them! By removing financial pressure from the equation, you can focus on developing skills and getting creative, which is most likely why you wanted to crochet in the first place.
Second, developing the discipline only to buy more supplies when they are on sale is an excellent financial practice that will grow and benefit you in other areas besides crocheting. Living on a budget and making financially sound decisions is less about money than discipline. Financial discipline is an essential life skill. So rather than lamenting the limited funds you have to spend on the finest yarn, lean into it and embrace the lessons you can learn that will benefit more than your crochet practices.
Plus, who doesn’t love a bargain?
3. Get Thrifty & Stay on Budget
Several years ago, I was perusing a second-hand store searching for items my children could use for their Halloween costumes, and I noticed a whole section devoted to craft supplies.
I started looking around and found not only a massive quantity of yarn but also whole sets of crochet hooks, knitting needles, sewing supplies, and even patterns for meager prices.
As I sifted through, I found some things I could use, and spent less than $2.
People will donate unused yarn and supplies to get them out of their house, which is excellent for anyone looking to crochet on a budget!
Imagine spending $30 on four skeins of yarn, letting it sit in a box entirely untouched for years, and then donating it and having it sell for twenty-five cents a skein! Someone else’s $30 investment just became yours for $1!!
You won’t find an extensive selection of the latest trends and fashions. But if money is tight, you can cash in on this option to find yarn to keep progressing as a crocheter, developing skills, and refining your craft.
Then, making an investment in more expensive yarn for a gift or a specific project won’t feel like a money pit; it will be a treat that is appreciated and treasured. There is nothing sweeter than running your fingers across the fibers of a beautiful, fine yarn stitched into a beautiful project you had to save to create.
4. Friends & Family
An extensive inventory of tools and supplies can be built from hand-me-downs from friends and family members. My grandmother loved to make afghans. When she could no longer live alone, she packed up all of her yarn and passed it on to me. There were boxes of whole sets of yarn she had purchased to make blankets. It was an incredible gift!
I learned about Tunisian crochet because there was a strange long crochet hook in a box of crafting supplies given to me by another family member. So I went online to find out how to use that hook, and I stumbled into a rabbit hole of Tunisian crochet tutorials and found a new way to create finely stitched crochet projects. So fun!
Years ago, when I was getting established, money for crafting was scarce. So I let my friends and family know that I was always open to hand-me-down supplies if they were getting rid of anything.
I have donated the things I didn’t need, but I have also found some treasures that sent me down new creative paths and made some great projects from the supplies I have gathered.
If money is tight, try this strategy and see what gifts people pass along to you. You will be surprised how many people have boxes of yarn stored away!
5. Find it For FREE
One of the best gifts the Internet has given us is the ability to find the information offered to the world for FREE!
A few of the most notable sites for free resources are:
- YouTube
- TikTok
- Ravelry
Many creators will offer free patterns and tutorials walking you through a project from start to finish. Others will teach you how to do specific stitches or teach skills to help you grow into a better crocheter.
I love to scroll through Pinterest to get inspired! I also have my favorite YouTubers. Routinely watching their videos has provided a treasure trove of information and helped me grow as a crocheter.
But I have found that a one-minute reel or TikTok has become increasingly valuable in helping me learn new stitches…so fun!
So, if keeping expenses low is a priority, seek free patterns, tutorials, and inspiration from the seemingly endless wealth of social media.
Also, if you have money to spend, Etsy, Ravelry, and Skillshare have courses and patterns you can purchase. If I have time to piece ideas, tutorials, and information together on my own, I am OK with pursuing all the free resources I can get my hands on. But, if I am doing something completely new and want to make things easier for myself or am short on time, I will purchase a pattern or a class.
For years, I only used free resources because I didn’t have money in my budget to pay for information. It takes more time to piece information together and learn on your own, but that is the price of FREE.
So, if you aren’t financially able to invest in learning, spend some time searching for information and tutorials available on the Internet for free until you can save up and pay for a class or purchase a pattern.
Now You’re Ready to Crochet on a Budget!
Now you have FIVE great tips to help you build a habit of crochet without blowing your budget.
You can apply these strategies while creating items to donate to charity. To learn more about using crochet for more than just fun, click here to read Making the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time.
Have more tips for saving money on crochet? Share them with me in the comments or you can DM me on Instagram anytime. I love to hear from you and get to know you.
Happy Stitching!
xo — Lavena
P.S. Grab your copy of The Ultimate Guide to Crochet for Mental Health and tap into the benefits of creativity so that you can become one of many amazing women who have unlocked the secret to experiencing joy, peace, and calm in their everyday lives by becoming renewed and revitalized while having fun with crochet.
