Silke and I have been making bottle lamps for awhile now.

Through trial and error we’ve found out what works and what doesn’t. This includes both the methods for making them and also for keeping our costs low so we can still make them affordable to the end consumer. It’s always frustrating to take something you’ve put together and try to define it in terms of a price rather than a value. ‘How much should we sell this for?’ gets to be a recurring theme that involves some mental calculating of the items used to make it as well as the percentage of profit you want to make.

The conclusion that we have both come to in trying to make all of this profitable is being able to shop like a bargain hunter.

Skip passed the isles of things that are shelved and go right to the end caps where all the deals abound. Use coupons if you have them, shop on deals days if they offer them, and always grab the flyers to take advantage of the loss leaders. The lower your cost, the more competitively priced you can be when you sell.

Garage sales, yard sales, and flea markets all offer items that can be incorporated into your projects. The trick here is to go into these places with an open mind. If you see something that catches your eye you can pick it up and envision how it can be used. If you already have something in mind then you may be too focused on something in particular leaving nothing to chance.

Shopping online has it’s benefits as well. This goes beyond the deals you will find on Cyber Monday. If you have something that you use often enough in your work, then finding a place to purchase it in bulk will lower the over all per piece cost. Finding wholesalers and volume discount stores can be the right venue for these types of items.

You will know when you have mastered the art of Thrifty Shopping for crafting when you are drawn to a clearance table and as you begin to rummage through it, ideas will begin to sift through your mind for each item you pick up.

By keeping your costs low you will be able to profit on the pieces that you sell and your customers will thank you in return.

Do you have a steal or deal story you would like to share? Please leave us a comment. Maybe you know of a great place to shop for deals. Share that as well.