"You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." Matthew 25:21
Scrapbook Savings
While using the right kind of products can help ensure that your photos will be enjoyed for years to come and by future generations, it can get expensive. There are companies out there with beautiful, high-quality products that I personally cannot afford. I want to preserve my photo memories, but my family needs to eat, too! I've found that shopping around and not using only one particular company or their product line exclusively can save money on the albums themselves, leaving more money for the extras like patterned paper, die cuts, and the like.
Based on materials garnered from several companies, I've complied a side by-side comparision price analysis. This is solely based on price. Each product line has specific advantages that some feel make the product worth the price. I am just offering them here for comparision purposes, because I love a good bargain! All prices are from 1998 catalogs or price listings.
| Creative Memories 12 X 12 |
|
|---|---|
| 12 X 12 Premiere album (comes with 15 pages) | $36.00 |
| 1 refill pack (15 pages) | $11.85 |
| 2 page protector packs (15 per pack @ $7.15 each) | $14.30 |
| A 60 page album (front & back) totals | $62.15 |
| D.O.T.S/ Close to My Heart | |
|---|---|
| 12 X 12 My Legacy album(comes with 10 pages) | $39.95 | Page protectors(25 per pack--album comes w/10) | $06.50 |
| 12 X 12 white cardstock(25 sheets per pack @ 7.95 each) | $15.90 |
| A 70 page album (front & back) totals | $62.35 |
| Michael's Craft Store (national chain) | |
|---|---|
| 12 X 12 three-ring binder | $19.95 | Page protectors(25) | $08.95 |
| 12 X 12 white cardstock (25 sheets/pack @ $4 each) | $08.00 |
| A 50 page album (front & back) totals | $36.90 |
That's almost an apples to apples comparision. There are individual differences in the albums and advantages/disadvantages to each, such as the bindings. CM albums are a strap/hinge binding. The pages lie flat, but both the front and back of the page is used, so rearranging of pages is limited. The CTMH albums are post bound and also lie flat, and feature top-loading page protectors so pages can be moved around at will. The Michael's album is a 3-ring binder type with top loading page protectors. Pages can be rearranged, but the binder rings always separate the pages, which might not be to your liking if you favor two-page spreads.
Now for those of you interested in saving even more, there's the option of using smaller pages. I personally favor the 8.5 X 11 size, not only because the album and related products are cheaper, but because the pages are a snap to scan for my web page. I've gotten so used to this format that I'm afraid I'd be lost with all of the extra space a 12 X 12 page provides! Here are the comparative costs of the smaller albums:
| Creative Memories 8 X 10 | |
|---|---|
| 8 X 10 Reflections album(comes with 15 pages) | $26.00 | 1 refill pack (15 pages) | $10.45 |
| 2 page protector packs (15 per pack @ $6.45 each) | $12.90 |
| A 60 page album (front & back) totals | $49.35 |
| D.O.T.S/ Close to My Heart | |
|---|---|
| 8.5 X 11 My Legacy album(comes with 5 pages) | $29.95 | Page protectors (25 per pack--album comes w.5) | $04.95 |
| 8.5 X 11 white cardstock (25 per pack @ $2.95 each) | $05.90 |
| A 60 page album (front & back) totals | $40.80 |
| Michael's Craft Store | |
|---|---|
| 8.5 X 11 three-ring binder | $16.95 | Page protectors (50 per pack @ $5.50) | $02.75 |
| 8.5 X 11 white cardstock (50 per pack @ $3.25) | $03.25 |
| A 50 page album (front & back) totals | $22.95 |
Shopping around pays off. If you like the CTMH (Close to My Heart) albums, for instance, but want to cut back on costs, order your cardstock online from somewhere like www.memories.com, where many colors sell for as little as .08/sheet. You'll basically get two for one, and cardstock is cardstock. CTMH page protectors are exclusive and are the only ones that work in their albums, but the prices on those aren't unreasonable anyway. If you like the CM line, try Westrim. It's nearly the same album, for not nearly the price, and is available at Wal-Mart and Michael's, to name a few.
If you like the 3-ring binder type albums, you can always go the super cheap route like I did when I first started out and buy a magnetic album at Wal Mart for around $3. Take the magnetic pages out and throw them away, then fill the album with your pages in archival page protectors. That takes the price of a 50 page binder album to under $10!
If you prefer not to order from a catalog, the large craft chains like Michael's or Hobby Lobby usually have pretty good prices. Michael's often has 40% off coupons available, which takes the price of the albums to as little as $9.
Look for bargains in unexpected places. As scrapbooking becomes more popular, even the big discount chains are carrying scrapbook products, and you never know what you'll find in the clearance aisle! Buying in bulk saves as well, as Sam's Club sells Fiskars edgers for $9.49/3 pairs, and a pack of 15 Pentel gel pens for $7.99. If you've got friends who scrapbook, go in on a big paper order from an online supplier and you'll not only save on shipping, you'll be able to order a variety of colors for only around 6 cents/sheet. And by all means, share supplies! Take advantage of any scrapbook stores in your area that offer free or inexpensive cropping times where you can use their non-consumeable products. Things like punches and templates can get expensive, and if you can only borrow them when you need them you'll save a bundle.
Be sure to check out these other areas:
Scrapbook home|
Scrapbook product review|
Scrapbook page ideas|
Scrapbook savings|
Scrapbook beginner's guide|
Scrapbook layout index|
Scrapbook links
To view layouts according to specific categories, visit the layout index.
To view layouts as if you were actually looking through my scrapbooks, click on the links below.
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