My 6yo is obsessed with art right now which is great except it's costing me a fortune. She wants new markers, paints, specialty paper literally every week. I've been hitting up thrift stores for supplies - found a HUGE set of Cra-Z-Art markers for $3 last week. Anyone else have good spots for cheap art stuff? Or am I just gonna be stuck buying this stuff forever lol
Dollar Tree has decent markers and those blank paper pads now. Also check Facebook Marketplace - parents are constantly getting rid of art supplies their kids stopped using.
Thrift stores are the move. I found a Cra-Z-Art mega set for $2 last month. Also hit up craft stores' clearance sections - they rotate inventory constantly.
This is smart thinking. Instead of buying new every week, could you set up a 'art supply rotation' where she gets one new thing per week but has to use what she has first? Teaches delayed gratification and keeps costs down.
Save those art request conversations for when she actually runs out instead of buying new stuff constantly. My 6yo thinks markers grow on trees because I kept replacing them. Now we wait til they're actually empty and she's way more thoughtful about using them.
Hardware stores sometimes have cheap paint and supplies. Also - old egg cartons, toilet paper tubes, newspaper. Free materials that are actually way more interesting to kids than premium markers.
Sign in to join the conversation.
Costco has bulk art supplies that are actually cheaper per unit than buying individual sets. We stock up every few months instead of the weekly thing.