Crafting these days is not like when our grandmother craft way back when.  Its more sophisticated and with that more expensive.  No more cheap way to spend some quality me time any more.  Like all scrappers their budget gets blown out the window when buying little emblishments and paper.  Its alot to get started and alot to old die hard croppers.  From die cut machines to just double sided tape all the little things add up in the hundreds (and I mean HUNDREDS).  Here's a few tips on how to budget and get lots of great layouts for pennies.  First you have to go through those photos.  Yes, the ones that are cramed in a box or still in the envelope they came in.  Best way to organize is to work on the living room floor when everyone is sleeping or at school.  spreed out categories (example by Months, Years, childern, or holidays)  If you notice you have way to many and feel overwhelmed just break them into holidays.  then put them away in baggies mark that special holiday.  Return to them one by one and sort through them baggy at a time.  Now you will not feel as overwhelmed.  You will notice that you might have 3 maybe even 7 Christmas's and none of them have a date on them.  Don't worry just pick out the ones that everyone is dress the same and group them that way.  Then you might get luck and find a date on one bunch and you could be able to guess the years on the rest.  If you still can't remember (your getting old :) ) that's ok too.  Just scrap them anyways you don't always need to know every detail about the photo.  What really matters is that you have those photos to look back on and know that you cared enough to take them in the first place.  Now take the one group of photos (lets say 1998 Christmas)  and discard any that have to much chaos in them or are damage from Acid or have a big old thumb in the way.  You should now see a group of photos go from 15 to 5.  Do this with all photos.  Your ready to scrapbook now.  You can find all your scrapping needs at your local craft store but we want to save some money.  I'm not saying you aren't going to need to go there to get somethings but the extras are probably right at your fingertips and you don't even know it.  Lets stay with the Christmas theme.  Ok you've got your 6 different cute 12x12 paper that cost you probably $3.00 already to start scrapping.  Well, you didn't need to buy such expensive paper even though it's awfully cute.  You only need to use 1 of those 12x12 prints.  You didn't save your reciept so just save the other 5.  Now this is how you save a bit of cash.  Buy a stack of multicolored 12x12 cardstock.  Usually 25-50 come in a pack.  Look how much cheaper that was (but not as pretty).  Take a red one and a green one out for this layout.  Lets assume you do not own a paper cutter.  All you need is a ruler and sissors.  Lets assume you don't have a Xyron mechine all you need is a glue stick or doublesided tape (most tapes are acid free even if they don't say it is).  You will need a black pen (one this a scrapper always needs)  this you must make sure is acid free.  It will run you around $3 but last a long time as long as you remember to put the cap back on it.  Allright we are ready.  We will use one of the color cardstock as our background.  Example green.  Then cut your mattes.  Make sure you double matte your photos it truely makes them look better.  If you are a beginer don't try to crop just matte your 4x6 photo as is.  Thus, the first matte needs to be 1/4inch all the way around then the 2nd matte another 1/4inch.  You will find that once your photos are matted you can only place 2 of them on a 12x12 page.  You ask yourself what do I do with the other 3 photos?  Easy make another page that look pretty much like the one your doing now.  Ok, now you have two big spaces on your 12x12 page and it looks a bit plain.  That ok we are not done yet.  Measure the spaces and cut out mattes the same as you did for your photos.  Don't glue yet!  Let create a title how about Christmas Cheer Christmas was Here!  To many words you say no you have another layout to make and the rest of the title goes on that page.  First page will say Christmas Cheer.  Use your pencil and make block letter.  If you don't think that it looks neat enough and you don't have stencils don't worry.  Look for approprate size fonts in magazines.  No, we are not using them as is.  When saving money sometimes we need to put in some more time.  Place them on your scrap peices of paper and trace them.  Then cut them out.  If you have enough paper double matte them.  Now find some ribbon red or green or maybe even buy a spool that doesn't cost more than a $1.  and wrap your mattes like a present.  You can even go into your husbands garage and find all kinds of thing to emblish your layout.  Example sandpaper, wire, twine, metal... it is endless and now go back inside and raid your son's desk you will find colored paper clips, stapler, colored chalk and lots more... Go into your bathroom you will find saftypins, cotton balls and that's about all in there.  Go into your kitchen and you will find toothpicks, plastic bags, paper bags.  There are lots and lots of things laying around your home that can be used as tools or even emblishments.  Back to the Christmas page.  Write on one of the mattes (with your black pen) what import people were at your home that day or maybe what your son like best that year from Santa.  Find some old buttons that maybe from a red sweater.  Use them as a berry for some holly.  Make leaves out of green scraps.  Crumpling them makes a great look.  Use sandpaper and lightly sand all of your elements.  This give you that trendy look of aged paper.  Now you just arange your mattes and title around the page until you are satisfied.  Just glue it down and you have made a beautiful 1st page layout.  Cost you .50 for pattern paper, $3 for pen but you aren't using this all so maybe .01 usage, spool of ribbon $1, package of cardstock $10.00 but you are only using 2 peices so .30 for 2.  and everything else you have at home.

I hope this help those who read this to look outside the box.  Or should I say away from the over priced store bought items.

Please visit my auctions and take a peek or better yet bid :)  smilegigglelol