Scrapbooking on Any Budget

“Scrapbooking is expensive because you need to buy so many materials.”

“I don’t even know where to start, there are too many things that you need for scrapbooking.”

“How much did you spend?!”

Many of us have probably said or heard the same thing about scrapbooking. It’s our hobby to document our memories, but man can the costs stack up. Just as I believe that each person needs to find their best way to scrapbook, they also need to work within their budget. Scrapbooking is about being intentional to document your stories, even when you might need to pinch some pennies.

But what if I could tell you that your budget can be zero dollars and you can still document your memories? You can of course break open your wallet and spend a pretty penny on many scrapbooking methods, but sometimes we have to work within limits to document our stories.

In another post I talked about 8 Different Ways to Scrapbook Your Photos. As a follow up, I wanted to use those same methods to compare the cost of scrapbooking. I want you to be able to see that there is a varying range of scrapbooking methods and costs so you can find the method that meets your budget. I don’t want you to feel stuck and avoid documenting your family’s stories because of the cost to scrapbook.

A Little Side Note

For an easy comparison, I am going to plan how I would document a summer vacation with 100 photos in one album. All budgets include a total of the current average retail value of the products needed. (Sounds kind of like the Price is Right… “The current average retail value IS….” – can’t you just hear Bob Barker?) Also, I will be leaving out shipping costs since that can vary depending on where you live. Any of the products I mention are items that I would personally buy myself, have used, or have received recommendations for that particular product.

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Now onto the fun stuff 🙂

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Freebie Products

The “freebie” products are the items that I would usually expect for a scrapbooker to normally have on hand or purchase to make multiple projects. I wouldn’t call it fair to include these items in the cost of your project since they will be a staple in your crafting supplies. Items like this are your favorite journaling pens, paper cutter, and scissors.

Traditional Photo Album Scrapbook Cost = $35

Traditional Photo Album Scrapbooking uses a photo album to display your photos, but without adding creative embellishments. You simply slide your pictures into the photo album and jot down little notes and stories in the margins and you are done.

This method takes only two (technically three) supplies to complete and album. A traditional photo album, your photos, and a pen – that’s it! It comes down to a total of $35 for a completed vacation album. When you are strapped for a budget, but want to have your photos printed and ready this is the best method to store your photos and write down your memories.

Supplies:

• Traditional Photo Album
• 100 Printed Photos
• Favorite Pen – Freebie

Traditional Scrapbook Cost = $130

Traditional Scrapbooking is what most people think of when they hear the word “scrapbooking”. It’s the method of using patterned paper, adhesives, embellishments, and any other decorative items to scrapbook their photos.

This method uses a lot of supplies, but the amount and number of supplies is up to you. Since everyone’s creative process is different, it can be hard to pinpoint an exact cost. For those of you who want to simplify or are just starting out, looking for scrapbook kits can be helpful to provide the variety of supplies to use on one project.

I want to show you the cost if you bought everything separately but staying within a reasonable budget to create a 12×12 scrapbook album. Most of us are looking for more supplies to fit the layout or theme, so we buy them at different times or buy additional items after purchasing a kit. This method takes about six different types of supplies: a top-loading scrapbook and refill pages, adhesive tape, printed photos, designer paper, embellishments, and your freebie basic supplies of journaling pens and a paper cutter.

This method is going to be one of the more expensive methods to complete an album, at $116. But these are the types of albums where your artistic and creative passions can really flourish. Self-control is a must to stick to a budget using this method, but you can find some great embellishment packs that go a long way.

Supplies:

• Top-Loaded Scrapbook and Refill Pages
• Adhesive Tape (Acid-Free)
• 100 Printed Photos
• Designer 12×12 Paper Pads
• Embellishments, Die-Cuts
• Stickers and Thicker Letter Fonts
• Favorite Journaling Pen, Scissors, and Paper Cutter – Freebies

Photo Pocket Scrapbook Cost = $70

Photo Pocket Scrapbooking is the most recent style in the scrapbooking world to make memory keeping quick and easy. It’s a simple method that anyone of any age can use. You need very little supplies and you can complete an album in a short amount of time.

Becky Higgins, who created Project Life, one of the main pocket scrapbooking systems, promotes that you can create an entire album without scissors or adhesive – and it can be done! However, I would also keep a paper cutter or scissors on hand just in case you decide to trim down your photos to fit in the smaller pocket spaces.

The supplies needed to complete a Photo Pocket Scrapbook album include: a designer album, photo pocket page protectors, printed photos, a designer card kit, and your freebies of a journaling pen and paper cutter. All of those supplies come to a fairly cost effective total of $70! For a 12×12 album of approximately 30 pages that comes down to a cost of $2.33 per page. That’s not too bad!

Supplies:

• Designer Album
• Page Protectors (2 packs)
• 100 Printed Photos
• Designer Value Card Kit (for larger projects, try one of the core kits)
• Favorite Journaling Pen, Scissors, and Paper Cutter – Freebies

App Scrapbook Cost = $105

App Scrapbooking has taken memory keeping on the go for busy women. It’s the ability to scrapbook, journal and print your photos in a single layout right from your smartphone or tablet. Even better than Pocket Scrapbooking, you only need 1 item to complete these pages – your smartphone! No paper, no scissors, no card kits, no organizing and printing your photos before scrapbooking them. It’s all from the palm of your hand.

The cost to complete an album includes the purchase of the Project Life App by Becky Higgins, the purchase of one in-app card kit, and the cost to print your finished layouts. Once you are done designing your layouts, you can export them for printing or you can print directly from the app with their partnered printing house.

After printing you will need to store your layouts in an album with page protectors, but all of the “scrapbooking” is done digitally on your smartphone. It allows you to scrapbook on the go and not have to worry about not having all of your supplies on hand.

Although the cost is higher than the physical version, the total of $104 is an all-inclusive, convenient method to complete an album. Being able to complete layouts on your phone and have a printed, finished product is worth the extra cost.

Supplies:

• App for Phone/Tablet
• In-App Purchases (designer kits, upgraded layouts, upgraded fonts)
• Printed Final 12×12 Layouts
• 12×12 Page Protectors
• Designer Album
• In-App Freebies (basic kits, layouts, fonts)

Software Scrapbook Cost = $115

Digital scrapbooking is also a more recent trend where you can use programs like Photoshop Elements or Photoshop to create your scrapbook pages. This method has a steep learning curve, but has been more widely used over the last few years. The scrapbook pages created in the software programs can be done in any scrapbook page size and can be created similar to free-form scrapbooking or in the structured layout like Project Life.

The supplies needed to complete an album are the software program and digital element files as well as page protectors and designer albums once you print your photos. The digital elements can be purchased in larger kits or individually. You can find them on scrapbook creator websites and from independent designers on Etsy.

Although this method does require knowledge of the software programs, it is the best option for those of us who want to work directly on your computer. It comes at a higher cost in both time and money, but the convenience for the tech savvy scrapbooker is worth the extra cost.

Supplies:

• Digital Papers, Embellishments, Titles, and Fonts (Etsy has great options, like this Shop – OohLaLaScraps)
• Printed Final 12×12 Layouts
• 12×12 Page Protectors
• Designer Album
• Software Program – Freebie

Online Photobook Scrapbook Cost = $90

A part of digital scrapbooking has been photobooks from Shutterfly and other online printing centers. This has made life easier to create a special album online that prints a beautiful hardcover photobook.

The only thing you need is your computer and your photos uploaded to the website – that is it! Creating online photobooks can take some time, but most companies also provide great sample layouts or “pre-fill” pages. The online programs are drag-and-drop so you can choose what photos you want to include with ease.

This version of scrapbooking gives everyone an opportunity to create beautiful digital projects quickly and easily without having to learn Photoshop. It also comes at a significantly cheaper price than the Software Scrapbooking style and you end up with a hardcover book.

Supplies:

• Standard 12×12 Hardcover Photobook
• Additional Pages Add on (10 pages)
• Internet Access and Computer – Freebie

Hybrid Scrapbook Cost = $155

Hybrid scrapbooking combines the best of both worlds of digital and physical memory keeping. Digital scrapbooking has been revolutionary for many of us, but sometimes the printed pages are missing that 3D effect that physical scrapbooking has that livens up a layout. Adding acid-free embellishments to printed layouts can achieve that 3D effect results for the on-the-go scrapbooker and brings an extra element of creativity.

Supplies for the hybrid method uses a “little of column A, a little of column B”. Digital layouts can be made and printed in any of the methods, and once printed the embellishments bring the layout to life by adding paper flowers, die-cuts, chipboard titles, buttons, thickers, or any other acid-free embellishment.

For this method it truly is the “expanded” budget, but it provides a great amount of creativity while allowing you to scrapbook on the go.

Supplies:

• App for Phone/Tablet
• In-App Purchases (designer kits, upgraded layouts, upgraded fonts)
• Printed Final 12×12 Layouts
• 12×12 Page Protectors
• Designer Album
• Adhesive Tape (Acid-Free)
• Embellishments, Die-Cuts
• Stickers and Thicker Letter Fonts
• Slick Writer Photo Journaling Pen
• Favorite Journaling Pen, Scissors, and Paper Cutter – Freebies

Social Sharing Scrapbook Cost = $0, FREE

Social Sharing Scrapbooking – is there really such a thing?! Yes, it is a real thing even though it may not feel like it for some “traditionalist” scrapbookers. Remember that the process of scrapbooking is bringing your photos and stories together. Writing down the stories is the utmost important.

The supplies you need are your photos to upload to a photo sharing or social sharing website. This is NOT a method or suggestion to store your photos for printing later on (although some Photo sharing sites are good for that.) Social Sharing on Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks is a great place to capture your memories, thoughts, and feelings in the moment to reference down the road. Shutterfly, Google Photos, and Flickr are also good options for social sharing. They all provide options to include descriptions on your photos for documenting those stories and share those “albums” with your friends and family.

If your current season in life doesn’t allow you much time or money to scrapbook in any of the other formats, then social sharing scrapbooking is a great option. You will be thankful that you wrote down those stories when you go to scrapbook them later on in life.

Supplies:

• Social or Photo Sharing website
• Computer and Internet Access – Freebies

Let’s Recap Those Budgets & One Last Tip

Where do we stand with all of the methods?

Scrapbook Method and Average Cost:

• Traditional Photo Album – $35
• Traditional Scrapbooking – $130
• Photo Pocket Scrapbooking – $70
• App Scrapbooking – $105
• Software Scrapbooking – $115
• Online Photobook Scrapbooking – $90
• Hybrid Scrapbooking – $155
• Social Sharing Scrapbooking – $0 (FREE!!)

All of these methods achieve the one main goal of scrapbooking – to document our photos and stories together. Sticking with one method, combining multiple methods, or trying them all out achieves those goals.

Also one last tip: don’t forget that a lot of these items you can find buy with coupons, discounts, or deals on shipping discounts to reduce the cost of your project so the prices may vary.

Time to Get Scrapbooking!

I hope that this post has provided you with the options that are feasible for your budget to scrapbook your family memories. It’s easy to get stuck in the scrapbooking aisles at Michaels or what seems like unlimited options online, but if you focus in on one project, you can make the right purchases to stick within your budget and have your memories documented to cherish forever!

And if you’ve made it this far (haha) – let me know what you think! Are you surprised or not shocked about the costs for each method? As a seasoned scrapbooker, I know I was shocked at the comparison of some of the methods!!

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Lead your best creative life today – talk to you soon!
Julie