Back-to-school items can cost a small fortune, but it doesn't have to if you get a little crafty. There are quite a few items that, when purchased in the store, can cost much more than if you had made some changes to low-cost or already owned items. Doing these crafts at home can also allow you to personalize them to what your child likes instead of spending your time searching store shelves for the perfect item. So what are some crafts you can do to save yourself money on back to school items?
Decorated notebooks
Ever since I was young, I never liked plain, boring notebooks. I was always decorating and personalizing them to make them more my style. If you were to purchase a decorative notebook in the store, it can often cost you around $10 a piece. Forget that! Purchase a composition notebook from the dollar store, find decorative wrapping paper or scrapbook paper and use Mod Podge to adhere it to the covers of the notebook. The simple craft will allow your kids to make almost any type of notebook they want for a fraction of the store prices.
Revamped footwear
Basic footwear can cost enough as it is, but when there's glitter or rhinestones added on, that cost goes way up. Why pay extra when you can do it yourself? It's even an easy way to change up a pair of heels or sneakers that are scratched and scuffed instead of tossing them away. To glitter shoes, all you have to do is mix Mod Podge with fine glitter and apply it with a paint brush. To apply rhinestones, use a glue such as Gem-Tac to stick them on wherever you wish.
Fixed up fashions
From wearing down spots in jeans to turning a shirt into a skirt, there are numerous tutorials for how to fix up fashions you already own. If you're tired of your boring t-shirt, make a headband out of it or bleach a saying onto the front. With so many options, you could completely revamp almost everything in the closet.
Hair accessories
New hair accessories can be expensive, especially ones that are embellished. Instead of paying full price, head over to the dollar store and pick up some miniature flowers along with plain silver hair clips or bobby pins. Pop the flowers off the stems, add a drop of Krazy glue to the very end of the clips or bobby pins, then hold the flowers on until they stick. Let them sit for a few hours and you'll have a bunch of new hair accessories that cost less than $10 for the lot of them.
Locker décor
If you have some tins and spice containers lying around, they can make excellent locker décor. Clean them out, let them air dry, then adhere decorative paper to each using Mod Podge. Stick a magnet onto the back and your child will have enough organizational pieces to keep their locker tidy for the school year.
It'll take a little time and effort to make the crafts, but it can be worth it to save yourself quite a bit of money. It's also a good bonding experience for you and your child to make the projects together. Sure shopping is fun, but it's even better when you can end up with a whole pile of customized new back-to-school items all for a fraction of the price than what you would have paid in the stores.
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