Where are the best places to find what I need to start crafting?
If you can, buy from local stores to support small businesses.
If you can't, check out the following places for supplies
Always Check Clearance
No matter what store you go to first, always check to see if there are supplies in the clearance section. You can find great deals for off cuts of fabric, slightly unraveled skeins of yarn, or other supplies that are still perfectly good!
Thrift Stores
While thrift stores aren't great when you're looking for specific patterns and supplies, they can be a great place to find diamonds in the rough. Sometimes metal knitting needles and crochet hook collections will be bundled and sold together for extremely low prices, meaning you can start your own collection of tools to pull from for any project! Sometimes they may also have thrifted yarn, but the best thing to look for here are thrifted sheets, curtains, clothes, and other reused fabrics! You have a great chance of finding a lot of fabric for much less money than you would find used. Great for practicing patterns or getting inspired!
Walmart
Walmart has a surprisingly strong crafting section of their stores, although it won't have quite as much variety as a crafting store. Some Walmart stores even still have a fabric section, although some have been phased out. Check online before buying to compare prices for crochet hooks, knitting needles, embroidery floss, sewing needles, yarn, fabric, and much more!
40% Off Hobby Lobby
Hobby Lobby always has a 40% off coupon on a single item online - if you need something big, check here!
Checking for Sales
In general, my life motto is this: never buy anything if it's not on sale. Although locally, the closest store is Hobby Lobby, you can order supplies online from places like Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics and compare their prices before buying. Each of these stores often have weekly advertisements posted on their website that list what categories are on sale. Before starting any type of big project, particularly one where you'll need a lot of yarn or different types of fabric, look to see if they're on sale at any of these stores!