Cost Saving Tips You Really Need

"Soothing Tides"
36" x 24"
Available here.

Saving money is an important responsibility we all have when running our own business. So I thought it might be fun to share some great cost saving tips this week! Trust me, you should use every single one of these.

Shop around
I live in Los Angeles so I am lucky that I have the ability & luxury of choosing where to buy my art supplies. Even though I can easily drive to my favorite art store I also have found art supplies at a variety of places, including office supply stores, Wal Mart, large chain stores such as Michael's, or small businesses. I subscribe on my iphone to a lot of Apps such as Michaels and Jerry's Artarama. I follow their specials and coupon offers regularly and often buy my larger canvases at Michael's for 70% off. I promise you that these are great deals.

It also pays to shop online. The only disadvantage to buying your supplies online is that they will charge you for shipping. Just be smart as almost every retailer offers free shipping. Look for coupon codes on the home page of the seller's website.

Finally, a lot of art stores have extra discounts you should be aware of. Dick Blibk has an online matching program which searches online for any lower prices. They always match any low prices discovered by the computer. Also, Dick Blick has a preferred card that gives you an additional 10% off your entire purchase. And they give art students a 10% discount. Michael's gives an additional 10% discount to teachers as well.

So, don't be afraid to be cheap. It really pays off! Haha.