6 Craft Supplies You Should Always Buy at the Dollar Store

We love a good deal. (Who doesn’t?!) We also love crafting, but DIY projects can rack up a hefty price tag fairly quickly. To help stretch our ever-tightening budgets, we shopped Dollar Store, Dollar General and Dollar Tree for the best craft materials.

Each store offers a variety of affordable craft supplies so it’s worth the trip to stop here before you start a new craft project. These are some of the items you’ll want to add to your cart.

1. Paints and Brushes

You can regularly find acrylic or tempera paint in a variety of colors. Occasionally, you might also score a specialty paint like chalk paint or watercolor. This is also a good time to pick up foam brushes or small bristle brushes if you don’t require a high-quality tool.

2. Paper Products

Basics like construction paper, cardstock, and tissue paper can always be found at the dollar store. You can even find scrapbook paper in limited colors! Poster board is always good for presentations or DIY signs, and the price is right.

3. Surfaces

Whether you paint or decoupage, you’ll find plenty of surfaces at the dollar store. Shop for wood craft shapes, canvases, and frames that make great surfaces to decorate. You can also score cheap glassware and dishes to transform into holiday decor or a sentimental flower vase.

4. Adhesives

Craft glue (also known as school glue), glue sticks for a glue gun, and Mod Podge are worth their discount price tag here. Use decoupage to transform just about any trinket into a festive holiday display (pro tip: look for patterned paper napkins to cut up and adhere with Mod Podge). Of course, you'll also find plenty of seasonal decorations you can glue onto various surfaces as well.

5. General Craft Materials

Craft classics like pipe cleaners, glitter, pom-poms, and googly eyes are a must for any crafter. You’ll also find adhesive letters, which work well for posters and signs.

6. Tools

Every crafter needs a set of tools to get the job done. Some items like scissors and craft sticks make perfect sense to buy at your dollar store. Buying inexpensive tools means you won't worry about getting them dirty or making a mess—and you can always upgrade to a fancier version down the road if you find yourself using a specific tool a lot.

Tips for Finding More Craft Supplies at the Dollar Store

Beyond materials, there are other buys at the dollar store that help crafters. For example, in the kitchen section, you’ll find items like food storage containers or a muffin pan. You can use this as a paint palette to keep your colors separated. Or use one to corral small items like beads while you work.

Beyond the craft aisle, look in the seasonal section for craft kits and holiday items. Craft kits can be a good item to keep on hand for kids.

Silk flowers, floral wire, ribbon, and yarn can also be tucked into different parts of the store. Walk the aisles to find one-off items.