Scrapbooking on a Budget - 8.5x11 vs 12x12

Hi! Today I wanted to share a new page and two more secrets for scrapbooking on a budget.

It has been a big dilemma for me to decide which size I want to scrapbook. Like many of you I started scrapbooking with 8.5x11 size. Then I completely switched to 12x12. After reading Ali Edwards's blog, I realized it was totally fine to do both sizes and I did that for a while. About 90% of my pages were 12x12 though. But this year I switched back and now about 90% of my pages are 8.5x11.

I made that choice based on two reasons. One - I noticed that each time I wanted to share an album with a guest, I felt more comfortable pulling out a smaller album. And two - the person who is most interested in these albums right now is my 5 year old. She loves flipping through the pages of my scrapbooks.

 But 12x12 album looks just a little too big for her...

It may be ok when she is sitting down, but taking such a large album from the bookshelf and placing it back is always a problem. She can handle the smaller one herself, but with 12x12 album she usually needs assistance...

That was my main reason to switch back to 8.5x11, the other benefit of it was - it was fitting my budget so much better! Yes, that's my next secret.

Secret #10: Scrapbook 8.5x11 size.

There's still plenty of room to play on this size of paper! It's an ideal size for one photo layouts. For the rest of them I just use smaller photos. I often print two photos on one 4x6 print as shown here. Most of my pages have 1-3 photos on them but I did manage to fit 9 photos on 8.5x11 layout before. Yes, they were small, but they seemed perfectly sized when served as a supportive element on a story based layout.

By making 8.5x11 scrapbook pages, you don't just save on paper that goes on the page...

... the biggest money saver here is in a storage solution for our masterpieces! Here is a rough example on storing both sizes of scrapbook pages. Sorry, we have to do a little math here :)

An average 12x12 scrapbook album costs $22. They usually range from $15 to $29. A pack of ten 12x12 page protectors are about $5. One 3 ring binder can fit 20 to 30 pages. To store 30 scrapbook pages, will cost you approximately $37.

An average 8.5x11 scrapbook album is five to ten dollars cheaper. If we talk real budget, you can get a plain 3 ring binder in an office supply store for under $5. I bought mine for $3.99. A pack of 50 sheet protectors are around $7. To store 30 scrapbook pages, will cost you approximately $9.

Both of my albums here have 30 pages in each.

I know this would not work for everybody. Some of you prefer larger square format. And that's the beauty of this hobby - we have so many choices! I'm not trying to convince anyone to scrapbook 8.5x11, but if your budget stops you from recording your memories, that's the way to go! My decision was made on how these albums were used, after I spent all those hours making pages and money saving came as a bonus :)

Here are a few links to blogs of some of my favorite scrapbookers who do a lot of 8x5x11 pages. Check them out: Jen Gallacher, Jen Jockisch, Geralyn Sy, Sasha Farina.

Secret #11: Buy 6x6 paper pads instead of 12x12.

Buying 6x6 paper packs instead of 12x12 is another money saver. And these papers work perfectly on 8.5x11 layouts.

Sometimes we like to have it all! But I know what I use, so I have to be very selective. I buy only a few pieces from collections I like, but when I like the collection a lot, I get one or two 12x12 pieces of paper from it and a 6x6 paper pad. This way I still get every pattern that was there, still get to enjoy the entire collection, but for a lot less money. A full size paper pack is usually around $19, when 6x6 size is $5 to $6.

 

The page I shared today was made completely of 6x6 papers by Echo Park, except for one strip of paper by Basic Grey on the left side of the page.

Here are a few links to my favorite 6x6 paper packs that I would like to add to my collection: by Teresa Collins Santa's List and Memorabilia, by Echo Park Paper Beautiful Life and by Basic Grey Hey You. 

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great weekend and I hope to see you soon!

Always love hearing from you :)