How To Find Free & Thrifty DIY, Art & Craft Classes
Have you ever thought about taking an art class or specific craft class? Maybe even cake decorating? Is there something crafty you have always wanted to learn? Maybe you saw something on a home fix-it TV show that you really wanted to try at your house. Most people think they have to take private lessons with someone or sign up for a semester at your local community college to get a chance to give it a go. That can seem daunting, expensive and bit too much commitment for some people. Wouldn’t it be great to have the option to just show up on a Saturday, take a class to learn the basics and then be able to choose if you want more or if you hate it all together before you’re roped in or committed? Lucky for you those options do exist!!!
Free & Low Cost DIY Classes
Want to learn to lay tile, paint interiors or build a raised garden bed? Want to do it free? Check out the DIY class calendar at your local home improvement store. Stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s offer all kinds of DIY classes on the weekends. They want your business and they are willing to teach you for free! In fact, they have many free workshops for kids where parents can work with kids to build bird-feeders and toys! Quality family time + learning to build? Sounds like a win win to me.
- Check out the workshops for your local Home Depot here.
- Check out the kids workshops for your local Lowe’s here.
Free & Low Cost Arts, Crafts & Cake Decorating Classes
If you make trips to your locally owned craft store or your mega chain store often, you may have noticed that they offer classes but never thought about actually taking one. By taking a beginner class for less than $30 + supplies or just the cost of the basic supplies, you can be on your way to learning a new craft without having to commit “semesters” of your life or pay for private lessons. Craft store classes include things like scrap-booking, knitting, crocheting, jewelry making, painting, flower arranging, cake decorating & wedding cake decorating. (Please note, paying for formal classes and private lessons is a great idea. With either of these options you will get in-depth training. If you just want to figure out if you like something, trying one of these free to low-cost classes first can be a great place to start. Or check with a private instructor to see if they are willing to give an intro class without having to commit to long-term lessons.)
Cake Decorating- The exception to this are cake decorating classes. They are a little more involved. You will need to go one day a week for several weeks to master this art. If you are already a baker that probably won’t be a stretch for you. My mom took a class and she used her skills to make special cakes for birthdays and celebrations around our house.
Pinterest Party- I recently found that Micheal’s is offering a Pinterest party at the store. They offer 4 Pinterest project options, you grab the supplies for the project you want to do and head to the craft room to be taught how to make it. This would be a fun thing to plan with your tweens, teens or ladies day out activity. You buy supplies and they teach you for free.
Free Online Tutorials and Videos-
Take one look at Pinterest and you can see that there are plenty of people in the world providing step by step instructions or videos to teach you just about anything on the planet that you want to learn. If you like reading, teaching yourself or watching Youtube video’s you can learn most crafts for free from the comfort of your living room. You can pause, rewind and fast-forward the instructor which you can’t do live lol. I’ve learned to do many things from canning to knitting patterns watching videos online!
My Experience With In-Store Classes:
In my experience craft store art classes are really good. As a teen I told my parents that I wanted to take some painting lessons. They were smart because they signed me up for a Michael’s water-color class. It cost about $25 and I spent 2 hours painting a specific project and learned all the basic water-color painting techniques. It was just enough to teach me the basics of watercolor and I taught myself the rest! I did watercolor painting all the time after this class and I didn’t have to keep going or have my parents shell out tons of cash on art classes. I got my fill of a specific painting style that helped me master many of the things I learned in my public school art classes.
I hope this post has inspired you to consider taking a free or low-cost class to get you motivated in an area of DIY, arts or crafts! Learning doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. You can do it and there is a world of tools around you just waiting for you to show up, register or click! Please share your experiences with any of the classes listed above in the comments section below!
Kim Anderson
About Me
Kim Anderson is the organized chaos loving author behind the Thrifty Little Mom Blog. She helps other people who thrive in organized chaos to stress less, remember more and feel in control of their time, money, and home. Kim is the author of: Live, Save, Spend, Repeat: The Life You Want with the Money You Have. She’s been featured on Time.com, Money.com, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, and more!