Just because you’re a witch doesn’t mean your craft has to cost a fortune. In fact, it should never cost a fortune unless you want it to. While witchcraft is different for everyone, practicing as a witch is often about finding magic in simple things around you and creating something beautiful from them. Social media has played a huge part in the expensive expectation for those first coming into witchcraft in this day and age. From large and extravagant altar setups to enormous luxury crystals, many people are under the impression that you have to have dozens of crystals, candles, and tarot decks in order to truly practice, but that’s not true. Don’t get us wrong, while these tools can be fun and inspiring to add to your collection and can help you to enhance the energy in your craft; they do not supply the magic––you do. The magic is within you, dear witch, and you put magic into everything you use, whether it’s cheap or expensive items, and we’re here to show you that.
So, in this article, we are going to talk all about witchcraft on a budget. Whether you’re a beginning witch or already well into your craft, today, we’re going to share a few tips to help you find the perfect way to practice that won’t put stress on your finances. Let’s begin. 
To start, while delving into witchcraft and all its many aspects can be exciting and tempting, it’s always good to focus on just one aspect of the craft that really calls to you to help you keep a level head and avoid splurging. If it’s crystals, perhaps try investing in items that have to do with crystals. If it’s tarot, invest in items that have to do with tarot. More than anything, you have to be honest with yourself about what items you want can realistically have (for example, if you live in a space where you can’t smoke cleanse, you don’t need to stock up on smudge sticks or incense).
Above all else, just try to focus on one thing at a time to help cut the costs and help you focus on learning about this branch of the craft thoroughly before filling your space with countless items.
Next, another wonderful tip for those on a budget is to remember that you can create an altar out of anything. While you may see some people with large, luxury altars on social media, it’s important to understand that you don’t need something large and extravagant like that for it to be powerful. In fact, it can be as small as a mint tin and still hold the same amount of power for you. The main thing is understanding that anything, including a cardboard box, a small corner in your room, or a tiny windowsill, can be an altar, and it can contain as little or as many things as you want. The key is just building an altar that connects with you. And if that altar only contains a single rock or a small cup of water you have put your intention into that feels special, that’s all you truly need.
Next, another great budget witch tip is to collect things from nature to use in your practice. Since witchcraft in its many forms is a way of establishing a deeper connection with the earth, the elements, and the natural aspects of the world around you, working with things you find in nature that call so you can be an excellent idea. For example, rocks and pebbles are a great thing to collect. While they may not look as magical as crystals, they still come from the earth just as crystals do and hold their own form of energetic essence like crystals. The best part is you can get totally crafty and creative with whatever you find! You could carve symbols or runes into rocks or sticks, create your own jewelry from small stones, bundle your own smudge stick with herbs from your garden, craft altar brooms or wands, and so much more. Please just make sure whatever you collect in nature is something that has already fallen to the ground, so you don’t harm any plants or trees in the process.
Whatever you choose to do, turning to nature is a great way for witches on a budget to work with nature items and energy in their craft and establish a deeper connection with the earth in the process. Just be sure to ask permission from the earth and offer gratitude to nature for anything you take. And, of course, always leave a small offering in return to restore balance. 
Now, while it can be nice to have your own private library of mystical books, sometimes it’s just not realistic with how much books can cost. For that reason, one of our favorite budget witch tips is to learn about the craft through all the reliable resources you have around you. Right now, we live in the day and age where social media is the hottest topic around, and with that comes a variety of sources from different witches online. Whether it’s from free ebooks, apps, informative witchy blogs, inspiring podcasts, or magical videos, the internet is full of a plethora of helpful content to help you learn the craft and find your way in it without spending a dime. Of course, if you prefer a physical copy of reading material, you can always visit your local library and check out books there for free as well.
Above all else, until you’re able to afford that witchy library of your dreams, be sure to make sure of all the wonderful free learning sources around you in the meantime!
Next, another way to incorporate and work with the herbal aspect of witchcraft is to learn from the spices and teas in your cupboard. Instead of stocking up on a variety of herbs that are likely to be quite costly, why not start learning and incorporating magic from the herbs in your cupboard? Cinnamon, basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley are all just a few examples of common household seasonings that you can learn from and use in your everyday practices to add a little bit of magic to what you’re doing. Not to mention, you can also work with the herbs from your tea packets by cutting them open and using them for spells and rituals at your altar. When in doubt, always check your kitchen cupboard before going all out!
To go along with working with the spices from your kitchen, you can also use plenty of residue from food in your practices. For example, eggshells are often ground down and used in spells for fertility, while certain fruits, such as orange peels, can be dried out to use for positivity and protection.
You can also re-use jars and containers from food or even empty candle containers for your witchy practices. Truly, this just goes to show you that you may be surrounded by more magical things in your daily life than you think, so don’t be afraid to get creative and try something new with what you have lying around.
Now, another big part of witchcraft is getting, well, crafty! If you love to get creative, you might find yourself working to craft your own household items, such as candles. Candle-making can be a fun and affordable way to create your own environmentally-friendly candles and can also save you a bunch of money. While you may have to drop a little bit of money to get the stuff you need at the beginning of candle making, such as wax, jars, and wicks, after the initial cost, it will save you a ton of money in the long run as you will no longer be buying individual candles each season.
Another example is making cleansing sprays. While buying a variety of uplifting sprays to use for cleansing or preparing for rituals can be fun, you can also make your own for much cheaper. One of our favorites is to just simply use water and salt to create a powerful detoxing and cleansing spray. Of course, you can get even craftier and make your own with essential oils, if you prefer. More than anything, if you’re up for a bit of DIY and love to get creative, you might try safely crafting your own tools to use in your practice if you’re on a budget.
Next, instead of buying fancy goblets and candle holders that are likely to run you between $50 and $100, why not try checking your local flea markets or thrift stores for some antique goodies? If you’ve ever been to a thrift store, you know there are always a variety of unique treasures to be found there. From clothes to candle holders, chalices, and small tables for altars, you never know what you’re going to find when you shop local places. Not to mention, you’ll be recycling by shopping from hand-me-down places, so this is also environmentally friendly, which is a huge plus!
So, before you go shopping for brand new luxury decor from that expensive spiritual shop down the street, make a day of it and check all your local thrifty places first, as you never know what you may find tucked away.
Next, one of the biggest things many witches like to do is fill their homes with plants and flowers. Although, if we’re being honest, plants and flowers that are already growing can be pretty costly. Therefore, if you want to work some plant magic and work more closely with the earth, you can try planting your own small garden with some cheap seeds and just a little bit of soil that should only run you a few dollars. The best part is that tending to a garden is not only a wonderful activity that can help you to ground and bond with the earth, but as your plants and herbs grow, you can clip them, and if they are edible, you could even use them in your cooking. When they grow large, you may even be able to safely clip enough from them to wrap your own smudge sticks to burn to cleanse your home.
On top of that, if you have flowers in your garden as well, you can pick off a few petals to dry and use in your practices for beauty or love! More than anything, a garden is a fun, fulfilling, and rejuvenating way to reconnect with the earth and can be very multi-use in your craft.
Next, another great tip for witches on a budget is instead of spending a bunch of money on a piece of jewelry with a specific symbol, rune, or sigil, you might consider taking a piece of paper and drawing your own. While simple, this is an excellent tip because you can truly take this with you on the go. Whether it’s for protection, abundance, or positive energy, you can create your own symbol with its own meaning and place it in a wallet, purse, or pocket to carry a little extra magic with you everywhere you go.
Next, there’s no doubt that those wooden-carved statues of deities and symbols are beautiful, but they are also terribly expensive and can be hard to come by. For that reason, to go along with getting crafty, another great idea is to make your own symbols, statues, and talisman. For example, clay is an inexpensive way to create your own shapes and symbols to leave on your altar and can be incredibly fun to play around with. Of course, if you aren’t a fan of clay, you can also make this even more budget-friendly and try making this out of paper mache, which only consists of flour, water, and a little bit of paper.
More than anything, crafting your own tools if you have a passion for it is a great way to add a beautiful personal touch to your craft and can help you to freely press yourself while also saving money in the process.
And lastly, while you may not have a fancy journal to document all your magical research in, the notes section on your phone is a great way to keep track of your craft and use it as your own book of shadows. Whether you choose to document simple ideas throughout the day or create a full-blown novel from it, this is a great way to carry your craft with you on the go and can help you cut the costs of buying pens and journals if you’re short on money.
Overall, you don’t have to have expensive decor or ingredients in order to be a witch or in order to practice. Truly, witchcraft is all about adding magic to the simple things in your life to make it special. Whether it’s collecting rocks instead of crystals, planting seeds instead of nurturing fully grown plants, or using a small box instead of an altar table, remember, the magic doesn’t lay in that $100 crystal or that $60 tarot deck––these are simply just tools you can use to enhance your own magic, but they do not create it. Magic is within you, and even the smallest, seemingly meaningless things in your life can be full of magic if you choose to see them that way. Believe in yourself, dear witch. You are far more powerful on your own than you think.
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Melissa Santos
January 09, 2024
I love this article, this has had me feeling a lot better about my small alters, I have a few and 2 are small stands. I thought 💭 is it too small to work with? But then my inside gut said no it’s wonderful! Just do it! So I kept it! I’m glad I did! Thank you! 🙏