How to be a miniturist or crafty gal/guy on a budget

As much fun as all of my creative pursuits are, they can undoubtedly be quite expensive. So I've had to get creative about how to stretch every dollar I spend, and how to access resources for free.
These are my crafty tips:

• Always check the dollarstore before buying anything at a more expensive store or ordering it online. Check all the dollarstores you can, because you will find different things at every store. Hit up the biggest dollarstores in your city for best results
•  
• As a beginner miniturist, work from kits as much as you can. They are less expensive and a good way to practice your skills.  Greenleaf Dollhouse Kits are inexpensive, and a good place to start. Greenleaf also carries furniture kits. There are several other brands of kits available. If you think you'll eventually want to build miniature furniture, room boxes or dollhouses from scratch, it's always best to start with a kit. 
•  
• Consider checking out the hobby section at Walmart for scrapbooking supplies, and storage cases for your supplies. I have been known to call Walmart Walfart because I am not fond of the way they treat their employees (it's REALLY bad), but the fact is, their stuff is cheap, I don't have much money right now, and I want to continue enjoying a hobby that I love.
• Before you go to Michael's, find the Michael's store that is closest to you (you can do this online with Google search), click on that store's place page, and print out all the coupons for that week.
• Take advantage of the huge wealth of knowledge and free information available on the internet.
• In Edmonton, I can access two major American Miniature magazines for free. I just need my library card and internet access and I can read these articles at home on my computer. I can also save any "project" articles and print them out later. This is much better than paying $7 per magazine.
• Because I have a Galaxy Samsung Tablet, I have been able to download apps for the two major British Dollhouse Magazines. Now that I have the app, I can buy single issues or a yearly subscription, for about half of what I would pay for a paper copy. These magazines can be found for about $11.50 per issue at Chapters. A digital edition is a great option for me, especially since I can also view these magazines on my computer and print out whichever articles I like. The app is called pocketmags and is for British magazines. You can view these magazines on your iPad as well.
• Join your local miniatures or craft of your choice club. It's a fun way to socialize, and you'll get a lot of advice on where to get hard to find products for the least amount of money.