Craft Room Ideas on a Budget: 3 Tips to Save Money at IKEA

Inside: My best tip for saving money at IKEA. With insider info, photos, and more to help you get furniture and craft room ideas on a budget while shopping at IKEA.

If you're like me, you're looking for craft room ideas on a budget. Even if you have a lot of moolah to spend on your craft space, I bet you would buy supplies instead of storage, wouldn't you? When I set up my small space craft room, I didn't pay full price for anything.

Ten years earlier, when I created my storefront, I got all my displays, worktables, and storage for less than 50% of retail.

There's one section of every IKEA that is my first stop when I go into the store, and it's something most people skip. IKEA hides this section at the end of the store in a far corner that most people miss entirely!

There's a secret to almost never paying full price at IKEA when looking for craft room ideas on a budget.

I've been using this secret for decades, and while it might seem obvious, I was surprised to find out that many people don't know about it.

The FIRST Place You MUST Go in IKEA for the Best Deals

Everyone looking for craft room ideas on a budget needs to know this: your first stop at IKEA should always be the “As-Is” section.

The As-Is section includes:

• Store samples
• Returns of assembled furniture
• Discontinued items
• Store shelving and displays that IKEA doesn't make or offer for sale
• Damaged items
• Pieces of furniture

IKEA marks down all these items and gathers them in one handy corner of the store: the “As-Is” section. 

Why the As-Is Section is My First Stop Every Time I Go to IKEA:

• Assembled furniture. Pick up furniture that other customers have returned that is assembled and ready to go in your craft space.
• Store displays. Want a HUGE table or a countertop? Get store displays that aren't usually sold in IKEA, for rock bottom prices.
• Huge markdowns. Save money buying floor samples, damaged items, discontinued items, or returns. You can often find the same items from the current IKEA catalog and showroom but for up to 90% off!
• Discover new solutions. Find the exact item you want (or an alternative solution) at an amazing price without walking through the entire showroom.
• Feel good about buying used IKEA furniture. IKEA's Buy Back program allows customers to sell their used IKEA furniture back to IKEA, preventing it from ending up in landfills or thrift shops.

I've scored many of my favorite craft room ideas on a budget, including the storage solutions below, from the As-Is section in my local IKEA stores. 

This craft table is from IKEA's As-Is section. It's perfect for making small craft projects and scrapbook pages. And no one would even know it cost 60% less than the same table from the IKEA show room.

And that circular rug peeking out from the right edge of the photo above is also from the As-Is section. I purchased it for $40, used it for 8 years, then sold it on Facebook Marketplace for $50. I made money after using the rug for almost a decade!

See even more craft room ideas on a budget featuring furniture I got in the As Is Section in my post about IKEA Craft Rooms.

Here's What You Need to Know About Shopping IKEA's As-Is Section:

• Most items are already assembled
• You can ask for tools at the return counter to help you take apart anything in the As-Is section so it will fit in your vehicle.
• Some of the items are damaged or missing pieces. Since you're mega-crafty, you can probably figure out a quick and easy fix.
• If the missing pieces are significant, ask the staff if they have any additional pieces in the back. Sometimes, you can hack together a fix or even get the part you need for free.
• If the finish is damaged on the item, spray paint it!
• Shop early. They put out the best stuff in the morning, and by the afternoon, it's usually picked over.
• Start your shopping trip at As-Is. Then, if you don't find anything that fits the bill, go to the showroom and start shopping.

If you have a truck, the As-Is section can be your best friend for major deals at IKEA. 

No truck? The returns desk will let you borrow tools to take your As-Is purchase apart. We went to IKEA for a bed for my college-age daughter's room and found the one we wanted in As-Is. It took about 30 minutes to get it apart, but we did it with the tools from the returns section.

How to Get to the IKEA As-Is Section

The As-Is Section is strategically placed at the end of the shopping route through IKEA. They want you to buy everything in the showroom BEFORE you get to the As-Is section.

Here's the secret: By-pass the showroom and get straight to As-Is. Here's how:

1. Locate the check stands.
2. Enter the warehouse area through one of the open check stands.
3. Directly to the right or left of the checkstands is a big red sign indicating discounts or “As-Is”. That's where the deals are!

A Warning Before You Shop in As-Is

Before you buy, beware that you cannot return As-Is items.

I recently bought some plastic bins to organize my craft supply drawers. But when I got home, they didn't fit. At $0.50 each, I just donated them to a thrift shop because I could not return them. Luckily, I only lost about $5 on that failed purchase.

My “As-Is” shopping tips for craft room ideas on a budget:

• Measure. Measure the space or drawers before you shop so you know if things will fit.
• Make a Plan B. Have another use in mind for any items you purchase in case things don't work out as originally planned once you get home.
• Search for New Ideas Online. Search the IKEA product name on Pinterest to see ideas for ways people used that product, like this hack for a damaged IKEA drawer unit I got.

What if I Don't Have an IKEA Store Near Me?

• Order online. You can order online from IKEA's website if you don't live near an IKEA store: Order online at IKEA.com.
• Delivery. Plus, IKEA stores offer delivery options based on the distance from the closest IKEA retail store to your address.

Did You Know That You Can Order IKEA Products from Amazon?

Yes, you can! Many of the links I share here are to Amazon because you can get free Prime shipping on many Amazon items if you are a member of Amazon Prime. Try Prime's Discounted Monthly Offering

Where to Find Craft Room Ideas on a Budget in Your Local Area:

• CraigsList – or you can sell your used IKEA furniture there, but beware, the value goes down as IKEA lowers its prices
• Facebook Marketplace – look for local people in your area selling their used IKEA furniture
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore
• Local thrift shops
• Garage sales and yard sales

I sold one of my Expedit bookcases to a lady who drove over an hour to my house to get it because she lives 3 hours from the nearest IKEA. She found my yard sale through a Facebook group!

What New Ideas Did You Learn Today?

Which of these craft room ideas on a budget were new to you? I'd love to hear your takeaways. If I missed any tips, please share them in the comments.

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