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Affordable Witchcraft: 11 Cheap Ideas for Tools & Ingredients

You don’t have to spend a fortune to be a witch and follow your calling to the craft. In fact, if you really wanted to, you could use ONLY free objects as your witchcraft tools and spell ingredients. If you have a little money to spend, there are also cheap and affordable options that don’t come from a high-priced metaphysical store. Here are 11 FREE or CHEAP witchcraft tools and spell ingredients for witches on a budget.

Ballers and Witches on a Budget

Can you be a witch on a budget? 100%! Think about how our ancestors once lived. Before technology. Before “money” was even a thing. They made do with what they had on-hand, what they could forage, and what they could grow. So yes, you can be a witch on a budget. Truly you don’t need any money or expensive items to practice witchcraft. You need the intention, to be able to raise the energy, and the will to send it out into the world. Here’s some ways to save money and still buy affordable witchcraft tools.

1. Cheap Candles

Witches see a lot of these elaborate witchcraft candles with drippy-wax, sparkles, and adorned with witchy pendants and charms. Typically, these fancy candles are anywhere from $20 to $60. You don’t need to spend that much money on candles. Purchase candles for $1 a piece at your local dollar store! The Dollar Tree’s candles include packs of multi-colored votives (usually 4 or 5 in one pack for only ONE dollar), glass novena candles in white or with saints’ images, and pillar candles. Seriously, witches, one dollar! OR check out Amazon’s options, there are literally packs of 40 spell candles for $10! 40 spell candles = 40 spells for $10! Do you already have a candle at home you haven’t used? Then use it in your craft.

2. Grocery Store Herbs

Many of us crave having a fully stocked herb cabinet for ALL of our witchy herbal needs. NOT a problem when you have a local grocery store with an herbs & spices aisle! Do you already have herbs and spices in your kitchen pantry for cooking purposes? Then you already have all the herbs you need! Here’s a few common herbs and spices in the kitchen you can double-purpose for spells: cinnamon, basil, salt, pepper, chili powder, mint, cumin, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and more! Every spice in your cabinet has magical properties. Use them! Learn more about kitchen cabinet witchcraft here.

3. FREE Magical Items from Nature

When I first started really practicing my craft, I didn’t have much money. And I also didn’t want to go to the nearest metaphysical store and announce to everyone that I was a witch. I was in the broom closet and so finding magical tools in nature became my thing. Know what’s the best part about finding spell ingredients in nature? They’re FREE. Also, keep in mind, Mother Earth, the gods, and the ancestors often send us the magical ingredients we need in nature. Go for walks in the woods, along the seashore, or in your own backyard to find ALL the magical items you need! Some examples: seashells, acorns, feathers, pinecones, branches, stones, flowers, seed pods, hag stones and more. Learn more about backyard magic here.

Grow your own herbs for cheap affordable witchcraft ingredients.
Growing your own herbs in your garden will save you all kinds of money in the long run!

4. Grow Your Own Herbs

Want your spells to be cheap/free and EXTRA powerful? Grow your own herbs and plants to use in your spells and rituals. You don’t need a huge backyard or even a large plot of land to grow your own magical herbs and flowers. All you need is a few pots, a sunny spot (window or balcony), a bag of soil, and some seeds to get you started! Find cheap pots, soil and seeds at your local Walmart for under $10! My favorite multi-use herbs to grow in the garden include: rosemary, basil, sage, rue, and lemon balm. Flowers, trees, and other plants can also be used for magical purposes. Growing your own herbs and plants is the gift that keeps on giving you magic. And it is completely affordable witchcraft!

5. Cheap & Free Witchy Books

Nearly every witch I know dreams of having a library of witchcraft and occult books. But, let’s be honest, this isn’t always a reality for everyone particularly those who practice affordable witchcraft. Here’s a few cheap and free options to find witchcraft books: e-books instead of paperback (most e-books are half the price of their paperback counterparts), trade books with a witchy friend, borrow books from the library (most libraries have metaphysical sections or at the VERY least sections on folklore, mythology, and gardening), or spend some extra time in Barnes & Noble and copy down important notes. When I was a broke witch, I spent hours in Barnes & Noble, I’d read a book and jot down notes I wanted to keep for FREE.

6. Walmart

Sounds ridiculous, right? Wrong! Walmart not only has an herbs and spices aisle with affordable witchcraft herbs, it also has a candle aisle. And guess what is in the candle aisle? Candles of all different colors, sizes, types, and even 7-day spell candles! I don’t know if every Walmart carries spell candles, but the few I’ve been in carried money and love candles. In the same candle aisle, I found essential oils for much cheaper than anywhere online, and also cheap incense and incense burners. Hit up your local Walmart for your magical tools and ingredients!

Affordable Witchcraft starts with using what you have in your house and building on it from there.
Affordable Witchcraft starts with using what you already have on-hand and building from there.

7. Thrift Stores

Some witches claim finding magical tools and ingredients in thrift stores is dangerous because you don’t know what energy is attached to the items there. I have to disagree. A. the items are typically cheap. And B. if you are a witch you should know how to cleanse the items before using them and/or you should be able to identify if an item has a negative entity attached to it or not. Some affordable witchcraft items I’ve found in thrift stores over the years include: candle holders & candelabras, antique dolls, fabric to make poppets and spell bags, bowls and cups for water and offerings, glass jars and pitchers to hold herbs and moon water, incense burners, cauldrons, and baskets. Be sure to cleanse each item as you see fit BEFORE use on your altar or in ritual.

8. The Dollar Store

I know I already mentioned the dollar store for cheap candles, but I have to tell you the Dollar Store has more than just candles. If you want to work affordable witchcraft, make your local dollar store your favorite spot for affordable items like seasonal decor for your home & altar, craft supplies for paper petitions and poppet-crafting, balloons for balloon spells, and ribbons for knot magic. I’ve also purchased oils for $1 to use in making magical herbal oils. Also find salt and spices there for $1 a piece! Don’t forget notebooks and composition books from the dollar store can serve as a Book of Shadows or grimoire.

9. What’s Around the House?

Remember our ancestors who practiced folk magic didn’t have any metaphysical shops or Amazon to shop from. They had to use what they could find in nature or what they already had on-hand in their homes. So ask yourself…what do you have in your possession that could be used for your next spell or ritual? Have an old t-shirt you’re about to throw away? Cut it up and turn it into spell bags or poppets with a needle and thread! That floral china bowl of your grandmother’s that sits in the back of the cabinet? Now’s it’s an offering bowl for your ancestors! Sometimes affordable witchcraft is just about being creative and putting some time and effort into it.

10. Recycled Jars and Bottles

Affordable witchcraft gets fun when we re-use things that might typically be thrown away. You know the little spice containers that usually get thrown away or put in the recycling? Wash them out and use them to store your magical finds from Mother Nature (roots, dried plant matter, rocks, etc.) The same goes for used wine screw-top bottles, liquor bottles, glass spaghetti jars, pickle jars, and olive jars. Wash them out really well and re-use them for storage purposes OR to make a witch’s bottle or spell jar for protection, un-crossing, love, etc.

11. Magical Food

Think in terms of your daily routines. What do you have to do every day to live? Eat and drink! So make your meal-times into rituals and spell workings. You have to eat anyway, so turn your meals into magick. Look up your ingredients and their magical properties. Keep a record of these to refer back to later. A composition book or old notebook works perfectly! Then decide on what you’ll eat based on your magical intentions for the day. Want to draw love into your life? Eat more aphrodisiac foods, red and green foods. Want to draw money? Eat collard greens, kale, spinach, broccoli, black eyes peas, and grains.

Affordable Witchcraft is a real thing.

I would venture to say my most POWERFUL spells and rituals included items that I found in my yard, local park, garden, OR items already in my house. I do not spend a lot of money on my witchcraft, and neither should you. Affordable witchcraft isn’t about having fancy, big crystals in all corners of your home. It’s about putting the time and effort into finding magical tools and spell ingredients. Some items I’ve found in my own yard that I’ve used in my spell-craft include: nails from old wooden boards, herbs from my garden, shattered glass, feathers, stones, and an old brick. I believe it doesn’t matter the money you put into it, but the thought and energy. THAT’s what will make your spells kick-@ss.

19 Comments

  1. Lois Luckovich

    January 11, 2023 at 7:49 pm

    I’m on a very tight budget and LOVE my Dollar Store and thrift store for magical bits and pieces

  2. Margaret

    July 25, 2021 at 4:13 pm

    If you want a good essential oil set, Laguna Moon has one with a lot of useful and multipurpose oils for witchcraft. I received it during a holiday before I started witchcraft, so I don’t know how much it costs…

  3. Hana

    June 17, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    Literally THANK YOU for this article 🙌🙌 this provided me with so much confirmation as to what I already felt compelled to do and drawn to in this life. I would LOVE to be in touch with you. I’m not a promoter I’m not a business person, I dont wanna scam anyone, I genuinely believe in this vibe, the world needs WAY MORE OF IT, and personally I resonate soooooooo much with this. I’m a single mom of 2, I’m broke as hell 🤣 covid and my baby daddy have screwed me all the way over, I’m not here for a come up or a scam, would genuinely love to talk more with you and expand upon this idea and share more, the awakened ones are here, they need guidance, I needed guidance and this helped me immensely 👍🙌🤙

  4. S. Al

    June 4, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    Check out the app Scribd. It’s only $10 a month for UNLIMITED books & audiobooks. I’ve listened to tons of books on my commute to work.

  5. Emmauel Emmauel

    July 30, 2020 at 7:06 am

    Please I really need and what to be a strong witch at list I need someone to put me through please am on my knees.
    I have desire to be a witch since I was 16 but now and 30 and the desire still keep coming everyday.
    I can drop my WhatsApp number
    My Facebook name is Emmy alexzandro okekenta thanks you all for your help and support.

  6. Sheila

    December 1, 2019 at 4:43 pm

    Great article and terrific advice! I use a lot of these in my own practice. Magik doesn’t have to be expensive, it’s about the intent, not the flash

  7. Anonymous

    April 26, 2019 at 1:16 pm

    I love this, i remember when i was a young girl wanting to learn all i could about witchcraft, i wanted to buy a wand so asked a local practitioner (who was a family friend and fortunately extremely wise and grounded) which type of wand was the best and he replied ‘Your finger!’, Best advise i ever had.

    1. admin

      April 26, 2019 at 5:35 pm

      Exactly! I’ve never owned a wand…only ever used my finger and hands.

    2. Anonymous

      May 25, 2023 at 1:22 pm

      You can have as much intention as you want but you still need to make sue your doing more then just manifesting there is a reason our ancestors used wands, staffs, athames and other such tools to perform magic; because they are effective! manifesting is just a practice witchcraft is a way of life. your intention only means so much if you cant act on it.

  8. Rebecca Tow

    April 26, 2019 at 7:31 am

    My cauldron is a bit unconventional. But it was super cheap under $10. I use a cast iron tiny 4×4 in camping skillet. I figured oh well it’s great quality, safe and real cast iron. Every one I have looked at online is TEENY tiny holds less liquid by volume and is $20+ and painted. Do what you can with what you have bc really all we need is believing in our own power for a spell to have positive results. Love and light to you and yours!

  9. Terri

    March 5, 2019 at 6:39 pm

    Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful ideas!!

  10. Trina Wells

    February 15, 2019 at 9:56 am

    I agree…. this is a good article….

  11. Music Magick: Ritual Music & Casting Spells with Music

    January 26, 2019 at 6:10 pm

    […] What’s something we all like that has magical origins? Music! Do you use music magick in your practice? Have you every tried casting spells with music or setting an ambiance for ritual with music? In this article, we’ll explore music magick and how to use the energies of music in our witchcraft. […]

    1. Emmauel

      July 30, 2020 at 6:54 am

      Please I really need and what to be a strong witch at list I need someone to put me through please am on my knees.
      I have desire to be a witch since I was 16 but now and 30 and the desire still keep coming everyday.
      I can drop my WhatsApp number
      My Facebook name is Emmy alexzandro okekenta thanks you all for your help and support.

  12. Toni

    January 25, 2019 at 3:46 am

    Love this article! A candle is just a candle until you infuse it with your intent. You can infuse a cheap candle just as easily as an expensive one. That goes for most items used in the Craft. Just be creative!

  13. Brandi

    January 19, 2019 at 8:16 pm

    All of these are such fantastic ideas! I think I should show this post to my mother. She doesn’t always go overboard with spending or anything, but any time we go into Earthbound she’ll spend upwards of $150 if I’m not there to aid her XD Anywho, I guess I’m rambling! Great post!

    1. admin

      January 24, 2019 at 1:53 pm

      Lol! I can still spend some money in a metaphysical shop, don’t get me wrong. But it’s definitely worth avoiding as you can find affordable and free items elsewhere.

  14. Sheila Murphy

    January 17, 2019 at 11:01 pm

    Thank you for the info )0(

  15. Anonymous

    January 17, 2019 at 1:39 pm

    Yes this is the real spirit of magic. The nature’s way.

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