5 Ways to Save Money on Your Science Fair Project

This week, the discussion is on ways to save money.  We’re still in a recession, and most families are searching for ways to save money anyway they can, so why not look for saving ideas with your science fair project?

5.    Plan:

The easiest way to save money is to simply plan well.  The saying “measure twice, cut once” is a well known saying because it’s true!  If you think things through, you will save money.  Check your testing apparatus plans with your teacher and parents before building it.  Lay out your poster and take a good look for typos and mistakes before gluing down.  When you do glue, use a rubber cement like Ross so that you can rub off the excess (avoid Elmer’s – Elmer’s will stain construction paper, Ross comes off clean).  More importantly than saving money, planning ahead will save you time!

4.    Reuse:

Look for items around the house that you can use to create your experiment.  All of my science fair project experiments were partially made out of my toys: K’Nex, Legos, Roller Coaster Tycoon.  True, I had to augment the designs here and there with plywood board or plastic support beams, but the materials needed were greatly reduced.  You probably already have most of what you need in the basement or garage.  Make sure you have your parents’ permission before borrowing something for your project though! An object reused is one less object you need to buy.

3.    Borrow:

If you need some special equipment for your project, chances are you might not need it again afterwards.  Instead of buying a new microscope, power saw, voltmeter, etc, ask your teacher if you can borrow one from school or see if you can rent the equipment from a store.  I was able to take home a computer voltmeter from my physics department on the weekends for my high school project. Since I used the school equipment and data acquisition software, I had better quality data and it didn’t cost me a penny! If you don’t need to keep something forever, don’t buy it, borrow it.

2. Bargain Shop:

When you do need to purchase supplies, be sure to bargain hunt!  The dollar store is full of construction paper and teacher supplies you can use on your poster.  I’ve also found small tools, zip ties, fasteners, and other useful items which you may need for your project.  You know you will have to do a project this year, so take advantage of back to school shopping now.  Also look around for specialty thrift shops; near where I live now, there is a small shop that buys used electronics, then sells the parts for hobbyists – at much cheaper prices than new components online!  For lumber and such, try a Habitat for Humanity building center – discounted prices, and your purchase goes towards charity! If you have to shop, find the lowest price possible.

1. Network:

Especially if you are in high school, your project may require advanced scientific equipment you do not have ready access to – either at home or at school.  Find a local corporation that works in that industry and reach out to them.  They may be interested in sponsoring your project!  You could have access to a subject matter expert, professional labs, or free materials.  More companies may be willing to help than you might think; if your project does well, sponsoring you could mean positive PR for the company.  Try local colleges too.  Never be afraid to ask for help; the worse that will happen is someone says no.  You may get more help than you expected!  I wrote to Apollo presentation boards asking if I could purchase a slightly damaged board at a discounted price.  They sent me two “damaged” professional boards that snap together to make a six foot display for free!  To this day I can’t find what’s damaged about them. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others around you; you’ll most likely get a hand back.

Until next week!

The Science Fair Girl