This may come as a surprise to you, but I love picture frames. Anything that can take an ordinary picture and make it look like it’s worth 10 times it’s true value is a powerful thing. Some people spend their entire lives collecting awards, degrees, and family photos only to have them rot away in their basements collecting dust. Are you one of those people? I didn’t think so.

Having the right frame around a picture, degree, or award can make a world of difference and can turn an ordinary piece of paper into a crowing achievement. In fact, I have one item that I value so much that I have had it custom framed for $130. It was worth it to me as I’m going to have this item for the rest of my life. While $130 did not break my bank account, I was amazed to later find that there are lots of other better deals that you can find on picture frames that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

Here are three ways you can save big bucks on picture frames.

1)Don’t pay for someone’s prime real estate. If you shop at a fancy shopping center in a major city, you might be paying too much for whatever you are looking to purchase. Guess what? The overhead that is being charged in that shopping center is going to be built into the price of your purchase. This includes picture frames. I regularly drive by 1st class real estate developments that have HUGE picture frame shops. Ever wonder how these shops can afford their high rent prices? That’s right. From your purchases. Look at buying your picture frames online or from places that aren’t in the fanciest parts of town. The same frames can often be found for much better prices.

2)Look at do it yourself framing. Now this option isn’t for everyone. If you have some basic technical skills (and I mean real basic), take a look at putting a frame together yourself. If you do go to a retail framing place, they will undoubtedly charge you time and labor to set your picture in it’s new frame. If you can do it yourself, go for it: you might be surprised at how good you really are at assembling things. Usually, all it takes to put together your own picture frame is a few specialized little tools, some miniature screws, and some hard work. Afterwards, you can even look at your work with pride knowing the effort you put into it. This is a great option for those of us who have more time than money.

3)Saving someone else’s rent charge and doing it yourself are great pieces of advice but don’t matter when talking about digital picture frames. Digital pictures frames are the wave of the future. If you know all about digital picture frames, you will be far ahead of the game and won’t have to worry about what real picture frames cost anyway. Digital picture frames are here to stay.