Unboxing our Cricut Maker!

Before we dive in, please note that this blog features affiliate links and I may earn money from these links should you purchase the product at no extra cost to you.

We started our business back in February 2021 with the intentions of creating stickers, digital products (like our digital planner and digital stickers) and then expanding from there. But, when you are first starting out, there’s this debate that happens: should I invest all up front? Wait until I make sales and reinvest that? I finally caved because there was an AMAZING sale happening on Cricut’s website this month (April 2021).

I’m definitely one who does their research, sits on it, and tries my best (emphasis on tries) to avoid making impulse purchases - because I want to make sure I’m thinking through the purchase, especially if it is a more expensive purchase. I tried my best to source locally, but the cost for just the machine was about $450 at a local craft store.

So, what was the sale/amazing deal?

First, free shipping on orders over $99. And hello, that is already a huge deal in my opinion especially living here in Hawaiʻi where some sites will charge more for shipping than the cost of the products you are ordering. And then, the Cricut Maker everything bundle was marked down. The original cost for the bundle was close to $650! And it was available for $399.99 - a $250 savings, score! Finally, because I figured I would need the Cricut membership access, adding that on scored me an additional 10% off at checkout. I walked away with the bundle for the membership for a total of $388. So I absolutely decided it was time to invest.

Here’s what it came with:

• Cricut Maker - the standard things included:

  • Obviously, the Cricut Maker machine

  • Rotary Blade + Drive Housing

  • Premium Fine-Point Blade + Housing

  • Fine Point Pen, Black

  • FabricGrip Mat - 12” x 12” AND LightGrip Mat - 12” x 12”

  • USB Cable, Power Adapter

  • Materials for practice

• Additional materials included with the bundle:

  • Foil Iron-on Sampler, Bejeweled

  • Everyday Iron-On Sampler, Elegance

  • Adhesive Foil Metallic Sampler, Bejeweled

  • Premium Vinyl Sampler Removable, Elegance

  • Dry Erase Vinyl

  • Stencil Vinyl

  • Vinyl Chalkboard

  • Foil Poster Board Sampler, Bejeweled

  • Glitter Cardstock Sampler, Brights

  • Cardstock Sampler, Basics

  • Transfer Tape

  • Pen Set, Classics (5 ct.)

  • Scoring Stylus

  • True Control Knife, Blue

  • Cutting Mat Varietry Pack, 12" x 12" 3 pk

  • Tools Basic Set

  • Portable Trimmer

Now, why the Cricut Maker? I went back and forth between the Maker and the Explore Air 2. When I price compared (as well as product compared), I decided to just go ahead and invest in the Maker.

Product & Price comparison:

• The Maker cuts a larger variety of materials than the Explore Air 2

• During the sale, it was only a $100 difference between the Explore bundle and the Maker bundle

  • And yes, I justified it in my head since the Maker could do significantly more and it is typically $150 difference for just the machine alone

• The Explore and Maker are the same size - so it would be taking up the same amount of space

So, yes, I definitely invested!

But, if you are interested in snagging one for yourself, Amazon does sell Cricut products at a cheaper rate than going through their website.

• The Explore Air 2 is about $50 cheaper - and if you have Prime, shipping is free

• The Maker is about $30-60 cheaper (depending on if they’re having a sale or not)

Overall, I’m very excited about the purchase and can’t wait to start diving in to creating some new stickers and other fun things!