**FIRST OFF** --- Wicca and Witchcraft are not about things. Yeah they're nice to have, and give you a better opportunity to get in the right frame of mind for practice, but you can be equally effective in your craft with nothing at all.
However, I know it's a fun idea to peruse around the internet looking at all the metaphysical shops that abound with fanciful tools and bags of herbs, but along with these shops come a hefty price tag...especially the more fancy the item (and include hefty taxes or shipping fees, especially if you're shipping internationally). In the 16+ years I've been a studier/practitioner of Witchcraft I only entered a metaphysical shop ONCE, but I never bought anything. I went in with the hopes of buying something, but the prices turned me off. There's nothing wrong with these shops. If this is how you prefer to buy your things, then so be it, I'm not saying "don't ever shop in these stores!!!" I'm saying there IS a more budget friendly option out there.
Option 1: Dollarstore
--This is probably one of my main go-to stores for the majority of my practice needs. Naturally there isn't anything fanciful or elaborate in a dollar store...it's a "DOLLAR STORE"! But I've found almost everything I need in these stores. I frequent my local dollar store for pens, paper, glassware, candles and even some herbs (yes HERBS!). The pens and paper (or even notebooks) I use for making BoS's and notes/lists. The glassware I use to hold ritual drink on my altar, the herbs...you have to really look at them. Some are decent quality, while many have just filler. It's a good place to look for small containers of sea or rock salt, though.
If you're lucky enough, you may find even things like ceramic cast iron cookware for an alternative to your cauldron (if you don't have one or need a replacement/extra). I found a small, personal ceramic cast iron "casserole dish", but being the purist that I am, I wanted black and it only came in orange.
I also found what is now my statue representation of my Goddess at a local dollar store. It's a black angel...I found it close to Christmas time, and each time I went into the store, the statue seemed to "call" to me. So I bought her. She's been on my altar ever since.
Option 2: Department Store
--Places like Walmart, Target, K-Mart, etc all carry stuff you can use in your practices. Scrapbook supplies, pens, paper, dishware, makeshift athames, candles (both flame and battery), lighters/matches, herbs, statuary, decorations, etc. Almost anything you could think of to use in your workings you can find in these places. If you can't find it in one store, I'm sure another would have it and so on. And don't negate the seasonal section in these stores. I bought a cloak at Walmart one year, and a "Pentacle" I was going to use to decorate one of my BoS's. I also bought black and orange candles from a store called "Zellers" here in Canada (it's since been closed) during the Halloween season. Christmas can yield colored candles for various workings too.
Here too is where I obtain books and paper for my BoS workings (I do a lot of BoS work). I also find things to make spiritually related items, like prayer beads, and jewelry.
Option 3: Grocery Store
--Here would be the more obvious choice for herbal needs. Grocery stores often carry a wide variety of culinary herbs that work perfectly well in workings (and are of much better quality. Depending on which store, you can even get hard-to-find items like whole star anise seeds). I can only find Lavender in certain grocery stores. You can also find makeshift-athame's here as well as candles.
Option 4: Bulk Food Stores
--Probably the top place for finding herbs for workings. You can also find pure essential oils here (not fragrance oils). Both can be used in either Wicca or Witchcraft. Herbs you can use for offerings, oils you can use for fragrance or for dressing (**SAFETY WARNING** please be careful with oils, many can burn the skin, so your best option would be to put it into a carrier before dressing any candles. Herbs also warrant a warning...while herbs found in both bulk AND grocery stores are meant to be consumed...they are meant to be consumed in small amounts. Ingesting too much of any herb can make one seriously ill. Know what you're doing or consult a professional herbalist before consuming anything).
Option 5: Online Stores
--Ok. There are LOTS of online stores where you can buy just about ANYTHING you could imagine. These are good options if you can't get something in a store nearest to you. I would suggest something like Amazon, though because you can buy used or discounted items here that are in good to excellent shape, such as books. Beware, though of stores that look rather amateurish, don't offer paypal as an option or other security features. These stores are more apt to steal your information (hence why I would highly recommend going to brick and mortar stores, and if you can, pay cash). Typically if brick and mortar stores don't have what you want, chances are you don't really need it or can use an alternative.
As you can see there are a LOT more options than sticking to metaphysical stores. Before choosing to buy that expensive athame on eBay, perhaps try looking at an army surplus store for bootknives. Instead of that Etsy store selling herbs, try Bulk Barn. Instead of Amazon for your BoS, try getting a binder or scrapbook from the dollar store. Lots more options and avenues for creativity.
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