Finding out all the stuff you are supposed to get for your altar as a beginning pagan can be daunting. While yes, the ideal would be everything on your altar will be ethically sourced handcrafted by a pagan while uttering prayers and blessings, that isn’t realistic for every pagan, both in terms of cost and availability. However, that doesn’t mean you need to wait to practice paganism until you win the lottery.
You Don’t Have to get Everything Right Away
Start small, and add to your pagan goodies as they come across your path. “This altar does not have enough bling!” said no god ever who is genuinely interested in working with you while in the introduction phase. (Yes, they can get picky and demand specific stuff, but that usually comes after a relationship is forged. Don’t be afraid to say “If you want that for altar, you need to come up with a way for me to be able to pay for it without missing a mortgage payment”. )
Decide What You Want to go All Out On, and What You Want to Be Economical On
Many common items can be purchased inexpensively or found readily. Some items are probably going to be mostly wanted by pagans, like statues or artwork. If there is artwork of your favorite deity that you absolutely must have, set aside money for it and save money on other items.
Be Flexible
There are two meanings to this. First of all, be flexible for what you really need. While candles and an altar cloth are pretty standard, things like a chalice or athame or statue may not be necessary according to tradition and taste. Always keep in mind what the purpose of your altar is when deciding what to get for it. Also, when it comes to ritual garb keep a practical eye in terms of what will actually work in a ritual and what will be worth the maintenance. A white dress in spring may not be the best idea for an outdoor ritual.
The second meaning is be flexible in what evokes your intention. Look up associations with your purpose, or just think on what do you associate with this element/deity/state. Meditating, free writing, or intuitive drawing might help bring connections to the surface. You could always use things like an animal statue—either because it is associated with a deity or the animal has qualities you want to bring to your pagan practice or is just important to you.
Repurpose What You Have
A coffee mug can be a chalice if it has the right color and picture. A bandanna makes a good altar cloth, or you could use scraps of fabric from whatever project. (My first tarot deck is still wrapped in a bandanna.) A dish with a pattern that invokes the season could be an offering plate. Take a look at knick knacks—are any of them figurines of animals you associate with your deity/purpose? What about stuffed animals? Decorative stones?
Find Items
I will say though, obey all rules and laws, ask for permission from the land spirits, and be respectful. If the local land spirits have made it clear they don’t appreciate anything being taken from the area (especially if there is a local legend regarding some sort of curse) accept their boundary. For mundane issues, parks usually don’t like people plucking flowers, feathers might be protected by law, and don’t go tramping in someone’s yard. Also with bird nests remember they are a breeding ground for insects.
If you find something like a snakeskin or egg shell or fallen leaf outside, remember to leave an offering to the spirit of the place. When I take walks in my local park, several times I stopped to pick up garbage and later found an item I placed on my altar. Water is usually a good and discrete offering.
Even in an urban environment, you might stumble across something someone has left behind. Keep your eyes open and see what comes your way. There are also plenty of interesting rocks (as long as they aren’t purchased for landscaping). I personally have no idea how to identify stones, but if it evokes the feeling of a place and an appropriate thank you offering is left use your intuition. Traditionally stones with a natural hole in them are considered hag stones and useful for magick.
Organize a Swap Meet
This might not even have to be among pagans to be worthwhile. Many people periodically want to move things around their altar, so maybe chat with the local pagan group if anyone wants to meet up with items that need a new home and swap.
Garage Sales/Thrift Stores/Dollar Stores/ Surplus/ Random Items Stores
Use your imagination. Candles holders are readily available, and many have wonderful shapes or patterns. Things like glass tubes, glass bottles, and eye droppers can be found. This might require more active digging, or return trips to stumble on something good.
Anything used will need to be cleansed, and listen to your intuition: if something gives you a bad feeling leave it. But if you see that wonderful candy dish which is just the right color for an offering bowl at a garage sale, snap it up. It is easy to identify a pagan find once you start looking.
A note though: the cheap incense, scented candles, and essential oils found in dollar stores often contain harmful chemicals. If you or anyone in your household has asthma, allergies, or any sensitivity you might want to consider a substitute, or invest in some better quality. Or for candles, simply use the unscented, and add a few drops of good essential oil have a scent.
Craft Stores
If you go toward the middle of a season, they will often be starting to place items on sale but have enough that they aren’t picked over yet. You can get things like wood shapes that are unpainted for a good price. It is often cheaper to get craft supplies than the made item (although if you go all out on getting every color of paint for example you can wrack up money learning a new skill). But that leads to..
Make it Yourself
If you do any crafting, you can always make your own altar items. This will add your own personal energy, and you can make the process an act of devotion or magick if framed correctly, which will add to the energy. I realized a table runner could pretty much be an altar cloth, and (will someday) weave myself a new one in the colors I associate with my gods.
There are also inexpensive crafts that don’t require much skill, but time. Get some glass vases from the dollar store, a hot glue gun, and ribbon. There are plenty of ideas online. Also check your local library for books on cute craft ideas.
Make your own drawings. If you have been to a sacred place, use photos you took. They don’t have to be professional quality if you simply want to evoke a feeling. You can also print from online and either tape it to the wall or glue it to a piece of cardboard. Although if you are printing artwork for use, it would be a good idea to send some money the artist’s way or see below.
Buy Smaller Versions of Art
Many artists will sell merchandise of their large works. Like postcards, cards, small prints, magnets, t-shirts, stickers, or mugs. These can be less expensive than getting that beautiful painting and would still be supporting the artist.
Another option would be contacting the artist and seeing if they have any imperfects they would be willing to part with. Maybe something printed slightly off kilter or there was a boo boo in a batch of stickers that still leaves them useful.
I hope all of these ideas are useful. I have had wonderful experiences with very simple materials, and some items I have bought from pagan artists that I treasure. Don’t get caught up in a keeping up with the Joneses or Instagram Witches. Your altar and tools are for you, and the most important aspect is how they work for you.