In the past traditional braided rugs were very low cost indeed. These rugs originate from the time of the settlers when women would use strips cut from old clothing which they join together into long lengths and then braided and stitched the lengths of cloth to turn them into rugs. They needed nothing but needle and thread and clothes which had seen better days. A few centuries later hand crafted rugs like these fetch high prices in craft markets and high end interior design stores.

One way to get a braided rug on a budget is to copy the settlers, however, and make your own. You will have to buy fabric and cut it into strips however if you do not have enough old clothes or you want to design your rug in particular colors. You will find many books on Amazon about how to make these rugs and create particular designs and with a little practice you should be able to do your own thing and have something completely unique.

Another way to save money is to look at low cost imports of these rugs. Although the best designs are generally found from craftsmen and women in the USA, you can buy rugs which have been made where labor is less expensive if you do not mind that.

You can also buy much cheaper rugs which have been machine made rather than hand crafted. There is a lot of work involved in cutting the strips, joining them and braiding them which a machine can do much faster, more easily and cheaper. Unfortunately, you lose a little bit of the uniqueness if you go for a machine made rug but you might not mind that when you see how much more affordable the rugs are!

Finally, if nothing but the craftsman made product will do look out for sales in stores which sell these rugs and pick one up at the end of the season when you will probably get a reduction of ten per cent or more.