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You know how Barbara Jay started that thread about responsible spending and sticking to a budget..... and TONS of us read it... including me.
Well, I have totally fallen off the responsibility wagon since Christmas. I have too many toys!!
I went to make a card for a challenge today and it's like I'm in a cafeteria. (which I hate by the way) I have too many choices:? I had this nice simple layout we were supposed to use - that's a no-brainer right?
Nooooo, just like when I go to a Cafeteria, there's too many choices to make and I end up with allll this stuff on my tray that 6 grown men could never eat. Yeah, I got noodles, but that's before I saw the macaroni and cheese, and I LOVE macaroni and cheese!! Then you get to the deserts OMG!!!:o Carrot cake, ohhh down further is cheesecake, ohhh no right at the end is peach cobbler.
Now I have this nice new Big Shot and several dies and embossing folders, and this week I got one of those mat packs and a pokey thing so I can make that faux stitching. (I thought y'all were really sewing btw) I also bought some ribbon and lace on sale and so on and on.
I finished my card... And it looks like my cafeteria tray!! It's got 2 different die cuts, colored pencils, faux stitching.
Banging head against the wall. I think I need an intervention.
I think you have a lot of company!
All I can suggest is try to figure out your triggers for spending and then avoid them.
When you have coupons do you feel it is wasting not to use them so you buy things you may not use? Throw out the coupons unless you really need something. Then go directly to the section where your needed product is located and then to the checkout. Don't wander around the store looking for things you don't have. It is a store after all and you will always find things you don't have.
Do you get caught up in releases and spend more than you planned ? Write down what you think you want and order them on another day. Yes they may run out of some things the night of the release, but they will stock more in a short time.
Do you look for more things to buy to bump up an order to get free shipping? Unless you only need a couple dollars more, just pay the shipping and only buy what you really want. IF the shipping on that site is too high find the product at another site with reasonable shipping charges. You waste money by getting free shipping on things you may never use.
Every time you see a great card do you rush to find the products to make it?
Wait a week or so before you buy them. You will be surprised how often you forget about them in a few days. If in a week or so if you still want them then buy them.
Lastly instead of being overwhelmed with all the choices you have, try to pretend you are on a Design team. Find a stamp , die , paper or something you have and figure out a creative way to use it rather than looking at all of your stuff and wondering WHAT to use. Design Team members receive products they must use in a creative way.
Good Luck!
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I am guilty of this also. AND I haven't been in my craft room creating with all of it. But recently I did go to HL and Joann's with a coupon and did not buy a thing!!!! Nothing said "buy me". I do need more of those days, or, just don't go where the temptation to buy is. lol!
I think what really put me over the edge was having to buy (or thinking I had to buy) dies and emb. folders for that new Big Shot. Reorganizing my studio took some money as did unmounting stamps. I haven't bought anything arty for soooo long. It's been years since I bought a stamp. I had been just buying paper, tape and colored pencils. I was long overdue for some new things. It's just that I think I was making retroactive purchases to make up for allllll that time I didn't buy anything. Does that make sense?
I had calmed down.... until I saw the mat pack from SU at my friend's house. It allows me to actually use all those eyelets I have, as I could set them more precisely and I can use it to do that faux sewing.
Something I did RIGHT... I did not buy the crop-a-dile from SU it was around 30 dollars. I found one on Amazon for 12 dollars (same thing). I have also talked myself OUT of buying cardstock from SU. It's just too expensive. I'm happy with Hobby Lobby's open stock (when on sale it is 22 cents each). Actually I like the colors better.
You know, I think the new releases did get to me because I've been entering challenges in order to win gift cert. for new products (savine $$ right?). .... but that exposes you to their new releases and then you want to buy more. So should I stop doing the challenges, or stiffen my reserve :confused:
I tend to go in fits & starts with my spending as well. When I do have several new things to use at once, I pick just one or two. Then I search the gallery specifically for those items, looking for some inspiration. Then I make a card(s) with the one or two things (sometimes combining a stamp and something like a die or an embossing folder). Then I move on to another new thing. This way, I do use all the new stuff, but I focus on just one or two things at a time and don't feel overwhelmed with choice.
__________________ "You may not have lost all your marbles, but there's definitely a hole in the bag." Grumpy Cat
I feel your pain - "Cafeteria Syndrome" pretty much describes my LIFE! Seriously, one of my earliest memories is from kindergarten. It was the "art" portion of the day, and I stood in the center of the room with my smock on, wondering which project to do: Did I want to paint with poster paints? Play with clay? Try the chalks? The teacher actually got down on her knees and screamed in my face, "Susan, just do SOMEthing!"
I still have "kid in a candy store" issues - what career do I want? where do I want to live? What should I make today? what book should I read? My problem is that the answer is I WANT IT ALL - I want to live EVERYWHERE and read EVERYTHING and learn EVERYTHING and make EVERYTHING and know EVERYBODY!!!
But I digress... I agree with some of the above suggestions. I've gone through my supplies and kept ONLY those that still resonate with me - all of the others have been sold or donated. I still have too much, but it is definitely easier to decide what to use.
A tactic that I've adopted for curtailing spending is to really LOOK at a card that I like and think about what I currently own that is similar that I could use to execute it. Often, I find that what I have is something I actually like better than whatever the person who made the card I'm admiring used. My downfall now is if I have to make something SPECIFIC for an occasion, and it requires buying a stamp set that includes a bunch of stamps I DON'T need/want. That happened this weekend when I was making a birthday gift. Ah well, I can sell the stamps now, right?
Good luck with getting out of the cafeteria - the food's usually overrated, anyway...
This thread confirms for me the wisdom of NOT buying a Big Shot or other accessory-intensive machine. After years of collecting crap, I've been purging the stuff that simply doesn't work for me...tools, stamps, card stock, embellishments. It's part of an overall simplify-my-life-with-less-stuff philosophy.
I'm still buying stamps, though. I finally accepted that a big part of the joy this hobby brings me is in using new rubber and photopolymer. I also accepted that I can get rid of older stamps without regret.
Then I guess I'm in trouble...I went to the scrapbook show this last weekend. I bought new toys too. But surprisingly I didn't get any stickers or embellishments this time.
This thread confirms for me the wisdom of NOT buying a Big Shot or other accessory-intensive machine. After years of collecting crap, I've been purging the stuff that simply doesn't work for me...tools, stamps, card stock, embellishments. It's part of an overall simplify-my-life-with-less-stuff philosophy.
I'm still buying stamps, though. I finally accepted that a big part of the joy this hobby brings me is in using new rubber and photopolymer. I also accepted that I can get rid of older stamps without regret.
THAT'S what I kept saying all summer and fall, then my birthday came in January and so did my Big Shot. I'm really not sorry I got it. I LOVE it. I have the most fun with it. I really think I'm done buying emb. folders and dies for now. There are some I'd like to get later, but I have enough to work with and keep myself occupied. I am not going to 'collect' them like some people do. One thing I did that helped me keep all that in perspective is making a spreadsheet of the Spellbinders. Their website is very convoluted to me and that encourages people to buy more. With a spreadsheet, I can see all their products easily and notice how much alike many of them are.
For me, the rectangle dies are a ridiculous waste of money. I have a paper cutter - rectangles and squares are simple. My list really helps me plan and think what would be the best use of my money.
I haven't been tempted to buy allll the Prisma colors either. I know (big gasp) how can I be a true pencil lover right? Well, the practical Scotch half of me told the impetuous Irish side of me that I didn't need 15 different shades of gray.
Hmmm maybe I'm not such a lost cause. I love Barbara Jay's pragmatism! Love ya Barbara!!
For me I love tools. I love the die cut machines because I like die cuts and embossing folders. To me they take my cards to another level. I am at a point where I don't buy many tools because I able to do just about anything I want. I also do not do much impulsive buying other than embellishments. I keep my c/s in stock and I could work for years with the dp's I have. These companies are always coming out with something. I am able to look at it and think " how much would I use that? " For me that's what helps me. As Barbara Jay said wait a few days to buy from new releases.
Saying all of this the op of this thread sent me one of the prettiest cards I have ever received and I have to buy the rubber she used!! This card is sitting on an oak cabinet in my living room. I am going to get a frame for it to hang in my scrap room. Shall I say G O R G E O U S!!!!
For me I love tools. I love the die cut machines because I like die cuts and embossing folders. To me they take my cards to another level. I am at a point where I don't buy many tools because I able to do just about anything I want. I also do not do much impulsive buying other than embellishments. I keep my c/s in stock and I could work for years with the dp's I have. These companies are always coming out with something. I am able to look at it and think " how much would I use that? " For me that's what helps me. As Barbara Jay said wait a few days to buy from new releases.
Saying all of this the op of this thread sent me one of the prettiest cards I have ever received and I have to buy the rubber she used!! This card is sitting on an oak cabinet in my living room. I am going to get a frame for it to hang in my scrap room. Shall I say G O R G E O U S!!!!
Show it to us and lets see how many of "need" that rubber? :p
Barbara is always full of such good advice...I too have somewhat of an overload. I order for my on line store all the time so if I see something I like I get extra for me...you would not believe the die collection in my room! Keeping up the store and doing orders takes a lot of my play time away so sometimes it seems like the stuff in my stamp room is growing and growing before I get a chance to play with it. That is how I am getting too many choices...
blessings.
I have too much paper and keep on getting more. I have tons of inks and tend to use lots of the same ones. I've filled a whole room with "necessities." I probably have not used a majority of them more than once, if that. And how many cards do I get made? Not enough to justify all that junk! I'm trying to purge little by little, but tomorrow I'm going to Hollo's Paper Crafts in Brunswick, OH, because I haven't been there in over a year. That's a good reason, right? I love that place! I'm going for some white card stock and some packages of cardstock already cut the perfect size for punches and die cuts. I'm going with a cousin who does not stamp. I figure that will limit my wandering in the store, because I'll be thinking about bored she could be. Of course, I could convert her! You never know.
__________________ Diane
"Your actions speak so loudly, I can't hear what you are saying."
I have the same problem - in my craft room and in a cafeteria! Like Sue, I am also a "kid in a candy store" about nearly everything. To use more of my stuff, I'm stealing an idea I saw on someone's blog - I'm making some little flowers on Popsicle sticks and writing things in the centers like "Everyday Enchantment DP" or "buttons", "Parisian Motif Nestabilities" or "Birds and swirls embossing folder", and "shadow stamping" or "watercoloring". They'll be grouped in pots by "consumables", "tools" and "techniques". When I'm overwhelmed by my stuff to the point I just can't come up with an idea I'll pull flowers to give me ideas to start from - kind of like the challenges here. Does that make any sense? I do SOOO much better at actually getting a card done when I'm pretty much told what to use that I think this may help me be more productive - and help me remember to use the stuff that I have. Not only that, but unless I really mess it up, it should look cute in my craft room!
I have too much paper and keep on getting more. I have tons of inks and tend to use lots of the same ones. I've filled a whole room with "necessities." I probably have not used a majority of them more than once, if that. And how many cards do I get made? Not enough to justify all that junk! I'm trying to purge little by little, but tomorrow I'm going to Hollo's Paper Crafts in Brunswick, OH, because I haven't been there in over a year. That's a good reason, right? I love that place! I'm going for some white card stock and some packages of cardstock already cut the perfect size for punches and die cuts. I'm going with a cousin who does not stamp. I figure that will limit my wandering in the store, because I'll be thinking about bored she could be. Of course, I could convert her! You never know.
OHHH.... Hollo's... that could convert her! But at least the cardstock there is super cheap! I love their black and a really thick white one they had the last time I went (a couple months ago)... fantastic stuff!!
All of Barbara's advice is spot on! That's exactly what I do. I don't make any impulse purchases and have a running "wish" list that I purge, add to, etc. I think impulse purchases are a slippery slope. And, it's OK to donate, recycle stuff that you don't like, haven't used, etc. You don't have to hang on to everything.
If there's something/tool I wish I had (I want to eventually get more Nestabilities type dies for example, instead of more punches) I make a note of it and go ahead and substitute something else in the meantime. My computer can make any shape I want in any size for templates that I can then cut out with scissors. Granted, that's not efficient for large scale creating, but it works for me.
What I find helps is that I only purchase something if I need it for something specific. And right now I'm in the middle of wedding preparations. All the stationary, favors, decorations, etc. I asked for tools and such that I would need for this adventure for my birthday. I had a SU workshop yesterday, and am getting the big shot and the rosette die for 50% off, plus $80 in freebies and a few other tools.
Designer paper is my downfall and I find it difficult not to spend on it.
So many people struggle with the clutter of so much stuff they rarely use.
If you make a lot of mini albums or calendars then a Bind it All will be useful.
If you only make a mini album or calendars once in a blue moon then just take them to the Copy Store like Office Max and pay to have them spiral bound.
It will cost less than buying the binding machine and the spiral wires , plus you won't have more stuff to store.
If specific images such as butterflies or flower stamps are your weakness and you have a lot of them, next time you see yet another butterfly/ flower stamp, hold it , admire it and then put it back on the store shelf LOL
By the time you get home you won't miss it.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Last edited by Barbara Jay; 03-25-2012 at 11:50 AM..
If specific images such as butterflies or flower stamps are your weakness and you have a lot of them, next time you see yet another butterfly/ flower stamp, hold it , admire it and then put it back on the store shelf LOL
By the time you get home you won't miss it.
Amen! I discovered exactly how similar my "weakness" stamps (hearts and related images/sentiments) are to each other when I created my stamp index. I don't really buy them anymore, and I've purged quite a few...
Amen! I discovered exactly how similar my "weakness" stamps (hearts and related images/sentiments) are to each other when I created my stamp index. I don't really buy them anymore, and I've purged quite a few...
I found this too. Even though I don't have drawers full of stamps because, I have not been doing this that long, I love Butterflies and flourishes and had more of those than other images. I have butterfly stamps in every size. But the day I came home with a butterfly stamp and realized "I already had it " was the day I put my foot down. :oops:
So now I take my own advise. I hold it, admire it and leave it at the store ;)
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I have only one strategy to keep me from buying more and that is: don't look
I used to browse the gallery not just for inspiration but to see what people had that I hadn't seen yet and then sought it out. I used to click on the banner ads... no more! I used to comb through magazines and my eyes went to the supply list almost immediately for more treasures to locate.
I also purged and am now quite happy with what I have. It doesn't mean I won't ever buy another stamp but I won't impulse buy or go out of my way to find something just to buy something new. Stamps are definitely my weakness!
I have bought more patterned paper lately than I need . . . I'm on hiatus for that for a good long while now.
It seems a little bit like changing your diet though. If you cut out everything you really love, you are doomed to binge and fall off that wagon. So I think it's better to allow yourself a small monthly indulgence. I can go 6 months or more without purchasing anything new but then. . . look out!
Funny, I do have a diecut machine (Vagabond), embossing folders, and a reasonable amount of dies, but I am not die-crazy so I guess I dodged that addiction ;) .
Hang in there!
(BTW, I'm definitely in the faux stitching camp!! But there are some out there that sew beautifully on cards!)
I really don't feel as though I'm on a permanent splurging binge.... just to catch up after not buying anything for sooooo many years. Does that make sense? I don't have an addictive personality.
I have been pretty much on a stamping hiatus for 8-9 years. (New job just completely took over my life.) When I retired and returned to stamping last year, so much had changed! Die cut machines, an explosion of patterned paper, new types of inks and tools, and Design Teams - I think these are new since I was around before. I felt like Alice stepping through the looking glass!!
I just wanted to buy a reasonable amount of embossing folders and dies and some tools. There are simply far, far too many products on the market. I think my desire to be on a Design Team kind of fueled my catch up purchasing.... You know the whole, you gotta have some of the latest stuff so you can show that you know how to use it cycle. However.... if you have to purchase a lot in order to get noticed to be on a DT, I guess it's not worth it. I'll just do it for fun and to sell some locally.
sc magnolia, I think you hit on the problem
There is so much stuff out there and companies are coming out with more and more every day.
It has hit a point of diminishing return.
People love most of the stuff available, that is not the problem, but they are becoming overwhelmed with all the stuff they have.
Like the OP said she has so much stuff she didn't know where to start to make a card .
We need to find a balance of having enough to make the things we want to make and keeping the stuff to a reasonable amount so we are not stressed out either by the volume of things we have or the storage nightmare they create.
We need to learn to practice "Tough Love" because if this keeps up we will need to get rid of all of our furniture and just live in a craft store. :rolleyes:
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
When I got into stamping I started out with a good basic set-up of paper, inks, some stamp sets, a few punches and the obvious accessories (scissors, cleaners, bone folder, etc.). My sister in law, who has been stamping for years, gave me good advice on this and helped me put together my first order. But of course soon I wanted EVERYTHING. And I did add on a little more- some packs of paper in colors I was finding I really reached for most, a few more stamp sets, few more punches that I felt would work well with sentiments.
But of course there was a lot more I wanted! Die cutters, dies, embossing folders, specific stamp sets, and on and on. I made a list and looked at my list and said "And you still haven't really figured out everything you can do with the stamps you have! In fact, you have two sets you haven't even used yet!"
That woke me up!
I really do have a tendency to whole-hog everything I do. I really fling myself into things. Sometimes that works in my favor. But in the case of finding my way as a stamper/designer, I can see how going too fast will just lead to overload. Reading your posts and all the good advice really confirmed this for me. I don't think it will totally put the brakes on (nothing could, honestly, I know myself), but it definitely emphasized to me the wisdom of making haste slowly!
I have collected lots of "stuff", too. Glad to see I'm not alone. My problem isn't that I don't have the right color card stock or the perfect die or embossing folder, but that I have lots and seem to have lost my creative mojo. Lots of stuff in my craft room and just no urge to get in there and actually make anything. Makes me feel guilty.
I could quote at least one sentence from every reply made and say, "yep, me, too!"
When you first get involved with papercrafting it's necessary to spend some bucks, after all, you can't make anything when you've got nothing. I splurged when I first started papercrafting but it didn't take me long to chill out and keep my spending as Barbara Jay described and advised. I also have a couple built-in incentives to keep my spending under control - I have 2 daughters in college, one who will start medical school next year and the other who will follow suit the year after that. The point in sharing this is that for someone who feels they have so much, or too much stuff, yet they always want more...is that you might surprise yourself with how much you can create with what you already have.
I really love this topic, last year we had move and at the last minute we realized that my kids and I were going to have to stay with some family while my husband started his new job and looked for housing for us.
We didn't know how long we would be apart or how long our stuff would be in storage (FYI: It was so surprising to me that when we started packing up our old house, my craft room is what took the longest.... 9 1/2 hours ...)
Because I couldn't even imagine living without craft for who knew how long I was forced to PICK what I NEED and only what I NEEDED to get by.
I was living about 2 hours from ANYTHING. The only thing that was around was a walmart that didn't have any crafting stuff.
And I didn't my own car to go any place, not to meantion money was super tight because all we going through.
Right before this I had been going to Michael's and Ross weekly scoring great deals and buy stuff.
It was 6 months that were seperated and then when we did get our new house the cost of moving and getting settled was alot so all last year I didn't get to buy anything and you know I didn't need to do..... I didn't even need to buy ATG adhesive because I had got so much of it before this happened to us.
It made me realize that I could never buy another thing and be able to scrapbook and card make for year.
The one thing that helped me was I kept a running of list of stuff that I was running out of, I ran out of black card stock and that kind of thing.
I knew that in January/Feb I would be able to get some stuff.
Stampin' Up always has there saleabrations in Feb/March so kept my running list of stuff that I was wanting, or running out of and it was alot of fun to look through the catalog or put stuff on my list and then in Feb I would put in a rather large order and got some free stuff from the Saleabrations Catalog.
I also became part of a Stampin' Up Club where you have to spend $30.00 a month for 6 months and in the one month you get $25.00 in free product (or more if orders are large that month)
I started making myself ONLY purchase the first part of the month with my club order. If it does't fit into a $30.00 order it can wait until the next month.
I could quote at least one sentence from every reply made and say, "yep, me, too!"
When you first get involved with papercrafting it's necessary to spend some bucks, after all, you can't make anything when you've got nothing. I splurged when I first started papercrafting but it didn't take me long to chill out and keep my spending as Barbara Jay described and advised. I also have a couple built-in incentives to keep my spending under control - I have 2 daughters in college, one who will start medical school next year and the other who will follow suit the year after that. The point in sharing this is that for someone who feels they have so much, or too much stuff, yet they always want more...is that you might surprise yourself with how much you can create with what you already have.
Yes Rosie!! I'm done playing catch up. I have enough. I don't want to get to the point where I have so much that I can't keep it organized. I think I caught myself before I went too far.
I live on the shore of Lake Michigan so I can't drive east (LOL)...but if I drive 45 minutes south from where I live I have access to a Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels. If I drive 45minutes north, I have access to those same stores. If I drive 1 hour west, I have those same stores and Archivers (my favorite!). Soon after I started papercrafting I began to keep a binder where I keep a list of all the tools, inks, stamped images, paper swatches, etc., that I have because one day I was at Archivers and I saw a stamp that caught my eye...but didn't buy because I thought I might have that stamp already. I couldn't remember! Turned out I did have that stamp, and that's what prompted me to create this binder and I take it with me anytime I go shopping. That binder has saved me from erroneously buying duplicates of something I already have more than once! Of all of my organizational tips and tricks, this has been the most valuable to me.
I have a small binder that lists all my inks, pencils, markers, punches, embossing folders, dies, embossing powder -- you get the idea, almost everything I have for card making. Another binder lists all my papers and then I have my large binders showing all my stamps. My original binder goes with me whenever I shop for paper crafts and I've been known to take the paper binder with me to a scrapbook store in case I want to add to any of the paper lines I already have. And if I'm going to a real stamp store, my car carries the large binders so that I don't duplicate any stamps. My cataloging drives my husband nuts since I do the same thing for my needlework items: fabric, beads, threads, etc. He is model railroader, a perfectionist, and totally unorganized and after 46 years I've finally given up on trying to organize him!
Last edited by DianeinSparks; 03-26-2012 at 05:55 PM..
Reason: spelling
I am in the same boat as many of the posters on this thread. I have had some luck this year with some behavioral changes.
Coupons:
I don't print them off unless I have a specific item I need to purchase - Copic markers, glue dots, etc. this way they don't burn a hole in my pocket.
Pay as I go:
I try to realistically decide what cash I need for the week. If I have any left - maybe having packed a lunch, rather than going out - I put the money in an envelope. As best I can I try to limit my purchases to what is in the envelope. For online purchases, I go for Paypal from my checking account, which keeps me in line.
Out of sight, out of mind:
Staying out of the stores is always the best idea. Like others have said, having a running wish list rather than purchasing on impulse is a really effective way to curb spending.
Shopping my stash:
I am trying to challenge myself to find ways to use what I already own whenever possible. This makes a small dent in the overpopulation in my stamp room and saves me money.
Finally, I am finding that I have now been a stamper long enough that some of my long ago purchases are back to being popular. For example, paper doilies as an embellishment, buttons, sponging.
I am in the same boat as many of the posters on this thread. I have had some luck this year with some behavioral changes.
Out of sight, out of mind:
Staying out of the stores is always the best idea. Like others have said, having a running wish list rather than purchasing on impulse is a really effective way to curb spending.
Finally, I am finding that I have now been a stamper long enough that some of my long ago purchases are back to being popular. For example, paper doilies as an embellishment, buttons, sponging.
At times I've made wish lists, and then I'll go awhile without one. I'm one of those who does better WITH a list. It's interesting though, because someone (maybe Barbara Jay) said they do better without a list, because then they are not reminded of what they want and often forget about it ;)
I know what you mean about things coming back to being popular! I find it kind of weird that things within an art form are popular. I mean, isn't art supposed to be about self expression? I don't care for whimsical images at all. You'd think that would help my pocketbook right? :rolleyes: I don't use them and I don't care how popular they are, I just don't like them. The only exception is House Mouse. For some reason I adore them.
At times I've made wish lists, and then I'll go awhile without one. I'm one of those who does better WITH a list. It's interesting though, because someone (maybe Barbara Jay) said they do better without a list, because then they are not reminded of what they want and often forget about it ;)
I had written wish list(s) and I was letting myself get crazy. I would order some things from the wish list and even before they arrived I would be planning my order for next month. I have a monthly budget , but counted days until I could buy more from the list. It was nuts!!
I tore up the wish list and now I just rely on my memory. It is amazing that most of the stuff that I would have written on the wish list in the past, now just fade from my memory in a few days. Now I only buy the few things that I can't get out of my mind and I am thrilled with them when I get them.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I had a similar experience, Barbara, with online shopping carts. I would put things in them and then go back usually at least a week or more later, and it was very easy to just delete them! I don't know if I ever shop and buy at the same time anymore.
My problem is my husband!! He finds the "garage sale & stampers sales" in the newspapers and tells me about them. If he only knew how much these stamps cost me, oops, him, he certainly wouldn't be telling me. But he is my encourager and consultant when I am at a tough spot with a card. If I can't make a decision about something on the card, I bring it to him and he helps me. Always turn out right then.
I do see cards that I like, but know that I can't have every stamp, so I look at how I can use the "idea" and use my own stamps. Helps an awful lot.
Patti
Joy is a life poured out in service towards others
Too many toys = "Cafeteria Syndrome"
