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So how is everybody doing? I have managed to not spend anything and have made a few cards. Working on Valentines. Gathered up my valentine stamps and I think it's safe to say I've got that holiday covered! I'm working on getting over that initial thought of "but if I use it up, I won't have it any more". My next thought being - that's a good thing. I truly believe there is some addiction genes in my blood and while alcohol or drugs have no hold, hobby shopping does! Before I was scrapping and stamping I sewed. You would not believe the piles of fabric I had! I just switch my 'drug' of choice!
I will admit I do have a die I would like to buy and if it is ever back in stock, I will order it. But I will fight the urge to keep finding more to get free Shipping! I find I'm a sucker for that!!
How is your 2013 going?
Ive tried to go without and I can't do it. Ive modified my spending though so I am spending less. We just bought a house (oct 31st) and my husband set up a budget using a phone app called EEBA i think you can use it online too. Since money is very tight right now we both get $50 a month of spending money for hobbies or whatever and i am so in debt to myself right now =P But i am trying to use what I have, rediscovering old things as well. Compared to some of the craft rooms ive seen in the gallery my stash is rather modest, and I dont have tons of stamps. I try to buy only what i really love and get inspired by...which is still hard to control. Sometimes i carve my own stamps if there is something specific i want, like gears, dressforms, pen nibs , those are my most recent carvings but it's too hard to do really intricate things. I guess spending becomes an issue of can I create it myself, do I have something similar or do i need to buy it.
Good for you for making your own stamps. Something I don't think I could do so I'm very impressed! You did state something that I need to remember. If I check my stash, I probably have a stamp already that is similar. I need to remember that. And if and when I ever run out of printed paper, like in 10 years or so, I've got plenty of stamps that I could really make my own in whatever color I want! I also need to really define my style and then go with it. Not worry about what is the latest and greatest but what I will actually use.
I will admit I do have a die I would like to buy and if it is ever back in stock, I will order it. But I will fight the urge to keep finding more to get free Shipping! I find I'm a sucker for that!!
How is your 2013 going?
You will save a bundle if you just pay the shipping and buy only what you really want and will use.
I wanted a Happy Birthday set of Stamps. They were $13 and $4 shipping. They had free shipping on $75, but I only wanted that one stamp set so I paid the $17.
Last year I would have choked at paying $4 to ship one clear set of stamps. But then I came to realize I spent much less when I only bought what I really wanted instead of spending $50 or more to save a couple of dollars on shipping.
There have been a couple of times I said no thanks when the shipping was way out of line. One place wanted $5.95 to mail ONE clear stamp set and it was not on sale. Even I have my limits on what I will pay for shipping. The set in question would have fit in a 6" x 9" bubble envelope ( 50� ) and $1.95 postage.
I am not going to pay the actual shipping costs ; for their time to pack it and their lunch too.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Glad I found you and YES I'm in again! I was in on the older Cold Turkey thread and found it helpful. Biggest thing then, I stopped using the store coupons except for adhesives, ect. Freeing indeed and the funny thing was I didn't really feel like I was missing out because the money I would have spent was still with me. Reading through the new thread helps me see and agree to the 4 parts to the hobby. Looking at the new supplies has a certain pleasure to it. Organizing gives a certain sense of accompolishment. Free shipping and sales can give a false sense of saving money or a justification for spending. Visiting web sites and blogs is fun because there are sooo many beautiful cards out there that people have made and I dream of making myself. The problem it takes away from the most valuable commodity we all have and that is TIME.
As I have admired so many lovely cards and projects on line now, I have begun to wonder to myself - do I have a style of my own? What do I like? What could I create? So for 2013 my two goals are - 1. to find that out by using my supplies and making more cards myself. Not saying I won't get ideas from others, but would like the courage to try my own ideas, and 2. to not spend more than the required amount of $20.00 plus tax and shipping at my stamp club once a month. That will be a challenge because there are always the spend $50.00 and get a star, etc. programs. Right now I really need the limits or else my hobby will have to go!
Thank you to everyone for the helpful ideas. I read them all. Will be back later to read more and let you know how I'm doing. By the way - the Dave Ramsey Financial Freedom program really does work.
I also would like to offer my sympathy to Deborah in the loss of her father and hope that she will find stamping a comfort and joy to her now. I actually started stamping after the death of my mother.
So sorry to hear of the loss of your father. I hope that your renewed interest in stamping will be a joy and comfort to you. I began stamping after the death of my mother and I have found it helpful.
Going to Florida and Mexico this fall, so I need to quit spending. If I keep to $100 minimum for CTMH Jr. Consultant I will be happy. As a start, I quit the Simon Says Kit of the Month today. Now I need to keep deleting the Custom Crops flyers without looking at them first.
So I had New Year's Eve afternoon off, so I dug into my room and tossed all those instructions, examples, sketches, that I'd been printing up. The majority is still available to me on-line, so why keep a printed copy? And then there was some stuff that I always thought - hey, I could use this in a card. Decided they could go too. When I've used up that much of my stash that I'm looking for stuff, something like it will be available again. In all, I took 3 grocery bags of junk out to the garbage can! It was so freeing!! Much more freeing than thinking I needed to take all that printed paper and make categories and label it and put it in binders just in case I might need it! Then I did a little rearranging of am down to 1 PC utinsel holder. Love seeing just a little bit of space coming back to my room. I made 5 cards and finished a layout since the New Year. I even used up a small chunk of ribbon. I just used it not worrying that I don't have it in my stash any more!! I can see that not spending all my time putting away new supplies, might just free me up to do more creating. Digging into some of the embossing folders or inks or stamps and just having fun!!!
So, so far in 2013, I regained a little bit of space in my room and I'm doing the happy dance. Can you tell, it doens't take a lot for me to be happy? Anybody else what to share a little success?
I am going cold, cold turkey. I have so much and so little space and time with which to stamp. I started a thrift sale box of craft supplies I couldn't use and let them sit for a while to see if I really "needed" them. I didn't! and I felt so free of them once I did sell them. One strategy that has really helped me is better define my style so I could purge stamps, inks and embellishments that don't fit. Now I'm on my second thrift sale box so I can free more shelf space and creativity to actually stamp. It is really almost painful, though, to resist Memory Box dies. I'll treasure them that much more when my birthday gifts roll in.
Organizing my supplies really helps me spend less.
I also LOVE Evernote. I've got all my stamp sets, dies and any cards kits all in the app. When I have a few moments I'll browse through it and find things in forgot about, or a little stamp image I can use in a different way.
Plus if I see a leaf stamp set I need to have, I can just type in leaf and see the leaf sets I already own. Helps me decide if i truly need it.
I'm gong to try and commit to $50 a month...but more importantly I'm going to actually MAIL out some of these cards I'm making!!
My goal is to not buy any patterned paper/DSP for ONE YEAR. I can get cardstock only if it matches some DSP that I have in order to use some up. I think I might really help myself (and my scraproom) if I can stick to this.
Leah
My goal is to not buy any patterned paper/DSP for ONE YEAR. I can get cardstock only if it matches some DSP that I have in order to use some up. I think I might really help myself (and my scraproom) if I can stick to this.
Leah
This also was my best activity for going cold turkey last year, with the exception that I could purchase if it was for a very, very specific purpose where I had no other alternatives in my own stash - like a graduation, or wedding.
Also, about half way through the year, I spent several hours going through each of my sheets of DSP and determining whether I had cardstock to match/compliment it. I gathered up every sheet that didn't have matching cardstock and brought it all to my LSS. I then spent another couple of hours picking out cardstock to go with it. This meant that anytime I sat down to make something, I knew for sure that I had CS to go with my DSS and never felt the urge to go to my LSS. A somewhat big initial investment of time, but big payoff financially in the end.
__________________ Elizabeth
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Hand over the chocolate, and no one will get hurt!
I got to thinking last night that I think when I see something I just have to have, I'm going to keep it on a list. Then when Mother's Day, my birthday or next Christmas come around, and my kids or DH need an idea of what to get me, I will give them my list list and where to get it. Even GC to my favorite places. It should be a treat to do some scrapbook shopping, not an every day occurence. It used to be more like that. Somewhere along the line it took a life of its own and here I am posting in a thread to go cold turkey in 2013!
I'm enjoying reading all the responses and hearing other ideas to help me through the year. Lots of good ideas. Maybe we should have started out with -
Hi, my name is Mary and I have a scrapbook shopping addicition!!
I'm part of a meetup group run by a SU demo so monthly we all shop. Also I do it because I feel bad asking to have classes scheduled on the calendar without shopping with her.
Then I scheduled a class on meetup although I only have one person scheduled so far. So I had to order some CTMH.
Then I went to Archivers and JoAnns.
But on the upside I have gotten all my paper scraps wrangled and took all my wood mounted stamps off the wood blocks and have the majority put on cling mount. Plus have done housework too.
__________________ Mary Ellen
Would love to share some of my crafting with you - my blog
While I dearly love my Stamping up and CTMY consultants, I have finally convinced myself that it is not my job to see that they are successful. Love the products both companies have, but I have to set a limit for myself. Which is hard. (I just saw the new CTMH catalog!) That thinking of ordering something every month got me in the mess I'm in! After that realization, my ordering from either friend has slowed way down and I have put more thought into an order - no more impulse shopping. I know Sale-bration time is coming and a friend usually has a party. So I will be more than happy to order then. But that should give me a fix for awhile.
As my health declines, I need to put more money aside. But I have a small change jar and will use that for an occasional fix those $1.50 stamps at m's. I can never have enough sentiment stamps. Never go into a store w/o a list. And I take hubby as the I just want to look, turns into buying. He will keep me focused. Unsubscribe from craft store emails, and just delete if you get one. I'll use what I have. I have a stack of card magazines that can help me make do.
I'm part of a meetup group run by a SU demo so monthly we all shop. Also I do it because I feel bad asking to have classes scheduled on the calendar without shopping with her.
Then I scheduled a class on meetup although I only have one person scheduled so far. So I had to order some CTMH.
Then I went to Archivers and JoAnns.
But on the upside I have gotten all my paper scraps wrangled and took all my wood mounted stamps off the wood blocks and have the majority put on cling mount. Plus have done housework too.
Isn't unmounting your stamps wonderful? I got the last of my done recently. Love it. Takes up much less room - but was I in for a surprise when I numbered my cd cases and how high that number is. I don't think I can even type it - shockingly large! I thought the or ganizing was finally done of my stamps, but alas. I've been reading and I'm thinking category/theme might be next - breaking up sets - but sort them as I use. You know we said that organizing our stash was part of the fun!
This is a fun thread. Hi, my name is Terri and I'm a craftaholic I am an SU hobby demo, so I buy mostly from myself. I have done a pretty good job recently of not buying every stamp set I saw something cute made with - and I did that by quitting browsing the gallery. I had one year where I bought every flower set I saw in the catalogue - knowing full well I have a heck of a time creating with sets like that! Those sets mostly didn't see ink, and I was really happy to trade them away finally or sell them when they retired.
I am a huge scrapbooker, and I am really proud to say that I have actually accomplished a lot. That said, I STILL have tons. I am realizing now that most of the punches I have, for instance, I almost NEVER use. I having been mostly digitally scrapbooking this past year or two and love it. I spend a lot of my minimums on new downloads
Those of you who are planning to shop your stash and buy only adhesives and white cardstock I applaud you. I did that about 3 yrs ago now I guess. I managed to fill two full albums before I ran out of empty albums and adhesive. That felt AWESOME! I don't feel like I have something in my stash to save anymore, I freely use whatever I want. I also don't save every little scrap of paper anymore, I throw them out. If paper is looking faded, I toss it. If its ugly, out it goes. When I browse the gallery here looking for ideas, I only search with the keywords for the stamp sets I own. Better yet, I look for sketch challenges (scrapbooking and card making) because then I am forced to look at my own supplies that I can use to create the sketch.
Happy creating! By the way, I will not go cold turkey no longer spending this year, but I WILL purge a lot of the excess I KNOW I'm not going to use. I'm just trying to decide if I have the energy to try to sell it, or if I am going to just donate it all.
__________________ Terri
Paper Crafty Goals for 2013: 50/135 pages and 185/75 cards.
I don't know if this is familiar with anybody else, but I have found in my past scrapbook shopping that if I couldn't decide between the blue, red and yellow, I bought them all! And there they all sit! Paper, ribbon, buttons, etc. Does th is ring true with anybody else? Helped my stash grow that's for sure! OR if a favorite company made it, I had to have it! Doesn't matter if I liked it, could easily use it, I just got it. Kind of like I was part of a special club or something. So for the time being, I am no longer in any kit clubs.
As you can see, I'm trying to do a little soul searching in my cold turkey goal for 2013. Really trying to figure out 'what was I thinking' !
A word of encouragement for you. You mentioned "soul searching" in your message. Good for you! Joining this group and thinking about all the struggles and helpful tips people were sharing caused me to stop, do some "soul searching" and consider the many possible reasons for MY over indulgence. It was amazingly helpful and freeing. When we see something and recognize it for what it is, then we can address it, change the behavior pattern, and be FREE move on.
I've done a great job at scaling back, I do find it difficult to explain to some of my local crafter friends, which is a bit unpleasant really. I have so much and admit I'm a little embarrassed by it. A few of my friends along with my DH like to show off my Craft Room ( he did a very large addition to our home and I understand his excitement in showing it off) and most of the people they want to show it too are not crafters, they look at it with "Huge Eyes" :shock: and I feel guilt. I would rather it be my own guilty pleasure, I don't like to rub it in others faces. I did find creative ways to acquire so much, being a SU demo for 10 yrs. was huge...I couldn't justify taking $$$ from our household budget, so that's how I justify my own cRaZiness! LOL
__________________ The way to knowLIFEis to LOVEmany things!- Vincent Van Gogh
So far, so good. I will have to put in an order during SAB and it will make my quarter then I can wait a couple of months before I will have to order more. I may not make the minimums then but I have so much stuffs now I dont really need much more. Hope everyone else is doing well too!!
Mid Month check in! How is everyone doing? I went to Archivers with Friends tonight for Scrap Mania and I spent --- $0! Yup, $0! I spent some time organizing pictures and papers to take that would keep me busy scrapping and although I browsed through the store, I didn't really "need" anything and it felt freeing to just scrap and chat! The event was even "free" because we got a "free" pass if we went to NYE scrap event.
Someone mentioned "soul searching" and for me it is just being much more conscientious about what I already have and how "stash" multiplies. I shopped earlier in the month at a 40% off all DSP Event and I picked up some papers but I left them in the bag and gave myself 20 days to use them or they were going back to the store while they could still be returned. I'm pleased to say, I followed through and took back the paper I didn't use tonight. The paper I was most excited about I scrapped with right away so ... I used what I really liked and took the rest back so it didn't sit in my stash.
The best part is that I do need to place an order for "stock up" items - Albums, Page Protectors and some Neutral Cardstock but that's because I've used up what I had! The major re-org and purge that I did in December has really given my creativity a big boost.
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Come Scrap With Us ---- YTD 87 / 300 Pages 2023 -- 64 / 252 Cards 2023
Isn't unmounting your stamps wonderful? I got the last of my done recently. Love it. Takes up much less room - but was I in for a surprise when I numbered my cd cases and how high that number is. I don't think I can even type it - shockingly large! I thought the or ganizing was finally done of my stamps, but alas. I've been reading and I'm thinking category/theme might be next - breaking up sets - but sort them as I use. You know we said that organizing our stash was part of the fun!
I can relate. I finished my unmounting project last month. LOVE IT!! It takes up much less space but I also realize I still have WAY TOO many stamps I don't use. I purged (sold/donated) alot but I've been thinking that more need to go. I've decided that for every stamp set I bring in "new" at least one in the stash needs to go. I looked at 2-3 releases in the last couple weeks but didn't order any because I didn't have sets selected to trade out. I went looking thru my Valentine sets to see and decided to keep the ones I had with some new ideas. I was so happy. I am thinking about doing another Purge (Mar/Apr) and pass on more SU that I've had for years and don't use. I like them, but I don't use them and even unmounted they need to go.
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Come Scrap With Us ---- YTD 87 / 300 Pages 2023 -- 64 / 252 Cards 2023
I will be spending carefully this year. Definitely not cold turkey but less than 2012. I do plan to get an ATG for my adhesive and will try to focus my purchases on tools, embellishments and cardstock. I have plenty of stamps so I will not "need" as many of those. Probably will purchase a few, but I will be making an index this year so I can see what types of stamps I already have plenty of.
The one thing that I really need to work on in 2013 is to curb the "impulse" spending - you know, walk into a store, find a bunch of stamp sets or paper packs on clearance and buy them - not because I need them but because they are such a great bargain. Tuesday Morning was one of my biggest trouble spots this past year - stamp sets and paper packs for cheap! But they're all still sitting in boxes in my room because I can't possibly use everything I bought.
I totally agree with the 4 parts to the hobby - I do love to shop, I need to be better organized, I spend way too much time surfing for inspiration, and I spend way too little time actually making cards!
I am seeing that there are many parts to a hobby than what meet the eye. I so agree with the "impulse" buying when in M or J's when stuff is on sale( hey, or even on-line). In the past I would legitimize my buying something if I got it on sale instead of at regular price. Though a sale is good, it didn't curtail what I bought. One thing I have noticed that if I am kinda dull or tired when I am shopping, I buy more...no resistance to think it through.
Also, if I take hubby he will want me to buy all kinds of things as he loves to see me creative with this hobby. That may not always be a good thing financially. Today, I am thinking that part of it is lust for me. Lust says ... I want it NOW. Don't want to wait, want it now. I did that with the Spectrum Noir pens...got em all in one week...all on an incredible sale with one sweep of the mouse. Now do I use them tremendously yet? Enbarrassingly I have to say no. So, as the days and weeks unfold I am going to do what someone wisely said she is doing, "Shopping in my own stash" for her projects. I am empowered when I uncover the real culprit (lust for more) and have joy in overcoming it!
well I made it two months. I ordered some stamps. One had free S&H with a $75, and I had a list going for them. So I took advantage (or should say caved!) and the other one I just really liked. The only consolation on that order is that I only ordered that set. I didn't keep shopping for that free S&H. So do I call that progress? Sort of I think. But I vow not to buy anything else the whole rest of the month. Maybe I need to set a limit each month and shoot to spend under that limit! But I won't call it a complete failure - I did show some restraint on the one order! But hey, I can start over and know that it's better than the prior months!
I am using my stash. Trying to find some of the unloved things I had to have and putting them to good use. One card or layout at a time.
To sdscrapper: Yes, I do call that progress. Reaching the limit for free shipping is one of the places I get hung up on and spend more than planned just to save shipping. So as you have made progress you have also encouraged others, especially me. Thanks
To sdscrapper: Yes, I do call that progress. Reaching the limit for free shipping is one of the places I get hung up on and spend more than planned just to save shipping. So as you have made progress you have also encouraged others, especially me. Thanks
Last year cold Turkey didn't work for me either, but I only bought what I really wanted and just paid the shipping. At the end of the year I added up my craft expenditures and found I spent nearly 75% LESS than the previous year and still had everything I really wanted. The idea of just "finding" more things to get free shipping was a problem. Frequently I found I didn't really use the extra stuff very often that I bought to get free shipping.
Companies often send a coupon with an order to get $$ of on the next order within a short period of time. I immediately tossed those in the recycling too.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Maybe we should be shooting for "Mindful craft shopping," like mindful meditation, but about our crafting-thinking things through and planning the project, checking if we have a similar thing that we can use already.
My sister, my niece and I are in a scrap challenge. We have challenged ourselves to make 100 items before we buy anything new. We are permitted to buy adhesives, blades for trimmers or cutters, etc., but nothing else. We also are permitted to print photos. We've been doing this for years and always start on January 1st. Sometimes it takes us 6-8 weeks, sometimes it takes us months, but it always makes us look at our stash with a more creative vision.
I usually give myself a little added bonus in that I assign each layout or card a price ($1/card and $5/layout) as money that I can spend later. I don't always use it, but it's fun to add it up.
What this challenge does for us is make us more mindful spenders when we do finish our challenge and are permitted to buy again.
The one thing that I really need to work on in 2013 is to curb the "impulse" spending - you know, walk into a store, find a bunch of stamp sets or paper packs on clearance and buy them - not because I need them but because they are such a great bargain.
Well, I totally failed on this one already! :-P Went to Michael's while in Louisiana over the holidays and picked up 3 Hero Arts stamp sets because they were 80% off. No, I didn't really need 3 more holiday themed sets, but they were on sale. <sigh> And then there was the $5 stamp sale at Michael's this week; although that wasn't really impulse - I made the trip to the store just for that!
But I have resisted the online places that got me into trouble last year - overstock.com and joanns.com were particularly dangerous. And all too often I fell into the "free shipping" trap that so many have mentioned; it really doesn't pay if you buy $50 in stuff you really didn't want to get free shipping on the $25 worth of stuff you really wanted and used.
My son is headed back to college this weekend so I'll get my open space on the guest room floor back - I was making serious progress sorting (with the goal of eventually purging) before the holidays, but that was put on hold when he got into town (the drum set was relocated to the guest room ... don't get me started).
I think the fact that we're all giving lots of thought before spending is progress. I know I have been giving serious thought to if I want an SU SAB order ... or not ... the fact that I'm pausing to think it through is a good thing. I know I've taken several items off the list and I'm happy about it.
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Come Scrap With Us ---- YTD 87 / 300 Pages 2023 -- 64 / 252 Cards 2023
I have been following this thread closely. I have decided I want and need to be a better steward so I will be very selective about what I choose to buy and am being very cautious to spend. I have passed on quite a bit in the last month, whether at the local big box stores and on PTI's latest release. I have been agonizing over how to spend the crafty money I received for Christmas. And like everyone else here, I have been shopping through my stash, using what I have. I have many stamps that need to see ink for the first time ;)
__________________ ~Taryn~ By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. 1 John 3:16
I am trying to shop my stash first. I have always tried to buy multi-use items (stamp sets that can be used for many things, embossing folders that will lend themselves to lots of projects) so that helps. I do have a stupid amount of designer paper, and am trying to incorporate it into new creations. Will I spend this year - yes. But I'm definitely trying to spend smart.
__________________ Diana
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Save your drama for your llama.
Well, time to personally check back and see how we are all doing. I fell way off the wagon, which is probably why I haven't posted in this thread for awhile! Funny how that works! I am going to go with no purchases until my good scrapping buddy comes in April for a scrapbook weekend. I do have adhesive and a stamp set coming to me in the mail, but that's it. And I at least only got the one set and didn't try for the free shipping! I started getting that mindset of having it all again and it hit me what I was doing! Buying stuff just to be buying stuff, not because I needed it and not even because I was in love with it. I do want to do some more organizing thought. Believe it or not, when you see a little space showing up on your shelves it is a good thing and makes me want to do a little organizing (without buying any containers! becuase that is part of my sickness with this hobby - trying everything they come up with as the answer to all my storage problems. The answer really is to quit buying so much!!).
How is everyone else doing?
This time around I am doing great. Not because I have developed so much disciplined, but because I have a lot of stuff and I have not been inspired by what I see for sale. It all seems to look like the stuff I have .
Since January I have only bought some black CS for my Silhouette. one set of Nestabilties and one stamp set that I needed for a project. I also bought the Designer Edition for my Silhouette, but it was on a 50% off sale and something I planned to buy when I found a good price.
I have not been in Michael's , JoAnns nor Hobby Lobby since December.
When I have time I am going to go through my stamps and other things to see which ones can go.
I want this to be my "Less is More " year
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Barbara - good for you. And I hear you on the less is more! \I am learning to smile big when I use the last of a fiber/ribbon in my stash and not panic that I no longer have that particular color!
Sounds like you are doing a good job of recognizing what you want and need, and plan and wait for a good sale. Good for you.
Happy Saturday
Yup
Thinking It Through
