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It seems my craft budget is buying less and less. Between companies raising the price of their products and increasing their shipping costs I deplete my craft budget sooner than I did last year :(
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Thanks Amber I am not looking for anything in particular, I am just noticing how my craft and household budget doesn't buy nearly what it did even last year.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Inflation has increased the cost of food so much that I find I have less and less money to spend on non-essentials every month. I'm sending two sons off to college this week, and that should cut down on my grocery bill considerably!
Sometimes, we spend so much time here on SCS looking at all the pretty new things, and it makes us want more. But it's fine to use the stuff we do have, and give some love to those older products and neglected stamps. It forces me to be a little more creative, too.
That being said, I would love an unlimited budget for craft spending!
It seems my craft budget is buying less and less. Between companies raising the price of their products and increasing their shipping costs I deplete my craft budget sooner than I did last year :(
Prices of everything are going up, and my hobbies budget has dwindled to almost nothing. Except for replenishing adhesive, envelopes, and solid-color paper, I buy little new and ask for stamping products for birthday and Christmas.
I fill the gap by using free and cheap digital images instead. I can get something new for free if I "need" something.
If you do want some new stuff, Barbara, have you tried eBay? I picked up a box of new Tim Holtz stuff yesterday that I won for $62 and I figure the value of it is about $220. You can always resell what you don't want on eBay.
Oh, I hear you!! I've had a big cut in hours. I've spent this month, but that's because I got my pro rata holiday pay, and won a gift cert from a company which paid shipping costs.
Amen, Sister! That being said, I have enough stuff to last years but with the new catalogs and CHA stuff being put out on the shelves it is tempting. I've already told my DH for my birthday in October I want craft supplies. He thinks that's a win-win, he hates to shop!
Kathy T
My crafting budget went down. I think it's because I found my style. I purged a lot of my craft room when I did find my style. Plus, I really love to make my own tools, embellishments, etc. I will go to Michael's and get ideas to make things. I am always looking for alternative tools.
Now, my DH's crafting budget has gone up. He has started oil painting and chain mail.
My biggest budget increase are our pets. They eat constantly, lol. I have a lot of animals.
Do I ever hear you! This has been a reality for my family for the past several months. We've been trying to live within our means and not spend more than we're bringing in each month (no use of credit cards or lines of credit). What I budget for gas and groceries each month doesn't go as far as I need it to go. Crafting supplies are only a rare treat these days and I'm selective of what I do get.
We've modified our lives as much as possible to not waste gas and make unnecessary trips with the car where possible. I buy less fresh fruit and veggies when the budget is tight and there are no extravagant grocery purchases - just the basics - and I know we're not eating as healthily as we should be. There's simply not enough money. I've cut back on my cable bill but other than that one treat, everything else is a necessity in the budget like electricity, home heating oil, insurance, etc.
On top of all this, we've taken in a friend of the family who is a youth in need of a home due to violence in his former home and he has nowhere else to go. I'm trying to get him some social assistance but it has been difficult. Kids his age seem to fall through the cracks. He's too old to be a foster child and too young to draw assistance as an adult. Whether he gets some governmental help or not, he's with us for the next year until I see him through his last year of high school and off to university. So, I'm feeding a family of five including two almost adult boys on a budget that would barely feed am adult couple and a baby! We're making it work as best we can though.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
I completely understand. I had 7 houseguests for 3 weeks. :eek: So instead of 2 adults and 3 kids (who eat like birds), I had 5 adults including 3 additional adults, 2 of whom eat like horses, and 6 kids, 2 of which eat like the end of the world is coming. Add in a baby that I bought baby food and formula for and well.....it was an EXPENSIVE 3 weeks, lol.
And it's canning season, so I've spent a small fortune on fruit, jars, lids, pectin, etc to jam and tomatoes are still to come.
Then it's back to school with a list of supplies and mile long for 4 kids (3 of mine and one grand) and clothes ($75 for 6 pairs of jeans for just DS). Backpacks, lunch boxes, thermoses, haircuts, etc. BAH!
Older DS just transferred from a community college to a 4 year university to tuition more than tripled plus $250 just to apply. :rolleyes:
Yes, I truly feel your pain. No raise this year, none next year and potentially more years just like this. :(
well, when my son goes back to college next month, my milk bill will go down by about $60 a month. however, the thousands of tuition more than make up for it.
I'm having another in house craft yard sale next month -- it is the best way to get some extra $$ and then get new stuff.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
This is my first September that my wallet won't take a large hit with back to school stuff. My two are both out of high school and their student loan funds will cover everything they need for university in the fall. They're both working summer jobs so they're self sufficient. Our newest family member has enough money from his summer job to get himself registered for high school and pay for his fees and school supplies. When our grocery budget gets low and there's no money left before the next payday, they do chip in and help buy milk, bread, or other little food stuffs we run short on. I hate taking money from the kids this way but they see what is happening and don't mind chipping in to help out. I've always told them they're welcome to live at home rent-free once high school was over so long as they were doing something productive to advance themselves in life so they don't have to struggle as much as we their parents have.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
I totally understand where you are coming from.
About the only thing that has gone down in price in my area is gas. Everything else is going up
Our rent went up ($350 more a month-yuck!)
Milk is more expensive- i paid a $1 more per gallon now than I did a month ago
Cheese is an almost non existent thing in our house. I only buy it for sandwiches.
And my Vet has directed us to put our animals on a better diet so now we are feeding them dogfood that costs almost $50 for a 30 pound bag. The pros: we have to do less cleaning of the backyard, they're coats are looking healthier and the dog that instigated it all is well on his way to losing 20 pounds.
Crafting supplies prices are going up here and there. And I noticed (in my area anyway) that the stores didn't have and super, make me jump for joy deals this year on school supplies.
And maybe I've taken for granted that my kids get a "free" education but this year I'm having to put out more money towards things that I never had to before. For instance one teachers wants each student to bring in 2 reams of copy paper. One of my sons has to bring in his own cleaning supplies to clean his station for his art class in addition to a monetary donation and the purchase of a bag of clay and other art "tools"
It's insane. I've learned to be content staying home during the weekdays unless I have a very specific purpose to get in my truck and drive- like grocery shopping :-)
There's a part of me that looks back and thinks about how when I was 10 (a few decades ago) I could buy an entire lunch bag size bag of penny candy for $1. Dad would send me to the store to get him a pack of cigarettes (it was legal for minors to so back then) for only 55 cents a pack. Bread was 50 cents a loaf...etc, etc.....
I remember thinking that I would never see the price of gas go over $2 a gallon and that I would never pay it but here I am EXCITED that prices finally went down to $3.59 a gallon...how weird is that?
I think something that is making it more difficult for a lot of people is the fact that the economy is so horrible right now and there isn't any real end in sight. Makes me wonder what it's going to be like for my kids and their kids.........and I don't entirely like the picture I have in my head. :-(
__________________ Shellie G
Aspire to be a better person than you were yesterday
beaddict
I just retired from teaching in June. I read about sending in copy paper and I just had to share.
My former principal put us on a very strict copy and paper allocation budget. We'd always run out before the end of the year and then most of us would buy it with our own money, buy our own printer/copiers for the classroom (again out of pocket). We could never figure out how on earth she thought we could teach without being able to make copies. She'd say, "have them copy from the board." That takes forever for most little kids and it is not a good use of instructional time.
I'm glad you are helping your son's teacher out. We were not allowed to ask parents to send in paper!!
magnolia- i live in an area where it seems that nothing is free. Even after school clubs aren't free anymore...i remember when teachers volunteered their time once a month or so to do clubs that enriched kids lives. I miss those days!
The paper I do understand to a degree and I feel for teacher's that have made the decision to pay for things out of their pocket... ....but is every kid going to use 1000 sheets of paper during the school year? I also realize that not every kid will be able to bring in reams of paper so lets knock that number down to 800 sheets of paper....
Anyhow the cost of living has always and will always make things more expensive as the decades go on. I can see it now... 30 years from now people are gonna be saying "Remember when gas was only $3.59 a gallon? Those were the good ole days!" :-)
__________________ Shellie G
Aspire to be a better person than you were yesterday
I completely understand. I had 7 houseguests for 3 weeks. :eek: So instead of 2 adults and 3 kids (who eat like birds), I had 5 adults including 3 additional adults, 2 of whom eat like horses, and 6 kids, 2 of which eat like the end of the world is coming. Add in a baby that I bought baby food and formula for and well.....it was an EXPENSIVE 3 weeks, lol.
And it's canning season, so I've spent a small fortune on fruit, jars, lids, pectin, etc to jam and tomatoes are still to come.
Then it's back to school with a list of supplies and mile long for 4 kids (3 of mine and one grand) and clothes ($75 for 6 pairs of jeans for just DS). Backpacks, lunch boxes, thermoses, haircuts, etc. BAH!
Older DS just transferred from a community college to a 4 year university to tuition more than tripled plus $250 just to apply. :rolleyes:
Yes, I truly feel your pain. No raise this year, none next year and potentially more years just like this. :(
Wow Deb! You sound like a very lovely and generous person. I hope they were all very appreciative.
Your craft room is beautiful! From your pictures it looks like you don't need to buy anything for the rest of your life. lol
The price of products always goes up , but wages were keeping pace.
The problem we have experienced in the past 3 years is prices keep rising while people either lose their jobs or take cuts in wages or benefits.
During the early years of 2000 jobs were plentiful, people were getting wage increases and the prices were not rising at an alarming rate the way they are these days.
Now stores are selling less due to the economy so they are raised the prices of their products and shipping if they are on-line stores.
They plan on the assumption they will sell the same limited number of products they did last year and make more money on each item. They fail to understand that every time the price goes up some people are pushed off the ladder and can no longer afford to buy the product at all . It is a vicious circle.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
"Is every kid going to use 1000 sheets of paper during the school year?"
Yes, and probably more. The various states' standards that must be taught in these times are very specific and not all addressed by the text books. Most of the hands-on lessons that kids love require teachers to design then make copies of the materials.
Estimate for one week:
5 math
10 reading
10 soc st.
10 science
5 englishs/spelling
It is sort of scary when $30 in craft supplies will fit in my purse, I don't even need a bag LOL
You know what? All this talk of budget has made me rethink the whole envelope thing. If I made my own envys from free wallpaper sample books, it would be cheaper. On the other hand, it increases my labor.
I was buying envys at Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupons
12 envys for about 1.80 that's 15 cents each... plus gas to drive up there a few times cause you can only buy one thing at a time with the coupon.
The gallery takes a 40% commission. Big Sigh.... just trying to make a little money.:(
You know what? All this talk of budget has made me rethink the whole envelope thing. If I made my own envys from free wallpaper sample books, it would be cheaper. On the other hand, it increases my labor.
I was buying envys at Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupons
12 envys for about 1.80 that's 15 cents each... plus gas to drive up there a few times cause you can only buy one thing at a time with the coupon.
The gallery takes a 40% commission. Big Sigh.... just trying to make a little money.:(
I figure the price of gas into everything. Hobby Lobby and Michael's are 8 miles away or 16 miles round trip. That takes 2/3 of a gallon of gas at $3.60 per gallon. If I have a coupon it has to save me more than $2.40 or it is no savings
I never go for one thing just because I have a coupon. I wait until the entire department is on sale .
I also plan all of my trips so I go to several store in one trip.
I am not cheap I am frugal LOL
It is the little stuff that will destroy your budget.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I figure the price of gas into everything. Hobby Lobby and Michael's are 8 miles away or 16 miles round trip. That takes 2/3 of a gallon of gas at $3.60 per gallon. If I have a coupon it has to save me more than $2.40 or it is no savings
I never go for one thing just because I have a coupon. I wait until the entire department is on sale .
I also plan all of my trips so I go to several store in one trip.
I am not cheap I am frugal LOL
It is the little stuff that will destroy your budget.
Thank you Barbara, your gas computation helps a lot. I have to get used to this retirement thing. It is all good except the money:( As a teacher I made squat, as a retired teacher I make 1/2 squat! lol:eek:
I have functioned on a cash only basis for more than 30 years. When you have a speciffic amount of money for each area in your budget you become very frugal and think about every purchase.
Everything has a budgeted amount even postage.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
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I've been cut back by one day. It doesn't seem like a lot but it will add up to almost $400.00 a month less. I'm looking for an extra job to fill in some of that if I don't get some unemployment for that one day. Either way, I'll have less to spend and the stamping budget (along with clothes and shoes) will go away. I've recently stocked up on some new clothes, jewelry and stamping stuff. That will be it for awhile. Sooooo sad. I know it could be worse and quite honestly my job may be gone at the end of the year.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I hear ya! I'm just wondering when this stinky economy and housing market is going to turn around. Seems we've been waiting for years and I saw a headline yesterday saying we may be going into recession... again?! Huh? For starters, I thought we just "got out" of one, even though it really didn't seem to get any better after that. Seems that my entire "adult" life after college has just been a downer economy-wise. Not to mention the hit our 401K just took. It just started to recover from 2008 and here we go again!!
Luckily I have more supplies than I need, but unfortunately, my style has been changing and I've wanted to add items for my new style. Been trying to go through all the older stuff that I don't like nearly as much to offload. The fact that I don't have nearly the time in my schedule for crafting as I used to keeps me from hitting the stores or looking at my favorite blogs to see all the great new products out there. Easier not to spend when you don't have the time to use what you want to buy.
I've always tried to combine trips to save on gas (and simply to avoid all the traffic). I spend enough time in my van carpooling kids to their activities with friends' kids in tow. Luckily this year we have more friends on a similar schedule so we're trading off carpooling duties more than before.
What I really hate is the grocery store. Items that would regularly be on sale never seem to go on sale, or the sale price isn't much of a sale at all. I totally agree with the lack of knock your socks off back-to-school sales this year. I've stocked up on basics over the last few years and I've only had to purchase new things that weren't ever on previous years' needs lists, so I'm not buying much of any school stuff this year. Sales are terrible compared to the past few years. Agree with the comment about going into a recession - hadn't noticed that we ever came out of one!
Geogymnast, I'm glad I'm not the only that thinks we never left the first recession. I know too many people that are still unemployed or that can hardly afford day to expenses when just a couple of years ago we got to go out and eat, see whatever movies we wanted to see, travel, etc.
My DH makes a good income but even for us we have had to shorten our purse-strings. I feel totally blessed that we can still afford the things we do because so many others are struggling just to get by (we used to be those struggling people). I'm glad my dad taught me something about frugality before he died. It has saved my DH a lot of money over the years ;-)
__________________ Shellie G
Aspire to be a better person than you were yesterday
What I really hate is the grocery store. Items that would regularly be on sale never seem to go on sale, or the sale price isn't much of a sale at all. I totally agree with the lack of knock your socks off back-to-school sales this year. I've stocked up on basics over the last few years and I've only had to purchase new things that weren't ever on previous years' needs lists, so I'm not buying much of any school stuff this year. Sales are terrible compared to the past few years. Agree with the comment about going into a recession - hadn't noticed that we ever came out of one!
Craft items sales are not that great anymore either. Before it all came tumbling down in 2008 Joann's used to have a 50% off coupon in their flier.
When the economy went South they started only offering 40% off and often most things are 30% off. Michael's sales have not been great lately either. Just the same old ribbon and stickers. We all know they increase the regular prices to reflect the sale prices so really they increased prices just at the time people had less money.
I don't expect good sales for this Christmas season either. I read that container ships are struggling to fill their ships because stores are ordering much less this year. In the USA most of our products are made in other countries and shipped here .
I would suggest we use the Trade thread here and trade things we no longer use/want , but the cost of postage may get in the way of that idea :(
We can't win!
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Last edited by Barbara Jay; 08-20-2011 at 09:11 AM..
Too much month left at the end of the money
poor teachers
