Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I, too, am on a crafting diet. I've been "dieting" ever since I dropped my SU demoship. Unfortunately, I have accumulated ten years worth of craft stuff that I'm continually weeding. Just this month, I revamped my stamp room and pared down A LOT. If it had been spring, I probably wold have put it all out in the driveway with a FOR SALE sign. Sometimes, I just get tired of looking at it. (You can see the before and after photos on my blog.)
I am embracing Clean and Simple this year, both in stamping style and in philosophy. Less is more, and if I have less clutter around me, I think it forces me to be more creative.
While I didn't have a big craft overspending problem last year, I did go overboard buyng clothes (thanks to the fact that I work for a women's clothing retailer). I have got to put an end to it.
I spoke with my niece who used to stamp just this weekend. She gave it all up. When she went to sell it, she was sick over how little money she got for the stuff that she had spent so much on. I know what she means. I'll be paying for two college tuitions in 2011, so life will change dramatically.
I did that last year - spending freeze - because I am a self admitted paper hoarder. I actually used up a lot of the paper I had and I am just now purchasing some more paper.
It will be hard, but you can do it and after the initial withdrawl symptons subside (took me about 4 weeks) it will become second nature. I am now finding that this paid off because I'm very selective about what paper I buy and each sheet has a very specific purpose.
Great topic idea! I'm still pretty new to this hobby, so I feel like I must buy one of everything to try out all the techniques and have fun, and just build up my supply storage, but the downside is of course the spending and how to store it all.
I've seen stamp clubs mentioned a couple times here. I've been considering joining a CTMH club starting in January (10 months with 10 members = $15 a month, or if only 8 sign up, $19/mo).
What do people think of these company stamp/product clubs? Do they help you budget your supplies so you don't go overboard with huge purchases (buying $20 a month is easier on your budget perhaps than $150 on new release day), or do you find yourselves ordering unnecessary things just to meet the minimum and could use the money elsewhere?
If you are just starting out then a stamp club may be good for you. Just a few thoughts - try and stick to the minimum monthly order (that can be real hard!) and try not to buy every new trend. If you are new to the hobby then you can stock up on the basics - ink, paper, markers and stamps that be used in a variety of ways.
After a while you may find that you are just buying any "stuff" to keep in the club - this happened to me and it was a sign that the club was no longer good for me!
This is a very interesting thread! I am fairly new to this, but even I can see I have plenty of supplies. I had to make a last minute birthday card and it was late evening so going to the store was out of the question. I found I had more than enough to choose from to make a lovely card.
I will join you in seeing how long I can go without buying anything new.
I agree with Joan. it is better to buy the one thing you want and pay the shipping than " find enough" to buy to qualify for free shipping. You end up with things you didn't really want or need. The same is true for coupons or sales. If I only need one color of ribbon I am better off paying full price than going to the store when ribbon is on sale and buying 5 spools of ribbon in various colors that may not work well with what I have .
I think this idea is in line with the minimalist trend that is becoming popular in all areas of our lives. We are collectively tired of needing more and more storage containers or units for all this stuff. And it is not just hobbies. Seeing what is left in the stores it appears people put their foot down on more holiday decorations. We have enough!!
Many times "Less is More". It forces creativity
Lets keep a thread going of our progress to encourage each other.
I have had two back fusions this year. That pretty much kept me out of craft stores! I have made a few online purchases for cs, adhesives, punches. I wouldn't reccomend this type of savings plan. I'm excited for a better 2011. Merry Christmas all.
__________________ My Blog...I cook more than I stamp!
I had started 2010 off on a spending freeze, then I went to a diet but by the end of the year I was in an all out shopping frenzy. For 2011 I think I will I will start out on a diet....
I have more than enough paper and ribbons. I have things I can use to make my own embellishments but it requires more creativity by me. I need to reorganize my stamps so I have available my stamps for "kid" cards.
You know, I can not think of one thing that I need to buy for card making or scrapbooking. So It sounds like I will be on a spending freeze for awhile, I will be back for help when I get to the all out shopping frenzy!!
I too have oodles of stuff - thanks to all the inspiration I see here on SCS!
I really only need to buy adhesive, and not for a couple of months - I only found this out as I had to move my craft room from upstairs to downstairs and I had to lug all the stuff myself (with my sons help).
I have just spent a little bit more money yesterday, online (of course), but no more spending for me - just utilizing what I have already.
(Although, I have just made it into a design team for 2011, so will be getting some new (free!) product to play with
I'm in the process of doing an inventory of items that I have. After seeing and writing down what I have. I came across some duplicate stuff, which I didn't realize that I had
purchased duplicate item. Recently between the Black Friday sales and the after Christmas sales have I have done, I'm surprised that the credit card hasn't melted! So I
will definetly be joining the no buy. I love coming to this site and seeing what everyone creates. There is plently of inspiration to be found!
I'm with several others in that I have reached a point where I am pretty well balanced between knowing what I will use and enjoy, and only buy those things & not necessarily everything that is the "hot" thing. I don't do well with "trendy" stuff and since I'm not on any dt (nor ever likely to be), it doesn't matter. No one I give cards to knows or cares what the trends are in stamping and if I've used the latest & greatest.
One thing I did several years ago was look at where I was spending the biggest chunks of my money. I then set a limit on how many places/companies I could have wishlists/buy from. If I wanted to start buying stamps from that hot new trendy company, then I had to drop one of the ones I already had on my list. I found it really helped to prevent a lot of impulse buying and really think about what I wanted to purchase. At the moment, I have wishlists for fewer than my maximum number and I'm happy about that.
__________________ "You may not have lost all your marbles, but there's definitely a hole in the bag." Grumpy Cat
My spending has gone way down and will likely stay there. I'm not on a freeze (especially with SAB coming up), but my budget is low to zero most months.
I'm not into the latest trends and tools. I like what I like. I made the mistake early on of jumping into the "girly-themed" trend, and I don't even like most of what I bought. I'm not a girly-girl. I learned my lesson. I keep a running wish list of items I want. A few things have been on the list for years because the theme is not trendy, or I haven't liked the images that I've found.
As for paper, I'm not buying more cardstock because I have so many retired SU! colors and there is no way I'm buying the new colors until I use up a lot of what I have. This means I can't buy a lot of their patterned paper because I don't have the coordinating plain paper. Oh well.
I'm also refusing to get into die-cuts. My SU! demo wants me to buy a Big Shot, but I won't. It seems like a huge investment. I'm happy with scissors. I don't need fancy cut-outs. That's not really my style. I like some of the texture plates, but my cards can live without texture. Heck, I'm just now getting some punches, and I think the punch trend started years ago.
I like the look of copics, but I have a lot of prismacolor pencils and gamsol and blending stubs. That works for me, and I don't see the need to throw a lot of money at copics.
I guess the trick to keeping your spending down is to find your style and the techniques that work for you, and stick with them. It's hard not to be sucked into buying the latest tool or trendy image, but it's possible.
It also helps to figure out how to do something similar with what you already have. When the new SU! colors came out, I compared them to my stock and realized how close most of them are to older colors. So I have Cool Caribbean instead of Tempting Turquoise. So what? They are close enough.
I don't think I'm quite there with quitting shopping cold turkey, but I am getting close. We've had a few life altering events this year which affect my scrappy budget and I've noticed the more scrappy things I've brought into the house, the less mojo I have to create something :(
So my plan is to definitely downsize. *IF* I buy a piece of paper, I need to purge two. Buy a stamp set, toss 2 in the garage sale pile. My ultimate goal by year's end is to purge/use enough that I don't ave a use for one of my shelves in my room. I have 3 floor to ceiling shelves, an organizer similar to an Expedit, rolling cart and 4 plastic drawers. I need to lose something!!
I agree with staying out of the stores and ignoring the coupons as well. I don't do much online shopping as shipping to Canada is insane usually so at least I'm safe to drool over my laptop ;)
Good luck to everyone doing this! Strength is found in numbers, right??
.... No more wandering through Michael's deciding what to buy just so I don't waste a coupon. ...
Mary Beth
Oh this is soooooo me! It drives my DH nuts when I get coupons for Michael's, JoAnn's or the bookstore in my email. "But I have to use the coupon, I can't waste it!".
I desperately need to go on a craft supply "diet" as well - I have so many stamps and paper and inks and magazines and STUFF that I could seriously craft for 12 hours a day for the rest of my life and I wouldn't come close to using it all up. So while I don't think I can go completely cold turkey and not buy anything this year (I just signed up as an SU demo and have an order planned for the SAB), I can:
- vow to limit my trips to the craft stores and the bookstore (my DH swears I will wind up being one of those little old ladies they find dead under a fallen stack of magazines);
- make it my goal to use up as much of my current stash as possible this year, instead of spending so much of my time acquiring the stash.
I'll start just as soon as I'm done shopping all those SCS shop hop deals - darn you SCS, why are you making this so hard?!?! ;-)
My craft spending has been dramatically cut back the last couple of years. Between the fact that I have 2 kids in college and the sheer quantitiy of stuff I have, I just haven't bought a lot except dimensionals etc. I have bought some of the new colors from SU at workshops for friends and plan to go to 2 SAB workshops but that will be the extent of my buying for the next 6 months or so.
Count me in even more, I am going to London, England in a few weeks, and except for a new pair of Skechers for walking, I am not going to buy any new clothes to wear. I figure no one over there knows me anyway, just jeans, and sweaters. Can't wait, never been there before.
Ok I went to a SU class tonight where I spend $8.00 for the class or it is free if I spend 25.00 plus shipping. I just paid her the $8.00 which I have never done before. Thanks to Bonnie I am sticking to my plan. Thanks for the idea Bonnie. It is working for me already
I started a craft "diet" in December and so far so good. I will be continuing it in the new year I can't promise I won't buy anything, but I will be more careful of my purchases, especially at monthly release time.
I used to buy almost everything from one company every month, much of it just not my style. I cut way back in December, bought just what I really liked and have used what I bought already. And guess what? It didn't kill me not to buy it all!! That was a major revelation for me.
Here's to more thoughtful, careful purchases in 2011. And yes, I will not go to J's, A's and M's just because I have a coupon.
I started cutting back last summer. I do have just about everything I need. I will only go to the store if I need something. Will I use a coupon, yup! If I don't find something to use a coupon on, I buy atg refills, I always need those.
I would like to spend no money at all, except for necessities, in January. My kids have everything they need. We have done really well not eating out. We are now ordering out once a month instead of every week. It makes a huge difference (today we are going out for lunch and dinner to celebrate my little one's birthday). I will let you know how it goes.
I strongly suggest getting off e-mail lists and unsubscribing from lots of blogs.
__________________ Pia 2024 Scrapbook goals MAY /10 layouts YTD 113/120 Check out my gallery
This is so good for me. I realized I had enough stuff when I started using my 50% off coupons on adhesives, because I did not see anything that had to go home with me.
I have the orginal Big Shot, a Cuttlebug (Both Old and New), Sidekick, Cricut Create...Santa got me the Grand Calibur and I have the Vagabond in layaway so to speak. Unless a new die machine will get itself out...turn itself on...pick out my paper...put the paper in itself and cut it out...I will not be buying anymore die cut machines anytime in the near future. Hee...Hee...Hee...
I am a self proclaimed dies, paper, stamp, ribbon, ink, embellishment hoarder. My house is a wreck with all this stuff. Soooooo...I am so going on a craft fast with you. I will be purging lots, organizing what I have left and only visiting the stores occasionally. It will be tough with CHA 2011 coming up...but I have made up my mind to only purchase what I really, really will use.
They say it takes time to break old habits...but I believe that with the help of the Lord I can do all things through Christ who will strengthen me to accomplish this. Thanks so much for the inspiration...WE CAN DO IT!!! Keep the faith!
Location: along the bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River
Posts: 4,146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I replied to this thread yesterday but I do not see it! Hopefully I'm not posting twice. I probably did not hit "Post".
It's taken me five years to have enough paper, ribbon, the right punches, brads, and stamp sets to make what I want easily. I have about 100 sets and lots of single stamps.
I've never had the $$$$ to over spend, so it has always been an involuntary stamping diet I'm on. I have a cuttlebug and about 10 folders. I don't own one copic. I have SU! watercolor pencils because I had a gift certificate.
I've lived a frugal stamping life because I've had to. I finally have enough to easily create with!
I stalk SU's clearance rack....I'm using last years coorduroy buttons, ribbon, valentine paper now because I got a great goodie box for Christmas from the "rack"!
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I will definitely be joining you! I had the same thought, that I have so many craft supplies and don't really need any more. I'm going to try not to buy anything unless I absolutely, positively have to have it, like adhesive. I'm sure with my stash, I could create 100 cards and easily have enough stuff left over to do an album or two!
I have to say that I really like it when stamp companies do a feature on their sites with stamps that were issued a year (or more) ago. This does not happen often since they need to promote their new releases, but it really helps me as a customer when they do this - sometimes I have forgotten that I have the set and doing this provides a little more inspiration. Also, wouldn't it be nice if one of the Free 4 All challenges would be to use a stamp that you had not used in the past year? Or to use retired stamps or supplies?
I started in this craft in 1995, you can take a guess at how much I own! My poor hubby had no idea what he was getting into when he married me and I required a "craft/crap room" in our new house. LOL!
I feel like many of you, too much! I have boxes of stamps that need new homes but trying to sell them feels like such a waste, so I keep them and about once a year I go thru them and pull them out and make a card.
I have been on a monthly allowance for a few years which works for me. If I want something bigger, I have to save up - like Sell-A-Bration! I can't let that pass me up!
Michael's and Joann's gift cards for birthday/Xmas work well too.
Good luck to everyone in 2011. May we all find some peace in our creative space.
I started in this craft in 1995, you can take a guess at how much I own! My poor hubby had no idea what he was getting into when he married me and I required a "craft/crap room" in our new house. LOL!
You are not alone. My room is referred to as the crap room by my hubby and son. I affectionately refer to it as the crap room most of the time anymore.
You are not alone. My room is referred to as the crap room by my hubby and son. I affectionately refer to it as the crap room most of the time anymore.
My hubby calls it the crap room - I do as a joke! Or my "studio" which makes my hubby laugh at me!
The name started as a joke because the litter boxes are in there as well and my darling cat went on a boycott for awhile. I'll leave it at that!
I too have went on a diet....Dec. 31st will be the end of my Stampin Up demo.
I have thrown out coupons to Mikes, Joannes, Hobby Lobby...etc.
I don't click on the "sales" from the companies anymore either
and when I feel the need to spend...I go look in my room and shop or go for a walk.........
So here is to a NEW YEAR of inking everything I have, and Simplifying and writing more often to my penpals on Kotas!
I decided last year (or was it the year before...?) that I needed to stop buying everything I wanted. I was organizing my paper, and realized that THE MAJORITY of it was at least five years old - wha.....?! I also organized my stamps and realized that I had more that had never seen ink than I did stamps that I actually used (by a long, long way, I might add...)! Very eye-opening, that!
I now have two criteria that a new purchase has to meet (one or the other or both):
1) Do I have a DEFINITE use in mind? Not just an "ooh, shiny!" reaction, but an actual project or event or whatever...
2) How long have I wanted it? If I keep coming back to the same stamp set or punch or whatever repeatedly, it eventually makes its way into my craft room. I've found, though, that if I give it some time instead of giving in to the impulse, I often lose interest in the intervening weeks or months (fickle girl that I am).
I can't tell you how many times in the past year that I've walked out of Michael's or AC Moore, coupon still in hand, and no new goodies whatsoever. It's actually very empowering! My last purchase? The large non-stick craft sheet from Ranger that Tim Holtz uses all the time. The one I had was one-fourth the size, and it was driving me nuts trying to keep everything in that small space! Non-consumable, will use it for years to come, and I got it 50% off! THAT's the way to spend, if you ask me!
Just so I don't sound all Little Miss Perfect, understand that I spent hundreds (probably thousands) of dollars on many, many things I never used to get to this place of enlightenment, so I understand where you all are that are still in the throes of addiction. I'm offering my perspective to show that there is, in fact, hope... LOL!
Another thing that might be helpful (I'm still learning how to apply this one) is to define your style, and only purchase products that speak to that. I think one reason I have so MUCH and such a huge variety is that I was all over the map buying what everyone else had instead of thinking about my own creative process. For example: I have many, many beautiful Prima flowers but if you look in my gallery there are probably only a handful of cards with a flower on them! Ditto on the Dewdrops, ditto on the Hodgepodge Hardware - LOVE them, never use them...
Maybe there's a helpful tidbit or two in there for you... Good luck to us all!
Oops, sorry, I can't join you. SAB calls too loudly.
Then I will make an order when things retire, but I hope to make only those two orders in the first six months of 2011.
I need to subscribe, though, for moral support to limit myself to that!!
I'll join you Bonnie!!! I vow to stay out of: Michael's, ACMoore and Hobby Lobby. I vow to stay away from my one and only stamp store. I vow to use what I have. I want to use my stamps that I have and I am going to try and use different stamps for different occasions. Why do I need a special stamp for Mother's Day? I have plenty of pretty flower stamps I can use for a Mother's Day card.
I put myself on a spending freeze about 6 months ago. It all started when I was trying to clean up my craft room. When my stack of opened paper packages kept getting bigger and bigger I finally said that was enough. I went threw all my stamps I didn't use anymore purged all my scrap paper and donated what I had to a friend of mine who is a special needs teacher. I had more than I want to admit of unused items.
I got a unopened baby scrapbook at a garage sale last summer and challanged myself to NOT buy anything to do my grandsons baby book. It came with paper,card stock and ribbon. I'm 6 months into his project and am happy to say I haven't spent a dime on his book. I plan on giving it to his parents for his first birthday. I do a page a month.
For Christmas I got several Cricut cartridges. Today I'm going to go threw my scrap paper again and use my cartridges to make stuff for the kids at church to use for projects. They love it when I come in with plastic bags full of stuff for the kids. It's a win win for all of us.
I'm going to have to stay away from online shopping but my goal is to do this for a year. Wow only six months to go.
__________________ You never know how strong you are until strong is the only choice you have.
I agree with Susan R., I had an organizer in -about 4 yrs ago, to get my 2nd bedroom cleaned up - there is not even a bed in here, and she said "shop at home" which I asked her to repeat several times during the 7 hours we spent organizing (that was my ah-ha moment). I have sooo much stuff that I have never used, or stamps that I maybe used once.
I have a great friend that is a SU demo, and I like to help her out with orders, but am starting to just purchase consumables, like ink spots , cardstock, and brads, etc.
__________________ Ginny , A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. -Douglas Pagels
Also, if I have to have something new, I try looking on eBay, and put a max. $ amount in the window to the left, that way I can only see the stamps that are within my (mental) budget. It is really hard for me not to use my weekly "coupons" -it seems they are like cash, but they are NOT. So I cut them out and only head that way if I "need" something, not "want" something.
I am also starting my holiday cards for next year, looking at the ideas from cards sent to me and in the gallery, and using only what I own already. Occasionally I will borrow a stamp from a friend, so I don't buy it, and be sure to return it in a wk or 2.
__________________ Ginny , A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. -Douglas Pagels
I started my "use it loose it" last year. I sold/gave away all the stuff I knew I would never use and then I limited my spending. I quit going to Michaels just to use a coupon by telling myself that 40% off is still 60% on. I think I could stamp for a year and only need to buy adhesives and white cardstock.
I'm another one that shops my stamp room first, I make sure anynew stamp has multiple uses, and going back to basics by making my own embellishments instead of buying. I'm also working on finding new ways to use old products instead of the latest gotta' have item.
As a SU demo I still need to buy some of the new products to demo but I want to start to focus on using what my customers have on hand. I make more money on classes instead of sales because a lot of customers are already in the frame of mind of using what they have. Like another poster said, it is kind of scary from a craft company/store perspective.
My sister, niece, friend and I are doing something along these lines for 2011 although it doesn't involve a spending freeze for the whole year. I'm just not that strong!
We have a challenge (this is our second year) to make 100 things (this year it's 111 for 1/11) before we can buy anything. At the end of that time, we try to come up with a new challenge.
We have guidelines:
1. We can buy adhesive.
2. We can buy things to make our "stuff" work. For example, if I really can't get any more use out of my cricut mat, I can buy a new one. But I have to use it til it's dead before I can buy a new one! Same with blades for trimmers, etc. (But I can't buy a new circle punch just because I don't have the size I need/want.)
3. We can buy envelopes for cards--if we ran out of the right size.
4. Because we are scrappers, photo processing does not count as spending.
5. If we get gift cards to Michaels, Archivers, etc., we can spend them before we reach our goal. That is more of a gift than it is spending.
One surprising thing that happened was that it stopped impulse buying for me after the challenge was complete. The scrapping stuff in the Target Dollar Spot is a good example. Before, I would mindlessly throw stuff in my cart if I thought it was cute. During my challenge, I couldn't buy anything. After the challenge, I only bought stuff if I had a specific use for it in mind. I was spending $15 or so every time they changed the stuff in the Spot, but after the challenge, I occasionally spent $1-$3. It was really eye opening.
On those days that I thought I would scream from not being able to buy something (an addiction is a horrible thing!) I would go buy ONE box of glue dots. I use a ton of glue dots, so this was an ok thing and it satisfied my urge to buy. Besides, I could use my coupons for them, too.
In these times, it is WISE to cut back!!!! I am not spending like I used to either! It feels like "cold turkey!"And I DON'T HAVE the load of stuff you all talk about!!!! Basically, you need paper to keep creating...I've NEVER bought much of the better papers! (I know that sounds REALLY CHEAP!!! ) But, there ARE good papers out there. ( Paper Studio, & what's wrong with matching up ribbons, brads etc. to those colors? )And what's wrong with using white cardstock (copy paper)? And for print paper, make your own!!!! CREATIVITY is born when you do without!!!! ( I learned that as a child, making my own toys to clothes!) For Christmas, I wanted to STRETCH my dollars!!!! The ONE tool I didn't have in all these 4 years I've been making cards, was the Score-buddy/ Score-Pal!!!! SO, I got the Score-buddy!!!! I DID get ONE set of stamps! Just because it encompassed a passion of mine! Paper OF COURSE, and a set of FINE point black markers! As you can doodle, draw, create your own images...! And without buying stamps, you'll come up with NEW WAYS to use your old stamps!!!! This little time of "freezing" our spending will bring out the BEST in us!!!! BELIEVE ME, there are TONS of things I WANT!!! BUT, I have found when you THINK you've found something you like/ want, sit and ponder it awhile, the desire TO HAVE, will fade!!!! I'm with you on the spending freeze!!!!
What a great idea! I am in for the "diet". I belong to three different clubs, so I will limit myself to buying only to honor my committment to them. Shopping in my room first though is my vow. I soooo needed this...thank you...and I would love to see a gallery or challenge of "craft space shopping" only projects. I did this once for a challenge and was amazed with the card that I came up with. Heres to less and wiser spending in 2011!
__________________ Kate Enjoy the simple things in life!
