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Has anyone been successful in downsizing their supplies?
I moved a couple years ago across country and downsized alot then. But now we have a much smaller home and I look at my many bins of crafting supplies and wonder if I can ever have a manageable amount to work with. I am still a hobby SU demo and I have sooo much left over from when I was having classes but hate to get rid of all my beautiful papers and ribbons but I need help, I can't keep all this stuff it is taking over my basement.
What to keep and what to get rid of is my problem???? Any suggestions!!! Most of supplies are SU.
I nearly gave up the craft completely this fall. I'd been stamping for more than twelve years, at least six of those spent being a demo for SU. I was just tired of the clutter, tired of the look of my cards, tired of a lot of my supplies. I decided to take the radical step of selling off nearly all of my wood mounted stamps, along with a lot of supplies that I really wasn't using, like all of those packs of 12 x 12 designer papers that I just had to have.
As I made my money selling items, I would slowly reinvest them in other companies. I am now fully embracing unmounted stamps, both clear and cling. I have them all stored in DVD cases that take up a small shelf in my craft armoire, as opposed to the three floor to ceiling shelves that my wood mounted SU stamps in cases had formerly occupied.
I've also switched to using heavy weight card stock from other companies, as it is so much more suitable to the cleaner and simpler one layer cards. I'm still using up my stash of SU card stock and inks, but do not feel compelled to buy every new thing and all the In Colors to boot. As a matter of fact, I haven't purchased from SU in quite some time. There is a life after the supposed hobby demo discount. Quite frankly, I save a lot of money by not being a demo and shopping discriminately for sales and from companies that offer great deals on shipping.
Mind you, it's a pain to sell off your stash. All the postings to various boards and forums and craigslist, and the trips to the post office aren't fun either. But I'm amazed at how freeing it is when the craft doesn't take up so much physical space in my life any more. My card making is more creative than ever!
I nearly gave up the craft completely this fall. I'd been stamping for more than twelve years, at least six of those spent being a demo for SU. I was just tired of the clutter, tired of the look of my cards, tired of a lot of my supplies. I decided to take the radical step of selling off nearly all of my wood mounted stamps, along with a lot of supplies that I really wasn't using, like all of those packs of 12 x 12 designer papers that I just had to have.
As I made my money selling items, I would slowly reinvest them in other companies. I am now fully embracing unmounted stamps, both clear and cling. I have them all stored in DVD cases that take up a small shelf in my craft armoire, as opposed to the three floor to ceiling shelves that my wood mounted SU stamps in cases had formerly occupied.
I've also switched to using heavy weight card stock from other companies, as it is so much more suitable to the cleaner and simpler one layer cards. I'm still using up my stash of SU card stock and inks, but do not feel compelled to buy every new thing and all the In Colors to boot. As a matter of fact, I haven't purchased from SU in quite some time. There is a life after the supposed hobby demo discount. Quite frankly, I save a lot of money by not being a demo and shopping discriminately for sales and from companies that offer great deals on shipping.
Mind you, it's a pain to sell off your stash. All the postings to various boards and forums and craigslist, and the trips to the post office aren't fun either. But I'm amazed at how freeing it is when the craft doesn't take up so much physical space in my life any more. My card making is more creative than ever!
Hope this helps! Good luck to you!
Wow! this is really encouraging! I feel like I have been carrying this stuff around for years. Thanks for your response, I think I will print it and hang it up so I keep up on the path of getting rid of all this excess stuff! I seriously think I have stayed a demo just to buy, I really have not used much of the new items since we moved here 2 years ago. I know my hubby would be happy if I got rid of some. Thanks again.
I periodically go through and purge my supplies. I also do beadwork, crocheting, and sewing in addition to stamping so you can imagine my space. I'm blessed to have a large area to keep all my stuff in but even with a whole room it tends to get overwhelmed with stuff every now and then.
I just recently got rid of a bunch of things-alterable items, beads I hadn't used in the many years that I had them, beading mags and books and so on. Now my 18 linear feet of work space is much more useful.
I still have a bunch of woodmount stamp sets but am slowly unmounting them. I'm also getting rid of a bunch of sets that I've been hanging on to but haven't really used in a couple of years. It is so nice going into my studio now and my creative mojo has come back full-force since I got rid of all the clutter. I'm also being more selective about my purchases as an SU demo and am not buying everything I like just because I want it. I think Christmas helped me out a lot. I had a limited budget so I was only able to get a few things. I was amazed at how many different projects I was able to make with so little! That really helped to convince me that I want my customers to make my quarterly minimums for me and whatever my income from those orders is will be what I spend on paper-crafty goodness for myself.
To purge you have to detach yourself from the "things". For my beady magazines for instance I went through all of them and decided which projects I really, really wanted to try and scanned them. If the magazine had more than 4 projects I plan on working on I kept it. If it had only one or two away it went. At last count I have a stack of about 60 mags that I'm saying bye bye to. I have about another 30 to go through.
When you purge look at the oldest stuff first and work your way to more recent items. Is it really useful to you anymore? If not get rid of it. also look at the way you organize/store you supplies. Sometimes changing that up a bit actually helps you to use more of what you have without having to get rid of "too much"
Anyhow, good luck!
shellie
__________________ Shellie G
Aspire to be a better person than you were yesterday
I have just made a very surprising discovery that I think will be helpful in my own efforts to downsize: I decided to do a new stamp index, stamping EACH AND EVERY SINGLE stamp on its own card (got the idea from THIS THREAD). I've only begun this adventure (very time-consuming, it is, for sure!), but I'm finding that, as I stamp, I'm discovering which stamps I love and which ones I wouldn't miss. I am going to put ONLY the stamps that I love in the index, and weed out the not-so-loved ones. I think that I'll reduce my sizeable stash by A LOT!
I don't have a lot of crafting supplies, at least not like most crafters. But I did make some space in my craft area yesterday. I took a BUNCH of stuff out of their original packages, stuff like Tim Hotz spinners, gears, corner pieces; Heidi Swapp ghost clocks, ghost letters; Basic Grey bookplates; etc.
I'm trying to organize my craft area. All these things were in a grocery sack that was filled the top. After taking everything out of their packages, I tossed them into a photo box and have room to spare! Tomorrow, I'm going to sort them by color or theme and put them in my mini tackle boxes (embellishments by color) or on my clip-it-up (embellishments by theme). I will use the pegboard they were hanging on for my punch storage--after I get to Ikea to buy some of those $1.99 Bygel rails.
The best part is that now that I've taken the step of removing them from their original packages, I will actually use them!
I have just made a very surprising discovery that I think will be helpful in my own efforts to downsize: I decided to do a new stamp index, stamping EACH AND EVERY SINGLE stamp on its own card (got the idea from THIS THREAD). I've only begun this adventure (very time-consuming, it is, for sure!), but I'm finding that, as I stamp, I'm discovering which stamps I love and which ones I wouldn't miss. I am going to put ONLY the stamps that I love in the index, and weed out the not-so-loved ones. I think that I'll reduce my sizeable stash by A LOT!
I've only begun this adventure (very time-consuming, it is, for sure!), but I'm finding that, as I stamp, I'm discovering which stamps I love and which ones I wouldn't miss. I am going to put ONLY the stamps that I love in the index, and weed out the not-so-loved ones. I think that I'll reduce my sizeable stash by A LOT!
Curious, will you culling out stamps you don't care for from sets with one or two stamps that you love?
I separated my stamps years ago and was storing them in a couple of hat boxes. Now, I'm back to storing them as sets and it's driving me crazy that I'm missing one stamp--a stamp that I threw away. (Long story)
Everyone has an useful message for me. I also like to sew, bead and crochet so I really do have limited space for 200 stamp sets and lots of paper. I will just pace myself and take time every week to get it organized and weeded out. Thanks for all the suggestions.
Curious, will you culling out stamps you don't care for from sets with one or two stamps that you love?
I separated my stamps years ago and was storing them in a couple of hat boxes. Now, I'm back to storing them as sets and it's driving me crazy that I'm missing one stamp--a stamp that I threw away. (Long story)
Yes - I'm getting rid of stamps even if I'm keeping the rest of - or just part of - the set. I asked the question a few weeks ago in this forum as to whether there would be a market for single stamps (as opposed to sets), and it seemed like the response was mainly favorable. I have very little attachment to "things' at this point in my life, and don't want to take up space with things that I know I'll never use. Even if I don't make any money - or even give things away - I'd rather they go where they will be used than be unloved and unused in my studio.
I nearly always have a box of stuff that I give to my daughter who loves to craft too. But every once in awhile I give her something I could use a few months later so I try to be careful so I don't have to buy it again. Ha! I am making an (ok maybe a lame effort) to use what I have before buying more but I blew that this weekend making a big order from GKD for pure luxury paper and going to the stamp show in Mesquite today. Oh well tomarrow is another day.:rolleyes:
Moving was HUGE motivating factor in getting rid of tons of stuff. And when I got here, I realized I needed to get rid of at least half of what I did have in boxes in the new house.
Imagine half of your stuff converted into cash. If you couldn't spend it on more craft supplies, what would you do with it? Is that thing you would do more valuable to you than paper and stamp sets that don't get used?
Here is my problem...I clear a spot...give a bunch of stuff away and fill it up with more stuff...it is a viscous cycle in my stamp room...lol
blessings.
I have just made a very surprising discovery that I think will be helpful in my own efforts to downsize: I decided to do a new stamp index, stamping EACH AND EVERY SINGLE stamp on its own card (got the idea from THIS THREAD). I've only begun this adventure (very time-consuming, it is, for sure!), but I'm finding that, as I stamp, I'm discovering which stamps I love and which ones I wouldn't miss. I am going to put ONLY the stamps that I love in the index, and weed out the not-so-loved ones. I think that I'll reduce my sizeable stash by A LOT!
I'm currently working on making my house my home, and not the giant crafting mess I've let it become over the past year. Next month I'm starting work on indexing my stamps. As I'm whittling away at other crafting areas, I'm constantly thinking about the big task of indexing and how I'm going to tackle it. I've already decided that I'm not going to waste time and paper indexing stamp sets I'm not likely to use.
I've also decided how much shelf space I'm going to dedicate to stamps and other stuff and I'm working towards shrinking my stash to fit into it. This will be a process of reducing bit by bit. I've got two boxes of stamping supplies marked up with prices to sell at the next crafting market day sales. What ever space is made in the two boxes after the first sale, I'll then fill with other stuff for the next sale.
I have done many thing that the other ladies here have done. My whole style changed. I grew in my artwork and I went back to some of my style and branched out in others. I also do a lot of crafts. My DH is a crafter too. So, you can imagine what our space looks like. I hate clutter. I really hate it. I am super frugal too but I don't want my art work to suffer for it. Some supplies you can take shortcuts on and others just look like a nightmare when you do. I know how hard it is to balance everything.
What I did:
When I want a tool or supply I try to make my own. Example Stickles. I learned how to make my own stickles. I love making my own Stickles and was able to purge all my Stickles collection. I feel so much more creative now. I am pretty hard nose about this making my own things. If I want the supply I have to learn how to make it first. I am paying myself and learning new techniques.
Dye, ink, recolor everything. White, clear, platinum became my favorite colors in my craft arsenal. I love the look so much since I have started doing this.
Use my computer to make my own DP, die cuts, washi tape, etc...
Tool are multifunctional.
I have a ton of tips. I could spend all day writing about it, lol. If you have a specific thing just let me know & I can find something.
My most important advice learn what you love to splurge on and cut out what you buy from habit. I used to buy a lot of ribbon because it was so pretty and cheap. I hardly use ribbon. I bought it out of habit. Now, I have more money for my beads & paints since I cut the ribbon habit.
Here is my problem...I clear a spot...give a bunch of stuff away and fill it up with more stuff...it is a viscous cycle in my stamp room...lol
blessings.
See this is me! I try so hard to be good....and then I see something pretty....and it talks to me! it twists my arm, and MAKES me buy it so it can hang out with all my other crafty goodies.
Deann I would be interested in knowing how to make the washi tape...I am wanting to try some...
I have several tutorials and techniques I do from using first aid tape to using sticker paper. I have some tutorials to share but I can't get to some of my favorite sites since they are "blacked out" protesting SOPA right now.
If you type in your favorite Search Engine "Make your own Washi Tape" you will get a lot of hits.
I went through my huge stash of dp not too long ago. i gave some of the old tired (cheap) stuff to 2 little girls I know, they were so ecstatic. It made me so happy to see the joy in these 5 year olds. They each examined each piece of paper and compared it, sorted it, got the crayons out and made me a picture
That felt great, but I could still go through again. Now that I know it will not be missed I will get more out of here.
I must get my stamps unmounted, they take up so much space, but it is a boring and non creative use of time so I keep putting it off. The sets I have unmounted were my favorites, I would unmount a set when I pulled it out to use it. Now I think as I unmount I will find sets I haven't used in years and wonder what i ever saw in them they will go out.
I also want to figure out a way to make an index. I get all the ideas befuddled in my mind and then do nothing. I want them by set and by style, all flowers, all birds etc. seems mind boggling.
I figure if I work on one type of item at a time and go slowly I might get sorted out.
good luck.
Yes, I've been successful in downsizing... and it feels wonderful! So good, in fact, that as I'm reorganizing, I'm getting rid of more stuff.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I was a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and was so attached to my stamps. But, I don't like clutter, and I have a rule that I won't buy more things than I have storage room for. So . . . I got really brave and purged a TON of wood mounted stamps, etc., and sold them on E-bay. Kind of like ripping the band-aid off quickly. Here's the link for everything I sold so you can get an idea of how crazy big it was. That was just the first time we did it - we've done it two other times. I didn't want to take the time to market/sell/ship each one - that would be a 2nd job for me.
Now, the only wood mounted stamps I have are background stamps and stamps companies have given me to help promote their products. I only buy something now if I have a specific project in mind for it. No more buying something just because it's purty.
Hi Linda! I totally agree and relate to Mary Rose, especially the thought of giving up the craft. One thing I realized is that, like technology, design styles evolve, a lot of products get invented, which is a real good thing. As long as I know my preferred style, and still have fun with it, then this will guide my spending.
I did quite a few trades here at SCS last year. I'm happy with what I gave up and what I got in return.
My guiding principle is that this craft hobby is supposed to make me happy, if it starts going downhill, then I need to do something about it.
Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by maryrose
Hi Linda!
I nearly gave up the craft completely this fall. I'd been stamping for more than twelve years, at least six of those spent being a demo for SU. I was just tired of the clutter, tired of the look of my cards, tired of a lot of my supplies. I decided to take the radical step of selling off nearly all of my wood mounted stamps, along with a lot of supplies that I really wasn't using, like all of those packs of 12 x 12 designer papers that I just had to have.
As I made my money selling items, I would slowly reinvest them in other companies. I am now fully embracing unmounted stamps, both clear and cling. I have them all stored in DVD cases that take up a small shelf in my craft armoire, as opposed to the three floor to ceiling shelves that my wood mounted SU stamps in cases had formerly occupied.
I've also switched to using heavy weight card stock from other companies, as it is so much more suitable to the cleaner and simpler one layer cards. I'm still using up my stash of SU card stock and inks, but do not feel compelled to buy every new thing and all the In Colors to boot. As a matter of fact, I haven't purchased from SU in quite some time. There is a life after the supposed hobby demo discount. Quite frankly, I save a lot of money by not being a demo and shopping discriminately for sales and from companies that offer great deals on shipping.
Mind you, it's a pain to sell off your stash. All the postings to various boards and forums and craigslist, and the trips to the post office aren't fun either. But I'm amazed at how freeing it is when the craft doesn't take up so much physical space in my life any more. My card making is more creative than ever!
Hope this helps! Good luck to you!
__________________ Tina
- I love someone with autism. -
I think our amounts of "stuff" gets away from us very quickly. It's so hard not to. Everyday there is something new being introduced to us. Each company has it's own paper which has its' own cardstock which has it's own ribbon which has it's own brads and on and on. My almost sister in law just started crafting so I saw this as an opportunity to get rid of some stuff and she was so grateful. I have been determined to get my paper under control. I really want to pick one supplier for cardstock and just get all the colors instead of picking up a few pieces here and there and I'm also on a designer paper strike. I have so much it's ridiculous to think for even a moment I don't have a design that will go with what I'm stamping!! Best of luck it's hard to part with things we get attached don't we?
Paper is a crafting evolution. I have gone through so many paper styles it is mind boggling. I used to love DSP. Now I hardly buy it. The last paper pack I bought was Wizard of Oz. It was an early X-mas gift. I do love it. I am using it for altered art. I have gotten so picky about paper. I only have one plastic 12x12 box full of DSP. I buy a lot of high quality art paper now. I really don't buy colors since I tend to color my paper any way. I still have a few packages for my die cutting even though I still ink them for depth. I buy a lot of specialty papers like mulberry, linen, etc...
I am doing much of the same thing as various people here.
First, our local scrap store had a garage sale. What didn't sell, when to a thrift shop.
Also, have a friend who's grandaughter loves this hobby so I send her bits and pieces which she loves.
Last, I have reconnected with some of my scrapping buddies since DS is now in college so I give a lot of my loot away.
All of these give me warm fuzzy feelings and material things aren't as important to me as they were when I was younger (and not so wise).
I really like the idea of stamping the images on cards and filing them that way. I, too, don't mind breaking up sets and I can see endless possibilities with this system! Winter has finally showed up here and it would be fun to do this on these dreary gray days!
Donating your items might help! If you know it is going to a good cause! IF you have a local Ronald McDonald House, I am sure they would appreciate it! Also a local hospital, or schools. Lots of placed like that would really appreciate some crafting goodies!!
Right now I am collecting crafting goodies to take down to our Local Children's hospital as well as the local Ronald McDonald House in honor of my Daughter Celebrating 5 years Cancer free next month! If anyone wants to send any goodies our way I would be glad to take them down! You can read more at Welcome to Lindseyann.net click on the updates 2012 tab!
I think our amounts of "stuff" gets away from us very quickly. It's so hard not to. Everyday there is something new being introduced to us. Each company has it's own paper which has its' own cardstock which has it's own ribbon which has it's own brads and on and on. My almost sister in law just started crafting so I saw this as an opportunity to get rid of some stuff and she was so grateful. I have been determined to get my paper under control. I really want to pick one supplier for cardstock and just get all the colors instead of picking up a few pieces here and there and I'm also on a designer paper strike. I have so much it's ridiculous to think for even a moment I don't have a design that will go with what I'm stamping!! Best of luck it's hard to part with things we get attached don't we?
The only part of my craft room that has been consistantly organized for this most unorganized of crafters (me), is my cardstock and inks. I've stuck with SU! for my CS because they have a limited pallette. I can purchase it relatively easily, it comes in packs, and is easy to store in a filing cabinet. I did buy the co-ordinating inks and storage caddy. The caddy was over priced I thought, but the advantage of knowing where each colour is, and not having to search for it made it worthwhile. My other brand of ink I use is Distress.
When I buy something for my craftroom now I want it to come with it's own storage solution. Tools must have a case, accessories must be easy to store with the item they were intended for, etc. Granted it's a bigger expence initially, but the benefits of finding what I need in one place makes it so worthwhile for me.
Downsize? Is that a real thing? I'm with Juki, clean it out, fill it back up.
I regularly throw out packaging. Goodness, that saves a lot of space and I find I'm less restricted by ideas of what should go with what or how much an item cost.
As for getting rid of things. I've donated a few, given lots to my daughter (who hoards it) and still have way more than I can use, in spite of having fewer stamps than StickUps sold in her 'I want it all' pack!
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
Everyone has had great ideas and perspective on their craft supplies. I am feeling like my clutter is excessive right now so have started to sell on ebay. My DSP is out of control but really am having a hard time downsizing the amount. I appreciate eveyone's input on the subject of downsizing. I have so much SU stamps, paper and ink that it would be nice to try some other stamping companies.
These are all great ideas ! I've been trying to downsize and it really is hard..lol My next step is going through all my SU stamps and maybe break them apart. I find that I have some sets that I only like 1 or 2 stamps out of the set, but find it hard to seperate them because I pay so much money for them. For those of you that break your stamps up..do you regret it later and wish you hadn't?
Last edited by bklyngal62; 01-26-2012 at 05:33 AM..
I find that I just do not have time anymore to make cards. The last one that I made were for Christmas and it was fun because it was a clean and simple design and not much cost to mail.
As far as downsizing I have not bought anything really in the past little while. That helps. I find my stash actually helps my daughter with her school projects She uses them quite frequently. In fact some of my stashed chipboard went towards a science project. She got a A+ The smile on her face was worth it! Now, when I do buy craft supplies I will ask can my daughter use this as well. If it does double duty it probably will get purchased Iwill feel less guilty about the purchase (Ha)
It might be worth asking the school kids in your life if they need any supplies.
These are all great ideas ! I've been trying to downsize and it really is hard..lol My next step is going through all my SU stamps and maybe break them apart. I find that I have some sets that I only like 1 or 2 stamps out of the set, but find it hard to seperate them because I pay so much money for them. For those of you that break your stamps up..do you regret it later and wish you hadn't?
Stampin Up is evil! ! They have all these beautiful stamps. Your looking through the catty either online or offline. There is that one image you can't live without surrounded by all the other images you can definitely live without. You still buy the set anyway. Then you don't have the heart to break them up because they are all in this pretty set. This is why I don't own many SU stamps, lol. Break up the set, sell them here or your favorite seller store or site. Make room for new loved stamps that need a home. There was a thread a few weeks ago about this topic. Most of us agreed we would buy a single stamp from a set if we could find them used.
So I don't get barked at about my SU analogy, lol. I don't buy plates either from other companies. I really don't buy sets from other companies. I know I am picky and it would bug me to have stamps that are not my style just lying around not getting inked when they should.
I too was a SU demo for 6 years. I had mountains of wood-mounted stamp sets. And I kept them all because I was "waiting to see if they would go from the mini to the main catty." Or when they retired, would they be back with the exact same image but with a different name? Another problem I had was when SU would give demos a free set (Christmas, thank you for being patient while we worked out our shipping problems, Convention, regionals, my upline's meeting, Sale-a-bration, etc.) These were NOT sets I would choose for myself but I couldn't see these sets as anything other than KEEPERS because it was FREE from SU! I was paralyzed and my craft room definitely reflected my dysfunctional hoarding!
So when I realized that being a demo was no longer the best thing for me or my family, I quit being a demo and I saw my HUGE stash in a new light: what will I use for cards, scrapbook pages, and homemade gifts for my friends and family? That standard helped me get rid of a lot right there.
Then I did what another poster in this thread did: I stamped every stamp on papers and stuck them in a binder. I organized it by categories--words, christmas, flowers, animals, fall/leaves/trees/, halloween, hearts/valentines, kids, food, vintage images, and on and on.
Then I looked over these images and identified ones that were almost identical and eliminated the duplicates. Then I went through the images and identified the 3 or 4 sets that I liked and got rid of the rest.
Now, when I see the SU big catty, I know in my head what items will be unique and fill a space in my binder and which sets would just duplicate something I already have.
Sometimes though, I will see a new set that REPLACES an old set I have because it is the same idea but better or fresh (like "Established Elegance"). Then I get rid of the older set and put the new set in its place.
For me, it's all about knowing 1) exactly what I have, 2) exactly what I need, 3) exactly what I actually USE, and 4) exactly what I will be likely to use on actual cards, pages, and gifts for my friends and family.
Another thing I did was inventory ALL my embellishments. SHOCKER! I had 25 containers of eyelets! What in the world! I hadn't set an eyelet in 4 years, yet here was this mountain of eyelets! I kept 3 jars of metallic eyelets and black and white and let the rest go. Now I'm eyeing my wide organdy ribbons with the same wonderment. When did I EVER think this was nice on a card? I may just have to invent a project that uses a lot of it (wedding cards? anniversary cards? baby cards?) in order to use as much of it up as possible. Then I will give the old "heave-ho" to the rest.
About purchasing . . . I still buy a lot of supplies from SU. I have a former downline member who graciously gives me her discount whenever I have an order. I buy what I want and it's mostly consumables: papers, embellishments. I used to stockpile things (like the eyelets). Now I tell myself, "Self! When these are all gone, there will be some other new cool doodad to craft with later. Your "need" for this will not outlast the stash!"
Ha. Ha. It's so much better to be in control of the stuff instead of having the stuff be in control of me.
Two years ago I did a major purge of my craft room. I am an organized but messy stamper and it was driving me crazy not having a place for everything. I'm a SU demo and when SU did the color renovation I decided it was time. What I did was:
I held a garage sale of craft items and a good portion sold and what didin't sell I donated to my DIL's school. It was hard and I felt so guilty over the money I had wasted, but I did make some money on the garage sale and a tax deduction on the several hundred dollars I donated.
Anything I had not used in a year was sold off or I made a promise to use it. I promised myself to use it or lose it (sell or give away)
I was starting to be a hoarder so I no longer save items for that special project. I found that things I thought I was saving were actually being ruined (stickers that lost their stickiness, paper with bent edges or out of style, paint and glues were hard, embossing powder no longer embossed, etc. My hoarding was costing me money.
I no longer buy unless I first shop my room. It's rare that I truly "need" something because I probably have something that will work.
Since the maor clean-up I find joy when I use up something and I don't feel the need to replace it. I no longer feel guilty if I do buy something new because I know I'm going to use it, not hoard it. It's hard to do but really you will feel so much better when you are finished.
I have just made a very surprising discovery that I think will be helpful in my own efforts to downsize: I decided to do a new stamp index, stamping EACH AND EVERY SINGLE stamp on its own card (got the idea from THIS THREAD). I've only begun this adventure (very time-consuming, it is, for sure!), but I'm finding that, as I stamp, I'm discovering which stamps I love and which ones I wouldn't miss. I am going to put ONLY the stamps that I love in the index, and weed out the not-so-loved ones. I think that I'll reduce my sizeable stash by A LOT!
thank you for linking this thread, I have just ordered some of these pockets so I can organise my stamps!! Fabby just need to wait for them to come ;)
Has anyone been successful in downsizing their supplies?
