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Location: Somewhere between fantasy land & the sea
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Just found out that my LSS is going out of business. I will have to check it out. My no spend might be altered a little, but I am almost at the end of the month anyway. I really want a pink chair and I think they may be selling those too.
I think the goal is that at the end of this year we will have only purchased stamps, paper, etc that we really used . And that we kept within our budgets.
I ABSOLUTELY Agree! We'll get to the end of 2012 and have used all of the goodies we've bought, reduced impulse spending by putting thought into purchases ... It's all good!
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Cards & Stuff Blog Scrapbook Goal 2013: 92/252 Pages; Cards: 129/312;
Altered Items 0/12;S2S= $727, 100by100=80 Come Join Us Scrappin' In May
WooHoo! I'll be posting our February Thread on Saturday, 01/28. Time to start thinking of your Personal Challenge Spending Choice for February
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Cards & Stuff Blog Scrapbook Goal 2013: 92/252 Pages; Cards: 129/312;
Altered Items 0/12;S2S= $727, 100by100=80 Come Join Us Scrappin' In May
O.k., maybe I can start Febuary fresh! Fell off the wagon a little today. Will have to get back on the horse! Today was a rough day, so not going to beat myself up too bad about it. Tomorrow is another day!
I didn't realize untill this weekend that this was my month to be hostess at stamp club. I thought really hard about it, and went ahead and spent an extra $100 to bump my party sales up to $400. I got some dies and stamp sets that I WILL use and had on my list to get over the next few months anyway, so it wasn't exactly impulse spending, was it? I still need to get my paper trimmer blade and Xyron refill, but those are necessities. I just won't be buying any stamps or other goodies for the next few months as I overspent this month. By placing the order now I got a lot of the things I was going to get later anyway free, and one die at 1/2 price, as well as some SAB goodies. I'm hoping it was a wise bargain, rather than an impulsive splurge.
Hello Everyone....Just thought that I would touch base with you all. I have had a great week this week...Have got lots of cards done and out of the way for family birthdays and of course Valentines is now finished. Made my receipt box which I will take pics late and add....not as exciting as any of the others I am sure. I covered the whole box but only jazzed up one end as it will have to live in my bookcase so that is all that will be seen.
I have been to the retirement villages here (we have 2 ) not only am I sending the elderly cards I am now incharge of papercraft activities at both centres so I will be doing half a day at each centre each fortnight which is great cos finally I have something to get me out of home a bit too. Just means that I am going to have to do lots of organising and stuff but we will see how we go.....
Also I still have spent nothing on craft for the month....went shopping today and walked straight on past......
Oh and just a quick question.....If I buy supplies for the Elderly that is being donated to the centre and not used on me...Is this counted??????
Have a great day Everyone....Kerry-Ann
__________________ Life Is What You Make Of It.......
Travelling box of goodies....bursting at the seams!
Alright Ladies - I received the travelling box of goodies...and am ready to send it on the next person who would like to take a look, grab a few goodies, and add a few goodies. So...who's game? Need a teaser? Alright... the box includes stamps, a punch, dsp, ink, envies, ribbon, puffy stickers, and I haven't quite decided but maybe even a tool or two if I can fit it in....so who would like to receive it next?
Hello Everyone....Just thought that I would touch base with you all. I have had a great week this week...Have got lots of cards done and out of the way for family birthdays and of course Valentines is now finished. Made my receipt box which I will take pics late and add....not as exciting as any of the others I am sure. I covered the whole box but only jazzed up one end as it will have to live in my bookcase so that is all that will be seen.
I have been to the retirement villages here (we have 2 ) not only am I sending the elderly cards I am now incharge of papercraft activities at both centres so I will be doing half a day at each centre each fortnight which is great cos finally I have something to get me out of home a bit too. Just means that I am going to have to do lots of organising and stuff but we will see how we go.....
Also I still have spent nothing on craft for the month....went shopping today and walked straight on past......
Oh and just a quick question.....If I buy supplies for the Elderly that is being donated to the centre and not used on me...Is this counted??????
Have a great day Everyone....Kerry-Ann
I think only you can decide what fits in your budget, but I would think supplies the retirement villages need for projects would go under the category of charitable contributions rather than craft spending. What a great project! I'm sure they will love doing papercrafting with you!
I didn't realize untill this weekend that this was my month to be hostess at stamp club. I thought really hard about it, and went ahead and spent an extra $100 to bump my party sales up to $400. I got some dies and stamp sets that I WILL use and had on my list to get over the next few months anyway, so it wasn't exactly impulse spending, was it? I still need to get my paper trimmer blade and Xyron refill, but those are necessities. I just won't be buying any stamps or other goodies for the next few months as I overspent this month. By placing the order now I got a lot of the things I was going to get later anyway free, and one die at 1/2 price, as well as some SAB goodies. I'm hoping it was a wise bargain, rather than an impulsive splurge.
If those are things that you will use and enjoy then I think it was a wise bargain! My problem would be that I would see something on sale the next month and think - Oh! I need that, too!!!
Well, today I went to Archiver's, JoAnn's and my LSS. At Archiver's I used a 30% coupon and got my Xyron refill, and 10 pieces of cardstock with a buy 5 get 5 free coupon (the pinks I needed for baby cards for the pregnancy center), and spent $2.48 after they deducted my $5 gift card that had to be used by the end of January. At JoAnn's I got my much needed Fiskars paper cutter replacement blade, it was on sale and I had a 20% off coupon, and I didn't buy a thing at the LSS, so I'm pretty pleased with how I did today.
Location: Where the trees sway gently and birds sing softly in Sunny SoCal.
Posts: 1,560
Quote:
Originally Posted by kec812
If I buy supplies for the Elderly that is being donated to the centre and not used on me...Is this counted??????
That's really up to you to decide. This is your budget and your rules. We are just here to support you in the choices you make.
If it were me, I'd consider any tool and other non-consumable purchases into my personal budget. If you decide to buy a heart punch so the seniors can make a heart card, figure it into your budget--or use a heart stamp that you have on hand instead. Doing this might keep you from being tricked into giving yourself permission to buy goodies that you normally wouldn't purchase for yourself.
Then, I'd buy consumables (paper, glue, ink, etc) that will be used ONLY for the senior classes--buy them separate from any of your personal craft purchases and store your receipts for these items in a separate envelope--and consider these expenses a donation, a portion of which you can legally write off on your taxes.
That's really up to you to decide. This is your budget and your rules. We are just here to support you in the choices you make.
If it were me, I'd consider any tool and other non-consumable purchases into my personal budget. If you decide to buy a heart punch so the seniors can make a heart card, figure it into your budget--or use a heart stamp that you have on hand instead. Doing this might keep you from being tricked into giving yourself permission to buy goodies that you normally wouldn't purchase for yourself.
Then, I'd buy consumables (paper, glue, ink, etc) that will be used ONLY for the senior classes--buy them separate from any of your personal craft purchases and store your receipts for these items in a separate envelope--and consider these expenses a donation, a portion of which you can legally write off on your taxes.
Very good point about the tools, I was only thinking about consumables when I answered.
Location: Somewhere between fantasy land & the sea
Posts: 11,035
Okay. So I too had a spendaholic night last night. My LSS is going out of business and everything marked down. I got over 400 sheets of Bazzil cardstock, a leather album with refills, inky spray, Tim Holtz trunk, and a pink chair for my office for a little over $100.00!!! I was so thrilled!!! I wasn't going to spend and been so good this month but could not pass these bargains up!
Then took a lot of my older goodies to work today and had a sale out of my truck at lunchtime. I sold over $300.00 worth of stuff!!! So happy to retrieve what I spent and that someone else will enjoy stamps sets and such that I don't use anymore.
Okay. So I too had a spendaholic night last night. My LSS is going out of business and everything marked down. I got over 400 sheets of Bazzil cardstock, a leather album with refills, inky spray, Tim Holtz trunk, and a pink chair for my office for a little over $100.00!!! I was so thrilled!!! I wasn't going to spend and been so good this month but could not pass these bargains up!
Then took a lot of my older goodies to work today and had a sale out of my truck at lunchtime. I sold over $300.00 worth of stuff!!! So happy to retrieve what I spent and that someone else will enjoy stamps sets and such that I don't use anymore.
That's great you sold over $300. I'm getting this visual in my mind of you selling out of your truck , Congrats on your new stuff.
Alright Ladies - I received the travelling box of goodies...and am ready to send it on the next person who would like to take a look, grab a few goodies, and add a few goodies. So...who's game? Need a teaser? Alright... the box includes stamps, a punch, dsp, ink, envies, ribbon, puffy stickers, and I haven't quite decided but maybe even a tool or two if I can fit it in....so who would like to receive it next?
Hey Zella, let's meet for a coffee and you can "bring" the box with you, LOL! I hope there is some room in the box as I set aside some NIP goodies in my stash before I left for this trip to add to the "traveling stash" as I haven't used them and hope one of you will want to.
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Cards & Stuff Blog Scrapbook Goal 2013: 92/252 Pages; Cards: 129/312;
Altered Items 0/12;S2S= $727, 100by100=80 Come Join Us Scrappin' In May
I know some of you have posted that you "spent money" or fell off the plan but REALLY I don't think we have? You see ... this challenge is about being more conscientious about what we buy and when. All of of the expenditures seem to have been put through a review process and there is a plan for use.
For me this month was coming to the realization that I don't need to buy every "cute" thing I see and I can be creative, crafty and productive without constantly spending. I think we all just want to do a better job of managing the process and add only to our supplies what we'll USE versus what will just take up space.
It's a personal challenge so what you include and don't include is up to you. Feel good about the process and learning to stretch your bounds
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Cards & Stuff Blog Scrapbook Goal 2013: 92/252 Pages; Cards: 129/312;
Altered Items 0/12;S2S= $727, 100by100=80 Come Join Us Scrappin' In May
I know some of you have posted that you "spent money" or fell off the plan but REALLY I don't think we have? You see ... this challenge is about being more conscientious about what we buy and when. All of of the expenditures seem to have been put through a review process and there is a plan for use.
For me this month was coming to the realization that I don't need to buy every "cute" thing I see and I can be creative, crafty and productive without constantly spending. I think we all just want to do a better job of managing the process and add only to our supplies what we'll USE versus what will just take up space.
It's a personal challenge so what you include and don't include is up to you. Feel good about the process and learning to stretch your bounds
Thank you for the support! I like that this isn't a pass or fail challenge, because if it were, I would fail, fail, fail. But it is making me slow down and think about "why" more. Maybe I should just give myself a small "cash" budget; that would eliminate spending on the internet. I did notice when I was feeling better and exercising, I wasn't thinking about spending on anything. Was sick today and not able to exercise, but hopefully tomorrow will be better. I've actually missed not dancing and sporting with the Wii. Not able to do with dizzy head and lightheadedness though. I think I need to find another way to compensate and cope when I'm sick or down.
Location: Where the trees sway gently and birds sing softly in Sunny SoCal.
Posts: 1,560
Quote:
Originally Posted by smokiesgal
I got over 400 sheets of Bazzil cardstock, a leather album with refills, inky spray, Tim Holtz trunk, and a pink chair for my office for a little over $100.00!!! . . . Then took a lot of my older goodies to work today and had a sale out of my truck at lunchtime. I sold over $300.00 worth of stuff!!!
Sometimes, we have to be flexible to be a savvy shopper. That could mean passing up and 80% off clearance sale on items we probably won't use. Or it could mean digging deeper into our pockets to make one big unplanned purchase when there is a deal of a lifetime dangling in our faces.
And if you can make your unwanted items pay for that purchase (and add a little padding to your craft fund) so much the better!
I think you got a killer deal ... and I'm so glad you were able to get your hands on one of the pink chairs you wanted.
Location: Where the trees sway gently and birds sing softly in Sunny SoCal.
Posts: 1,560
I gave myself a budget of $25 for January, but in the back of my mind told myself I'd not spend anything. I almost made it, but broke down today and I'm glad I did.
I was in need of more Ribbon Ring tags for my room organization and had planned to buy them next month. But another SCS member was getting rid of hers, so we made a deal. Today, I gave her $5.75 for something she no longer wants and I get my Ribbon Ring tags for $5.50 less than they would have cost me for a new set. It was a win-win situation.
Hey Zella, let's meet for a coffee and you can "bring" the box with you, LOL! I hope there is some room in the box as I set aside some NIP goodies in my stash before I left for this trip to add to the "traveling stash" as I haven't used them and hope one of you will want to.
Hey Lela - are you in town this weekend? If so - are you a morning person? How about meeting at Barnes & Noble (yep - the bookstore across from Chili's in Montrose on Rt1 at 9am? They open at 9am on Saturdays and they have a cute little coffee shop right inside the door to the left. Russ will probably be with me.....we are joined at the hip on the weekends since our time is limited. This way Russ can wonder off through the store if he gets bored. Saturday is the day we get all our errands done and basically everything done cause it's our only day off - but gee, sometimes you have to stop and drink some coffee...and even have a danish! LOL!!!
Well the month is over and just today I spend a grand total of 11.98 for a Echo Park Festive Collections Pack - 2 stamp sets and two chipboard sheets (mind you they are for christmas but that is ok with me) from Peachy Cheap.
Well the month is over and just today I spend a grand total of 11.98 for a Echo Park Festive Collections Pack - 2 stamp sets and two chipboard sheets (mind you they are for christmas but that is ok with me) from Peachy Cheap.
OK, I have been a good girl and spent nothing on crafts in January. February will be tougher due to SU's Sale-a-bration and a couple of other new releases I am drooling over. I will go with no more than 100$ this month. What is everyone else planning?
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Anna.
"Fearless is not the absence of fear. Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you." (Taylor Swift)
Location: Where the trees sway gently and birds sing softly in Sunny SoCal.
Posts: 1,560
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siberian Stamper
I will go with no more than 100$ this month. What is everyone else planning?
I have $19.25 left from my $25 January budget that I'm going to add to my Feb $25 budget. So, my February budget will be $44.25. What I don't use in February will roll over to March.
My goal for February is to purchase nothing. I just bought adhesive so there is nothing I currently need. And since I don't need - I don't want to buy. Here's hoping my willpower stays strong...
Good luck to everyone in February!
__________________
Elizabeth
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Hand over the chocolate, and no one will get hurt!
That's great you sold over $300. I'm getting this visual in my mind of you selling out of your truck , Congrats on your new stuff.
LOL...me too and wishing I was there! But then I would have messed up my budget so it worked out for me haha!
Nice job...sounds like you are 200 bux ahead!
Barbara...I think the same way.
Those who haven't quite done with their budgets what they want, I just want to ditto what LMN said...I really agree. Don't beat yourself up but give yourself some praise for being conscientious about the spending!
I need to see pics of the pink chairs as I may be jealous...lol!
I'm still on budget but I need to finish my receipt book.
Hey Lela - are you in town this weekend? If so - are you a morning person? How about meeting at Barnes & Noble (yep - the bookstore across from Chili's in Montrose on Rt1 at 9am? They open at 9am on Saturdays and they have a cute little coffee shop right inside the door to the left. Russ will probably be with me.....we are joined at the hip on the weekends since our time is limited. This way Russ can wonder off through the store if he gets bored. Saturday is the day we get all our errands done and basically everything done cause it's our only day off - but gee, sometimes you have to stop and drink some coffee...and even have a danish! LOL!!!
WOW, You guys live near each other...that is great!!
I think I will do as Melissa has suggested for non/consumables for charity.
Lela, I checked my calendar when I got home and Saturday morning won't work after all - it's tax day! Yep, getting taxes done. Plus it's the one Saturday out of the month that the local pregnancy center is open and we have to be there for a bit (volunteer). It is jam packed into a flat rate box so I can pop it in the mail to you if you send me your addy. Sorry about Saturday.
Just tallied my receipts for January and I spent $28.88. That included postage to mail a swap package (and I am no longer joining swaps), an adhesive refill to put in the swap package, and an Inkadinkadoo Sympathy Stamp set (I had none and already used it for a sample VSN card). I also have a receipt for $2.47 that says "SB Coin-Wht" that I put in the box and I'll be darned if I can remember what it was for (the receipt is from Walmart not a specific craft store). This is more than my "use my stash" commitment BUT oh well. I used or gave away everything I bought.
I will be placing two SU orders between now and the end of February (one for a gal friend who I order from each quarter to help her make her minimum and one for the stamper's club I joined so I could hostess once a year) so my February budget will be large but.... we do what we have to do. I plan on stocking up on cardstock which should last me through the year at a minimum.
I think I have done pretty good for the month of January. I purged a lot of craft items that I no longer use. I gave some to Salvation Army and all my Stampin Up items I gave to a friend who is a demo. The first part of the month was dedicated to getting the house cleaned and organized, it took two weeks to do, but we got rid of a lot of stuff, made two truck load trips to Salvation Army, but it is all done. I have spent the last couple of days going through all my printed challenges, CASED images and techniques and I got rid of a lot of stuff that I don't need to have hard copies off, I recycled. After going through all the CASED images that I have I don't want to buy any more stamps. I have enough images for the stamps that I do have to last a lifetime. I did spend $40 near the beginning of the month but it was to get the rest of an order that was missing. I don't plan on spending anything in the month of February, mainly because my husband is going on a missions trip with our Church to Mexico and that has streched our finances for a little while. I have enough supplies on hand to be happy and play all month long with out needing anything. This thread is wonderful and I am glad that I am not the only one who has a problem with buying too much stuff. Thanks for keeping me accountable ladies. Good luck.
What does everyone think? New thread for February or just keep updating this one?
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Cards & Stuff Blog Scrapbook Goal 2013: 92/252 Pages; Cards: 129/312;
Altered Items 0/12;S2S= $727, 100by100=80 Come Join Us Scrappin' In May
-- Find 3 stamps/stamp sets that have been in your Stash that are still un-inked and show them some LOVE. Ink them up! Post links in the thread to your creations.
I decided to add February and we'll just keep this thread going at least for the first Quarter, then we can decide what's easiest. Here are the Feb Question of the Month and February Challenge
__________________ Lela -- Scrap Blog -- Cards & Stuff Blog Scrapbook Goal 2013: 92/252 Pages; Cards: 129/312;
Altered Items 0/12;S2S= $727, 100by100=80 Come Join Us Scrappin' In May
-- Find 3 stamps/stamp sets that have been in your Stash that are still un-inked and show them some LOVE. Ink them up! Post links in the thread to your creations.
Do I get bonus points if I have already done February's question of the month? LOL. I did some major downsizing of my stash the middle of January and it has made things so much easier to find and to play with.
I had already planned on using stamp sets that have not seen the light of day or ink since I first bought them, it is amazing how many stamps that I have in that category.
My budget for the month of February is $0, unless I find a good deal on the heart nesties, but they are not a prioriaty for me at this time. I will be going to the city the first weekend in February and I will see if they have them at Micheals and if they are a good price. Can you use coupons for nesties?
Well the good new is I did 40 12 x 12 layouts and 5 cards so far this month. The bad news is I fell off the wagon. I spent $80.00 on paper, a new scrapbook album and page
protector. I am disabled and can't drive. So when I order online I get everything I need for about 3 months. My budget for February will be $20.00 for adhesive if I need it.
I did a bit of soul searching as to why " looking forward to buying " is such a big part of this hobby. I think I discovered the answer for me. I don't know if it will help others curb spending.
When I started making cards I needed everything! It took more than 2 years to get all of the basics, good paper trimmer, a nice selection of cardstock, ink pads stamps, adhesives, etc.
I could not buy it all at once so "looking forward to buying" was a big part of this hobby for me. The Blog Hops, release parties and sales fed into the "looking forward to buying". Not to mention seeing wonderful new products from DT members
Now that I have all the basics I have decided to drastically cut back on my craft spending. In my opinion this hobby has consumed too much of my money in the past 2 + years . I don't go into debt, I pay cash, or if it is on the CC I pay it off when the bill comes . But I feel I spent more than I should on a hobby. However, now I feel a bit lost not looking forward to buying something.
I needed to change my outlook of this hobby and find techniques or projects I "look forward to Doing" rather than looking forward to buying.
This weekend I "look forward" to coloring my new fairy stamp . I have had it since late November and it has never been inked
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"I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Last edited by Barbara Jay; 01-28-2012 at 06:02 AM..
Glad you got it 
YUP!
It's all good!
Time for
Travelling box of goodies....bursting at the seams!
, Congrats on your new stuff.
at 9am? They open at 9am on Saturdays and they have a cute little coffee shop right inside the door to the left. Russ will probably be with me.....we are joined at the hip on the weekends since our time is limited. This way Russ can wonder off through the store if he gets bored. Saturday is the day we get all our errands done and basically everything done cause it's our only day off - but gee, sometimes you have to stop and drink some coffee...and even have a danish! LOL!!!
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