Have you really looked at this stuff?
 

Today I bought a new coffee pot $31.52 with tax.
I also picked up my new SU Greenhouse Garden stamp set which was $30.00 with tax and shipping
When I got home I put them both on my dining room table to change clothes before I put them away.
I came back into the dinning room and suddenly I saw how little $30.00 buys in stamping stuff when it is sitting next to something else. It was an eye opener.

Don't get me wrong , I like stamping, but this stuff is "very" expensive when I consider the amount of material, labor and packaging that goes into it.
Some may say we pay for the designs, but the coffee pot and packaging had to be designed too.
This is not picking on SU. It could have been 2 sets of Nesties from HL using a 40% off coupons or any $30 in stamping supplies
Has anyone else had this eye opener ?

True, but right now I can't come up with a single way to play with a coffee pot. Greenhouse Garden, however, lots and LOTS of ways to play with it! Happy Stamping!

l agree with you Barbara.. but you look at any hobby that you do it all adds up l think that is why they charge so much for things because of the copyright they know that people want or need it as the case may be.

With an appliance like the coffee pot you can shop around and find a hundred with a hundred different prices that all do the same thing.

Just think how much people spend on craft but save in therapy lol:)

Michelle

I agree it's an eye-opener but I look at it the other way ... I could get a fun stamp set if I forego a coffee pot (of course I already have 3 coffee pots including my much-loved Keurig).

This is true, but if a person goes over board they may need a debt counselor lol:)

It's true what you are saying and I totally feel you but it's all hobby. None of this is neccesity. My hubby surfs and spends $500 on a new board and $300 on a wetsuit about 2X yearly. That's alot but it's what he enjoys and gives him pleasure..
Now that I have collected the majority of my big items (copics, tools, etc) the things that cost most, I still find there is new and better then what I bought yesterday. I finally got my score-pal about 5 mths ago after wanting it forever! now I see they have the scor buddy which looks like more scores, and a better product... Go figure. Thats the downside of anyone who spends money on crafting or hobbies.

There is an old saying : The price of anything is what some one is willing pay for it :)

Yup...just the other day I spent $60.50 for 2000 brads. (1000 white ones and 1000 cream ones)

I don't have any coffee makers though. Too expensive. :)

oh my gosh! u are not kidding. every time i save and save for something, the minute i buy it, it becomes old school and something better is on the market.

Its just easier to go: "Meh its money and I love doing what I do." My housemate tries to justify what I purchase to the amount of products I make/how many time I used it... This didnt work very well as i got angry very quickly lol.

But if something makes your happy and occupied for a period of time that would usually be wasted why not spend the money when you have it :)

Put it next to $30 of cocaine or heroin and then see how you feel about your addiction. I think too, put $30 worth of Starbucks coffee with it and I think you will understand that your addictions are far healthier than others. lol.

Having said that, I go around to various craft shops to buy acrylic stamps as I dont like wood mounts too much, and I have NEVER paid as much for a sheet of acrylics as I have for rmounts or actually for SU.

I can buy a single one inch cube stamp for about $3 compared to a set of 12 SU! that you can't mix and match the colours for and can't buy singly. Look at every SU stamp kit you have ever owned and ask yourself do you use every stamp in the set? That is where the expense comes from.

Don't get me wrong about SU, I have lots of their stuff, and will continue to buy some things from them, but I don't think too many of their stamps or one inch cube stamp pad sets will be coming my way. If I could mix and match with the colours fine, but since you can't ...

LOL!

And that is why I have a strict budget I adhere to.

Maybe SU could team up with Dave Ramsey and offer specials on Stamps and Financial Peace University packages.;)

I know exactly what you are saying! Though not quite the same as your thread, there was a thread on here last yearish, someone was commenting that they felt guilty about spending so much on stamping when so many in other parts of the world are just trying to survive. I read it with great interest thinking that I do understand those feelings of guilt. I probably always will have twinges of guilt, but I have decided the approach to take, is to try to be very thankful and not take my good fortune for granted. I suppose my resolve applies to your thoughts also. I am very lucky to be able to stamp (and drink lots and lots of coffee of course!). Anyway, what goes together better than a great cup of coffee and a morning of stamping on a rainy day??!!! Enjoy both!

Sometimes I have thought of that, however, stamping IS therapy for me. When I am stamping, teaching a class or running a workshop and seeing the faces of new stampers, I am at my happiest. It gives me a sense of personal accomplishment.
But, nothing is as expensive as beekeeping, especially when the hives don't produce what you expect from year to year. I also work in Special Education, so this is one outlet for me.

Chris

I would rather spend $30 on SU! than spend it in a bar. Yep, stampin' keeps me out of the bars!!! JK, but that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Consdier the longevity of the item you have purchased. Stamps are extreamly versatile and if taken care of properly could probably outlast your coffee pot. That makes it well worth the money IMO :)

Yes, if you wait until Michael's has a 40%-off sale on their acrylic stamp sets, you can get possibly 3 to 5 stamp sets for $30.

Some stores (http://www.auntieamy.com/ comes to mind, though there are no current specials) also offer free shipping every now and then for orders above $20, and then there are also grab bags of unmounted rubber and you'd get tons of stamps for around $30.

Well, price a card lately??? I figure I have saved thousands over the last 5 years. I send a lot of cards. Each one, if purchased at Hallmark {cause you know mine look that good;)} would have been $5...times 40 birthdays (just birthdays) = A LOT! The stamps help me get that creative part of me out and relieves stress.

That being said, I have also stopped buying. I did an inventory and I have all the stamps I need. it would have to be something really unique for me to buy another one.

Or a really good sale...

ETS: I just did my daughter's invites...we saved $19 on each one x 60 = A Lot! They were priced out at a store at $25 each...EACH mind you!

I do see how stamping can be a very expensive, almost "wasteful" hobby, but I don't think it is for a lot of us. My red rubber, wood block SU stamps are going to be around for a long time. Many sets I've had for 10 - 15 years now and I still use them. I buy carefully and only purchase sets that aren't too trendy and have long-term appeal for me.

Last night I went to a movie, and it cost $10.00. It entertained me for a couple of hours, but I doubt I will remember much of it a couple of years from now. A small stamp set or an ink pad and reinker, on the other hand, can entertain me for a lot longer than that! Then there's the joy I both give and receive from sending my creations to others.

Sometimes I DO feel guilty about my stamps, but my sweet hubby always says he loves my hobby. He constantly reminds me of his coworkers and their spouses who spend their money on things like spray tans, pedicures, manicures, designer clothing, wine, and even my wonderful neighbor who buys flats and flats of annual flowers that die after each season. He said he thought my expenses were so much more practical and worthwhile, plus they made me happy so they are a real bargain in his eyes. Yup...he's a keeper!

For me the stamp set lasts a lot longer than any coffee pot I've had. In the last 5 years I 've 3 coffee pots ranging from $30 - $100 and not one of them lasts much more than a year. Although I love my coffee, no cup has given me the pleasure of creating a beautiful work of art and the pleasure of seeing the recipient enjoy the card.

Stamping/paper crafting may be expensive but DH is a photographer and just one of his many cameras cost $5,000 - that's a whole lot of paper, stamps, ribbon.....etc.

I agree, Stamping is an expensive hobby. However, I put it in retrospect to my husband's hobbies.

He is an "audiophile" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiophile and that means that he spends a ton of money- and this isn't including his golfing, where he has bought new clubs every season for the past 3 years- and to golf a round is over $100.00 now.

See, everyone has their vices: I don't smoke, I don't eat fast food, I rarely go shopping for clothes, and I don't get my nails done or my hair coloured. Think of all the money that is spent on those things, or on alcohol [which I do spend money on]. So, when I see a stamp set that I want, or paper, and I know that I'm going to use it to make beautiful things, cards that I can give people, scrapbooks that show memories, as well as being able to use it with my friends, I don't think that spending the money is all that bad.

Oh, and my coffee pot is from the 1970s, before I was born even. When my hubby went to grad school, his parents gave him their old peculator pot- I love my coffee pot.

~~

I used to do mostly beading. 30 bucks in beads is TINY, way smaller than a stamp set. :)

Anne

I would look at it this way.... once you've cracked open the box on that coffee maker and used it, the value is pretty much what you could get for it at a garage sale.

On the other hand, a stamp set, if well maintained can fetch a good percentage of it's original cost in resale. We all know that there are some coveted stamp sets (think Wild Wild West) that are selling way above the original price.

Yes, the consumables that we need to keep the mojo burning are not something you can recoup (generally), but as previously stated, the therapeutic value as well as defraying the cost of store bought cards and some gifts, almost make it a wash.

I wouldn't think twice about spending $30 on a stamp set. I would, however, rarely pay that for a coffee maker! LOL

It is true and it isn't a cheap hobby..............my husband could write a book..giggle....but we as women don't always do for ourselves and this is my world which also contributes to family....we send all types of cards with love and respect. Some bought cards these days are costly. I wish us all the time and money to have fun!

I know what you mean. It's not that you're trying to rationalize whether it's worth it or worth it to you. Sometimes we see the price of, for example, a stamp set, and since we kind of have an idea of how much stamps sell for, we don't really think about the dollar value the way we do with other products in our daily life that we maybe don't have the same emotional attachment to.

It happened to me the other day. I think I was either making my wish/shopping list from SU, or looking at something online... and it was a figure around $15. I stopped for a second and just thought "$15." Not what it was for, or how much I would love it, or if it was worth it. . . just an awareness that this is "$15."

For me that was a reminder to be more conscious of my hobby spending.

Then I finished making my list :mrgreen: . Reasonably. And spread out instead of all at once. Giving me a chance to talk myself out of some things. I just may save that $15 somewhere down the road ;) !

Yes, it is an expensive hobby. So are my other 2 hobbies: scrapbooking and beading. That's why I try to be sure that I'm going to use what I buy. Then it's worth it to me. What I think is a real shame is how many people say that they've bought hundreds - even thousands - of dollars' worth of things that they have never used. That, to me, is a waste of money - especially if they bought something just because "everyone else" bought it.

I was going to post the exact same thing, on my 3rd coffee pot in 6 years, and none were cheap closer to the 60-75 range, yet my stamp set from 2002 still works great!!

You know those TV commercials for credit cards where they show how much concert tickets, sports equipment, etc. cost, and then they end up with a heartwarming moment and say something like: "Cost of seeing the look in your kid's eyes at the game? Priceless."

That's how I feel about the cost of the cards and stuff I make. Two recent examples:

I have a sweet 10-year old granddaughter who I adore. We were leaving my house after a visit and she accidently caught her finger in my car door. No permanent damage, but it really, really hurt! She was very strong and brave. The next day I got her a little present and made her a card.

Here is what she wrote in her online blog:

"Yesterday, I slammed my finger in my Bugga�s* car door. Today, she brought me a handmade �get well soon� card and a Webkinz pink and white cat, which I love." (*Bugga = Grandma name)

Then last weekend my grown step-son came over and brought a little mini-notepad I had made for his wife at Christmas. He said, "Karen asked me to see if you had any refills for this notepad. She just loves it, and has used all the pages up."

I was ridiculously pleased by both these responses.

Pretty Priceless, right?:)

I think this is what I was thinking. An awareness of that is what $30 will buy in stamping supplies . I have no intention of stopping stamping, and I try to be careful with my purchases of "everything" to be sure I will really use them. I have had sticker shock for other products too.
All the comments here have been enjoyable to read :D

Yep, that is what keeps me going!

Anne

Lots of justification going on here - and I'm not against any of it. LOL

So here is my take... I don't know where all of you stand in regard to faith - but the Bible says to "redeem" your time. In other words, exchange your time for something worthwhile. If I spend money on one stamp, some DP and some good card stock - I can make dozens and dozens of RAK cards that bring encouragement, hope and help to others. I can make crafts for a craft sale that allow me to buy a gift card for my sister who has a terminally ill daughter. I can just plain do something "fun" and change my whole mood so that I'm not picking on my kids or inappropriately getting on my husband's case about trivial stuff just because I'm bored.

All that said - a few dollars spent wisely on the right stamps is money well spent.

~blessings

Well said!

I myself am trying to lose weight. So, if I spend part of the grocery money on stamps......not only am I happy and entertained but I'm skinnier! LOL.

$30 doesn't buy much in craft supplies, but then again, $30 doesn't buy much anymore anyway.
In NYC-
a pack of cigarettes $12
a box of cereal $5+ and gallon of milk (another $4)
a ride on the bus or subway (one-way trip) $2.25
a cup of medium (regular) coffee at Starbucks $2, a medium latte $5+
a bagel with cream cheese at a deli $2+

If you look around, shop wisely, decide what you Need versus what you Want.... you can get a better deal on most stamping supplies. I try to buy used, or on sale, and only when I need something (in the past two months I spent $12- bought one giant bottle of glue and a pack of white cardstock)
When I first got into stamping regularly, I looked on eBay for 'Lots' of stamps and supplies- its how I got all my House Mouse and SU stamps, my heat/ embossing gun, embossing powder, and scrapping tote.
About 4 months ago I got a Cricut (which I had wanted for almost 5 years) because HSN had a good deal on a bundle. I bought a few Clearance cartridges at Michael's. I now have all tools I need/ want.(except a scoreboard, which I'll get for my birthday in August, untill then the lines in my paper cutter are gonna have to suffice)
I used to buy lots of stuff I'd never use because I didin't really know my style yet. Now I know what I'll use, and only buy that.

Can get pricy, but I love it. It bring me happiness, so true on previous post that a movie is more expensive, and a stamp can bring joy for lots of lots of cards, until a new stamp set comes out lol.
I ask my hubby several times on what he thinks of my addiction, he always tells me if it brings me joy, to not worry about it. I tell him about my spending, he tells me as long as I dont use credit cards ;) So there you go, keep a budget and spend only what you know you can afford.

haha love that.

:DLOL! Thanks for the laugh!

I look at it this way: Stamping and paper-crafting has been a life-saver for me. It's cheaper than therapy and it makes me happy. And as my mom always said, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop, and idle hands are his tools." That is so true!

And besides that, it brings me joy to create, and even more joy to share. It's a good thing and a worthwhile "addiction."

And now it is time for my afternoon cup of coffee. :)

I just got my $400 SU Order from new catalog. Lots of expense and probably my biggest order ever, but I wanted to order a lot at once to get most freebies/benefits. So far I have made 2 cards - so that makes them $200 each (mighty expensive). When I make 2 more cost will be down to $100 each. Anyway point is I will make lots of cards and quite a few scrapbooking pages with what I ordered. Hopefully I will get it down at least to the price of a Hallmark card and have my stamping therapy at the same time.

My DH smokes cigarettes - about 1.5 packs a day - probably at least $75 a week or $300 a month. And nothing good comes from this habit. He does not smoke in my house - thank goodness.

Three years ago if someone told me I would spend $400 on stampin stuff in one month I would have told them they were crazy. On average though I spend about $100 on my crafting. And at least it is not bad for my health.

HEY! I think you're on to something. You could probably start a paper crafting company and make a lot of money. Women will buy from someone who promises to lose some weight just by using their products...lol

Let's do it.
ScorBuddyII - good for those flabby arms.
BigShot - do it standing up and work that core.
Catalog - read and drool while you ride that exercise bike.

Next time my husband sticks his head in the door of my craftroom and asks whatcha doing? I'll say, just dieting honey.