How/when do you buy new supplies?

Back in the day when scrapbook stores were in abundance I had a basic supply and bought for specific pages or time period I was working on. I only occasionally bought random things. Now though I buy as I see something I like since things have been known to sell out and can be hit or miss. Also paying for shipping makes me want to make it worthwhile.

I am definitely a buy it now if I think I will use it later kind of scrapper. If there is a collection that I love, I tend to pick it up if there is some possibility that I will use in the future. I took a huge trip a couple of years ago, and I was really pleased to have a good selection of travel lines to pick from, rather than what was just available at the moment. Of course, this means I have a massive stash, but that's another story...

Pretty much whenever I see something I like.

If I see it, and like it, I buy it.

I used to wait awhile if I liked something and bought every once in awhile. Now, it seems as tho if you don't buy it when you see it you can't find it again.

I buy what I like and think I would use when I have the chance to do so.  I don't have a chance to go to stores anymore and the ones I could go to I don't, like Michaels and Tuesday Morning.

I ordered a princess kit on Peachy Cheap an when it arrived I saw it was one I have purchased twice already.

I saw some Prima Christmas paper on SB.com that I will hopefully order.  Otherwise I order when I need specific theme items for certain photos.  What I really need to do is master making my own diecuts and I would be so happy.

I buy things I think I'll use and tend to keep a running cart at my favourite online store. I just keep an eye on the new section and add things I like, then do a regular review to remove stuff that no longer excites me. I've got a pretty good feel for the types of colours and patterns I like using that work with the general types of photos I scrap, and I try to only buy things I can clearly see myself using. Sometimes I'll buy something outside my comfort zone because I've seen lots of fabulous projects using it and I think I could make it work. I almost never buy a full collection of anything, preferring to pick up a couple of pieces and mix it with the rest of my stash.

Squirrel! If it is shiny, and I like it, I buy it.

I mostly buy replacements at this point - more adhesive, new trimmer blades, cardstock in a colour I've run out of. My stash is pretty much at capacity right now so unless I need something for a NOW project, I'm trying not to buy.


I did buy a few things on the spellbinders sale - a pack of cardstock in a colour I'll use but didn't have, an embossing folder, a set of card sentiment stamps, building block (lego like) stamp (if you've seen my recent layouts - I KNOW it'll get used), some cute little travel flags, and a set of stamps that'll be part of a Christmas present for a friend.

And the last non-adhesive HL purchase was papers/stickers for DS's Hawaii album and I've already made several layouts with it.

I've been scrapping for 18.5 years...and I still have some stuff from those early years in my stash...I'm trying to use it or part with it. I'm in a different life stage now (I had a 10 y/o and a toddler back then - now I have two adult kids and a teen) and I have a better idea of what I'll use, a slightly bigger budget (so I don't HAVE to buy on clearance), and the ability to make some of my own embellishments (although I need to get better at that)

Well, my supply input is greater than my craft output because I buy things I like and think I will use later. My local store closed this summer because the owner retired so I've been buying a lot more online.

It's a good thing Amazon keeps track of my purchases. I was looking at inserts for Karen Burniston's pop n cut die and had put one in my cart when a notice popped up that I had already purchased it in 2013! Went digging in my scrap room and sure enough, I do have it.

My inspiration IS my stash. I am motivated by pretty paper and doo dads. If I start to scrap and can't find coordinating items that excite me to match my photos, the process isn't fun.

So I purchase in advance, the things I think are usable.

I've learned/am learning what is truly usable for me. It's not always what I love. Sometimes it's surprising to learn. My stash is full of collections I loved but struggled to use!

I buy things when I see them and keep an eye out for releases. I'm not doing a huge amount of scrapping at the moment - more card making. There aren't a whole lot of shops here so many of supplies come from the USA so I tend to keep carts running at stores and buy a few times a year.

When I first started scrapping, and I was a new mother, and there were scrap stores near me, I would buy because I needed something for a set of pics, or just because I was browsing and saw something pretty, and it just brought me joy.


Now I'm at a different point in my life, and though I still scrap, and it's still my thing, I get less joy from things. From having them, hoarding them, buying them. With everything I own, I think about the fact that when I die, my kids will need to deal with it.

Plus, online shopping doesn't bring me joy.

I buy in spurts when I see a new collection I have to have. Which happens one to two times per year. I don’t shop with a layout in mind but I am selective about buying products that fit my esthetic and types of pictures I scrapbook.