Maintenance spending vs fun spending

Yeah, I hate maintenance spending. And, frankly, it isn't my fun money purchase anymore. It's a family expense now. But the pretties, ok, I"ll pay for those myself.

But I don't spend crazy on even the maintenance spending, so I don't feel too guilty.

I try and bundle my maintenance with my fun. Gives me a good excuse to spend money on something fun. I don’t do a whole lot of buying for the heck of it nowadays.

I know a lot of people like/prefer matching or co ordinated albums but for the most part I get what is on sale. I think my most expensive album is my Disney one and even that was with a %50 coupon. Even with the coupin it was probably a splurge for me at the time. That was back when I did post bound.

Now that I returned to scrapping I’m doing 3 ring. I got all clearance albums. My PP I got at TM for $2.99 before they closed. And my 6x8 have been from spellbinders or $5. I do try to spend less for maintenance spending.

I was pretty well stocked up on maintenance stuff pre-pandemic, so the only purchasing I've been doing for the past year is for the fun stuff. A girl needs her happy mail.

I stock up on maintenance items whenever I see a good sale. I have at least a dozen empty 12 x 12 albums with page protectors coming out my ears, more neutral cardstock than I'll ever use, and at least 36 rolls of ATG tape.

Now I need to start using more of my fun stuff before I purchase any more of it. I tend to keep my new stuff in my top basket of my raskog. That way I remember to use it.

I try to only pick up maintenance items when it’s on sale or any good deals at conventions. I have plenty of adhesive, albums, protectors and cardstock. However, I’m eyeballing sb dot com’s current sale and thinking of picking up an album and protectors.

I mainly spend on fun stuff.

I hate buying those basic necessities. I've learned to buy more than one pack of white cardstock or blades or page protectors or whatever so I don't feel like I'm buying them all the time. The last time I bought atg refills I bought a dozen from tape jungle and it's been nice to know that I have a good amount instead of just a two pack. I know it's just a mental trick - I'm buying more at a time so I have to buy it less often. But it works for me. 

I definitely spend more on the fun stuff, though. I'm not big into buying shoes and handbags anymore but I get a thrill from buying a new scrapbook collection or a new punch. 

Hmm guess I never really separated the purchases that way. Any craft supply is fun to me. Even adhesive 🤷🏼‍♀️

I definitely spend more on the fun stuff!

This is me exactly. I am out of albums and need at least 4 to house my current stack of layouts!

I saw s'book.com's sale and thought I'd buy some. But for 4 albums they wanted $86 shipping. HA!
And M's no longer has 50% coupons I'll have to wait for them to put their albums on 50% off (if they ever do that anymore?)

I watch for Joanns to have free shipping and get albums then.

For me, shopping for papers and other pretties is fun, especially in person. I love seeing all the possibilities and thinking about how I can use them. Some I search for specific purposes for photos I currently have or that I anticipate I will have in the next while (like grad papers). Yesterday< I even searched for diecut flowers to use on a page for KikiPea's latest challenge! I love discovering supplies I had not heard of or seen before and especially love the ones that seem full of potential for alot of different applications.

Of the "essentials", it feels like a job. I don't hate it. I just don't take much joy in either looking for or finding the supplies I need.

Of the must-have's, I would prioritize them with GLUE right at the top. If I don't have it, I can't scrap. And I live a long way from the nearest store where I could pick up even a substitute. I live in fear of being out here on the farm and running out of glue, LOL. For a long time, I struggled to find glue that was easy to apply, adjustable within a few minutes, and then permanent afterward; glue that would not wreck my papers or damage my photos. I found a system that works for me, but it is not nearly as easy to find as it used to be. However, I have been receiving it through an Amazon subscription, and that works great for me.

Photo printing, I prefer to do at the kiosk at Wal-Mart. I find it takes less time for me and the photos turn out the way I want them to. For any technical issues, there is a support person right there to help. If the pic's don't turn out I can reprint right there that day. I can and do print at home from my iphone or computer, and although that has become easier for me with the right photo paper and a little practice, I still prefer to come home with my envelope of photos in hand, ready to start the fun part of scrapping--the page creation. Having the photos at hand lets me physically move them around until I am happy with them. If the orientation isn't working I can cut them. Somehow it makes me feel more in control.

Albums and page protectors, I order in batches on line, getting at least a year's supply at a time. I try to stay with seasonal colours for albums, but it I can't, I am okay with what is available. This type of product, I want the best quality for the most reasonable price. I like heavy duty D-rings, though, and good quality protectors that have enough rooms for my sometimes lumpy pages. If an order of albums or protectors is late arriving, I am okay with piling up the pages until they get here; no crisis.

How much do I spend on the different supplies? The fun stuff definitely has to be at the top of the list. No way does the cost of my glue equal the cost of the cs, pp, stickers, embellishments, ink &/or mixed media on that page! Even if you add the cost of the page protector (or half of it, if you put two pages back-to-back in each protector), or 1/50th of the cost of an album. Okay, even if you add in the cost of printing the photos. The fun stuff definitely costs more, even if you don't count all the EXTRA fun stuff I buy on spec that I will use it some day...