2022 Frozen/Chilly Peas

LavenderLayoutLady - well done!

I chose NOT to buy more black cardstock because while I'm running low, I'm not yet out and I'm trying to use up and then replace if needed (I'll need black cardstock) rather than buying when my stock runs low. (adhesive is my exception to this - I like to always keep a good stock of adhesive on hand)

Some WRMK black cardstock 12x12 pad (i think it said foil marbled, but idk.) A few sheets and the cover were damaged, and THAT would have bothered me.

And a 8.5x11" album. It was one of those AC cardboard ones, but under one of their designer's names. I don't really remember. It was black, which, and magenta, and had some pattern on it.

I made this really bold statement a few days ago and while I still haven't bought anything but my monthly sub, I have a question for you all -


Do you consider spending gift cards/money on a craft item breaking your freeze/chill?

I know everyone has different reasons for not buying as much - I tend to be really strict on myself with rules so I'm just curious how everyone handles this. 

My answer comes from a place of basically never getting gift cards for scrappy/crafty places, but for me that's not breaking my freeze. In my mind that would be no different than the gifter giving me a package of supplies, but instead they have given me the chance to pick things I really like. That said, I'm also the type of person who would want to make that purchase something special that I might not otherwise buy, so I'd be likely to consider my purchase carefully and make sure I really love it, and will often consider things like ink pads or stamp sets rather than just more paper or die cuts.

I will use gift cards and don't consider it breaking my freeze. But if I am frozen I'm slower to spend the GC. Once I crack that door, there's a good chance the floodgates will open and the freeze will be over lol.

So far so good this month. I also have not scrapped much either which is NOT the goal of the freeze lol.

I'm not shopping because my stash needs trimming down not getting added to. I'm okay using gift cards (or Michaels rewards) to replenish basics (card blanks, adhesive, black/white cardstock) or to fill in a gap - I'm aiming to look for some snow stuff when I hit my next goal since my older kids are having an unusually snowy winter and sending me pictures and since I live in Florida..that's just not a theme I've needed much.


If I were freezing to trim my budget -gift cards would be fair game because they aren't part of my budget.

If anyone is looking for some inspiration to use your stash there's a facebook group called Rediscover Your Stash. It looks like they have lots of challenges and some of the participants have youtube channels.

Another good fb group is Bash Your Scrapbook Stash - it’s run by regular scrappers and has a lot of inspiration and challenges.

I still have not bought anything scrappy in January.

I've done a bit of scrapping here & there. I want to use my stash, so maybe later in the year I can reward myself with new stash. Some of the new stuff, like No Limits, are very appealing, and I want them.


Re: Spending gift cards... My motivation for no spend is budget related, so gift cards would be fair game (I don't actually have any, but if I did...)

There is so much great insight in this thread about shopping and why we buy/acquire. It's really stopped to make me think about what I have and why I shop. I have so much stuff, and I really don't want to have as much so I am trying to make this a year of using what I have and not buying anything that is just going to accumulate.

Initially, I went into the chill with a mindset of, "I have too much patterned paper" (and I do!), but I also have lots of other stuff that has been purchased and is still unused, so I am going to focus on not purchasing things that I do not have a purpose for.

Like you, mrssch, shopping has definitely been a hobby for me. I have also used shopping for scrapbook supplies as a substitute for actually scrapbooking during times when I have not been as creative/productive. I'm finding that by dedicating some time to actually scrapbook regularly, it is scratching the itch for new supplies. I'm still enjoying my supplies, but the thrill of using some long hoarded items is taking some of the place of shopping.

I've been frozen for a while but officially jumping in the freezer this month and the team challenges finally got me to start making again. My page count is at 7 with a long ways to go but it's 7 more than I've done in the past few
months (excluding my retreat weekend in oct).

My motivation is probably equal between using my stash and saving money. I did receive a Michael's gift card for Christmas but I would most likely use it on something for the house or a non-scrapbooking craft/hobby.

I still haven't gotten any digitals from Paper Person. I need to hurry up and decide about the holiday digitals before the sale prices go back to normal. I think I'm going to skip the Olympics card set. It's 7.99 and I will realistically only use 2 card designs. Maybe 3. That's around 2.66-3.50 a design. Not worth it to me. I want to support indie designers but I also need to think about what the purchase means in terms of practicality for me. DIY it is then!

ETA: And I'm considering spray-painting the Simple Stories Holiday Binder I still have unused and filled with a variety of 6x8 PPs to do "story sandwiches" for PL instead of investing in a new 9x12 album this year. I so want to do 9x12 again BUT I have that album left and I can't wait forever to use it. Ugh! I hate myself when I'm being so reasonable. 🙄

I may be one of the few who can claim this on the board but... I'm running out of physical PL cards. I'll have enough to last until around April, I think. With some leftovers that will require complementary cards to work in spreads. Can't believe it's happening but here I am with my 20-ish 3x4 cards (plus a few Christmas-themed ones). I will have to unfreeze at some point to buy a few card sets from Studio Calico (I refuse to buy kits as I barely ever touch any of the other stuff they put in those).

Me watching my micro stash melt away:

sleepingbooty, not going to lie. I’m slightly jealous of your lack of project life goals. It has been my goal for about 2 years to use more than I buy and while I’m making a dent I have a full organizer from scrapbook.com. I’m incredibly proud of only having that much but want to get it down a bit more so I have room to flip through. I would like to land on having just a small stack of 3x4 and 4x6.

It's like a tiny version of you is sitting on my left shoulder. And another one on my right shoulder... 😅  Wishing you loads of luck with slimming down your stash a bit. I don't necessarily recommend getting down to just enough cards for the next 2-3 months though. It's not exactly comfortable. I'll be relieved when I have a few more options to choose from. 😉

Well, I mean... I do have PL goals. 😄 Pretty sure you meant cards. Cheering for you to get your stash down to the place where you want it to be! As long as you keep outpacing your input with your creations, you will eventually get there, fear not. It's kind of liberating having just enough. I know what I have, what I can work with, how I can put it together. And also know exactly what I need to add as well. That's the most powerful aspect of the small stash: you know what you require before making a purchase instead of just buying because it seems nice/is a good deal. It really helps to shift the way you shop. 👍

So glad you're back to PL-ing. It seems to suit you and your stash! Keep going. You are on the right path. You get to use all your pretties for your actual memories now. 😊 Totally agree on being mostly done and allowing yourself to start another spread/page. You can always come back and add the final touches later if you ever want to. If not, it's more than good enough!