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Post by dulcemama on May 19, 2016 17:03:45 GMT
It feels like there is less and less that wows me I feel that way too. I also feel like everything looks the same. One manufacturer will make a line with flamingos as their main design, and then six other companies all have flamingos on their paper and embellishments. I need more variety. The one thing I could never get my head around is kit clubs and grab bags. Me too! I need to know, down to the last enamel dot, exactly what my money is paying for. I have no room for disappointment in my budget. I too find less and less that I have to have. The current style are not really my thing for the most part (except OA and a few random collections) so I find myself mostly working from my stash when it comes to paper. Embellishments...bit more that I like but have enough of most things to last me at this point. I too don't get the appeal of kits but grab bags on the other hand....I love grab bags (if the price is right) I often get things in grab bags that I wouldn't have considered if I had just seen it in the store but then, actually having it in my hand, I can find ways to appreciate it and use it.
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Elsabelle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,625
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:55 GMT
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Post by Elsabelle on May 19, 2016 18:28:14 GMT
When I first started scrapping I probably spent about $200 a month. There were several great LSS and I went to them all. In the past few years there's been an ebb and flow to my scrapping. At times I can go months without buying or scrapping and then I'll have a month or two where I scrap a ton. Lately I've bought more supplies than usual but I'm using it so I feel good about it.
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winter
Junior Member
Posts: 50
May 18, 2016 23:56:30 GMT
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Post by winter on May 19, 2016 18:29:29 GMT
You ladies all have a way better idea on your spending that I do...I've taken a bit of the "ignorance is bliss" approach to my craft spending, but I know I need to take a much better look at it in the future. I haven't been spending as much money lately because my Tuesday Morning has been kind of a bust lately and I've managed to stay offline and away from scrapbooking shops.
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Post by ExpatBackHome on May 19, 2016 19:13:55 GMT
About $500 a year. I don't spend monthly since I buy supplies once a year. I just finished up scrapbook shopping for this year. I visit home (US) in 4 weeks and will bring my supplies back with me in my suitcase.
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tiffanytwisted
Pearl Clutcher
you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
Posts: 4,538
Jun 26, 2014 15:57:39 GMT
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Post by tiffanytwisted on May 19, 2016 20:58:02 GMT
How much do you spend on scrapbooking and how does it compare to when you first started scrapbooking? I first started about 12 years ago. My first year I barely spent anything. I didn't even buy a paper trimmer. I didn't want to "waste" money on a hobby that I wasn't 100% sure I would stick with. After that first year, oh boy! I bought pretty much whatever I wanted. I still waited to buy a Zipemate (my first die cutter) until it was on super clearance. I probably easily spent $100 a month for the first few years (after the first bare year). Now I spend relatively little. I have all my important tools. I don't "need" anything, and only buy things that really speak to me. I shop clearance almost exclusively. I find things in thrift shops & dollar stores. Honestly, I wish I had scrapping buddies nearby that I could trade stamped images and die cuts with. The only thing I spend "big money" on is buying albums when I run out of room. And then I usually only buy them one or two at a time. So, how do you spend, now compared to then? You & I definitely seem to lead similar scrappy lives, lol. Like you, I started out slow. At the risk of repeating myself w/my story, when I discovered scrapbooks (or Memory Books as the aisle in the Rag Shop was labelled), I was afraid the hobby would fizzle out in a few years, so I didn't want to go hog wild and buy all this stuff, only to toss it down the road. Then, as Creative Memories was brought to my attention and a couple of stores devoted SOLELY to my new hobby popped up, I spent like I was Donald Trump's daughter who was engaged to Bill Gates. And when I found online shopping (dMarie sucked me right in, followed shortly thereafter by GoneScrappin') it was all over, lol. As so many of us have said, I have enough to scrap for years, needing only to buy adhesive, blades, page protectors & albums. In other words, I spend waaaaaayy less than I did back when I started (15 or so years ago). I just placed an order w/CTMH and it was for lame things like FlipFlaps, album spacers & a bone folder. Nothing 'pretty' because I seriously can't justify it. I did make a big purchase a month or so ago, buying a TON of AC cardstock for use w/my Cameo. At some point I will be ordering a bunch of albums (the ones I like are hard to find, so I order 5-6 at a time), but that's really it. So, yeah. I spend a lot less now than I did then. Think I should point this out to my husband, lol.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on May 19, 2016 21:08:57 GMT
I spent like I was Donald Trump's daughter who was engaged to Bill Gates.
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Post by alissa103 on May 20, 2016 2:54:41 GMT
I spent very little when I started and for years after that. I was a poor new graduate and then a newlywed saving for a house, so I bought very little. I probably missed "the good old days" of awesome product buying some of you experienced just because of that! I then got into a kit phase subbing to one a month and actually doing a pretty good job of just getting the kit and not buying other stuff. And I used them. Then those clubs closed down and I got a little behind and stopped scraping so much. I go in spurts buying now. About a year ago I got back into scrapping with more gusto (after having a baby and settling into another city) and realized I had few boy friendly papers and embellishments to scrap my kid. I discovered Tuesday Morning to catch some of the lines I missed out on and I feel like I'm making up for lost time. Lol! But I'm also scrapping more than I ever have, so I feel like my shopping is at least kind of at pace with usage. Sort of Now I get the monthly Boy Crazy and Generation kits from Scrapbook Generation. I throw extra goodies into my box from their shop when they catch my eye too. Tuesday Morning hasn't been great lately so I've spent very, very little there in the last 6 months or so. But I did go to the Studio Calico sale in bowling green and went a little nuts in there.
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winter
Junior Member
Posts: 50
May 18, 2016 23:56:30 GMT
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Post by winter on May 20, 2016 4:57:47 GMT
I spent very little when I started and for years after that. I was a poor new graduate and then a newlywed saving for a house, so I bought very little. I probably missed "the good old days" of awesome product buying some of you experienced just because of that! I then got into a kit phase subbing to one a month and actually doing a pretty good job of just getting the kit and not buying other stuff. And I used them. Then those clubs closed down and I got a little behind and stopped scraping so much. I go in spurts buying now. About a year ago I got back into scrapping with more gusto (after having a baby and settling into another city) and realized I had few boy friendly papers and embellishments to scrap my kid. I discovered Tuesday Morning to catch some of the lines I missed out on and I feel like I'm making up for lost time. Lol! But I'm also scrapping more than I ever have, so I feel like my shopping is at least kind of at pace with usage. Sort of Now I get the monthly Boy Crazy and Generation kits from Scrapbook Generation. I throw extra goodies into my box from their shop when they catch my eye too. Tuesday Morning hasn't been great lately so I've spent very, very little there in the last 6 months or so. But I did go to the Studio Calico sale in bowling green and went a little nuts in there. I feel the same way about Tuesday Morning lately. I am so jealous you made it out to Bowling Green. I was addicted to the photos from the sale. It looked absolutely incredible
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 26, 2024 17:00:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2016 5:50:37 GMT
There's only one LSS left in our state so I spend next to nothing on scrapping. I have a huge stash from when I used to spend and a few years ago I undertook a huge organization of all the supplies, papers, stickers, and such. I've been scrapping long enough to know my style so it helps me to resist jumping on the bandwagon of stuff I'll just need to purge later. I've been scrapbooking since 1997. So far this year, the only thing I have bought is adhesive and I've spent maybe $20 at Tuesday Morning on Bazzill cardstock and a few AC ephemera packs. I make most of my embellishments by hand (no electronic cutter, just a handheld xacto knife) and I find myself repurposing costume jewelry charms, fibers and paper piecing to make OOAK decorations and embellies. It could just be because my kids are older so I don't have a lot of scrapping to do lately. Just a stage, I suppose. But I do find myself happier with less than I used to have and my pages aren't so overloaded with stuff that I felt obligated to use since I paid good money for it. Looking back, the height of my spending probably was from 2005 to 2007. Your post is very inspiring. I do own my die cutters. I do like them. I bought my die cutters for my digital art work. If I didn't create digital I would not own a die cutter. Give me my Xacto knife, pretty paper and some music I can make embellishments all day. I love repurposing costume jewelry into new embellishments. I am always on the hunt for broken jewelry to make new again. Jewelry making is one of my loves so I love that I can incorporate it into my papercrafting. Paper piecing is my favorite cutting love. I have a lot of coloring books. I love the adult coloring book craze. I was buying those books before it got popular. I have a ridiculous amount of kid coloring books too. A Disney book came home with me last weekend. This is why I hem haw over a scrapbook kit club. I don't want to feel obligated or pressured to use those things. I know I will think I have to use it I spent all this money on it and I will feel stifled. I will end up going to my computer and watching You Tube videos instead. I was telling my Mom on Mother's Day you have to use what you love, not what you have. Your creations will never feel good to you. She was telling me she loved designs from India and couldn't figure out why. Does it matter? She loves them. It is going to make her more creative using them. I am starting to think Tuesday Morning is the new decade of the LSS. My store is super small and full of kitchenware. They do get some nice craft things once in awhile. I don't usually go since I live a little to far from it now. I use to live next door to it and never really went either.
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Post by Scrapper100 on May 21, 2016 0:22:15 GMT
My spending has gone up and down over the years. I don't consider myself a big spender most of the time. I have never done the monthly club thing until this last month I finally signed up for the Ali Edwards stamp kit and am happy that I did. It is encouraging me to journal more and tell stories I might not have before. I am also a CTMH consultant and my best customer I keep saying I may drop but so far I have made my minimums. I hadn't been buying much except for an occasional trip to Tuesday Morning after our move and a few trips to Hobby Lobby as we didn't have those before oh and the Joann's was really nice and I finally got why someone actually shopped there but now they are shrinking. I have plenty of supplies though so not a hardship. I have just discovered the thin dies so I have purchased a few in the past few months. I was really bad this month buying things that were retiring CTMH and then a few things at Joann's online. I was going to cut myself off until at least July but will hopefully buy a few story stamps Monday then put myself into the freezer.
I figure as long as I can afford it and use it and have room for it it is all ok it's cheaper than a lot of other things I could be spending money on.
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Post by Delta Dawn on May 21, 2016 3:58:43 GMT
I haven't bought any scrapbooking supplies in well over 18 months!!!
I bought planner supplies yesterday. Stickers. We do sticker sneezes. They are well loved!
I spend about $200/mo on planning supplies in a good month!
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,520
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on May 21, 2016 4:16:29 GMT
I definitely spend more now than when I started buy my spending really goes in cycles. In the glory days I would make smaller more frequent purchases because I had access to multiple lss' so didn't need to make bigger orders to justify shipping costs. I used to save up a lot of my spending money and blow it all at the expos where I'd come home with enough stuff to last me for a year. Then I went through a phase of using up my stash and really stopped buying.
Then the stores started to close so I bought again but mostly at clearance prices. Then I was inspired by all the new to my stash things I owned and stopped spending and just scrapped.
For the last 12 or 18 months I've been on a bit of buying thing again. I'm still using stuff up but probably not quite as fast as I'm accumulating it.
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Post by meridon on May 21, 2016 18:16:40 GMT
This is one of the main reasons I subscribe to a kit club--it's already in the budget and it cuts down on my random shopping at Ms or HL if I know I have a kit on the way. Even though I do most of my scrapping in the summer (I'm a teacher), I save up my kits and so they are ready to go when I am.
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Post by redshoes on May 21, 2016 19:13:27 GMT
I spend $200-300 a year...solid paper, small paper kits and adhesive mostly. One year, I bought 18 albums and about 250 page protectors because the albums I like were being discontinued. Those will last me awhile!!
I don't subscribe to any monthly kits. I really get all of my scrapping done in 2 weekend retreats a year.
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Post by pas2 on May 22, 2016 9:48:26 GMT
When I started 20 years ago I bought the basics and scrapped simply because I had a tight budget. When I went back to part-time work I probably spent $50-$100/month because there were all these great LSS around, all that beautiful paper and tools I had to have. Then I had a 5 year period where I wasn't scrapping much and only needed adhesive/cardstock. Now I am back to scrapping so I've been stocking up on new paper, washi tape, and rubber stamps. I have been having fun playing with distressed inks and gesso so I have been spending at least $100/month the last few months. Time to reign in the spending again until I use up some of my new stash. I do have to say I NEVER pay full price for anything I buy. I still scrap somewhat simply. I really don't like the newer designs of paper, they remind me of what was available 20 years ago and I gave all that bright/busy stuff to the kids to play with. I stocked up on the softer more distressed designs that I know I will use. My big vice now is Tuesday Morning, can't resist stopping in there weekly.
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Post by mom on May 22, 2016 9:58:42 GMT
I go in spells. At first, I bought a bunch. Now that Iv'e been scrapbooking for almost 10 years, I find that I create more when I have less. So I spend less (though I do go crazy every once in awhile).
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,446
Jun 28, 2014 21:14:36 GMT
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Post by kitbop on May 22, 2016 12:07:34 GMT
This is an interesting thread! Sounds like even tho we all have different spending habits, we are mostly spending LESS than we used to? I fall into that group. I spend in fits and spurts - maybe $1000/year (but this is Canada, so that's only $700 US!) But it is less than before because, as many have said above me: 1. I have a stash 2. I have my tools 3. the new stuff isn't as new anymore! Shopping used to be a huge inspiration for me. CHA sneeks and show-floor pictures excited me for my hobby!!! I miss that
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Post by scrapaddict702 on May 23, 2016 7:04:24 GMT
I plead the 5th. Way too much and I don't dent any of it.
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