[kidsrgr8]

I put things in my cart as I see them. Of course, thinking to myself...just $3.50...just $9.98...just $4.50...

Then there is a sale, a THURSDAY, and I go to check out and GASP! How did it get to be $100 ???!!!!

Anyone else ever have that happen? It happens to me a lot! So, I guess I answered the question LOL!

I love this site and all of the designers!

[dawnsmemories]

kidsrgr8, on Feb 27 2009, 01:10 AM, said:

I put things in my cart as I see them. Of course, thinking to myself...just $3.50...just $9.98...just $4.50...

Then there is a sale, a THURSDAY, and I go to check out and GASP! How did it get to be $100 ???!!!!

Anyone else ever have that happen? It happens to me a lot! So, I guess I answered the question LOL!

I love this site and all of the designers!

Unfortunately for me, I am right there with you... I need to watch this but then again, I watch for other ways to budget things I seem to have control over, like those GREAT homemade granola bars that Cherise gave me the recipe for... now it take pennies to make and I save $2-3 a box (when you use 3-4 boxes in a week, that is a lot of money!)

Scary but I missed Marnie's sketch book yesterday with my big sale purchase so I do need to go back as I really want that!

[debbiek]

kidsrgr8, on Feb 27 2009, 02:10 AM, said:

I put things in my cart as I see them. Of course, thinking to myself...just $3.50...just $9.98...just $4.50...

Then there is a sale, a THURSDAY, and I go to check out and GASP! How did it get to be $100 ???!!!!

Anyone else ever have that happen? It happens to me a lot! So, I guess I answered the question LOL!

I love this site and all of the designers!

That's exactly what I do. I just cannot resist the work of the SG designers--everything is awesome. Sometimes there'll be a paper or embellishment in a collection that I just adore, so I buy the whole collection! LOL, but true. I scrolled through my account one day, looking to see if I had actually bought something (I couldn't find it in my stash) and was appalled at how frequently I was making purchases--those dates were too close together!! I've toned it down a little since then, but not enough to let my credit card cool off.

[PBarnes]

I would say that I rarely go over $50 in a month. It makes me shudder when I see the number in black and white. LOL

[no_idea]

dawnsmemories, on Feb 27 2009, 04:31 AM, said:

kidsrgr8, on Feb 27 2009, 01:10 AM, said:

I put things in my cart as I see them. Of course, thinking to myself...just $3.50...just $9.98...just $4.50...

Then there is a sale, a THURSDAY, and I go to check out and GASP! How did it get to be $100 ???!!!!

Anyone else ever have that happen? It happens to me a lot! So, I guess I answered the question LOL!

I love this site and all of the designers!

Unfortunately for me, I am right there with you... I need to watch this but then again, I watch for other ways to budget things I seem to have control over, like those GREAT homemade granola bars that Cherise gave me the recipe for... now it take pennies to make and I save $2-3 a box (when you use 3-4 boxes in a week, that is a lot of money!)

Scary but I missed Marnie's sketch book yesterday with my big sale purchase so I do need to go back as I really want that!

Ooooh, granola bare recipe?
How did I miss that?
Will you share?

My monthly SG $ amount varies too.
I am a SG monthly member,
each month I do make a purchase, but only during a sale.
I try to reign in my total because I must also factor in the CDN$ exchange rate.
Everybody has something to factor when making a purchase, it's only being responsible.

[JenW]

I don't know how much I spend in a month. I really don't want to know. I get both the clubs and I buy during Sales just about every sale and there are a lot of sales! I try to make each purchase under $10 but I have occasionally made it to $15 and $20 a purchase. But then again I have made several purchase during a sale of $10 or less, so I'm really not spending that little, it just feels like it. All I know is my CC is getting too high and I need to be a little bit more careful of what I spend.

[SandiC.]

Um... way too much. I can go a few weeks and only spend $10, then there will be a really fab week and its $100. then you throw in a class or two and I'm in big trouble. I used to spend all those $$ at Barnes and noble for books, but now its scrap girls supplies. I belong to both clubs, and if I see something I love, I buy it. I do try to save up a big order for sale times and just buy outside of a sale only if there is a particular item I need for a LO I'm working on. I have no control. In a year I've built up a sizable stash and have a lot of things I've never used. (Gasp!). Now that I'm so well stocked I tell myself I need to cut back, but that just doesn't seem to happen.

[debbiek]

Sandi, I'm doing the same thing. I've got collections I may have used a PIECE of only once (and I have more collections than I feel comfortable admitting to aloud) but I love them all. When I scroll through my stash I think I won't buy another thing until I've used my current supplies more often. And then a designer will come out with something that takes my breath away and I just have to have it. Unfortunately, that happens about every week or 2. Or a really neat brush or a fantastic style that I KNOW will be used over and over will catch my attention and those come home with me, too. I don't spend a lot of money elsewhere, beyond the grocery store and gas station, so I don't feel too guilty about my SG purchases. . . until the credit card bill comes and I wonder how in the world it got so high!! Yes, I'm addicted to SG and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

[RosemaryS]

Dh would say too much I say not enough .............

[caprimom]

Hmm..I'm more of a sporadic purchaser, especially lately due to not working and a baby on the way. I try to only shop during the sales and I just re-subscribed to the SG Monthly club and will do the same w/the Scrapsimple club too. I usually set an initial limit of $15 but $30 seems to be the average per purchase. I had extra money to spare earlier this year so I was making huge purchases and I have yet to play with all of the stuff I bought. I have found that part of the love of digi scrapping is definitely the collecting of supplies!

[BarbaraC1977]

I've spent a little over $60/month average since I joined in February; that includes clubs that don't expire for another two months. Here's another way to look at it, though: I'm NOT a prolific scrapper. I have just over 80 layouts and recipe cards I've posted. That works out to well under $8/layout. I'm not as frugal as I'd like to be, but...

I never took up paper scrapping. Every time I visited one of the beautiful stores, I freaked over the "entry level" cost because I couldn't figure out how to start small. I didn't have time to bring my pictures to "try out" for hours, and just knew that the papers I picked without photos in hand wouldn't always complement my pictures. I was panicked at the thought of cutting up a beautiful paper, and not having enough to do another page, or driving (gas & time) to buy more. Or cutting up a photo, and then having to reprint to crop it differently. Ack. And then there were the punches, and rubber stamps, and figuring out a way to store it all. I'm bad enough about clutter to really need to avoid yet another hobby that leads me that direction. Oh, and the scrapbooks themselves are bulky, and my home is already packed with books. And it would be boring and a pain to make duplicates since I'd like both of my sons to have their own copies of things like my Trip Around the World album. So that takes me to digital.

I've reused digital papers, and recolored them, and blended them to harmonize and show off my stuff. I have things I haven't used yet, but I can play for hours without "wasting" anything but a little of my time. And even that's not wasted, since I learn by playing. You could call it rationalization, but to scrap my pictures, this is the most cost-effective way that I can do it! Hope that helps.

[LadyL]

oh boy this could get embarrassing! I started digital scrapbooking
about 2 weeks ago when I first discovered SG and since then I've bought
heaps of stuff here, between $200 and $300 at least. But I had no stash
at all when I started so I needed to build up a collection lol. I still
have more kits etc in my shopping basket, LOTS of them, not sure what my
monthly budget will be once I'm happy with my basic stash, we'll have to
wait and see.

L

[PBarnes]

You've got the right attitude Jess. I look at it that the money I spend here at Scrap Girls is money I don't spend buying myself fastfood.

[Cheri T]

LOL to Jessica...I too am glad DH has his own not-so-cheap hobbies and also loves technology. He thinks it's cool that I am sort of a "geek" now as well (he's an electrical/software engineer).
I spend well within my own means, and justify my fairly high level of purchases by the fact that I really don't spend much of any on clothing, don't have a Starbucks habit (lol), we go to the movies only about once a year, and we buy secondhand or receive free second/third hand clothes for our children. (It's recycling as well as saving money!)
So I would say about $50-110 per month including my monthly club membership. And during the largest sale of the year (can't WAIT!), I will probably spend almost double that since we won't see that deep a sale again for 12 months;)

As I said during the initial "go" of this thread, DH is WELL aware of how much I spend on this hobby, as we each scrutinize our CC bill to make sure they are actually OUR charges. We've caught a couple things over the years that did NOT belong on our bill. (The CC company caught each of those also, but it doesn't stop us from checking as well).

[MaryJo]

I had to laugh when I saw this! I would never add up what I've spent because I'd be in the hospital! With me being away for so long I have been going crazy trying to decide what I want to buy, but ofcourse there are so many beautiful products I usually overspend. I try to buy with the sales like so many others do, but there are times when I need something right away and can't wait for the sale. I've spent more this month because of classes, so it isn't all on products. But, I really feel the need to keep SG's going so I'm doing my part by spending away in the Boutique! lol

[MLLatscrapgirls]

scrappin, on 27 February 2009 - 11:09 PM, said:

Um... way too much. I can go a few weeks and only spend $10, then there will be a really fab week and its $100. then you throw in a class or two and I'm in big trouble. I used to spend all those $$ at Barnes and noble for books, but now its scrap girls supplies. I belong to both clubs, and if I see something I love, I buy it. I do try to save up a big order for sale times and just buy outside of a sale only if there is a particular item I need for a LO I'm working on. I have no control. In a year I've built up a sizable stash and have a lot of things I've never used. (Gasp!). Now that I'm so well stocked I tell myself I need to cut back, but that just doesn't seem to happen.

OK this answer is pretty much mine! I still spend too much on books, but I don't buy a lot of clothes or shoes or other things, so I feel this is still reasonable.

I can tell you that the last time I walked into a conventional scrapbook store as a paper scrapper, I walked out with over $100 dollars of stuff that lasted less than a month. If I put in an order for that much here (especially if there is a sale) I have enough stuff to last me for years.

Not that I would hold out for that long, lol! I am always amazed at the wonderful new things coming out.

I am also able to give away a lot more layouts, to friends, for the bulletin board at church, to family, and able to make some terrific cards. I use my supplies for address labels and other necessary things as well, and have a lot more fun using them.

Now that I am rationalizing all of my purchases for you, lol, I can also say that you can buy a lot of scrapbook supplies for what one hour of counseling costs, and this is just as therapeutic!

I am enjoying reading all the responses here. But I do think in the end it comes down to your own budget. If you have money set aside for entertainment, and want to spend it on a kit here instead of on a movie or popcorn, go for it! (In fact the last time I went to a movie the ticket and popcorn would have covered a couple of kits.) Just don't go beyond what you can buy without feeling guilt. (Shock maybe, but not guilt, lol)

Great question to ask and wonderful responses so far!

[varanda]

So fun to read all your responses. And to thank you, each of you, who choose to buy goodies from SG over perhaps, a movie, a mocha or a manicure.

We each have budgets. There are some times when we are more flush than other times so we tend to celebrate in the flush times and conserve in the lean times. I think that's what is so lovely about digital products. In those lean times, you can reuse what you have purchased and something like a new brush or transparency overlay may easily refresh an older collection, making it feel new again.

I personally, appreciate that you each do take the time to be here. That your support in all ways, provides so many people an opportunity for creative expression and assists in supporting their families. Together, we have created a place where no matter what level of income you have, or what level of technical ability you posses, all are welcome to engage in this form of expression.

Thank you all, for your loyalty and support, even if you close your eyes when you hit the final checkout button, lol. Your love and enthsuaim really does fuel the creativity of our team (they love to fulfill your requests)and together we are all blessed.

[Nutmeg]

I think I usually spend about $25/month, including the ScrapGirls club, and I only buy when there is a sale. I've been bad the last couple of weeks because it's the holiday season and scrapping supplies have been too tempting now that I have a short break from school.

[candyK]

I jouined the scrap giels club last year at this time. I kept getting lost in the boutique and had no idea what I wanted. I try to be careful, that I will really use what I am buying. I find I'm more enjoying the collecting of goodies and organizing that actually getting some scrapping done! I get upset at work and feel so much better when I come home and get some files straightened up! Its crazy, but I was glad to read Ro writing about something similar today. I'm a beginner and don't feel that I really have a particular style, so the clubs help me out. In June I added the scrap simple club and I still don't even know how to use that stuff--but it is soo nicely sorted! LOL

Now I am getting a bit better and using kaboodle to preplan what I will use. Just over the holiday I have figured out (from the newletter) how to make the mini albums for badge holders. Very fun and seeing something done inspired me to try a family newletter for New Years. I average $20 a month, but want to get a class in the new year, which will cost more. I also shop during the sales and have spent as much as $100 once. This sale?? I'll be looking closely at the album packs and more templates.
HTH
cnadyK