WELL here's where I'm MORE honest with y'all than I am with my psychiatrist!
Ok, so for February, I was PRETTY happy with my STASH BUSTING!
I think I counted 10 layouts, Plus lots of art journaling!
I'm dragging myself deeper and deeper into my stash- papers from back in the day are meeting recent papers, stickers that are so old they won't stick anymore get a bit of adhesive, and let's NOT forget our tools! I've been creating my own ephemera and embellishments with stamps and dies, markers and inks- and little bits of randomness that I have PLENTY of!
Yes, I STILL have TONS to play with, but I'm using my supplies and that feels amazing!
I've ALSO started organizing my albums! It's gonna be a longer project than I would like for it to be, but it's ALSO creating a LOT of joy for me!
SPENDING SMARTER:
Admittedly, THIS is where I NEED help ALWAYS!
Since this challenge began, I've been doing better, with my goal being to keep improving! I'm NOT counting the cost of printing photos because I MUST have them, right? Adhesive is ALSO a necessity, so it doesn't count for me either!
I won't lie though- I have had a VERY smaller budget to work with this year, and I JUST went a LITTLE wild with some tax refund dollars! STILL, I spent WAY less than before, and LIMITED MYSELF! I went ahead and treated myself to some good sales! I've gotten a few packs of embellishments, ONE pack of paper, AND MORE stamps and dies!
DID I NEED MORE? NO! Did I make it qualify as Smarter Spending? You betcha!
Because: (1) I'm using my tools MORE AND MORE than ever before! (2) I have been busting stash! I'm INTENTIONALLY taking time to pull out things that are rarely or never used, and I'm ACTUALLY using them! (3)I believe that tools ARE an investment; stamps, dies, stencils, anything mixed media - multi-use items can save money in the long run, and give out projects more of that uniqueness!
(4) I rarely have any extra money these days but felt like I deserved some new things AT good prices!
***Okay BUT I DID NEED new plates for my Big Shot, and I'm FINALLY getting a handheld sewing machine!***
MARCH GOALS:
STASH BUSTING:
I plan on doing at LEAST 8 layouts! I've got road trip pictures, holiday photos and a bit of everything else photos to scrap!
I plan on continuing to organize my albums - it's almost as fun as creating the layouts- AND keeps me from shopping!
SPENDING SMARTER:
I ALREADY know that I plan to shop during NSD- that's my birthday month! I'm saving a special little amount for that!
I AM gonna have to buy a new embossing gun! Mine went MIA and I'm REALLY wanting to do some embossing!
I *MAY* allow a small purchase from ACOT- hoping for another good sale lol! There's JUST a few things that I REALLY REALLY have been drooling over! I think if I can keep it within reason, I'll be doing just fine! (I have been saving my cherry points!)
Looking forward to hearing from y'all!