HELP!!! I am SOOOOOOO over budget in my quilting related purchases this month, and my trip to Joann's sure didnt help. (but I did get camo fabric for the bbq apron for my bf, fabric to make a purse, and interfacing for three purses, fabric for a four patch posey and materials for my WIP Dresden Plate Block quilt, and lots of thread and some quilt clamps).

My question to you is how do you stop!! I see something that I just have to have, since who knows if it will be there later! I just need to stop LOOKING. :) Which is IMPOSSIBLE. :):)

Any thoughts QB friends?

I got nothing :-(

I just can't quit looking either. Just when I say to myself,you have got enough, some other great sale will come by me then there I go again. I can hardly pass up a good deal!LOL!

May have do like me on fixed income just stay home and work on what I have and stay out of stores It is hard but we can do it if we stick together and keep telling ourselves that we can do it LOL

I agree with Jean1941. I have made some really nice quilts since Christmas and have not gone to the quilt shop or Joanns'.

Very true... its my lunch hours at work that get me, I think I will just run to the store and "look". UGH! :)

We can do it Jean1941!!

I don't purchase much anymore. I have so much stash, beautiful stash, so try to work from it, as much as possible. I go to quilt club once a month & usually buy a few fqs, but not a lot else. DH is retired now, so we live on less, but you know, mainly, I want to put my stash to good use, & enjoy it while I can, & I hate to think of leaving it all to someone else someday!
Something that helps me too, is I go spend time in my studio, going through what I already have. That's a real wake up call! So you all might try doing that sometimes. You just might be amazed at what you already have in your stash, & start thinking about not buying a lot more, all the time. This has helped me ALOT...

I do have to give myself one pat on the back... I did use batting that I pieced together and fabric from a yard sale to sandwich the last top I completed. :) I kept telling myself, you arent buying anything to finish this!! :) (and then I went to Joanns and bought fabric for new projects. ugh)

Tell yourself this... If you do not have the budget for it then it was not meant to be. You can keep looking, but just don't go over budget. You might just get more creative that way.. Like look at goodwill or do rummage sales, or somewhere besides JoAnn's. For the life of me I just can not get out of there for under $100. So I have to go and look, but since I know that, I do not buy anything. Then I have to find other ways to get my fabrics. Really is feels better to know I have been true to myself by not over spending us into the poor house.
Oh and PS God works in mysterious ways, let him work....

You give me hope Nancy!!

I look at the pretty fabrics and look at my ck book and it tells me if I can buy more..... usually it sez NO.... NO... NO!!!!

sigh.....

I've been worse off, life is good even if I dont get every thing I want.... sigh...

No kidding, that was about what I spent today! And most everything was on sale and I used a 50% off coupon... ugh. I justified today due to a bonus I recieved... but I just need to stop buying and start sewing what I have fabric for.... Thanks for the encouragment!

I have made myself a challenge to use up some of my stash before I go buy new stuff. Problem is...I can be sewing for many years before I need to enter a store again...that is no fun!

I am new to this, but I have a ton of scrapbooking supplies and have had the same issue with them. So with this hobby, so far, I am only buying fabrics if I have a specific project. Then I work on that.

This weekend, my BIL came over and had been garage saleing. He brought me entire box of fabrics. So I will play with that and see if I can make a crazy quilt for them with it.

But mostly, I just try to stay out of the stores if I can. Good luck!

I only take the money I can spend to the fabric store. Leave checkbook and credit cards at home, it's the only wasy I can not spend wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much!

Stay home, give your keys to someone to hide. :lol: :lol:

I know the feeling. :D

I've been pretty good about staying out of fabric stores or limiting my purchases when I do, but the classified section on this board is putting me to the test and I'm failing miserably...

I set aside a budget at the beginning of the year. I keep my quilting money in cash in an envelope. If I have the money I can buy it.

It really helps me when I look at how much money I have-do I really need this? because if I buy it now, I won't have much for later.

I've cut down drastically on my spending by asking myself:

1. What do I plan to do with it?
2. Do I have something similar at home?
3. Have I read any reviews of this product?
4. If I didn't buy it today what's the worse that will happen?

No kidding!!! :)

What do you keep your budget too? If you dont mind me asking?

My problem is looking on line! It's too easy to fill up that cart!

That is so true. I had a really hard time not looking and then of course I would see things that called my name. Only thing that wasn't calling my name was the green stuff (money). It's hard at first but you can do it. I just don't look at things (much) anymore. I keep in the back of my mind all of my stash and it gets easier as the days go bye. Hang in there. You will feel so much better when you get it under control. BrendaK

I don't know how to stop either!

spending OR not spending is a hard thing for all of us!
stay out of the stores!
just repeat, "next time", "next time....."

put your budgeted money in a separate envelope. when it's gone, it's time to stop shopping.

When I can't buy I stay away from places fabric is sold. Been stying at home a lot lately.

I don't go fabric looking unless I HAVE to have something to complete a project. In 2011 I am allowing my self the 4 Bs...backing, batting, background, border only. If I can't make it from my stash I will have to do something else.
Debbie

My problem is not going to stores - I pretty much hate shopping and stores. But then one of you-all shows a pretty piece of fabric or talks about an online sale and I can't resist. Too easy online.

I do like the four questions that charity-crafter uses.

I feel your pain. My $900 shower redo turned into $2200 last week and the termite guy took another $900 the same week. Needless to say we had a QS trip already planned for this past Friday so I could not back out but decided in advance to just look. Ok $162 later I had fabric for a couple. My daugter tells me it's like AA but FA. I'm familar with AA and realized you have to admit it's an issue. So here is what she challenged me with. 12 months no buy. Can I do it? Only thing that doesn't count is batting and backing if I buy a sheet to use. I should mention the new quilting frame, stitch regulator and pattern perfect last month didn't help the budget. So as of July 25, 2011 I am trying a 12 month no buy. Repeat after me - my name if vicky and I'm a fabricaholic. It's been 3 days since my last purchase. I should mention you have to have a good sized stash to do this or sew slow. I made 2 baby quilts over the weekend. Anyone wanna join in

ME ME ME!! :) I am a fabricaholic/notionaholic. I will have to start tomorrow since I already made a purchase today. However, I vow to make no additional purchases (only buy something to complete a project) until my stash is whittled down to odds and ends (no pieces purchased for a project). Oh wait. Except for the baby quilt I want to make for a cousin (nothing in my stash for babies). :)

I'm with the cash only camp. Each month I put my quilting budget in the envelope and when it is gone it's gone. Ideally, you don't spend money from other envelopes on quilting (I have been guilty of taking from the entertainment budget).....hmmmm quilting counts as entertainment right?

It also helps to only buy what you need for the project at hand. I don't like using july money on a project that I'm not going to start until the fall. Remember their will always be another sale.

The online sales are a killer for me!!! In this heat I'm content to stay home but getting online......... and on top of it everyone on the board tells me where the latest sale is, shame on all of you!!! LOL :D

I am cutting down on my fabric buying. I have made recently two lap quilts for my good friends, and three quilts for Linus. I am in the process of cutting out another lap quilt for an 80th birthday present. ALL OF THIS OUT OF MY STASH. I have not had to buy batting or backing so far, but now I have run out of batting. I,and a friend are keeping a book on what we spend this year on our quilting hobby So this is making me think first as to whether I need it or not, before I purchase.

I do not look at adds.
I do not open the emails.
I do not go near any fabric.

I eat a lot of chocolate.

I made myself promise not to buy any more fabric because I am saving for a new machine. And if I want the machine, I cannot buy more fabric to sit around and take up space. So...I am trying. However, its really hard when all of you post such wonderful fabrics for sale !!!!!!!!!!! These boards are my worse downfall, lol.

But I love them.

That is hysterical!

I have really cut down what I'm buying since prices are so insane. I absolutely refuse to buy unless the price is less than $5/yard for quilt shop quality. That limits my buying a lot!

I like your suggestions, though. I'm no longer going to save any JF coupons or even look at the flyers. I think I'll unsubscribe from their mailing list.

I go to a retreat twice a year sponsored by a nearby quilt shop and what I've been doing is limiting what I can spend at the retreat to the change we save at our house. That keeps me in check when everyone else is going crazy during our special shopping hours.

If you can afford it, and it makes you happy, then by all means happy shopping...Being a breast cancer survivor, I'm very much in tune with that saying "we only go around once"....Soooooo.....Shop til you "quilt"......:)

San

I have the fever! :lol: Keep finding and buying fabric and yet am so slow and way behind in creating any items....except I finally made four pincushions....could do that sitting in my lazyboy watching my favorite shows. :thumbup:

One thing that I have started doing is use one of the 50 percent off coupon if I go to Joannes...I only buy one thing....it really has helped! I try not to buy on line...though I have a few time on Keepsakes quilt shop. But really...I do not need anymore fabric....My closet it full.

I thought fabric prices were high! However, yesterday I bought a beef roast and it cost $5.49 a lb...and that was the cheaper price.....even their pork chops were $4.79 a pound. Where have I been? We finally used up the roast we bought on sale and froze.....it was $1.99 a lb.....pork chops frozen, one pkg left, was $2.49 lb. Gotta tighten our belts!!!! With the drought and cattle going to market, do you think beef prices will go down?