I paid for my first computer sewing machine (and then some) by having a sale in my house Thanksgiving weekend of things I had made during the year. When I stopped having that sale, people started calling, 'Are you having your Christmas sale this year?' they couldn't believe I wasn't going to do it any more. Since then, I've bought 2 more computerized embroidery machines, and I no longer worry about paying for them.
DH and I are retired, and we're spending our children's inheritence! They flew the out of the nest years ago. I helped my daughter get her fledgling on-line brownie business (
www.BlueRibbonBrownies.com) off and running last year, but she's ALMOST self-supporting again.
We gave me the newest top-of-the-line Pfaff for Christmas, and I'm having a ball learning to use it. I'm almost finished with my latest quilt top/backing, so I'll be testing the embroidery unit to quilt it. Pictures here soon (if I can figure out how to post them). I have to laugh at myself, though. I definitely use coupons to save money on notions, books, thread. And I've vowed to use my stash as much as possible - only bought a little fabric for this latest quilt. Why am I laughing? I'm paying more per month for my new sewing machine than I'm saving with my coupons. Maybe I should use more coupons so I'll save more - LOL. Now that's a quilter's mind at work!