I am wondering if those of you who don't keep the scraps from your quilts (normal sized, not teeny tiny pieces), to be used elsewhere, do you do the same in your kitchen? (throw away leftovers).

And for those of you who don't ever buy anything unless you have a use for it (a planned quilt) because you consider it an unnecessary tie-up of money, do you do the same for the food in your pantry? Do you make up a menu and shop for each meal specifically?

I'm trying to see if there is a relationship here in the personality type. As for me, I'm an Amy Daczyczyn (aka Tightwad Gazette) type and work from a pantry and try to buy the "extra" things I need while keeping a stock of basics in my freezer and pantry. And, I use my leftovers. My family eats them, like it or not. Sometimes they get tired of them, and sometimes (often) I create something else out of them (like making quesadillas out of leftover chicken (since I keep tortillas and cheese on hand).

So, this thread is esp. for those of you who don't like either scraps or buying ahead of time. Do your buying habits for fabric compare to food buying habits? I am curious if it is personality type that works "all around" or just specifically for sewing.

my cubboards are stocked, my cold storage is stocked and my freezers are stocked and Im a 'collector' of cotton fabrics.. but i hate leftovers.. Hubby get them for lunch.. blagh..



and Im a scrap junky.... :thumbup: :mrgreen: :XD:

I loath left overs, but hubby will eat them. As for scraps? Yes, I save every bit of them for other possible projects.

My freezers and pantries are stocked and replenished about every 4 months. I shop for fresh as needed. We eat leftovers, can't afford not to. Sometimes I make extra so I don't have to cook the next day, especially if I am in the middle of a project and don't want to be interrupted to cook. My fabric is stocked also, and I shop online for fabric a lot. I live in the country and it is a drive to shop, at least 50 min. one way for fabric, only 20 min. to grocery store, so I don't go as often as I would like.

Me too..!!!!! thats why I buy everything I need all at once.. sams/costco and bundle my shopping to an 'all day event' Do it all in one day.. I get a a monthly subscription of fabric to 'curb' my fabric addiction..

I pretty much buy fabric for the project but save whats left over.
Food I like stocked but usually hate leftovers so I make smaller amounts of what I won't eat leftover.

I buy extra fabric , make my project and give away the leftovers. I do not like scrap quilts so don't keep them. I will buy a yard or more of a fabric I really like bc I like to appliqué but with only batiks. I cut the batiks down to 1 1/2 squares for a grandmothers flower garden.

On food I cook a lot and make extra portions to have leftovers for DH lunch and for the nights I don't cook when DH works late.

I'm one of those that saves my scraps and I buy fabic as I need it for a planned project. My freezers are full and my cabinets are pretty full. I buy things on sale or I don't buy them. We eat leaftovers, I refuse to throw things out, food cost to much now days. I do buy extra fabric when I plan a project because I've run short a time or two so I do have a small stash and that's ok by me. I live in a very small house and don't have alot of space. My SIL & MIL both quilt and I must say they both could open quilt stores with the the fabric they have but what gets to me with them is that when they start a project they are out buying new fabric. When I asked about why they aren't using their stash I heard "My taste has changed or I don't like that color or fabric anymore." I'm like ok guess I just don't get why they have the stash then.

I don't ever buy fabric without a plan in mind. I really don't like/want to have a gigantic stash that I probably wont ever use and I will always want to buy new fabric. Stuff is just stuff. Even if it is fabric. I will always find that "perfect" piece another day another time. i have a hard time with the spending to save money. I'm not so sure that you are really saving at that point.

I do not scrap quilt. I like to be organized and that just doesn't work with scrap quilts :) I do save my scraps. I just donated a flat rate box of them. And that was all that I had.

I do buy extra food on occasion. But I don't stalk up and buy foods months in advance. I don't have a ton of storage and I like to see the food get used and then new replacing it. I do not want to see things get lost and go bad because it was stuck in the back of the cupboard. And we try to eat fresh as much as possible. I make menus and usually go to the store once a week. But its easy and convenient for me to shop once a week.

As for leftovers, my hubby LOVES them. He relies on the leftovers for lunch and sometimes even breakfast. :)

My pantry could use some shopping, and the fridge is pitiful. if any cooking is done it's my hubby that does it. About 8 years ago, Hubby and youngest daughter said I didn't have to cook anymore and I took them up on it. Hubby does the shopping, I hate to do it. I have a relatively small stash compared to some I've seen, but hardly ever use anything out of it. Buy fabric for a specific project. Of course there are a bunch of projects in the closet waiting for me to do something with them. I could probably sew for a year without buying another piece of fabric or pattern. So I don't think I fit either personality.

My cupboards are bare, I plan my quilts before I start them and I do buy extra for boo-boo's, I give away scraps and unused fabric as much as a yard. Heck, if somebodyelse can use it, they should, it will become a UFO at my house and we all know how many of the Board's UFO's actually get completed.

I dont like stashing because I consider it a waste of money although I have quite a bit right now that is going to go to somebody soon. To me a room with hundreds of yards of fabric is thousands of dollars that could be appreciating if invested wisely. Buying fabric that is never used, even if you sell it here at 60% of retail, is like investing in Greece's bonds. Personally I will keep my money liquid.

Since we are asking, for those that are stashers, how do you feel about your fabric being sold for pennies on the dollar when you cant use it anymore?

Ditto!

My cupboards are usually full as is my stash bins. I am retired so I can cook or sew whenever I want. Love scrappy & do the Quiltville method of strips.My DD & DIL both use out of my stash so I have to keep it full on the time. Life is wonderful & GOD is so good to me!!!

Too funny...and sad. :( I live in Europe, so it's forever in front of us over here...

And selling fabric you bought three years ago for 60% isn't good. But many buy it on sale and sell it for 60% so I'd say that many are breaking even (my guess) and just want to downsize.

And I'd venture to say that some bought it for $5/yard and are selling it for $5/yard. I also don't understand buying it at $10/yard and selling it at $6 a year later.

That makes me sad, but I think that maybe the fun (for them) was in the buying and if their pocketbooks aren't hurting, then it keeps the economy and LQS going...

As far as food goes, I try to have plan overs. I only cook for 2 so I will try to re-use for at least 2 meal. Ex: DH who mostly grocery shops from my list found an already cooked chicken for $2. First 2 meals were sliced chicken with some left over home made potato salad and another veg. 3rd go round was enough chicken salad for another 2 meals, plus the end of the potato salad. Also made home made chicken stock for the freezer with the bones and skin.

My pantry has staples for us, pasta, beans, cans of tomatoes, mushrooms olives, stuff that we use a lot. I also keep enough flour, sugar, baking stuff so if I want to bake something I can do so, but I don't stock pile that stuff I don't use it enough.

Quilting: my stash is mostly bought from yard sales and thrift stores so it varies. I've gotten more selective in my shopping, at one time I bought anything I found, which actually came in handy when I needed to recover the futon, I already had more then enough to do it ;) , but I am in the process of trying to sort and reduce my stash. I sure do use it all: my quilts have come from the fabric I already had, tho I have at times bought a backing and I don't have room for huge amounts of betting so that's a buy as needed.

Recently, I've bought a few special fabrics for projects I haven't gotten to yet, an OBW or two mostly. I don't have the energy to quilt as much as I would like.

I keep the scraps from fabric projects (not just quilting) but I don't use them in scrappy quilts or anything like that, and I don't have a stash. I prefer to buy what I need for a project plus a little extra (in case of mistakes!) and then the scraps generally get used as "test" pieces, i.e. if I'm testing out a new technique and I don't want to use my project fabric, I use my scraps instead.

With food, I plan a menu for every week and shop for that week. I don't keep a lot of extras in the house, especially since most of what we eat is fresh and wouldn't keep much beyond a week. I don't keep a lot of canned goods and things at the moment because I hate the store bought varieties, and right now I don't have the time to make my own homemade canned goods, sauces, etc. (although I would dearly love to).

With the exception of a couple specific dishes most of us HATE leftovers with a passion, so I've gotten very very good at estimating exactly how much we need for a meal and buying only that much. It works pretty well- we have very little waste.

I don't have a gigantic stash. Very small. I save scraps and most of my stash is from the remnant bins at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn Fabrics, or Hancocks. We love leftovers. We pretty much always eat them all. Since I am retired and am out almost every day, I don't normally "stock up" like I did when I was working. Sometimes if it is not perishable and there is a very good sale. My friend's husband doesn't like leftovers and she is a great cook, so we are the happy recipients of her leftovers. She gets to cook and try new things, he doesn't have to eat leftovers, and we love them. Win Win!!

Save scraps and keep pantry stocked.

Sounds like a perfect system to me!

This sounds like me!

I use every last little bit in both the kitchen and my sewing room. I even save the tops and peelings from vegetables and bones from cutting up both chicken and beef and boil them down to make my own stock. I use leftover batting pieces chopped up to use as stuffing in a pet bed or stuffed toy; the larger pieces get sewn together to use in quilts. I learned my "saving" ways from my immigrant Polish grandparents -- they're habits that are second nature, so I don't think I would be able to change.

I'm somewhere inbetween. I sometimes buy fabric because I love it and I can see a future quilt but most of the time I only buy what I need. It's pretty much the same with stocking food. I never got out of habit of preparing a meal for a family and with an empty nest now my husband and I eat and then I freeze the rest. Great for a day when I don't feel like cooking and also great to have on hand when friends and family drop by :-D

Who are we kidding? I love love love buying for my stash! I have all kinds of fabric from wonderful local quilt stores & JoAnn's & Hancocks! Throw in some garage sales and friends that give me fabric and anything in between! I love to stock up on sales from the grocery store when I do the shopping (my dh does sometimes). I use coupons for both where I can. Nothing wrong with this! I have friends who buy only for project at hand and just enough fabric left for a snack size bag. Diffrent personalities means diffrent styles! Whatever works for ya! I love SCRAP QUILTS! They are my favorite and always will be! I try not to waste food, but certainly don't waste scraps. I have a bin I throw my little scraps in and make dog pillows for the humane society! My mom never wasted anything! I am my mom's daughter!

I have a small stash thanks to my garage sale junky daughter and have a small amount of scraps that I keep for charity quilts. I only throw away what is unusable or too small. When it comes to leftovers...I try not to make too much, but I cooked for 6 for so many years, that after my DDs left the house and now down to just the two of us, I have found that I don't know how to cook for just two. Potato salad....I end up with enuf for a crowd....spaghetti....3 days of leftovers. The hubby will eat all the leftovers but not me...ewww!

I buy fabric every chance I get lol...whatever strikes my fancy...I don't have to have a project in mind. As far as food goes, I stock my pantry, freezer, and fridge; go to the grocery store weekly, and have a "left-over night" once or twice a week. I still end up cooking 5-6 nights a week anyway.Beckie

I save my scraps, but never use them! One of these days, I'll sort them out and post them up here for someone to have. I've been buying fabrics with a project in mind, but not all at once. I have a few projects cooking in my head at all times and if I see something that would go with one of them, I pick it up.

I buy with a plan but with all plans,sh...happens. I have a pantry with stored food items that may be out dated by a couple of years and my stash is just as stocked but at least fabric does not spoil. (And it has come in handy in the past for one more color or a quick project just because.)

I'm a 'stocker.' When I see a great deal on something I know can use, I tend to buy multiples e.g. tomato soup, 24 cans. Luckily I have storage space. Now that there are only two of us at home, I no longer can but will still put potatoes and onions 'down cellar.'

During the winter of 1977-78 the only way I got to the grocery was on foot, with a sled for the supplies. Now our nearby store has closed and I don't think I'd want to trudge to the new one. So I lay in the staples, just in case: yeast, flour, canned goods, frozen food, powdered milk, dry beans, rice, etc. and don't forget the t.p.

My so-called stash has more sewing factory cut stacks, project remains, thrift store finds and old jeans than yard goods from the quilt store. I have made quilts with new fabric, purposely selected, but I prefer the thriftier up-cycling.

We don't have left-overs, we have planned-overs and think the pot of green beans or vegetable soup or pot roast & gravy taste better for the reheating.

Well I like my pantry full. I don't plan my meals (it drives hubby crazy). We do eat leftovers. If they want to eat.

I do keep most of my scraps. I might use them later or some day.

I do have a so what small stash. I bought most of it at the thrift store. How can you turn down many yards of fabric for under 5 bucks. Anything I don't like I donate back.

Interesting discussion.
I consider myself a "selective stocker" in most aspects of my life. I am very much bothered by clutter and like neat cupboards and closets, so as a general habit, before I buy or even accept anything for free, I ask myself where would I put it?

That being said, I love the freedom of spontaniousity, that is thinking up of a quilt pattern on a whim and just go into the closet, find fabrics and start cutting and sewing or in case of the kitchen, open fridge and pantry, collect ingredients and start cooking. I hate to interrupt my creative drive with a drive to the store. So I tend to plan things in my sewing room and kitchen, and buy things I know I will use and organize them neatly that I always know what I have and can easily find it. My sewing room and kitchen are my two favorite rooms in the house!

As far as scraps and leftovers, being an obsessive planner, I plan those too, lol, depending on the dish I plan whether we will have leftovers or not, and with a quilt pattern, I plan how to incorporate scraps in quilts as I go. That being said, if things happen and I end up with leftover, I never throw them away, we eat them, and if I have scraps that I don't have plans form I give them away.

I only purchase what I need for each quilt but keep a full pantry/freezer/canning shelves.

I only purchase what I need for each quilt but keep a full pantry/freezer/canning shelves.

I have a large organized stash. Everything in my quilt studio has a place. I do not like messy. I keep most scraps but don't use them much.
We do have food in the freezer and staples on hand. Not much, maybe a few days worth. We are not big on leftovers. I try not to have any, except for things like lasagna.

I like to keep a decent pantry since we live a little out of town. I can't tell you how many times having a pantry saved me when I needed to feed a guest randomly. LOL I like to cook by my mood too, so I can just pick out from a lot of basics. My fabric stash is not huge, I do cut it down into pieces ready for quilting, and I have one bag of scraps currently. The scraps have plans too for them coming up.

It is just 2 of us so I do not stockpile food that much. I am thinking if the world went Mad Max we would not live as long as many others.

I do have a big stash made up of quilt shop fabric bought at deep discounts. I am very prolific and it turns over quite quickly.

I give away scraps to guild friends as I finally acknowledged I do not like random scrap quilts to make. I love seeing what others make but it is not for me.

I rarely have leftover fabric and if I do, it's a small amount. I don't save 1 or 2 little scraps, but if I have something like an uncut half yard, I'll fold it and save it just in case.

As for food, I live alone, so I always have leftovers. I don't eat them past the 3rd day, though. And I'm a HUGE doggie bag take homer person. I'll eat out and get at least 2 nice meals, sometimes 3.

I've worked my butt off supporting myself for many years, and I'm quite frugal. Yet if I want something 'pretty', yep, I'll buy it. I measure and plan, though, and only buy what I need. I don't hesitate to spend money on nice things but only buy what I'll use.

I plan exactly what I am going to purchase at the grocery store, and the fabric store. But...I do purchase things that are not on the list. Especially if its a super good buy. I do save left overs and we have them for lunch the next day or so. I do not save scraps though, unless they are very big, and I might be able to use them elsewhere.

I am a very anal organized person. My pantry & freezer are always well stocked, I stock up on both food & fabric when on sale. I tend to be somewhat frugal but not a huge scrap savor when it comes to anything smaller then 4-6"-I donate them to others. On the leftovers I don't mind eating them especially if I am in a no cook mode.

I'm not sure that you should change. Seems a pretty thrifty way to live.

Wonderful conversation. I have a small pantry that gets rotated every couple months. Living in the country it's smart. I purchase carefully. I have so much inhertited fabric that I have organized and shared thru sales. I hate waste and love to share. We always eat leftovers, since I'd rather quilt!