Thank you for your best wishes re my health (things are slowly improving, thank goodness) and customs charge ouch. There were plenty of takers for some sort of FAA support group! This weekend, I came across Amanda from the cozy pumpkin who is having a Year of the Stash, focusing on using what we have rather than buying, buying, buying. She encourages people who want to join in to establish their own guidelines and so mine are a tweaked version of Amanda's:
- NO more impulse buys and late night click-a-thons. Think before I click "buy".
- Spend wisely - this means planning a bit better and perhaps doing any "necessary" spending at the end of the month, where money is a little tighter. Also this means looking a bit harder for bargains. I realised that £7 for a rotary cutter blade from John Lewis is just ludicrous and have just bulk bought 10 for £27.
- Buy for a specific project that needs finished rather than because the fabric is adorable/super popular/Melody Miller! Well, maybe a bit of MM every now and then would be ok.......
- Do I need it? Or do I just want it? - first question to ask. Remember to be honest! And, don't add more than I need just to fill up the envelope! *shamefaced*
- Bees/Swaps - think carefully about whether joining in means buying some fabric specially
- Use the dressmaking fabric I have by making clothes - this is a real goal for this year.
- Remember Pareto's 80:20 Rule - a rare rash purchase shouldn't be bad thing as long is it is the exception rather than the rule!
So there you go - pretty doable, right? I will need to buy some backing fabric soon but not for a while yet. I should have enough wadding (Kisko trip done!) for the next three months. I may need some Kona white but who doesn't?!
I'm going to do a check every month to see how I'm getting on with this plan. Join in if you want and we can support each other in our quests to get back in control (and avoid giving £8 handling fee to Customs people!)
I might actually do some sewing tonight!
I'm actually trying to use more than I buy this year, though I've already got a lot of catching up to do from stoking up for the bee I joined and a few year-end sales… Oops. :-) I also want to winnow down my scraps to a much smaller pile.
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck!
Great plan. I'm in. :-) Glad you're feeling a little better.
ReplyDeleteMindful shopping and using your 'in house' shop - sounds good to me. Di x
ReplyDeleteI'd better sign up, shamefully guilty of maximising packages, and feel I will have to as USPS are putting their international postal charges up! But mindful and with serious consideration is very possible!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're feeling better too!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness -oh my goodness, I'm breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about this! I've seen this in previous years nad not joined because, like any true addict, I'm fairly sure I'd fail. Spectacularly. And a fabric addiction has to be better then turning to the bottle, yes??? I may try and institute some sort of new fabric fiscal responsibilty... just not sure to what scale.... I tell you what, I'll definitely cheer from the sidelines, and you can always count on me for oranges and water at the half way mark!
ReplyDeleteNow if only I could follow these rules ... I should have these tattooed on my mouse-clicking fingers before I bankrupt us.
ReplyDeleteI did something similar in 2011 called Stash pact (or something) on Flickr. It did help quite a bit! 8gbp handling fee sounds great to me though, it's double that over here! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you the whole way!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally in, however hard it may be (I haven't bought any for three weeks, I need my fix man!!)
ReplyDelete