When you have a limited budget, how do you decide what to buy?

vicky23ny

vicky23ny

Active member
I have a HUGE wish list. I try to take advantage of all the sales, so I can buy as many digi supplies as possible. Of course I never have enough money, to buy everything I want at that moment. So first I open my wish lists on Clipix. I start opening everything I want in separate tabs, I add them all to my cart, first to make sure I haven't bought anything in the past that I don't remember. It happens often, thankful for that feature on Sweet Shoppe. Then I start looking at the layouts and once I see a layout I love, it's time to add to cart. When in doubt between 2 kits, I start counting the number of elements or papers I like and the best one wins. It's a process for sure. LOL. But every time I digi shop, I'm very, very happy!!
 
I like your style! I always try to double check my photos too, to make sure that I'm buying supplies for things I actually need to get scrapped. But sometimes something is just too pretty or so fun that I *have to have* it. lol!

Something that I do for my scrapping budget- I use rakuten for my online shopping. (Rakuten is a free app and browser extension that offers cash back for purchases made at over 3,500 online stores and in-store purchases.) I'm NOT a big shopaholic at all, but it still adds up. Then when that $cash back is added to my paypal- I use that for my scrapbooking spending. I feel like I can buy all.the.pretty.things that way & not feel like I'm using too much of our family budget! ;)
 
If I just looked at all the pretty kits, I'd have SOOO many on my wishlist. I tend to consider what photographs I'm most likely to scrap in the near future, and tailor my purchase towards those themes. I also gravitate towards more generic themed kits that can be used for multiple kinds of pages. If something has lots of flowers and greenery and a good range of solid papers I'm all in!
 
I always look what kit would suits the pictures i want to scrap. I can buy something with a huge discount but if i dont have pictures to scrap it with. Well then i will not use it.
 
I am overthinking very good if I will really use the kit...I mean...some kits are really awesome, but I do not have the right pictures or I do not have the right style for the kit. Only then, I will buy the kit.
 
I like your decision process. I will pick a kit that os more versatile over one that is more specific.
 
I go for color and versatility, even if the theme isn't immediately one I think I need. I use so many kits for my project life pages, that color and versatility are the most important things. And if it's a garden themed kit, that's a no-brainer too.
 
I work on scrapping a 6-month period at a time, so it's easy for me to look at the photos I need to scrap for the period I'm working on or my next 6 month stretch. I see what themes my pages have, look over what kits I already have, then fill in any gaps. There are also a handful of themes I can never have enough kits for. If anyone releases a kit in colors I like that works for high school, college, teens, teen/adult males, or Hanukkah I buy it.
 
I am also a versatility girl. I'd like to be able to use a kit on more than one page if I'm on a budget.
 
I love your process of counting the things that you like in each kit to break a tie haha :D That is TOTALLY something I can see myself doing!!
 
You have such a smart plan! I'm a sucker for themed kits... so those take precedent over colors, etc. Usually I have a album or pages in mind and then go from there... right now I'm all about school year book... something I should have started 11 years ago, yikes! LOL
 
I usually try to buy kits that I can use and if I have photos that I want to scrap with, especially themed kits.
But I'm a sucker for pretty kits :D
 
When my daughter was young I would buy outfits to match scrapbook papers I loved. LOL LOL
I don't buy general kits much, instead look for themes I want to scrap. But I do like to see enough neutral elements that I can scrapbook more than just one page. That is probably why I overload the kits I design. You will often see me quickly scrap 3 or 4 pages with a kit - and sometimes even more!
 
Thank you ladies for commenting. I hope you're enjoying your iNSD weekend. Unfortunately it's Greek Easter weekend and I don't have the time to shop with ease and play games as much as I'd like to. I finished all the paths I could by Saturday morning and filled my cart up to be ready to shop when I can. Of course I choose kits based on the photos I want to scrap, but I can never have enough. LOL!!
 
I am an impulse buyer in all things, including scrap supplies. If I see it and like it, in the cart it goes. I have been telling myself I need to actually think about what I am buying, but my craft room and hard drive tells the real story. I have started to walk away from my cart for a day before I hit purchase and it helps, but only a little. I just like the stuff. LOL
 
If I actually have a budget to go shopping for scrapbooking suppllies, I will usually purchase something that goes along with what is on my mind at the time- a recent trip or a trip I am trying to finish up scrapping! I will usually buy at least 1 new template pack also, just so that I have a new one to play with.

Otherwise, it is something on sale that has been in my wishlist.
 
If I have to stick to a budget (more and more these days...) I end up choosing what I know I want to scrap NEXT, and not sometime in the future.
 
I keep a wish list everywhere I shop, so when there's a sale and FWPs, I stock-up. When it's time to shop, I choose based on what I'm currently scrapping for albums first and then I choose at least one "just because I like it" kit.
 
catgoddess said:
I keep a wish list everywhere I shop, so when there's a sale and FWPs, I stock-up. When it's time to shop, I choose based on what I'm currently scrapping for albums first and then I choose at least one "just because I like it" kit.
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I also keep wish lists from everywhere I shop, not only digital scrapbooking. For Sweet Shoppe I have a few different folders, kits, bundles, elements, templates, dogs. The funny thing is I always add more to my wish list after shopping and erasing what I bought, because I always find more and more I want and need. I spoil myself every time I shop. Half the stuff I buy are for photos I want to scrap and half because I love the colors, or just love a kit and I need it in my digi stash. That's a good enough reason.
 
LJSDesigns said:
I am an impulse buyer in all things, including scrap supplies. If I see it and like it, in the cart it goes. I have been telling myself I need to actually think about what I am buying, but my craft room and hard drive tells the real story. I have started to walk away from my cart for a day before I hit purchase and it helps, but only a little. I just like the stuff. LOL
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I feel this Lorie... maybe it's the name??
Budget? What budget? Isn't that what they make credit cards for? ;)

(Ok, I'm mostly kidding....)
 
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