raptureready

Budget? Is that type of foul language even allowed on this board????
I gave up drinking
I gave up smoking
I gave up carousing around
ENOUGH ALREADY-I QUILT!
I used to buy shoes when I was depressed. When I could no longer wear shoes without arch supports I gave them all away--all 300+ pairs of them some never even worn. I don't keep track. If I have the money and there's something I want, I buy it. If I don't have the money I wait until I do.

alfosa421

I used to buy fabric every pay with my "designated" budhet but now I have a great stash . If I know a show is coming up I save a little aside for a few weeks until that show is happening that way I can do the splurge thing. As you grow in your hobby you'll find the spending will settle down but for gosh sakes DON'T BEAT YOURSELF OVER WHAT YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT UNLESS IT'S A TAX WRIE OFF!!! gOOD LUCK IN YOUR FUTURE QUILTING-i NEVER GUILT MYSELF BECAUSE WHEN i STARTED COLLECTING FABRICS MY HUSBAND WAS GOING TO THE CASINO AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH-i FIGURED IF HE COULD SPEND 200.00 AT THE CASINO, i COULD SPEND MINE ON FABRIC AND AT LEAST ONE OF US WOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW FOR IT AT THE END OF THE DAY(sorry didn't realize I left the caps button on. Best wishes for the New Year

katesnanna

Between all this adding up how much has been spent and time spent feeling guilty as well as QB where are you going to find time to quilt?? I get a generous allowance so am answerable only to myself. I gave up smoking 2 years ago so have even managed to save several thousand dollars and hope to have my quilt studio by February. So I don't want to know. Just want to instil the love of sewing anything in my granddaughter. Then I can leave it all to her.

Mickie612

If I did not spend it on quilting I would have to spend it on mental health clinics.

QuiltMom2

I don't keep receipts, but I try to limit to about $500/year: almost all of my quilts are donated or gifted. I work full-time and money isn't the issue but management of resources. Thanks to 30 plus years of quilting my stash overfloweth and unless I have a very specific project in mind, I look a lot but seldom buy. I'm a great fan of supporting my LQS (plural) and once or twice I've ordered on line. I might do even better at resource management if I could organize stash a bit better: currently looks like A-bomb was detonated in the middle of my sewing area! Ah well...

Pieces2

Number 1, never keep your recipts, its better not knowing how much I spend. LOL
I buy my fabric on sale, seldom do I pay full price for fabric. I am conservative on clothing, buying at the resale shops.
Conservative on household expenses. Figuring every dime I save is a dime I can spend on my quilting.
I only buy fabric for a quilt on my 'to do' list, not just because I like it.
Plus quilting is still much cheaper than a therapist. LOL

glorcour

I have a moratorium on fabric buying and only buy borders, binding and backing when I cannot conjure something up from my stash. The funny thing is, however, that the stash seems to take the same amount of space as if I had not used any fabric at all. Go figure! All this fabric keeps me off the streets and out of the pubs. That's what I tell my DH

cactusmomma

Sales, used books on Amazon. Once you get your basic staples (rulers, templates, scissors, machine(s), sewing room setup) you just shop sales and buy only what you need. I do all my quilting by hand (piecing and quilting) so it will take longer to finish a quilt and keep the expense down that way. It amazes me how much people on here get done but then I have to remind myself that they are using machines.

SandyMac

I quit smoking!

cactusmomma

Pieces2, totally agree. Don't ever look at those receipts.