A challenge... of a different kind :)

Hubby: "You got another package today."

Me: "Oh cool, thanks. I just ordered some craft stuff. It was only thirty bucks or so."

Hubby: "Yeah. Seems like it's thirty bucks or so every week."

You know what I'm talking about, right?

It seems like I am always trying to justify my craft habit to someone. Usually Richard. Occasionally my mum. Often myself.

And it's always 'just $30', right ladies?  ;)

I wouldn't consider my craft spending anywhere near excessive, but I was slightly shocked when I totalled up my estimated scrapping expenses for this year. An estimated $1200. Yes, there's two classes and two retreats in that figure, but still, looking at it as one big number, I was a bit taken aback.

Now I'd say we're a pretty average family, with the same expenses as everyone else, but in the coming months there might be a bit of a squeeze on for a while. You see, Richie has debilitating Achilles Tendonitis, compounded by decades of bodily abuse at baseball and perhaps a tad more padding round the tummy area than he'd like. It's gotten to the point where he is taking anti-inflammatories every day and has to wear a big Frankenstein-esque boot thing around the house to stabilise it. The only way forward is surgery, which he has booked in for on (of all days) my 32nd birthday, and then it's a hefty 6 months till full recovery, with 6 weeks of that completely off his feet, and two months off work.

Eek! So not only will I be single-parenting for a little while, I'll be taking a good hard look at the budget to make sure this forced leave-without-pay isn't any more painful than it needs to be.

So, as part of this, I'm setting myself a challenge: not to buy any craft supplies till 2014.

How do you reckon I will go? I hope I don't cave; I really want to show Richie that I can do this to support him. And I'm putting it out here on my blog to make myself accountable for my actions!

However, those two retreats I mentioned? They're still to come, and they will be a challenge! Shopping at retreat = serious bargains and awesome new products! Ugggghhh, the temptation! I do have a craft moneybox with some modest savings in it, but that will be all the cash I'll be spending. And no topping up the moneybox between now and then. :)

And one small exception - I reckon I'm allowed to buy glue or tape if I run out of those essentials!

Have you ever tried a scrap supplies hiatus?

How'd it go?

(Maybe I need to change my signature for a while... to keepin' it thrifty?)  :)