5 Take Aways During No Spend October

At the end of September, By Grace Everett and I were talking about all of the product we had purchased and how much stuff we had from previous hauls that we had yet to use.  Then I proposed a no spend October and my bestie was all in.  Before I continue onto what I learned so far, let me state that we've done this before, but this was the first time we had a zero tolerance for buying anything.  Let's talk about what I learned about my crafting self.

Take Away #1 - You will use what you have if you stay out of the stores and stop filling shopping carts. Yes, that seems obvious, but I'm talking about the things you bought and tucked in a container and forgot about.  Those enamel dots, wood embellishments, fancy florals, washi tapes, etc.  I've been using up the impulse buys that are stashed in my studio and it feels good. 

Take Away #2 - Inspiration will come from other places.  I've recently gotten hooked on using card sketches.  Yes, I'm probably late to the party, but nothing new there.  I'll be talking more about this next week, but card sketches have stretched my design skills.  Not to mention I'm using up all the die cuts I have in my stash.

Take Away #3 - The needs in your studio will become more evident.  The point of No Spend October was not to stop spending altogether.  It was more about slowing down the constant buying cycle we'd gotten drawn into with the constant flow of new releases.  I've been making a list as I discover holes in my studio, most of my list is tools or consumables like embossing powder and inks, and a few storage things to better utilize using what I have.

Take Away #4 - Shopping your stash first is a game changer.  New release of holiday goodies got ya itching to spend?  How many snowmen do you really need in your stash?  These are all things I'm asking myself.   We probably already have something similar in in our stash, we don't need everything.  Let's face it when something is popular, everyone gets on the train.  

Take Away #5 - You will find the stuff you no longer love using.  This is big!  As I shopped my stash I rediscovered old favorites, but I also found things I couldn't remember why I bought them.  In using what I have I'm weeding out the things that I no longer love or that no longer fit my style.  

While I can't wait for November, so I can buy foam tape, I've learned a lot from this challenge.  I mentioned that we've done no spend months before, but never with a zero spend.  In the past, we've had exceptions like adhesive, envelopes, and ink.  However, the zero spend forced me to use up some of my less favorite adhesives and focus on the inks already in my stash.  Would you try a no spend month?  Have you already tried this?  What did you learn?