Ways you are thrifty so that you can spend more on crocheting???

[Gran]

Do you find yourself apt to be especially thrifty in other areas of life so that you can spend more money on crocheting?

 

I find I'd rather skip going out to eat, or a haircut, or any form of entertainment, so as to have new crochet supplies.

 

How about you?

[Krystal16]

My father always joked I'd hold onto a penny so tight that Abraham Lincoln would scream!!!

 

So, I guess I've always been frugal.... in everything!

[leesespieces]

i used to buy way too many clothes, shoes, purses, hair dye, make up, all that stuff.

 

yarn has replaced ALL OF IT.

 

i buy the sensible clothes, ON SALE, so everything matches and i don't have to be too concerned over making "outfits" in the morning.

 

i got rid of most of my shoes (i barely wore but like 5 pairs of flipflops, and they took up too much room anyway), and bought one good pair that goes with anything.

 

i now MAKE my purses, so i don't need to buy them anymore.

 

i chopped my hair off cuz the bleach really dried it out, and it's growing out.

 

and i have 2 big bins of yarn underneath my desk, a huge folder of patterns, and a bag full of hooks and knitting needles.

 

im a mess, but my yarn is beautiful, LOL. and you'd think i'm saving money, but i'm such an addict i think i'm spending just as much on just yarn as i used to on all that stuff combined. =(

[kelly g]

Just yesterday I took back a pair of jeans and a shirt (both unworn) just so I could by some more yarn! Gotta have yarn!

[Mermaiden]

Okay, lol. I usually buy $1 frozen Banquet lunches to take to work (or sometimes I get "fancy and go for the $2!), and have lately often been eating sandwiches for dinner, so I have a nice tiny grocery bill and more yarn money!

[sakurasaku]

Have you seen that commercial that compares the price of everything to the items on a fast food menu? For example, a man says to a woman who is all dressed up, "You look like a million junior bacon cheeseburgers."

 

Well, the same thing has happened to me with yarn. When I go out to eat with my BF and the bill comes out to $30, I think "Wow, that's well over 10 skeins of Caron Simply Soft". Or even "That's 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon." Makes me think twice about spending money on extra stuff.

 

Naturally, I've been cooking more at home and bringing in lunch.

[CLLinda]

Hi,

 

I have cut down on my pick-up coffee. Instead of fancy Starbucks at $4 a cup, I can do a McDonald's coffee (regular) for about $1. I also cut back on purchasing it. Only once or twice a week. That does save a few bucks a week.

 

Also, I pick up a case of pop on sale, and take that with me instead of buying it for $1. It does save money.

 

And then I spend the money I save on Yarn Sales at Hobby Lobby. I just wait until what I want is on sale, and then stock up.

 

Every little bit helps.

 

[Bianka Kukan]

I eat a lot of $1 Banquet dinners too. Kroger just had then on sale so I got like 40 of them so I won't have to pay full price for them in a while. We have a store here called Steve and Barry's that has absolutely EVERYTHING clothing wise for $7. Goose down winter coats, hoodies, shirts, jeans, shoes, dress clothes...everything, so if I need clothes badly I get that stuff and use the money I didnt' spend on clothes on yarn.

[nevadamama]

I sometimes do the $1 Banquet dinners for lunch too. Since I have a microwave oven and small refrigerator in my office, I also take a package of hot dogs & buns to work and have them for lunch all week. I make my own coffee and don't even spend the $1 dollar at McDonald's. It just irks me to see others spending $5 or more every day at the cafe. Wish I could say I have lots of extra money to spend on yarn but I save what I can for retirement, which is just a few years away. I also ask for gift cards for birthdays & Christmas which I use for yarn. I do all my shopping at Super Wal Mart & cut coupons too. To save on gas, I shop just once a week.

[knitcrochetandpray]

I am especially frugal in general as I am a SAHM, and we live on one income with two boys. We eat almost every meal at home, we do not get coffe shop coffe anymore (our great little shop closing down helped with that ), we buy our clothes at Wal Mart or the thrift store, we do not rent movies accept every once in a while (we are not big on Hollywood anyway), we do not travel much, we live in town (in a rural community) and DH works down the road so that saves on gas, and we just don't splurge on little things. I know it sounds boring , but it does lend to much more quality time as a family, and it makes a bit more money available for the things we REALLY want, in my case that would be yarn , hooks , and patterns.

[craftconnie1]

if I use a coupon for a product that I was going to buy anyway, that money goes into my " yarn " purse, which I carry with me at all times because you never know when there is a sale. I make my own drinks, such as tea, coffee at home and carry a thermos whenever possible...make sure to put the savings away ( in my yarn purse ) If I use crystals instead of canned juice or concentrate, put aside the difference.I think whatever you do to save money you must be diligent about taking it out and actually saving it, or you are going to end up feeling cheated ironically by yourself. When we were first married we bought a washing machine and I diligently put away the quarters that I would have used at the laundromat until I saved enough for a dryer. It takes will power not to spend savings of any kind on frills or even treats but with practice ( a lot of practice!!!!! )the money will accumulate and then you can buy on sale whatever yarn your heart desires.

[jessc031778]

I generally don't do haircuts more than once or twice a year (just cause I don't, not just for the yarn LOL), we don't really eat out....we've been keeping ourselves on a fairly snug budget for a while as we're trying to repair our credit, dig ourselves out of debt, and get into a position where we can get a house in a few years....so everything is budgetted...I set aside $50 for anyone's bday gift the pay period before their birthday...and then we shop (or more accurately I shop and tell him what we got) for something in our price range that the bday person would like....HOWEVER, if we get something at a really great price and there is money left over, I will treat myself to a little yarn.......

 

Jessie

[tracyleigh]

Hm, I recently quit drinking completely....so I figure that money can go to my crafting and clothes.

 

[Sylviaf]

I rarely buy clothes, since I can sew them and finally decided it was dumb to buy so many books when I have a great library to check first. And, of course, I shop sales and use coupons. I figure since I don't smoke and rarely drink, I deserve my one vice, which is purchasing crochet and sewing supplies!

[monael]

I use coupons, sign up for freebies, and wait for what I need/want to buy to go on sale. I rarely buy something full price. I also try to only buy yarn for specific projects and not just buy it cuz I like it. I used to buy yarn cuz I liked it but then when I actually thought of a good project I would find I didn't buy enough. So if I find a yarn that I like a lot, I have to come up with a project it is for before I allow myself to buy it. This way the money I spend on yarn is well spent.

[PBLKNP]

This is how my mind works these days...

 

Eating out - Yes, but with a heavy emphasis on Subway, McDonald's, or anywhere else one can get a meal for two at under $20.

 

Clothes - the bare necessities (i.e. it has to have holes or permanent stains, in order to merit being replaced), but nothing that can't be crocheted or knitted.

 

Shoes - I've never been a major shoe junkie, so that's easy to economize on.

 

Coffee on the go - cheaper to just make it at home and bring it in a commuter mug.

 

YARN - a MAJOR necessity, right up there with paying the Mortgage and the electric bill .

[azuki88]

I try to save up as much money as I can, I've learned to be frugal so that I can buy the thigns that I really want, and these days the thigns that I really want are yarns, hooks and patterens. I save up by buying clothes when they're on sale and seldom eat out since they're way overpriced.

[Debbi-a1]

Clothes. I figure I can crochet a vest, sweater, poncho, etc., to go over it and dress it up. So I buy basic colors (mostly black and white) and basic clothing and add crochet items.

I also buy less food to buy more crochet stuff, but not enough less LOL.