Do you buy things you don't need? Things you already have, but figure why not get more?

I was at my local independent art supply store today. All their paints (Golden, Liquitex, etc.) are all permanently 30% off, that's a way better deal than Michael's. Usually little art supply stores are a lot more expensive than the chains, but not anymore! I'd much rather shop there anyway. I bought another 4-oz. jar of micaceous iron oxide for $9-something, the same price as Blick, but no huge shipping/handling costs. So I talked myself into some Golden metallic paints and then this cool Sophisticated Finishes Blackened Bronze and Blue Patina (not on sale) that I'd been lusting after for months. They have a little Fimo leaf example in the store, and I would kill to be able to make something like it.

So, $40 later I'm going, what are you doing? I have a bunch of clay, paints, inks, leaf, etc. and I can't stop buying the stuff. So I made a vow that until September, I will buy no more clay or stuff to go with clay and use only what I already have. If I run out of something for one technique, it's God's way of saying, try something else with supplies you have on hand. Kinda reminds of of the old semi-precious gem stringing days. I have a s***load of that stuff still that I just had to have and didn't do anything with.

That would be very hard for me to do. If I see a tool for sale it sure is hard to pass up a deal even if I don't really need it and if there is a drop in the price of silver well I tend to buy a little extra. The same with nice cabs too so I have given up on making vows.

Linelle,  I know EXACTLY what you mean.  It is definitely an addiction!!!  Lately, I find my self wandering through the baking and candy making isles for tools and cutters and no telling what else I might find.  I went through a phase for several months where I forbid myself to even look at the FMS catalogs or artbeads.com or anything like that.  I ended up running out of earwires but nothing else...because I have so much stuff!  Now, I've gone and tried out the alcohol paints and I am obsessed with them.  If my real job wasn't so busy right now, I'd probably be churning away at my clay table day and night!  Yeesh.   At least we can all be addicted together! 

Good luck on your "no stuff until September" crusade!

I'm with you on this. I have tons of stuff I've bought that I haven't used up and still the stuff in the stores look so good and I always like to try new things.

 I certainly know what you mean! I've got a whole room full of supplies, but I do have to say I use all of it. Having a little bit of everything means my creativity is not hampered by lack of a certain thing. If my sales are below my expenses for the year I try hard to cut back, but if I have sold more than I've spent I don't worry too much about it. In the past, I had done what you said, made a vow to use up my beads before I bought more, and it really helped my use up old stuff and create some cool things I would not have otherwise. Don't worry too much though... if you can afford it and are having fun that's the main name of the game.

I periodically put myself on "restriction" for a few weeks.  Especially if I bought something specifically for a certain technique, I'm not allowed to buy anything else until I have tried that technique. 

I think I've kind of arrived at two categories of things.  "Never-outs" are basic items I use enough that I don't ever feel like I've got more than I can use.  If I'm ordering from FMG, for example, I'll fill up the order with never-outs if I need to hit the minimum for price breaks.  The other category is "run out THEN replace" which is just about everything else and I would be O.K. if I ran out because there is generally something else handy to work with.

That said, I found  neat book at Joanne today.  All I went in for was some ribbon but my little voice told me to look at books because I had this coupon burning a hole in my pocket.  I bent down to the bottom of the book rack, and way in the back, was a 2006 Bead and Button "best of" book with some REALLY neat polymer clay beads including some tecniques for making hinges, which I've been working on.  So I'm really glad I took myself off restriction today.  

 My philosophy is-

If I think I may ever need or want it-

Buy it now-

it will only be more expensive in the future! 

I caught myself this morning, about to buy some mold-making stuff.

There are a bunch of techniques I still want to try. There are ones I've tried, and like the results, that I still haven't worked on. Jones Tones foils? Oh, had to have them. They sit, unopened, snoozing on the shelf. I just think it will be good for me to go two months and use what I have on hand. I definitely won't run out of supplies.