Hello and welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I’m so glad you’re joining me today, as we are talking about something that most crafters will probably consider at some point in their lives … a no spend year. Sometimes it’s a month, a quarter, six months … but most commonly I see people setting this goal for a whole year. It might sound drastic, even unthinkable to some, but in this economy, especially with the rising prices of craft supplies, there are plenty of people doing a no-spend year. I’m not trying to talk anyone into such a dramatic situation, and, of course, there are some alternatives, so let’s talk about the difference between a no spend, low spend and mindful spend year, the reasons you might consider them, and how you can succeed at such a challenge.
If you’ve never heard of a no-spend year, the goal is to spend zero dollars on non-essential items for a full calendar year. On TikTok I see a lot of people doing this specifically for fashion, beauty products or home decor, but as this is a crafting podcast, we are talking about spending zero dollars on craft supplies. There are a lot of reasons why someone might go no-spend, usually falling into one of two categories … voluntary or involuntary.
For involuntary, it’s usually due to a lack of finances, but I have known people forced to stop their retail therapy due to a lack of space, downsizing or moving house, travel or loss of employment.
For voluntary, again, there could be any number of reasons … including a change in lifestyle, lack of time, change of craft preference, injury or illness, change in family dynamics, personal challenge or even a dare.
Whatever your reason, if you are considering a no-spend year, there are some things you can do to set yourself up for success.
1. Create your roadmap
Planning a no-spend year is kind of like planning a trip. There’s no way I’m driving from Sydney to Melbourne without knowing why I’m going, where I’m going, how I’m going to get there, and having a plan B in case of problems along the way.
Grab a notebook, some paper or a planner you bought with good intentions, but never used. We are going to make some notes. The answers don’t have to be long, or profound, just true.
First let’s consider … Why are you doing this? It might be as simple as ‘the car is making a weird grinding noise that sound expensive’, right through to ‘I am reassessing everything about the way I spend money’ or ‘My husband bet me I couldn’t go a full year without buying craft supplies, and I am going to win this bet’. Being able to remind yourself of the ‘why’ when a no-spend year gets tough is a great way to keep going just a little bit longer.
Next, decide what success will look like for you? Money in the bank? Getting that grinding noise in your car fixed? More space available in your crafting room? Finishing those PHD’s? Winning an amazing prize for going a full year without shopping? If you don’t know what success looks like, then how will you know when you have achieved it?
Now let’s think about how you are going to get there? Will you spend some time planning projects before you start? Set up some crafting days with friends? Make a checklist of the things you want to achieve or projects you want to make?
And, if you have a hiccup, how will you handle it? For example, are you going to beat yourself up for buying that stamp set you’ve been hunting down for YEARS from a destash group, or will you congratulate yourself for only buying that one thing and resisting all the other temptation that’s come your way?
Taking some time to plan and consider the challenges that may arise is a smart move toward success.
2. Assess your craft stash
Looking through your craft supplies is like a treasure hunt. You may find things you forgot you had, and simply looking at them all can help keep them front of mind. You may also get distracted by all the cool stuff you own, and particular products may spark amazing ideas. Take advantage of the inspiration and make some notes for future you. And if you feel so inspired, pop those products (and the notes) into a special basket that you can dive into when you have time to craft, but maybe lack inspiration. You could also use the camera on your phone, and make a short video for yourself, showing the product, maybe making a sketch, and talking about the idea you have.
As well as looking at your supplies, locate your PHD’s (projects half done), make notes and check that you have everything you need to complete them.
When you’ve done this you’ll have a good picture of how you are set for essential basics, like adhesive, basic thread colours, black & white paint, sewing machine needles, and so on.
There are 3 bonus moves you can do here, either as part of your preparations to begin a no-spend year, or as something to do during your no-spend year.The first is … organise your supplies so you can find what you need more easily. You can’t use it if you can’t find it!
The second is … destash items you no longer love, use or need. This will free up space, and you may have some items you can sell, which is always helpful during a no-spend year.
The third is … catalogue your stash. I have my stamps, dies & stencils catalogued in a spreadsheet, and it might not be pretty, but it’s easy to search when I’m looking for something in particular, and it’s free. I also have a secret Pinterest board that I just enjoy browsing when I’m thinking about what I might make next.
3. Set the Rules
There is no right or wrong way to do this, only what is right for you. It’s YOUR no-spend year, so you are the one who gets to set the rules. Here are a few things to consider.
Will you set some exceptions to the no-spend rule? For example, if you snap your last sewing machine needle, are you allowed to buy more? This will depend on the motivation for your no-spend year. If it’s financial, you might need to pivot to a different craft, or a different activity (like organising supplies, making kits, cutting fabric for the next quilt). But if it’s about finishing projects or making space, you can’t do that without replacing that broken needle, so I would make that an exception to the no-spend rule.
Are you going full no-spend, or just no-spend in specific categories? For my scrapbooking and cardmaking peeps, a good example would be that you might go no-spend for pattern paper until you use a certain amount, but it’s ok to buy adhesive. Or maybe you’re going no-spend on stamp sets, but it’s ok to buy coordinating dies.
If you sell some unwanted craft supplies, are you allowed to spend that money on new craft supplies?
Also, I want to say that I believe in a no-spend year that is financially driven, if you receive a gift certificate to a craft shop, it’s not counted as spending. If your no-spend year is driven by whittling down supplies to make space, and you receive a gift certificate, it is valid for 3 years, so you don’t have to rush to spend it. Alternatively you might consider using it for basic essentials that will help you use your stash.
4. Remove Temptation
This one hurts, but if you find yourself consistently tempted by particular email newsletters, it’s time to unsubscribe. I know, I know … but hear me out. On your worksheet make a note of the emails you’re unsubscribing from, and then when your no-spend time is up, you can resubscribe to those email newsletters again (assuming that you miss them, and you want to).
The same goes for YouTube channels, Facebook pages, Instagram accounts or other socials. Wherever temptation lies, if you’re able to remove or minimise it, less temptation gives you a greater chance of success. Remember, you can always resubscribe or follow again.
5. Have a support person
Find someone who understands what you’re trying to achieve by doing a no-spend year, and who is excited to support you in your quest. Share your rules, exceptions to the rules and most importantly your end goal. Decide together what that support will look like. Will it be weekly or monthly check-ins? Are they the person who talks you down from a full shopping cart with frustrating logic as they remind you of your bigger goal? Agree in advance on how harsh they’re allowed to be with you so that you remain friends after the no-spend year is over.
If you don’t have someone like that in your life, there are quite a few people doing a no-spend or low-spend year in the Craft with Dawn Lewis Facebook group. We will be happy to cheer you on, celebrate your wins and, if necessary, talk you out of a purchase or play Rule of Three to help you make smart purchasing decisions. If you’re not a member, come join us (and remember to answer the 3 questions so I can approve your membership quickly).
6. Gamify it
One of my favourite ways to do something I have to do, but don’t particularly want to do, is to turn it into a game. I’ve been known to turn my ‘to do’ list into a bingo card from time to time. I also like to add a bit of whimsy to turn something from a negative to a positive.
For example, you could turn your stash into a little shop with a cute name, where you get to be the shopkeeper, recommending products to yourself, as well as the customer, falling in love with the gorgeous collection in your own personal shop.
Or, how about tracking on a calendar. Every day you don’t buy craft supplies, mark it with a big red cross, and see how long you can go without breaking the streak. Or make it a financial challenge by looking at all the things you just put into your cart, transferring the total to a savings account instead, then delete your cart and check the growing balance.
The main thing is to have fun with it.
7. Look for freebies
There are some incredible free resources for crafters of all types, and during a no-spend year, they can come in handy. Sometimes you can pick up free craft supplies on your local community facebook group, buy / sell / swap groups like Freecycle when others are doing a bit of a clean-out. For those doing a low-spend year, you might be lucky enough to have a craft-specific op shop in your area (like, here in Sydney we have one called The Sewing Basket, run by an organisation called Achieve). If not, you can sometimes find craft supplies at regular op shops or thrift stores, even estate sales.
And then there are the online freebies, which are more digital in nature, including free patterns (sewing, quilting, crochet, knitting, etc), free digital files (SVG, fonts, digital papers, clipart, digital stamps, etc), free craft summits and other resources to help you use your existing craft supplies in new and interesting ways. I, for example, have a free template on my website to help you use 6” x 6” paper to create cards. It is designed for Australia A6 cards, but isn’t hard to adapt to the USA A2 card base. I will link to it in the show notes and over on the blog for the card makers. For the low or mindful spend folk, I also have some paid resources, including workbooks, templates and classes, which are not overly expensive, but are packed with value.
So, what if you’re not doing a no-spend year, but I’ve piqued your interest with low-spend or mindful spending. Let’s talk about those.
Low spend and mindful spend are different, financially speaking, but often go hand-in-hand.
Low spend
Usually the goal here is to spend less than you have been spending, and it might be voluntary (to redirect money to something else) or involuntary (like retirement). In order to spend less, you kind of need to know what you have been spending, and from my experience of owning an online craft store for 11 years, a lot of people are … hesitant … to add up their receipts. They just don’t want to know, but knowledge is power. So even if it’s difficult, I do recommend you at least get a ballpark figure from your Paypal or bank statements. Then you have some decisions to make. Are you going to set a firm budget for the year or per month? Or are you aiming to generally spend less than you usually would? Are you going to buy essentials only? Just like with a no-spend year, knowing why you’re doing this, and what success is going to look like for you will be helpful.
Mindful Spending
Mindful spending is less about budgeting and saving money, and more about taking time to consider the purchase. Essentially, it’s a pause. When you take a little time to truly consider what you are buying, and how it fits into your existing collection, as well as your current crafting habits, you are exercising mindful spending.
Doing a full audit of your craft supplies before starting will help. If you have it in you to catalogue your supplies, even better. Each time you’re adding to cart, you can refer to your catalog, or check your stash, and see if you already have something that will do the same job.
You can also set up a list in that notebook you’re using, called “Do I really want it, or is it just dopamine?”. This is where you would write down that thing you really, really, really, really love from your favourite company’s recent release. Note the date, write down all the products you would normally be adding to cart right now … and then wait. Make a note in your calendar to go back and review that list in 2 weeks, or a month … whatever time frame you like … and decide if you really want the item? I started doing this a number of years ago, and found that a lot of the time, on review, I didn’t really want the item. I was just excited about the shiny new thing. Sometimes, though, there’s something you can’t stop thinking about, and that’s when you know you really love it, and will probably use it.
If you need to decide on the spot, you can play Rule of Three. This is a little game I like to play to help me get more use from my existing craft supplies, but also to help me decide on a potential purchase. I use my little Rule of Three notebook (I do still have some in the shop, I’ll link to them in the show notes) to note ideas about what I would do with the product. For example, with a stamp set, can I think of 3 people I would use it for, 3 colour schemes, 3 different occasions, 3 different techniques, and if the ideas flow, I know I’m likely to use it. If the ideas just are not coming, I will most likely not make the purchase, or I’ll put it on a pause list for future review.
No matter if you’re doing a no-spend, low-spend or mind-ful spend situation, there’s something that I’ve seen trip people up many times, and that is the FOMO around limited edition items (FOMO stands for Fear Of Missing Out). For many years, up until 2024, I facilitated group buys for an event called Stamptember with Simon Says Stamp. Every September there are collab sets that are truly limited edition … once they sell out, they are never restocked. A few years ago, I asked the people who participate in these group buys if they end up using those collab sets, and was surprised that a lot of people actually never end up using them, and regret the purchase.
If you know that you may face a limited edition situation, and FOMO might have you making a purchase, you’re allowed to set some rules in advance about what you will and won’t buy. Making decisions with a level head before the clock starts ticking on a limited edition release is immensely helpful. It’s good to look back at previous releases and look for patterns. Knowledge is power, and preparation is key. For example, during Stamptember, Lawn Fawn will usually make an adjustment to an existing set, and Mama Elephant usually release a very similar set (same vibe, same layout, different critters and occasion) within 3 months. Gina K Designs has created a LOT of snowflake stamp sets for Stamptember. If it’s another snowflake set, and you already have snowflakes, or have no need for snowflakes, then it’s easy to pass without FOMO lumping you with a $57 snowflake stamp set that you’ll never use. Looking through your stash to remind yourself of what you already have is a classic move here.
If you’re wondering if I have ever done a no-spend, low-spend or mind-ful spend year, the answer is yes to all three! There have been times in my life where money was tight and I had to make do with what I had. I’ve stuck to a strict no spend for some, and I’ve made exceptions to the rule for others. One time I was selling handmade scrapbooking embellishments on ebay, and any money I made could be used to buy more supplies. I quite enjoyed the challenge, but I’m weird like that. Similarly, I’ve had times where I could buy whatever craft supplies I wanted … and I did! To be fair, by the time I was able to do this, I was working in the craft industry, and that did afford me some excellent perks. I currently find myself in a phase of life where I’m becoming increasingly uncomfortable with overconsumption, and I pretty much have everything I could ever want, so I have changed the way I accumulate craft supplies yet again. I’m taking stock of what I have, and if I see something I love, I’m waiting, I’m playing Rule of Three and putting a lot more thought into that purchase.
Sometimes the way we shop for craft supplies changes with our financial situation, our phase of life, or general interest in a particular craft. Sometimes it’s unexpected and we have to react on the fly. Sometimes we can spot patterns, and adjust accordingly. Sometimes it’s an epiphany, a life changing event or new information. Whatever your situation, if you find yourself staring down the barrel of a no-spend period of time, I hope that these tips help you achieve success, whatever that looks like for you.
LINKS
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One Sheet Wonder Template
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