WOW, thank you so much for all the replies! I wasn't expecting this much of a response!
I'm not sure what's in your cart, but Craigslist seems to have a lot of stuff from people who've abandoned their scrapbooking hobbies. Maybe their loss is your gain?
I did look into several scrapbook listings on Craigslist in my area, but they weren't what I was looking for, and I don't want to fall in the trap of buying something just because it's a good deal. But I'll definitely keep an eye on it, because new listings appear a lot faster than I thought they would - several more scrapbooking entries have popped up in the last couple days!
I would keep an eye on only buying things you have a direct project for, rather than "because it looks fun/cute". Built up reuseable supplies gradually.
This is really good advice that I need to keep in mind. I have a weakness for fun/cute things, but I'd rather have a few things I use a lot than a box of things only used once!
Half a month's income on fun and entertainment? I'd pass until $200 wasn't such a huge part of my world. As others said, I'd look around for people dumping unwanted supplies cheap and stick to the basics needed for specific projects for now.
not sure you and I are reading this the same way - perhaps the OP can clarify...
Susurrus stated he/she had bout $450 "in pocket" every month, most of which went to an IRA. Cost of this hobby might be $200.
I read this as $450 discretionary spending/mo and a one-time upfront cost of around $200. If that's the case it seems like it's an affordable amount and if it is something that will make OP happy, then forge ahead.
Sorry for the confusion! I'm in a unique situation, where technically $450 is my full after-tax income, but my housing/food/etc is paid for. I really only have to pay for clothes, my cell phone, and travel. Getting into card making would likely be a one time ~$200 expense and then $10 every few months or so.
I'd recommend staying away from internet stamping forums; it is just a giant 'buy buy buy!" fest, and it is hard to not want the latest and the greatest.
Thank you - I was already falling into this trap and I didn't even realize it! That should help slash costs a bit. :)
If you find a hobby that really grabs you, you can use it to pull you into greater frugality in other ways. You find yourself thinking things like: "If I walk instead of taking the bus, that's $2.50 toward the next doodad I want for the hobby." Pretty soon you find you have walked quite a few times, saved enough to buy three used doodads and lost 10 lb. into the bargain.
Great idea! I'll get the extra benefit of exercising my frugality muscle and hopefully those efforts (not taking the bus, etc) will start to feel like a normal part of my routine.
Thank you again for all the advice, everyone! I'm going to cautiously go forward with this hobby, but I'll be careful to add to my supplies through Craigslist and thrift stores rather than the hottest new product at Stampin' Up. In that spirit, I'm going to limit myself to $50 of supplies rather than the $200 I wanted, and I'll try to buy things one at a time rather than all at once so I can make sure I'm thinking through my purchases.
Happy crafting!