Having supplies on hand

One of my gentle readers found themselves a little frustrated with me recently. She was frustrated at my cost break downs for my DIY projects, citing the number of supplies I have "on hand" might artificially decrease the cost involved in the project.
So I want to take a moment to address this.  I do, indeed, have a decent to well stocked project stash. My stash may or may not take over our basement with reckless abandon. My stash is large enough that I am very often able to  do a "test run" of a project without purchasing any new materials and sometimes even complete an entire project for zero new dollars spent.  That Guy has become so spoiled with my DIY/ minimal cost projects that I occasionally get light push back from him when the time comes to spend $20 on new sewing patterns (of course I am getting them on sale for $1.98 each!) or $9 on Mod Podge because I ran out.

I have made it perfectly clear several times that I am NOT a cook. Yet since I am married to a chef I feel justified in likening my supply stash to the average household pantry.
Most people see the value in maintaining a well stocked pantry.  This way they can cook their recipes with ease, convenience and a handle on cost.  In the same way that it makes sense to keep salt in ones pantry so you don't have to run to the store every time a recipe calls for it, it also makes sense to keep a few commonly needed DIY supplies on hand.

Here is a quick list of some of my most often used supplies
-craft felt in a few colours
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- fiber fill
- decorative buttons
-ribbon (different widths, colours and styles)
- acrylic paint
- foam paint brushes
- sand paper
- Mod Podge
- glitter! (yes, that is an exclamation point for emphasis)
- fabric assortment
- scrapbook paper
-basic sewing supplies such as needle, thread in basic colours, straight and safety pins, measuring tape

I also find great value in some bigger ticket machinery, such as my sewing machine, Cricut cutting machine and my laminater. My sewing machine was $100 new, and has paid for itself several times over.  My Cricut machine was almost $300 new, and does include a reoccurring cost for the required cutting mats. It pays for itself several times over each year in money saved when I make gifts.

I am not suggesting you go out right now and buy everything on this list.  I am suggesting that as you do projects that call for scrapbook paper, wait for it to be on sale at Michael"s Craft Store 4/$1 and buy four or eight sheets of paper.
If you need a 1/2m of fabric for a project consider buying a meter with the thought of looking forward to building you supply stash
If you're at the dollar store anyway picking up some items, maybe you can make the budget stretch to include one or two bottles of acrylic pant.,
In this way you will quickly have a reasonable supply stash and be able to complete last minute (anyone else out there find themselves without a gift three hours before the birthday party starts? or is that just me?) and low to no cost projects.

Although supplies of course cost money, DIY is almost always a more cost effective way to go, and a major way my family is able to keep our financial goals on track.