Staying On Budget

Staying on Budget - Still getting what I want! 

I just placed my October order and it occurred to me that I have some new customers that might not know how I stay on budget.  

If you know this information just sit back and relax, if this is new then I hope it will help you stay on your own budget.

Why do I care if you have a budget?  

Because I want you as a long time customer not a flash in the pan.  As a consultant we LOVE getting those large orders from our friends / customers but then that same friend / customer may not order again - ever.  I am a different kind of consultant... I like those little monthly orders but to be truthful the big ones are nice sometimes too.  

How do I stay on my personal budget?  LOTS OF PLANNING!

I have a book that I picked up at staples that is supposed to be a personal journal.  

This is my ORDER BOOK.

It has lines for writing and was only $5.00 it was a win / win for me.  

When a new catalog comes out I take my time looking at it and all that I love.

Then I get down to business.  My budget for personal supplies is $100.00 a month.  That is the amount that I used to spend at Hobby Lobby before becoming a consultant so it is the amount that I spend now.  I leave $50.00 for wiggle room because sometimes I have to buy business supplies so on paper it looks like $150.00 but that amount does not get used most months.  

Knowing that I have $100.00 to work with for each month I take my little pink book and write the month on each page.   Example:  The catalog life is 12 months so I have 12 pages with one month on each page like a calendar.  

I have classes to plan for so my list will differ from yours but here is my personal order for October that I just placed.

Z1988 - Black Striped Twill Ribbon

Z3011 - Scaredy Cat Assortment

D1605 - Halloween Greetings

X7185B - Scaredy Cat Paper Packet

Z2064 - Cut Above™ Christmas Card Kit

Z1829 - Black & Grey Glitter Paper

X7185C - Scaredy Cat Complements

(misc business supplies are not listed) 

CC1031 - Ribbon Revelry

 As you can see I ordered supplies to get ready for our workshop on October 23, 2014 and that we will using the Scaredy Cat line.  But I have also ordered the supplies to make my personal Christmas Cards, ordering them in October means that I can use the October and November Crop Nights to work on and finish creating my Christmas cards so that I can get them in the mail in December with no fuss no muss and no worries.  

Did you happen to notice that I have all of the workshops listed on the blog to the right of the screen.  Have you wondered why I tell you in advance what we will be working on?

So you can plan your life.

I want you to stay on budget because I want you to be able to come and play without worry that you over spent your play money budget  or if you have to save up for a workshop that you really want to come to. 

If you have any questions I am always willing to show you my personal order book at any time just ask. 

It took my BFF a couple of months to get me to understand the whole "order book" idea, I had the budget but just could not understand this whole planning my orders until she knocked me over the head with it.  I have never looked back.  I hope it helps you as much as it helps me every month.

See you soon!