Hobby business - I spend more than I make!

**lesley** · 02-11-2009, 01:30 PM

La la la, I'm not listening and I'm definitely not thinking about it!

**agent_44** · 02-11-2009, 02:51 PM

Hehe, I started off purely as a hobbyist but registered as self employed to cover my back when i did sell the odd item. Because I was always making a loss with my jewellery and working full time as well I kept gettting income tax rebates, so it's not all bad

**caroleallen** · 02-11-2009, 05:37 PM

I don't think you ever get to the point where you have everything you covet.
I've got a fully equipped workshop but have still spent over £4,000 on equipment this year, then there's displays, website updates, promotional materials, packaging materials, advertising, craft fair costs, materials etc etc etc. The list is endless. When I work out my income, it seems massive until I take out my outgoings and find there's very little left. Christmas had better be good

**The Dragon** · 02-11-2009, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by lorraineflee

My theory is that I should buy everything I want while I am still earning and then I'll have loads to play with when I finally retire completely!

Have to agree with you there I'm trying to buy the more expensive items now, while I'm in full time work - this is my investment into my business. Hopefully when I'm a poor struggleing artist

all I'll need to folk out for is supplies and hope I sell enough to cover this.!

**Coco** · 02-11-2009, 05:55 PM

I love buying stuff but I think my computer's onto me. Every time I visit cookson's site lately it shuts down!

**SilverBlueberry** · 02-11-2009, 06:06 PM

Gemma, good point in that you don't get money back from other things you enjoy.

**Boo** · 02-11-2009, 07:40 PM

I started off doing it as a hobby, purely because I enjoyed it. I'd been treated as having arthritis for all my life and avoided things that were hard on my hands. Then I found it was a soft tissue problem that would benefit from exercise, so decided to have a go as I'd always wanted to do more metalwork.

At first I just spent money on materials and tools and produced things for gifts and myself - and it cost money and I got no return. My husband said it didn't matter as long as I was enjoying it and spent within our available funds. Then the odd person asked me to make something and were prepared to pay me, so I did a few local craft fairs and now I was getting some money back to plough into more materials. It's just snowballed from there, but it wasn't overnight.

I think this is the first year where I've sold a lot more than I've spent. Largely because my husband was out of work earlier this year, so we need every penny for bills and food - our financial situation is precarious at present. So I've been very disciplined and only bought what I need, not what I want, since April.

**shelliem** · 02-11-2009, 08:34 PM

Ditto the spending and I haven't made anything yet!! Everytime I start I realise I need something else and I find it really difficult to start a project unless I have everything I need! or I ruin the little amount of clay etc. that I have.

But its paying me back in dividends in helping me to relax and stop psychoanalysing everything!!! If I'm just analysing jewellery I can cope with that and I love sparkly things they make me smile

**snow_imp** · 03-11-2009, 07:08 AM

Originally Posted by shelliem

But its paying me back in dividends in helping me to relax and stop psychoanalysing everything!!! If I'm just analysing jewellery I can cope with that and I love sparkly things they make me smile

I must admit that the end result always makes me smile no matter how long it took to get there or how much I swore at it during the making of it - makes it all worth while.

**lilacmonkey** · 07-11-2009, 07:01 PM

i've had this problem for a while.stones,stones and more stones.
never happy unless i'm buying stones.
i spend hours looking at one particular site based in oz looking at opals(droll).
which is bad for the pocket.