What's your GGG approach?

[knittingbec]

I'm making my selections of Going, Going, Gone sale items & wondering what other people do:

- Do you just buy what's on your wish list?
- Are you using this opportunity to fill holes in your stash?
- Do you only buy a kit if you have a LO in mind for it?
- Did you fill your cart with everything that you don't already have? lol

[knittingbec]

I started out by adding just about everything I really liked to my cart. I was thinking that I'd get the little "you've already purchased this" warning about quite a few of them, but it turns out, the only one I had already 'purchased' was the FWP. Yikes!

I went through my wish list & a few of the things in my cart were wish list items, so those get to stay.
Looked through the cart again and took out a couple kits that I realized fell more into the "I like this" vs. "I'll use this" category.

I'll probably go over the items a couple more times in the next few days & make more cuts (and possibly more additions, haha)
I go back and forth between wanting to get the things that I like and won't be able to get anymore & wanting to preserve my scrapbook budget for the beautiful things I'm sure will be coming out!

[rach3975]

There are soooo many thing to see and want during GGG! I'm unusual, I think--if it's already on my wishlist, I saw that product go on sale who knows how many times and never bothered to buy it. That means I probably don't really need it, even though I might want it. The things that I buy during GGG tend to be things I somehow missed when they were released or that I didn't need at the time but that fit a need for me now. I never buy a kit unless I know I have photos for it, whether it's GGG or not.

[jrhartauthor]

Part of my GGG approach was shifted due to the fact that I'd spent well over my scrapping budget during Advent, so I really had to be careful during GGG. (Thankfully, this also meant that I'd already bought a few things from the GGG sale earlier in the month).

My usual approach is:
-Add everything I want to my cart. Realize I cannot afford to buy it all.
-Consider what I'd be absolutely devastated if I didn't buy it. These are the kits that I'd for sure be thinking about months from now going "man, wish I'd bought that!" and remove things that don't fit that category.
-Look through my list again and decide what fills the biggest holes in my stash.
-End up mostly keeping templates in the cart because I know kits are going to tempt me in the upcoming season, and templates are the things that I'll get the most use out of again and again.
-Realize that I am still overspending and delete any templates that tend to have a single-use aspect to them (a very unique shape, a super seasonal niche, etc). Keep any templates that I know I can use again and again by rotating, mirroring, angling, resizing, and deleting layers on.
-Still end up overspending because of COURSE I did.
-Go back later because I know there are kits that I deleted from my cart that I'm going to want.

[joelsgirl]

I have this innate need to always use what I buy, so I ask myself, "How will I feel when I open this kit to scrap with it?" That helps me not overspend.

I went through all the retiring products and opened new tabs for everything I might possibly want.
Then I look at them one by one and ask myself how I really feel about using it. I add to cart the things I feel good about, sign in and sit on it until I get a reminder email that the sale is about to end. That's when I make a decision.

I don't scrap enough anymore to justify spending a lot of money, but I've regretted not picking up things in the GGG sale before, so i'm more likely to splurge than to experience regret.

[Kiana]

I'm alot like Kellie. I open everything I want in separate tabs, it's a lot. rofl
Then I click each tab and really think about "how much" I really want it, I look at the preview and sample layouts, the colors, the theme and really decide if I will scrap with it or not.

Because also like Kellie I do scrap with everything I buy, at least once.

[bienejen]

Originally Posted by Kiana

I'm alot like Kellie. I open everything I want in separate tabs, it's a lot. rofl
Then I click each tab and really think about "how much" I really want it, I look at the preview and sample layouts, the colors, the theme and really decide if I will scrap with it or not.

Because also like Kellie I do scrap with everything I buy, at least once.

This is me as well. I also do this with my wish list periodically to see if I still want/need the item.

[HavaDrPepper]

I also open multiple tabs and mull over the decision to buy or not for awhile.

I do look at my wish list since that is stuff that I know I have a need for. If it is on the wish list and GGG, it is in my cart! There were actually a couple that I had never seen before and really liked to in my cart they went... I will definitely use them!

I tend to not buy that much because so much does not pertain to my life. I have no need for baby or kids themed kits so I don't even look at those. I do try to buy kits that are not so theme specific except dogs... I can always use dog kits!

[LynnZant]

I'm also a tab opener. I only bought one thing this time around just because I finally used my coupon from the summer scrap a lot event just before the GGG went live. I also like to use my purchases at least once, so my to-be-used folder is getting full. (And so is my hard drive.)

[lovely1m]

I tend to focus on templates because I know that if I really wanted a kit, I would have probably already bought it. I just have a few kits in there. But the cart amount is still high enough that I have not checked out yet.

[iScrap]

I'm a lot like Kellie and the others, too. I start with Cindy's templates first and get what I don't have and know I'll definitely use. Then I go through my wish list and decide what I need and will use and know I have pictures for then I add a couple things I just plain want. lol

[AmieN1]

Honestly the GGG is SO overwhelming since it's SO huge! So my first approach is to look at my wishlist & open them all in other tabs to see if they are on sale. Next, I do the advanced search & then search by the sale category & one designer at a time. This makes the page count of sale items much more manageable for my brain! If I see something that I know I'll use (usually theme specific) then I'll add to cart, but I'm trying not to be a sucker to "all the pretty things"!

[craftytam]

I'm a tab opener when trying to decide, as well.

[Sherri Tierney]

I go through and put everything in my cart that I think I want, or need. Then I go back through thinking about my current stash and try to narrow it down. If I check my wishlist to compare, I go down a rabbit hole that is hard to get out of, so I don't do that anymore. I have things in my cart right now but I don't know if I'll pull the trigger. I have more 'wants' than I do budget this year.

[lizziej]

Originally Posted by rach3975

I'm unusual, I think--if it's already on my wishlist, I saw that product go on sale who knows how many times and never bothered to buy it. That means I probably don't really need it, even though I might want it. The things that I buy during GGG tend to be things I somehow missed when they were released or that I didn't need at the time but that fit a need for me now.

I'm pretty much like Rachel in this respect. Also, I was able to narrow the choices because I usually don't buy kits with themes like happy, self, carefree, and things like that. No matter what, it's still a tough choice. So far, I have one item on my list.

[DaniW]

I do the same thing! I was also disappointed to find that so many had not previously been purchased!! One thing I will say: I will also do searches of my order emails to ensure that I haven't previously purchased just the kit and not the full collection. I usually cave and buy the collection but I don't really need the cards so sometimes I don't. And if you previously bought the kit and you have the collection in your cart, it will not trigger the warning that you've already bought it since they're technically different products!!

Originally Posted by knittingbec

I started out by adding just about everything I really liked to my cart. I was thinking that I'd get the little "you've already purchased this" warning about quite a few of them, but it turns out, the only one I had already 'purchased' was the FWP. Yikes!

I went through my wish list & a few of the things in my cart were wish list items, so those get to stay.
Looked through the cart again and took out a couple kits that I realized fell more into the "I like this" vs. "I'll use this" category.

I'll probably go over the items a couple more times in the next few days & make more cuts (and possibly more additions, haha)
I go back and forth between wanting to get the things that I like and won't be able to get anymore & wanting to preserve my scrapbook budget for the beautiful things I'm sure will be coming out!

[littlekiwi]

I was super restrained (not 100% by choice unfortunately) and really only shopped from my wish list and sat on my decision for pretty much the whole GGG sale period. Surprisingly I actually took a bundle out which is so unlike me as I normally don’t go into this with a fixed budget and end up going slightly over. What I chose in the end I don’t necessarily have photos for yet but I can see myself getting a lot of use out of them (all four of Amanda & Megan’s Self Love bundles).

[lizziej]

Originally Posted by DaniW

One thing I will say: I will also do searches of my order emails to ensure that I haven't previously purchased just the kit and not the full collection. I usually cave and buy the collection but I don't really need the cards so sometimes I don't. And if you previously bought the kit and you have the collection in your cart, it will not trigger the warning that you've already bought it since they're technically different products!!

What I do is put everything in my cart - kit, collection, bundle, cards, extra papers, whatever. If I bought something, it will show up. I then delete everything unless I want to buy something else that I don't have.

[**Holly**]

I'm coming back after a VERY long hiatus, so I needed some new kits.

I just went through and added anything I thought was pretty and that I would use a lot.

It was very hard to keep my budget lol so many goodies.

[Dalis]

I go little by little and add to my wish list, from there then I start removing until I have my budget set.

[bienejen]

I make a list and then forget about it until the very last minute and panic checkout!

[StacyLynn]

Plan? Am I supposed to have a plan? LOL

I just add everything I like in my cart... sign in so I can remove items I already have. Realize,I have way too much in my cart and need to narrow it down... some, but I still usually blow my budget some.
I need to scrap more, I have lots of kits I have not used yet.

[knittingbec]

Thanks for sharing all of your perspectives on shopping the sale! You definitely gave me some different things to think about as I made my choices!

I ended up buying the 2 or 3 things that I knew I would be sad about not getting if I ran out of time to shop, and also gave myself "permission" to make another purchase. So far, I haven't felt super compelled to get the stuff I took out of my cart, so I think I'm good! Might pick up the pocket cards for a kit I already have so I'll have the option to use them when I next use that kit.