#Stashdownsummer

I made a pledge to knit down my stash this summer. I have lots of wonderful yarns I have picked up on trips and from sales or just because I wanted to try a new project. These wonderful yarns have been languishing away in our other room, it's time they became something.

In November it will be 4 years of paying off my student loans. I have hit a point where I really want to have a bigger chunk of them paid off. The amount of interest I am paying and accrue every year is just ridiculous and my spending isn't anymore responsible.  It's time to make a change.

And so begins #stashdownsummer.  For the summer, memorial day to labor day, I would like to not buy yarn and try to limit yarn related purchases (books, needles, notions, etc).  I would like to use my stash and get creative with it.  I have sweater quantities and small projects and lots of sock yarn waiting to be used.  It's time to start using it.

In addition to wanting to limit my yarn spending, I want to get real about my budget.  Jer added me to his household account for You Need a Budget (YNAB).  I am all set up on it and I think it's going to be a really great tool.  It's already shown me how out of control and thoughtless some of my spending is.  One of the four rules is to give each dollar you have in your account a job.  I want to really think about what I want my money to do.

I feel I am a part of some problems our culture has about money.  To start, there is out of control spending and rampant consumerism.  The other problem is that we don't talk about our own money situations. Money is part of the big taboo topics that you aren't allowed to talk about even with friends and inner circles.  Unless you are making jokes about being bad about handling it, then it's ok to guilt yourself.  On Ravelry, people make jokes about going on yarn diets and being addicted to buying yarn.  Addiction is a serious illness and not something to be taken lightly.  We need a better way to describe this consuming need to buy more and more.

My blog name is "pretty yarn makes me happy." I need to change that need in myself.  I need to remind myself that the real joy and happiness I find from yarn is the creating and not from buying yarn.  I'm not dieting, I'm not denying myself anything.  I want to change my lifestyle and really think about where my money, time, energy and love is going.  I want to become more creative and smarter about what I have and what I am buying. I want to stop collecting things that don't lead to a happier life.

Welcome to #stashdownsummer and my journey of finding lasting happiness.