Is it possible to scrap on a very SMALL budget?

i have been thinking about budgets and planning and taking control of my financial future. we are in a recession and we will not be coming out of it anytime soon...no matter what anyone thinks. as avid memory keepers we all strive for the next thing, the coolest thing, the next big trend or gadget, often forgetting all the things we already have in our stash. we get caught up in the validation aspect and setting up unrealistic expectations for ourselves. it is often the case in most hobbies, maybe it is just the nature of it all.
the minute that you buy a piece of paper it becomes passe. it depreciates in value simply because you HAVE it. and then, more likely than not, it becomes a part of the stash borg: that all consuming pile of stuff that never gets used because a, it is out of "style", b. because it is too precious to cut into or C, because you forgot you had it. you name the excuse, i have used it. at one point i just wanted STUFF, any stuff. If it was the cool stuff that all the IN people were using then all the better. i was buying more than i was using. so i stopped. cold turkey. BIG TIME.
a few months ago i started to digiscrap and i fell back into the old ways. i found myself craving...just like the paper junkie i am! Luckily i have been able to control myself (not having money helps!) and will only buy a few things a week. i have been averaging about  $7-10 every 2 weeks or so and only print out pages when i have disposable cash. i have been collecting cans, bottles and loose change to pay for digital pages. i am trying to find the absolutely best price i can get for any one given thing. digiscrapping is very budget friendly, as long as you keep your printing in check. there are so many wonderful, generous designers that post freebies on the internet. it is a really amazing thing.
so the moral of this long story is?
simply this. you do what you love. you pass on your stories. you set a budget and stick to it. use the things you have at your disposal. improvise. have fun with your supplies. remember that this is a hobby,  not a popularity race and not a finish line. or it could be. it can be as finite or as infinite as YOU make it.
it IS possible to scrapbook with a very small budget. i know because i am doing it. right now.