2019 - THE NO-BUY, LOW-BUY, BUDGET-BUY ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT THREAD

[ElleElleG]

updated 12/31/19* The 2020 Thread is here 2020 - THE NO-BUY, LOW-BUY, BUDGET-BUY ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT THREAD

Hey all!  Welcome to Year 5 of the No/Low Buy thread 😲. 

Since 2019 is LITERALLY around the corner so I figured it was time to get this thread started.  The 2018 thread can be located here: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Beauty-Confidential/2018-THE-NO-BUY-LOW-BUY-BUDGET-BUY-ACCOUNTABILI...

For reference here's the purpose of this thread (from lnum):

This thread is a support system for all of us who are trying to maintain a budget and keep our beauty spending limited. Post here when you have a weak moment, post here to hold yourself accountable, post here when you just need someone to talk to, post here when you have advice for all of us, and post here when you make mistakes but also make gains! Many of us post here to keep track of our monthly purchases. Anything you need to say, we are all here for each other. There's no judgement here.

Feel free to share your goals, items that tempt you, missteps (we don't believe in failures), and any successes.  Above all else, encourage and support one another.

The 2017 OP and link:

Spoiler

lnum wrote:

Welcome to Year 3!

My motto for this thread is that I strongly believe, even on a budget, you can have the things you want that make you happy without feeling like you're limiting yourself. 

This thread is a support system for all of us who are trying to maintain a budget and keep our beauty spending limited. Post here when you have a weak moment, post here to hold yourself accountable, post here when you just need someone to talk to, post here when you have advice for all of us, and post here when you make mistakes but also make gains! Many of us post here to keep track of our monthly purchases. Anything you need to say, we are all here for each other. There's no judgement here.

I am so excited to spend another year with you all. If it wasn't for the first two years of this thread, I would never have been able to cut down my beauty spending. My goal for this year is to maintain low spending on beauty, and cut down my clothing purchases. I will be funneling that money into traveling, which is what I have done in the past and it's a great goal that truly motivates me. 

I'm still so proud of everyone for making it through 2015 and 2016, limiting ourselves in the beauty product area in order to improve our lives in other areas. We all did great and here's to another year of learning and saving!

Here is a link to the 2015 thread: http://community.sephora.com/t5/VIB-ROUGE/2015-The-No-Buy-Low-Buy-Budget-Buy-Accountability-and-Supp...

2016 thread: 

http://community.sephora.com/t5/VIB/2016-The-NO-BUY-LOW-BUY-BUDGET-BUY-ACCOUNTABILITY-AND-SUPPORT/td...

 2017 thread: https://community.sephora.com/t5/VIB/2017-THE-NO-BUY-LOW-BUY-BUDGET-BUY-ACCOUNTABILITY-AND-SUPPORT/m...

Challenges to Help You Use Your Stash:

Spoiler

Pan It! 2018 Challenge: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Beauty-Confidential/Pan-It-2018-Challenge/m-p/3604337#M317498

Use Your Foil Samples Challenge: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Beauty-Confidential/Use-Your-Foil-Samples-Challenge-January-2018/m-...

The Perfume Challenge: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Perfume-Posse/The-Perfume-Challenge/m-p/2633976#M18939

Mask of the Week Challenge: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Skincare-Aware/Mask-of-the-Week-Challenge/m-p/3615125#M44343

**are you participating in a challenge that I failed to mention?  if so please let me know I can link it here**

[ElleElleG]

I understand the temptation to re-Rouge @tastelikewater but ask yourself if you really need anything right this moment.  If the answer is no, then pass. IMO VIB and Rouge receive roughly the same benefits so hitting Rouge isn't a grand prize or anything.  

Hope to see you in the Pan It! Challenge with your palettes.  I tend to have a year-long palette and a monthly-palette which helps me get use out of more of my collection.  Other members, like @Samtian, rotate weekly or bi-weekly.

[tastelikewater]

@ElleElleG I have a few gifts to buy for my mother, at which point I'd be about $50 away. So I'm weighing whether I want to stock up on one or two of my everyday basics, or let it go until I really need them. I've never been Rouge before, so I kiiiiiinda want to take advantage of the free makeover perk before it goes away, but that's not necessarily the most responsible decision. 

[ElleElleG]

Hmm well $50 away isn't too bad @tastelikewater .  Can you use the VIB $20 off to snag one of your everyday basics? For me, if I'm purchasing something I actually use regularly I feel less bad about making that purchase because I know it will not go to waste.

[Samtian]

@tastelikewaterYes we'd love to see you in the pan it challenge!

[ShortErica]

@tastelikewater I always love your comments. Have you checked out Georgia Harris? I feel like she is in that YouTube clique of 10-100K subscriber channels who are friendly with each other. I believe she is doing a no buy and I find her entertaining.

I can't wait to see how it goes for you and eagerly await hearing your awesome hair finds.

[newcarlee]

I too, @tastelikewater, am less than $200 away from Rouge.  I cannot believe I’ve spent so much on beauty products as I don’t even wear makeup: no foundation, no eyeshadow, no blush (okay - I have one that I use maybe twice a month), no mascara,

no highlighters, nail polish.  Which means I have a lot of skincare and hair care.  

I’m wavering in making Rouge this year (yay - free shipping next year: wait - so I can buy more?!) or trying not to make Rouge and so hopefully I’ll be less tempted in 2019 to buy (darn, I don’t have the flash shipping).  

[sockmagnet]

I pretty much failed at this after only 2 weeks before, but that was my mistake because I foolishly didn't factor in the amazing temptation of November sales to at least get me to buy back ups of things I already use and love. On the plus side, I didn't buy the Tatcha lipstick set I was coveting, I didn't buy the By Terry Gem Glow Trio Compact, I didn't buy any more eye creams, oils, or serums, and I didn't buy the lipstick I was thinking about getting. 

I have no idea what sales are going to pop up to tempt me, but I am going to attempt the following:

For the next Six Months No:

clay masks

toners

essences

eye cream*

primer

eye shadow

lip gloss**

blusher

*still might ultimately want to pick up the farmacy one since it was out of stock for the sale

**I might want a lipstick since I don't actually own one (just 2 lip glosses)

For the next Three Months No:

face cream (except replacement day cream)

hand cream
sheet masks

eye products of any kind***

buying random things just to try them

***unless Tatcha has some ultimate temptation for me to get their serum (would have bought it already but I've heard that the applicator design is janky).

[ElleElleG]

Sounds like you had several victories @sockmagnet (the items you mentioned passing on).

I recommend joining either the Pan It! challenge and/or one of the skin care challenges to help you move through the products you listed below.  You can set your own goals as far as how much you want to use up before replenishing a particular category.

[ShortErica]

@sockmagnet - sales are definitely a trigger for me too. When items are such good deals it's a lot harder to say no. Are you planning to start now or January 1, 2019? I posted to @ilovpurses about creating a spreadsheet of your products and tracking your uses. Do you think this tactic would help you? Best of luck on your goals and I'm looking forward to hearing updates.

[sockmagnet]

@ShortErica definitely starting now. There is nothing that I *need* to buy before the end of the year for myself in terms of skincare or makeup other than maybe some replacement body cream when I run out and, due to my eczema, I don't really ever count that as a beauty product. 

A spreadsheet is a good idea, but I was able to mentally calculate when I would run out of specific items in order to come up with the 3-month and 6-month targets. I'm actually thinking that keeping track of my empties on a monthly basis (with commentary on whether I liked something or not) is probably my best bet - particularly since I have a lot of new things to try out. 

[ShortErica]

I want to do keep my empties in 2019 too. I really enjoy seeing pictures of everyone's empties and opinions but always toss mine immediately. Keeping them for a month should be doable!

[ilovpurses]

I attempted this last year and FAILED MISERABLY. But I really want to do it in 2019.

I will take it one month at a time and will make these allowances:

• Used up skincare may be repurchased
• I will allow myself something for the April sale and next November
• The no buy does not include gifts for other people

NO PURCHASING ANY MAKEUP PRODUCTS 

[ElleElleG]

Bumps along the way are part of the process @ilovpurses !  You have the right idea with taking things a month at a time.  Also using the sale periods as motivation to keep to your no/low buy is great!!

[virgo87]

@ilovpursesI think that is a good idea, to take it a month at a time.

I think most of us fail on no-buys because it is an all or nothing thing and then we feel cheated, missing out, failing if we buy 1 thing like a replacement item, etc so I like the idea of taking it one month at a time.

[sephoraaddict918]

Taking it one month at a time sounds like an excellent idea @ilovpurses! I was thinking of doing something similar, so it doesn't feel too overwhelming to stay the course. 

[ShortErica]

@ilovpurses what do you think were the reasons you failed? How can the community help you in 2019?

If you don't already, I really recommend making a spreadsheet of your products. Also keeping track of product uses has been very helpful for me. I think it's a really eye-opening experience.

One month at a time is a great strategy - you can do it!

[ilovpurses]

I failed because of all the pretty things. Plain and simple. I'm weak lol. I will admit to having somewhat of an addictive personality and getting that "high" from shopping. But I remember last year anxiously awaiting the Desert Dusk palette and then getting it and maybe using it 4 times in 12 months. I added countless numbers of palettes, lipsticks, highlighters, etc etc etc since then and most of them barely swatched. 

I really want to enjoy those products and get good use out of them. 

Do people stop watching Youtube and online reviews? I check Temptalia every morning like some people check the weather. Same for Tarababyz, Tati, Mel Thompson, etc. Trendmood on IG. Do I stop following all these channels? Is that the best way to go about this? I'm def open to suggestions.

[ShortErica]

If watching certain YouTubers is a temptation to buy then maybe you shouldn't watch them. You could find other YouTubers to watch that are also doing low buys as an alternative. I also liked @fieldsofclover's suggestion of watching old videos that wouldn't show new products.

[fieldsofclover]

I unfollowed almost all brand accounts on IG (and unsubscribed from emails). I also dialed it back on watching YouTube reviews while they're fresh so I can remove myself from the launch cycles. I still watch Jackie Aina and other people, but now I wait and only watch "old" videos after the hype around a product has died down. I also unfollowed pretty much all IG beauty "influencers" over time... not on purpose at first, but seeing PR posts all the time just got annoying after a while. Now I pretty much only use Instagram for project panning, so it's gone from enabling my shopping to really helping me keep on track with *not* spending.

I still follow trendmood out of morbid curiosity, but other than BIC that's really my only window into the hype cycle now.

[ShortErica]

I'll repeat from the 2018 thread: No-buy on make-up for one year (Nov 2018-Oct 2019)

Also I think I know what my other buys will be now:

Low-buy on skin care for 2019 - I keep buying backups which I will definitely use before expiration but I don't need to make this a trend

Smart buy on hair care for 2019 - this is my year to experiment with seeing if I can get my curl back or if waves are just how my hair will be. I want to try different products in this category but not just hop from one to another. I need to give each time to see if they work and not just have a bunch waiting in a queue.

Can't wait to hear everyone else's goals for 2019!

[ElleElleG]

YOU CAN DO IT @ShortErica !!!

We're here to cheer you on along the way.