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**

[cianni]

Thanks @Guessgal! Nothing has tempted me since then, so hopefully I got my last lil splurge out of my system! 

[SportyGirly125]

@cianni Those shoes are so cute!

[cianni]

Thank you @SportyGirly125! I’m a sucker for a throwback haha 😂

[michelleaho]

Those shoes are seriously cute! You'll probably get a lot of good use out of them. Someone else used the term mindful spending, I like that. 😊

[cianni]

@michelleaho I’m already wearing them today to run some errands LOL so I don’t feel as bad 😂

[RGbrown]

@cianni

I lean more towards splurge than replacement (you have other shoes, and I assume at least some are casual and could be worn in place of these in most any situation), but like @ShortErica said, you'll have to define your "low buy" vs "no buy" for yourself, and either way is ok as long as you are consistent with it.

On a related note though...do you wear Keds a good bit? If so, watch their sale page online. I'm seeing lots of cute options from $20, and they have free shipping, no minimum. That's absolutely not meant to discount the cuteness or perfection factor in these for you, I promise, so I'm not saying you should return these and find something cheaper, or anything like that! (and these are sold out on their site anyways, sadly, though they do have some of the other Little Miss shoes left.) If Keds are a pretty consistent staple for you, it might be worth watching for deals directly in the future 🙂

(I also have to admit, I was a little shocked that Keds had something that was clearanced for $40...I remember them being my fairly cheap beater shoes as a kid, and had no idea they had gotten so fancy lol. They have some cute stuff, and now I have to walk away...I have enough Converse to fill any casual sneaker void a dozen times over 😛 )

[cianni]

@RGbrown Thanks for the tip! Out of all the shoes I own, keds (or another lowtop sneaker like Superga or converse) are the only shoes I actually “go” through, like.. they have holes or are shredded on the inside. 

Ill have to check out the keds site again. When I did a little peek earlier I didn’t see any from the Little Miss collection offered on the Canadian website. I agree with you though - for some reason I always remembered keds being like $30, and now the original ones retail for $70 CAD. Crazy! 

I think my rule (which I am putting out for posterity so I can’t go back later 😂) is that for skincare, haircare and beauty, anything is a splurge if I have something else I can use that would work equally well (I’m gonna regret making A rule that counts any lip product or eyeshadow palette as a splurge haha). For things like clothing, outerwear, accessories and footwear, anything that I have something comparable that is in viable condition is a splurge, except “staples” (black dress pants for work if something happens to the normally wear, pantyhose for when I inevitably shred them, etc).

summary - white low tops are not a staple even though I wear them often because I have many casual shoes, so this is indeed a splurge. I won’t be too hard on myself because it was on sale and it’s my birthday month haha. Good learning lesson ✔️

[RGbrown]

@cianni

Oh dang, I forgot you were in Canada...that definitely makes a difference in both prices and availability. Blech!

I like the rule! It sounds like an excellent way to break down staples vs wants outside of beauty.

I also understand the birthday splurge...mine's not until next month, but I've already broken my "thoughtful low buy" by ordering a bunch of LQ from SpaceNK as an early bday gift lol. The deal was *fantastic* (6 lipsticks for $51, one of which was originally $50 in its own) and some of these have been on my want list for well over a year, so I'm trying not to give myself a hard time over it, but the very fact that I'm trying to declutter lipsticks makes this hard to justify to myself, deal or not. Sigh.

[cianni]

@RGbrown don’t be so hard!! My dad had a 1 for 1 rule growing up. If you bring in one new thing, you have to toss or donate something that is similar. It wasn’t so hard at first as I outgrew things or wore things out, but as I got older it became harder to bring things in knowing I’d have to get rid of something relatively new. Maybe try that to ease some guilt 😂 (not that you should have any because it’s (almost) your bday and that’s an AMAZING price). Plus it’ll help motivate the declutter effort haha

[RGbrown]

@cianniUnidentified

I tossed out dozens of lippies about a week before placing the order. I guess that helps make me feel a little better, but the goal wasn't to grow the collection again lol. Maybe I should pull some more. Or maybe I'll hate all of these new ones and declutter them (as if throwing yet another $50 out will make me feel better 😂😂😂)

[ShortErica]

I think you need to consider what your definition of "replacement" is and how it relates to the product category. For example, like you said you have other shoes to wear but you didn't have any other white sneakers. So is your goal only to replace X item if all other items in the product category (shoes) cannot fill the void or is it to only replace X item if you have no other item like it in the product category? You mention "something I don’t have an item comparable to" in your low-buy description.

Hopefully I'm being clear. Good job on starting your tracking @cianni - I think these first couple months will help us all work out the kinks in our plans.

[cianni]

@ShortErica Thanks for your detailed response! My initial intention for replacement was to refer to things like “I am out of body wash and should buy a new one”. While that works for beauty, skincare and other similar products, maybe clothing and shoes is too much of a grey area.

Mainly I just don’t want to end up with a ton of interchangeable items, like four pairs of rain boots or something like that. Sometimes with sales I end up with a ton of stuff I have limited need for. I guess for those kinds of things I’ll have to assess it based on what my needs are, like having 7 bathing suits doesn’t make sense for me living in Canada, but having two winter coats does. 

I added in “things I don’t have anything comparable to” to encompass new needs, like when I bleached my hair I had a new needs of purple shampoo and conditioner to prevent the brassiness. It’s not like I didn’t have other shampoo or conditioner at home, but none comparable. 

Hmm... I’ll have to work some of these issues out it seems 😂

[ShortErica]

You're welcome @cianni. Glad to see you figured out what works for you and put it in writing. I really appreciate seeing your logic - yes, 7 bathing suits in Canada might be a bit much. Haha!

[CC3616]

I thought I had posted early but going back through, I don't think I did.. Or I did and need to get my eyes checked. Either way- I'm back for another year of mindful spending, 3 or 4 maybe? For the most part I've done really well the last couple years, just being more mindful of what I'm purchasing and if it's a true need, not being enticed by promos, etc. Last year I started as platinum and VIB and entered 2019 the same. I just barely made platinum at ulta (and I bought the T3 whirl trio!!) and was at about $700 at sephora. About $300 of spend at sephora went to moon juice supplements which I plan on continuing as health/wellbeing, not "beauty" per say. I also did have a few birchbox shop/space NK/direct retail purchases sprinkled in. I think I got one big GWP bag last year from space NK. I planned on more but wasn't enticed by contents. I am gladly past the point of feeling like I need to jump on every promo and try every new thing. 

Big motivator this year- we want to build a house/pay off debt. If the build we are wanting to jump on now doesn't play out, then we plan to start the process by spring/summer. 

My biggest area I need to be watchful of actually isn't beauty at all- it's grocery shopping. I buy too much fresh/produce and things go bad, so we overspend and end up wasting food. I want to challenge myself to do better there. Recently I have been doing a lot of online order pickup and trying to make less frequent trips, staying out of the store helps and I am spending about $40/week less. 

So my 2019 "guidelines"

• Save and make big purchases during GWP bags/incentives. I know this kind of negates the goal of reducing clutter, but it's a great way for me to get some variety in without extra spend and I am at the point of not feeling like I need to get the GWP. I can pass on it if the contents aren't useful for me.
• Only replenish needs, and try to do so during sales, point perks, or promo's that I'll use. An exception to this is having a little back stock of sheet masks, no more than what fit in my current container (small plastic tupperware, a little less than shoebox)
• Keep decluttering and using items up in the pan challenge
• Keep it to one subscription box (allure) and if a boxes contents really wow me/make sense, buy it for the month and move on. ie: I was going to buy a FS of the lancer oil for $60 something and then beauty fix had a FS in the box one month, so I got the box that month for $21 then cancelled. 
• Not buy another LORAC palette until at least one is used up. 1 out then 1 in. Definitely my weak spot. That's one thing I feel FOMO for when it goes on sale. 
• Continue reducing grocery target by $5/week until we find the sweet spot that gets us fed well without overbuying. Keep doing online ordering to be less enticed by wants and extras. Also use up pantry items to help out with this and have less to move/donate/toss at moving time.
• Continue to participate in gift exchanges, etc as a fun outlet.

[danielledanielle]

@CC3616...I really like your "mindfulness" approach to this.  It kind of convinced me to employ mindfulness of my own.  I didn't want to necessarily go low buy but (I kind of do, that's why I somewhat stalk this thread..just not quite there yet, ha), but it definitely got me thinking about purchases I've made this month.

I also feel oddly satisfied knowing something is in stock, then taking it out of my shopping cart when I come to a realization I don't need it.

[christyrc]

@CC3616 I like what you’re saying here...i, too, want to just replenish staples. But I love the idea of maintaining a stash of masks. I want to Incorporate that I to my plan. I need some treats, so I can’t really call mine a no-buy. Just trying to be more sensible. Oh and I totally get the produce thing. I live in a humid climate and our produce lasts three days tops. 😝

[CC3616]

@christyrc It's worked really well for me to have the freedom to stock during sales/promos and not feel so restricted that I can't succeed! If you are mindful of things as you go, treats are definitely more enjoyable rather than guilt inducing.

[ShortErica]

@CC3616 I've had good progress by writing out what fruits and veggies I plan to use during the week. We have a dry erase board on the frig. Sometimes there is a sale but I realize we have too much in house already to eat before it goes bad. It helps me make better buying decisions. We currently have a head of broccoli that I need to throw out. Why did I pick up 2 instead of just 1? I can relate and need to work on it myself. Good luck finding your grocery spending sweet spot.

[CC3616]

@ShortErica Thanks, you too! I usually make a list, as long as I remember it the shopping goes well. The food situation is so dynamic and we don't have kids at play with it either, props to you juggling that 😉 

[ShortErica]

Yes the dynamics of it makes it harder to track. We cross things out and add to our board and then try to redo it when it gets crazy. I worry when my little ones get to be teenagers - I dont want to imagine the food entering and leaving the list and house so quickly @CC3616. Haha.

[ElleElleG]

👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾 Hi No/Low - Buyers

Forgive me for starting the thread & then ghosting.  Holidays/travel are wonderful but it takes me FOREVER to reorient myself.  Anyway I've been trying to figure out what I want to do this year.  No buys are very clearly on the rise following the never ending releases in 2018 but I hesitate to jump aboard for a couple reasons: [1] the trendiness 🤷🏽‍♀️ (not my cup of tea for the most part [2] explicit commitment (with my luck something will come out that I absolutely can't miss 🙄, lol).

Overall my spending last year was a success.  I barely surpassed VIB status with Sephora and I had to make an eleventh hour purchase at Ulta to roll over my Platinum status.  Still a noticeable sum of $$ between the two but I feel I purchased more necessities than wants.  At the end of the year I did feel like a palette hoarder though.  Only 17 new palettes entered my collection with the majority coming to me via subscription boxes (which I have since canceled), use of points, and from attending events.   8 of 17 were added in a span of 2 months though which took me by surprise.  

Many of the new releases have left me uninspired so for now I'll keep riding that wave with my coins in my pocket 😁