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]

@CC3616 always!! I’m so impulsive haha but I always use and appreciate the things I waited for more!

[ShortErica]

Not to harp on being January birthday buddies, but doing it especially when this is your time of the year to celebrate is super impressive @cianni. Hopefully you make even bigger strides in February. I think the idea of waiting will be a super beneficial strategy for you and anyone else who applies it. Great job!

[cianni]

@ShortErica trust the temptation was STRONG lol! But there’s been a ton of clothing drives and stuff around where I live/work because it’s so cold now, and it’s putting it into perspective for me that I have soooo many things while there are still so many who have very little. 

THat being said - I do regret waiting this morning on that new SF luxe set 😂😂 man that was gone quick!!

[ShortErica]

Maybe there will be a restock @cianni. Or at least Sephora will have plenty of reasons to make new and different luxe kits you can snag in the future.

[newcarlee]

@cianni: CONGRATS!! I love your goal! It’s not a no-buy - let’s be honest, really hard to just cut off - and measurable.  

Thanks for the tips also!  I agree that waiting is key, as is reviewing your stash. Glad these tactics are working for you.  

[cianni]

Thank you @newcarlee! Yeah I thought I could do a no-buy, but that isn’t realistic, especially because there’s so much grey area. Plus we work hard for our money! There’s nothing wrong with a little splurge, it’s just about being more aware of where you’re spending money and why (I’m kind of treating this like a diet for my wallet😂 - am I spending because I’m bored or because I actually need something?)

[sephoraaddict918]

Congratulations @cianni!!! That's an amazing accomplishment with reducing unnecessary spending! 

[cianni]

Thank you @sephoraaddict918! Just doing a little scroll through this thread and I can tell a lot of us are doing pretty well in January! We got this!! 🥳🥳

[eshoe]

@cianni that is fantastic, congratulations!!! It sounds like we have realized some of the same things along the way, one being just more aware of the purchases we do make (which is a TOTAL win!).

Great work🤩🥳

[cianni]

@eshoe thank you! I like how you call it “mindful spending”,  because looking at some of the things I have, I can definitely tell it was mindless/boredom spending. I feel so much less guilty buying things I know I love and will appreciate owning because I’ve put thought into the purchase. Things that spark joy, as my 2019 role model Marie Kondo would say 😂😂

[eshoe]

I like that, @cianni, “things that spark joy!” ☺️

[joragroy]

I never thought I would put myself on a no-buy, but here I am! After spending the last 5 months bare-faced due to being too ill to even think about makeup, I’m proud of my decision. Prior to getting sick, I was perfectly content with the makeup I had (I bought the Naked4some set, since I couldn’t confidently settle on just one UD Naked palette, along with the Violet Voss Rainbow palette - the first and only palettes I’ve ever owned up until now) but ever since rediscovering the Sephora site and finding a lot has changed, I’m so eager to use up what I have and branch out/start purchasing new makeup, especially since I know what I like and am looking for now. If my apartment space allowed, it would be way more difficult sticking to a budget, so I’m grateful for the extra motivation! I tried justifying a low-buy, but it’s not going to happen. Here goes nothin’...💀

[sockmagnet]

I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better! Learning to enjoy what we have is often difficult but I think it is something we benefit from 🙂 It will be all the more exciting for you to use things up intentionally and then be able to choose new things in the future.

[joragroy]

Thank you! I’m definitely ready to learn from this experience. I’m still considering whether or not I should try to do the Pan It challenge...

[cianni]

@joragroy Happy to hear you’re feeling better!! Try the pan it 🤗 I joined this year and omg the satisfaction of finishing something is soooooo good. Plus as I went through all my stuff, I realized how many totally unopened things I have. I set those aside for potential donation if it doesn’t look like I’ll make it to them as they start to approach expiry. It’s a win-win: you finish things you have and save money, and donate unused items so someone else can love them! Oh, and the extra space for more products when you’re ready haha... I guess a win-win-win 😂

[joragroy]

@cianni Thanks! Super excited now, I’m going to do it. 😃

[shyvicki]

So far so good. Right now, eye shadow singles keep tempting me but I'm not giving in. I had reorganized my makeup collection in a way that lets me see just how much I actually have when I look at it. I also rearranged my hair care and skin care items. I have more hair care than originally thought. 

[gillian321]

TONIGHT I put myself on a low-buy list. I just completely reorganized (and slightly decluttered but a skincare hoarder’s version of declutter) all of my samples/trial sizes of skincare and some makeup and oh my god I have more than I know what to do with. Beside my already insane amount of full size skincare/ a bit of makeup products that I use regularly, I have three Birchbox box’s filled to the BRIM with samples/trial sizes of things that I can’t bear to part with. I gave a considerable amount (trial sizes and full size products that I wasn’t going to really use) away to family but I have so many trial sizes of skincare that I really do want to try, but I’m that kind of person that if it’s stored away somewhere or if it’s hard to find I’ll completely forget about it. So everything is reorganized and I will be USING these little products. I did a tonnn of shopping over my winter break so I’m nowhere near needing to restock any staples and I bought so many new fun things recently that it wouldn’t even be fun if I went to Sephora tomorrow (yes I am mentally convincing myself of this right now). I’m only allowing myself to buy replacements for things I absolutely need (probably won’t be happening for a little bit unless I’m forgetting about something) and only if something comes out that I am absolutely dying for. Not the things that have been sitting in my loves list, nothing that I just kinda want or have my eye on, things that I see and I’m literally like OH MY GOD IVE BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS haha. This will be lasting as long as possible, ideally until the next Sephora store wide sale!

[ShortErica]

Can't wait to see what you learn about all of the samples you kept @gillian321. Please be sure to share in the Empties or Foil sample challenge posts. 🙂

[gillian321]

That’s a great idea! I already threw out a handful of empty samples and it’s only been a few days, I should really share first impressions of the rest of them!

[eshoe]

Almost the end of the month, so I thought I would post a little update. Spending on beauty items for myself, excluding restocks, is $32.21, which is under budget. I have also purchased a few items to gift, and been able to take advantage of promos, which isn't included in my total. So I am grappling with exactly what a 'low-buy' means to me. When I decided to try this out, it was to reduce spending on personal beauty items. Which technically, I have done. All this to say, I'm 20 days in and already re-evaluating what my goals need to be for February and beyond!