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**

[Loretta55]

I understand @KehDee. I am a compulsive shopper too. I used to joke if there was a shopping medal offered at the olympics I would qualify for the gold medal. Please carefully read through this thread. Many BIC members have offered advice that seems to be working for them. I probably am not the best person to offer advice but I realize that I need to heed some of the advice given.

Everyone has their own personal goals for a low buy. The longest I have gone is 8 weeks without any makeup purchases.

[KehDee]

Thanks for the reply @Loretta55. I will be sure to check out more of the thread 😊

[Loretta55]

Unfortunately I also purchase too much clothing also @KehDee . This time of year is especially tough with all of summer clothing on sale.

[KehDee]

That's tough for sure. I mostly buy makeup, books, and craft supplies but I have expensive tastes. My biggest problem is that I suffer from a few mental illnesses, and impulsive behaviour is part of it so it's difficult to just "not spend". A lot of it is mood dependent for me. I'm working on it, but it's a struggle.

[heartsmyface]

Oh guys I am not doing so well at this no buy.  Lisa Eldridge released some new lipsticks and I bought three of them.   (I feel like I’m at confession at church😅).  I don’t have any excuses.  I just have to keep trying to be conscientious about my purchases. 

For July I’m already at £76 which is $124 Cdn   Not off to a great start but I can do this. 

[trishavt]

@heartsmyface Its ok! You can still try to stick to a budget and splurge here and there. Just knowing what your budget is and trying to stick to a $ range is a great start. You got this 🙂 

[heartsmyface]

@trishavt   Maybe that’s a better idea moving forward.  Have a budget that I don’t necessarily want to use, but as a little security blanket in case something comes up.  I am doing much better so baby’s steps. 

[sockmagnet]

@heartsmyface any improvement is progress in the desired direction 🙂

One of the tricks that I use is to keep everything on the surface of my dressing table so I can see how cluttered it is with all the stuff that I already have... that way I can see at a glance that I don't need to be buying extra things.

[heartsmyface]

@sockmagnet   That sounds like a good idea in theory but I don’t think all my stuff would fit on my counter 😅. That’s probably a sign in itself.  

I’ve been doing one month panning projects and am doing a lipstick challenge to use all my lipsticks once without repeating them.  That’s going well.  

[sockmagnet]

@heartsmyface mine doesn't all fit either, so I end up piling it on the stool underneath >_> but still, it does help me to remember to use things up and to not buy things I don't need. I think that whatever helps each individual person is a good thing 🙂

[blackkitty2014]

@heartsmyface 3 is a great progress.  All of them are not 😉

[heartsmyface]

@blackkitty2014   I guess if I look at it like that, yeah I’ve improved a bit.  I do expect better of myself moving forward though.  

On another note- I haven’t been able to get the huda neon pink palette out of my head.  If I’m still thinking about it in two weeks and it’s still available I’m going for it.  

[blackkitty2014]

@heartsmyface i totally feel you.  I try to not buy any more lipsticks/eyeshadow palettes until i finish something ... anything ... I was good the whole year until last month Sephora keept throwing as us discount coupons left and right and i fail miserably.  I have tons of things on my love list too ... Hopefully they was there too long and i forget about it 😉

[heartsmyface]

@blackkitty2014   I’n Kinda hoping the neon trend dies down before I cave.  

[trishavt]

Pro tip: check out the pan project thread.

Project pan has been good at helping me stick to a low buy (bc I need to accept that a no buy will never happen). I’ve been much better at resisting things I don’t need! (Tho I cave but not as often and not spending as much $$$)

[blackkitty2014]

Totally agree @trishavt !!! I was able to resist getting things now now by trying to pan thing.  Oh boy ... it takes a long time to pan anything including lipsticks

[sockmagnet]

So, for April / May / June I spent a total of $237.93 on beauty items from Amazon, Ulta, Sephora, and Tatcha. This is below my current quarterly budget of $250, but higher than expenditure for the first quarter of the year (which was $174.90).

Item type breakdown: $88.65 on face masks, $73.49 on face creams, $8.12 on serum, $19.32 on cleansing cloths, $38 on face wash, $10.35 on pimple patches.

[newcarlee]

Congrats @sockmagnet for staying within your budget!  That’s a wonderful accomplishment.  It’s not quite fair to compare against a super-awesome quarter since I’d think you would have to buy a but more thereafter just to make up in re-stocks and what-not.  Kind of like a month where you buy nothing - you can’t use it to compare it against later since obviously you can’t continue to not purchase anything.

[heartsmyface]

Okay.  I’m done travelling but was a very active shopper while away buying makeup masks clothes purses sunglasses.... yeah.  In my défense it was much more enjoyable to shop as an actual  treat than it has been in the past as a ‘just because i’m bored’.  Back on the no buy.  

[fieldsofclover]

Second half of June has been a lot messier for me than the first, even though it would still be a low-buy compared to previous years. I'm not being hard on myself because I've stuck with my no-buy for a full six months until now (I started December 1st), and I don't regret any of it... the few makeup items filled sizeable holes in my day-to-day routine. One nice habit change is that I'm a lot more suspicious about launches than I used to be, and nothing I bought this month was a new release.

[faeriegirl]

I have done so much better this month! I had 4 small online orders (2 Sephora, 1 Volition, 1 Ulta) and 2 small instore purchases(Ulta and TJ Maxx). Everything was on sale except the Volition essence. Next month will probably be bad because it’s my birthday month but I should be back on track in August.🤞