2022 & 2023 - THE NO-BUY, LOW-BUY, BUDGET-BUY ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT THREAD

[ElleElleG]

Hello, hello! Welcome to Years 8and 9 of the No/Low Buy Thread.  

        *Many thanks to all who have participated over the last few years.  While I don't

         post often I do read the notifications sent to my email and I cannot say it enough,

         You all are truly amazing!  Thank you for your dedication and support!!

For reference here's the purpose of this thread (from Thread Originator, @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.

A note from lnum (2016):

Spoiler

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!

Curious about the past threads?  Check Here:

Spoiler

2015 https://community.sephora.com/t5/VIB-ROUGE/2015-The-No-Buy-Low-Buy-Budget-Buy-Accountability-and-Sup...

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

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

2018 https://community.sephora.com/t5/Beauty-Confidential/2018-THE-NO-BUY-LOW-BUY-BUDGET-BUY-ACCOUNTABILI...

2019 https://community.sephora.com/t5/Beauty-Confidential/2019-THE-NO-BUY-LOW-BUY-BUDGET-BUY-ACCOUNTABILI...

2020 https://community.sephora.com/t5/Beauty-Confidential/2020-THE-NO-BUY-LOW-BUY-BUDGET-BUY-ACCOUNTABILI...

2021 https://community.sephora.com/t5/Beauty-Confidential/2021-THE-NO-BUY-LOW-BUY-BUDGET-BUY-ACCOUNTABILI...

Community Challenges (These Can Help You Use Your Stash):

Spoiler

Pan It! - 2022 Challenge
Makeup Challenge of the Week 2021/2022
💕😌Mask of the Week Challenge 😌💖
100 Days of Lipstick Challenge
Show Me Your Nails 2.0
100 Shades of Eyeshadow Challenge

*Feel free to PM me if there are additional challenges that should be added*

[QueenMarceline]

@ather Indeed it is. Over time (some 6-7 years), they just sort of piled up. I got rid of a few things that I really don't want anymore or don't need anymore, no need in even having it in the queue anymore. I order everything on there: household items/cleaners, dog supplies, pet snacks, bath/body items. Usually I can get a really good deal on it which is why I start up the subscription in the first place. I've ended up with a bunch of them all correlating on the same month where it's almost overwhelming to go through. I've already trimmed quite a bit but it was super overwhelming to do.

[ather]

@QueenMarceline  Makes sense. When my son was getting potty trained we had to stop it because we kept getting them but didn’t use the diapers fast enough

[Mellmars1185]

@QueenMarceline That is a good place to trim! I personally havent subscribed to anything. Do you find tha you are using the items before you recieve another delivery?

[QueenMarceline]

@Mellmars1185 Yes, a lot of times I do. I usually go through my subscribe and save each month and try to trim things down but I find that I sometimes forget to skip a few things and that's how I ended up with lik 6-7 backups of my laundry soap. I'd start running low, go to the store get 1-2 big laundry bottles then in a few weeks I'd forget I was subscribed or forget I already bought some and I'd get another 1-2 of them in the mail. It's become that I almost have a mini-store in my house for all the things we use. So I have forced myself to check every item I'm planning on subscribing to and if I have multiple back-ups I'm skipping it this month and probably the next few upcoming ones as well. I've been organizing a lot lately and it made me realize how much stuff I already have. I want to focus on actually using items the next few months instead of bringing more into my home. 🙂

[Mellmars1185]

@QueenMarceline sounds like a great idea. I did something similar. I am trying to use up what i have before buying stuff at home. I have a lot of doubles. In my basement i have a whole shelf of groceries, self care and household items. I am trying to use up what I have. I think i can probably go a few weeks without having to buy anything but I always like to have backups and find things when they are on sale.

[QueenMarceline]

@Mellmars1185 Absolutely, I love having back-ups or even several but I think I've overdid it a bit and it's all accumulated over time. In February, my goal is really to shop my stash a lot more.

[newcarlee]

Spoiler

I need to be disciplined this year. @QueenMarceline put together an amazing post on what’s driving her No/Low buy and I feel her 100%.

My weaknesses and what I plan to do:

- FOMO on sales, GWPs: this leads to my getting backups of products. Already in Jan 2022, I got a yet another cleanser backup for the 500 bonus points and a GWP and then caved into the Tatcha lucky bag GWP.- - Goal and Plan: No-buy until at least July. Inventory my stash, then Shop and use up my stash. I don’t foresee running out of any product until well into the second half of this year. I will aim to try to make it to the Nov sale to shop then, but first goal is to make it to July.

[QueenMarceline]

@newcarlee Thanks so much, I totally understand the struggle with GWPs and multipliers + sales... it's one of my biggest vices. I think you can definitely do a no buy until July! I'm spacing mine out with at least (hopefully) 2 months off before a sale month and being better about that "on" month. I feel like if I do a very strict no buy for February and March I can let myself re-stock on necessities in April for the VIB sale. 

[lnum]

@ElleElleG Thank you for continuing this thread throughout the years! 

This year I want to set a goal for myself to focus on purchasing products as I need them. I find that I get carried away with ordering in bulk when there is a 20% discount at Sephora and sometimes I never use those extra products so ultimately I did not save money, I wasted money.

[ElleElleG]

Of course @lnum ! Seeing what other BICers are doing helps keep me motivated to spend less!

Speaking of, that 20% off used to be so tempting. Now I only have access to that for the F&F sale and by that point there's usually less that I "need"

[lnum]

@ElleElleG That must be so liberating. I realize now that because I am rouge I feel like I need to restock when the sales come, it is a learned behavior from all these years of being rouge. 

[QueenMarceline]

I'll officially be going on a NO Buy in February (and March... that's my goal at least) after my January Low-Buy was a fail. I want to "feel good" about my low-buy this year again and really need to trim my purchasing quite a bit. I have a ton of items and for two months I'd like to focus on shopping my stash. I'm really hoping in February I will not buy anything, I have a lot of products with back-ups so in theory if I run out of my loved items I should have another on hand and if I don't I likely have a product that can substitute it for a little while. I feel like completing February without one single purchase will prove to me that shopping my stash can be more fun than I think. Furthermore, I think it will help me gain some confidence that I can do well in the future by completing this month and overall set me up for more success in future months to have a healthier relationship with consumerism. @Mellmars1185 expressed interest in doing a no-buy in February as well and I'm hoping we can support one another through the journey as well. 

Some Broad Goals for My 2022 No/Low-Buy: 

• Don't shop every sale/coupon just because you feel like you are "missing out": FOMO is real with me, guys. I loooove a good deal and I feel like sometimes I'm forcing purchases based what's on a hot sale or what I can grab with a coupon/GWP/Points Multiplier. Although these things are great and I will continue to try to get a good bang for my buck, I don't want to force purchases just because I will feel like I'm missing out on a good snag. Not every sale is meant to be shopped. I will be passing along a lot of coupon codes on the BIC as my way to spread the love and will only be shopping sales/using coupons/getting GWP when I am buying necessary items.
• Shop That Stash: I have so many lovely products that don't even have a dent in them, I'm honestly ashamed because many of these are LE exclusives that sold out quickly and I'm sure someone missed out on this product that would have used/loved it. I owe it to myself to really give these a solid go and pass them along to a new home if they aren't working out for me.
• Anti-Haul Items To Help Me Get By: I created an anti-haul thread very recently in order to try to combat the urge to splurge, I know in the future there will be releases that will be itching for me to buy them... I really want to be considerate with my purchasing and I think anti-hauling items will help me do so. By being overly critical of an item, comparing it to others you already own or being honest about how you simply do not need the item-it becomes much easier to resist the urge. If you are interested in also participating you can find the thread here: The Offical Anti-Haul Thread 
• Compare Things I "Want" To Things I Already Own: Piggy backing off my previous point, I have so many items that are already oh so similar. Do I really need another release of X, Y or Z that already looks like the products I own? Probably not. I want to be overly critical in this area to avoid buying things before appreciating the things I already own.
• Be Honest About What I Really Need and What I Regularly Use: I have a problem with buying back-ups, yes some items it's critical to not run out of. But I am over-doing it... especially in some areas. If I don't regularly run out of an item, I really do not need to purchase multiple back-ups or even one. Wait until you are running low and then decide if you even want to repurchase it. I can't tell you know many back-ups I have of items I already found bigger and better replacements for... 
• Keep Track of My Empties: Once again, piggy backing off of my previous point by keeping track of exactly what is leaving my stash, at what rate, on what day and how much it costs will help me really get a perspective of how much I'm using each month vs. how much I have been buying... which will probably shock me. So far, I just have been updating a google document that includes the name, photo, price/size of the product as well as if I'd re-buy it. This helps me be honest to myself, is this something I actually want to use a whole other tube/jar/bottle of or am I perfectly okay with either passing on it entirely or going without it for at least a little bit?
• Be Honest About What I Want vs. What I Need: I know sometimes it feels like I absolutely neeeeeed something, I mean the packaging, the formula, the hype, the glitz, the glamour... whatever it may be. We all have our moments and we all have things we want. This is perfectly okay, liking and wanting an item is totally fine and even healthy. Being honest with myself about if this is a want or a need helps me put this item into a bigger and better perspective for myself. I can still buy an item I want (and don't need) but should I be buying it right now, should I be being it full price, should I wait for others reviews on it first, can this wait a few months until a sale comes up? I find that when I've put these things in that kind of perspective, I tend to be more okay with delaying a purchase for even up to a year. I've made deals with myself before such as "the next VIB sale I will buy a Viseart palette" at times when I absolutely did not need any other palettes but those palettes were something I deeply wanted for a long time. I feel if an item catches my eye for long enough, I can reward myself by telling myself I can get it at a future date.  
• Establish Clear Rules: Sometimes, parts of my stash get out of control. Specifically for things that take up lots of room like my candle collection I really want to limit what I'm bringing in. I want my shelf space back and I want less clutter. I'm only allowing myself to get more large sized candles when I have 2 full sized unlit candles in my stash. Which is a huuuuge downsize. I have a ton of small candles too, but the large ones don't stack and take up a lot of room. I'm focusing on using up some smaller candles too. Furthermore, Project Pan has been helping me out by allowing me to focus on products I really want to use up. 
• Allow Yourself To Participate In "Coveted Sales": If I completely cut myself off cold turkey I think that would be a bit of a shock to the system. I love the ULTA 10X points sale and have been shopping it for ages and the VIB sales also hold a special place in my heart. I might be shopping these sales a bit differently and going on no buys before these upcoming sales but I still want to participate in getting my necessities at a good snag. 
• Pre-Plan Your Sales Shopping: I know that VIB occurs in April and November and that 10x the Points happens in August and that many of the best ULTA coupons come out in December. I don't want to set myself up for feeling like I failed by declaring April a no buy month and then shopping the VIB sale. Instead, I want to pre-plan by going on a no-buy for a month or two before these sales. That way I can gauge what I need and also what I may want in a much more long-term type of view. Many times when VIB rolls around I just buy tons of back-ups of used items and throw a bunch of things that I want or maybe that even caught my eye right then into my cart. No much spontaneous splurging. Have a plan. 
• (Continued) Create a Well-Thought Out Shopping Cart for Sales: Another piggy back, I want to add things into my cart as I realize I need them (for example, if I'm running out of mascara I'll add one to my cart right then). That way my shopping cart is full of things I genuinely need or am running out of/need back-ups of. Separately, I will keep a list of things I have been eyeing or that I really want to snag or try out. A few weeks before the sale, I will give myself a "want item limit" that either quantity based in dollars (Example: $150) or quantity based in number of products (Example: I can buy 3 "Wants"). Then I will decide which "wants" (not needs) I will be purchasing during the sale. I think this will help me be more mindful on which products from my "wants" I actually want and which ones I have to pass on. When you have a "I can buy this or that" mentality it really helps you be more honest about what you enjoy more and ultimately what purchase is the one I want to make vs. what simply caught my eye/grabbed my attention. 

[heavyhedon]

Sounds like a great approach to sales, @QueenMarceline , and I'm with you on ditching the back-ups of back-ups! 

[QueenMarceline]

@heavyhedon Haha, thank you! 🙂 I'm really trying to have a better relationship with consumerism 

[Mellmars1185]

@QueenMarceline Those are some great goals! I have a lot of back up products also and a lot of items I never tried. A lot of things I buy are 'Nice to Haves', not needs. I got your back! Next time you want to buy something and look at all these great reasons why you are trying to wait.