August 2014 No Buy/Low Buy Thread - Hugs, Commiseration, and confessional

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Oh - and by the way - notice how I'm acting all sure I hold out my no-buy until the 10th, like it's a foregone conclusion?  HA!  I'm so delusional...

 
@@mellee I know you will! you're not delusional, you're determined.

Good morning, lovelies. I should be writing instead of lurking the forums, (does this count as writing?), and am going bare faced today. I feel like as the months get hotter and hotter, my desire to wear makeup is goneeee! Also because I rarely wear makeup when I'm at home, and that has been the case for the last few days since I took Thursday and Friday off of work. 

But I am coming in to say hello anyways. I feel like I haven't been as active as I'd like, and my drop ins have been sporadic at best. :C I miss you, people! but the weather is nice and there are bike rides to be had. How is everyone doing? 

 
@@slinka I did it!  Instead of being quite so harsh on myself at the grocery store, I fed the kids lunch at home before going to the store instead of going out to lunch, which is our normal Sunday routine.  I feel much better about the budget, although I did miss the sweet, delicious taste of Chipotle! (And no promises about next Sunday!  My guacamole craving may be out of control at that point!)  I did also make an effort to buy more healthy foods, although there were a few bumps, we definitely avoided the usual amount of chips/sweet stuff.

I feel like I can wear my shirt guilt-free now, lol!

 
I just have to say that bill me later is kind of evil. Since you can spread out the payments, it makes you feel like you aren't spending as much as you actually are. I just bought some of my HG items in a sale they were having on Memebox. I stayed away from Sephora today, though, so I do feel good about that. I just kept telling myself that waking up early to go wasn't worth a bag of samples. 

 
Urgh, I went over my Sephora spending limit by $40. I guess it's a good thing I resisted those brushes! I do, however, have two items I need to return to Sephora, so that will cover my oopsie. Thank goodness, still on track. 28 days left to go! :wacko:

 
I got my tarte order which I love - but, it has me now thinking - What's next?!   And I love the Tarte eye makeup remover wipes which cost freakin $12 dollars.

I am throwing things out and using things up but,  it just feels like I am making room.  Its only August 3rd.  Not sure I will make it.

Did I mention we bought a TV yesterday?  These are all planned things but, I really shouldn't be treating myself to anything.

 
I was watching a ted talk that really hit home for me, and I think perhaps @@Kookymama you will benefit from as well. It's centered around the concept of "stuff." It's very short.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-murphy-bed-is-a-thing-you-dont-know-you-need-heres-an-apartment-with-3-of-them?c=ufb1

But it's got me thinking not just about my makeup collection but also about everything else I own. I have books I haven't cracked open in years. Art supplies I have ever used for anything. Clothes that haven't been worn since college. What for? I don't use them, so obviously don't need them. I am more willing to forgive myself the books (I do go through often and find something to read) but the clothes? the supplies? So I'm going to start selling or donating a ton of stuff, and using up my art supplies. Clutter brings me stress, so I don't know why I keep holding onto stuff. 

 
@@jaylilee ~  I am a less is more kinda girl.  So the video makes a lot of sense to me.    We just cleaned out a room and it feels so good to get rid of junk we saved just in case.  For example, boxes to wrap Christmas presents that have long since crushed.

My problem is I don't have a collection of makeup/skincare.   I am older but, new to looking for the best products for me.   Now that the eye shadow and eye liner situation is in good shape, I am desperate to move on to blush.  I hate, hate the NARS orgasm blush I have and want to replace it with one of the Hourglass Ambient Blushes.  There is no way I will get through that blush in August.  But, I may have it accidently fall on the floor for September.  ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
jaylilee said:
I was watching a ted talk that really hit home for me, and I think perhaps @@Kookymama you will benefit from as well. It's centered around the concept of "stuff." It's very short.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-murphy-bed-is-a-thing-you-dont-know-you-need-heres-an-apartment-with-3-of-them?c=ufb1

But it's got me thinking not just about my makeup collection but also about everything else I own. I have books I haven't cracked open in years. Art supplies I have ever used for anything. Clothes that haven't been worn since college. What for? I don't use them, so obviously don't need them. I am more willing to forgive myself the books (I do go through often and find something to read) but the clothes? the supplies? So I'm going to start selling or donating a ton of stuff, and using up my art supplies. Clutter brings me stress, so I don't know why I keep holding onto stuff. 
Click to expand...
I've been editing my stuff for the last few months. I've sold/traded/donated a lot of clothing, handbags, books, and other things. The problem is that I can't stop buying stuff for my makeup collection. It's my one weakness. I've pretty much stopped buying purses, jewelry and sunglasses, but not makeup. Since I got the Alex drawer dupes, my stash is pretty well organized now, but my collection will keep growing since I am apparently powerless to stop buying makeup. I used the diet analogy earlier partly because I just recently got my eating habits under control. My mother passed away unexpectedly a few years ago, and I used food as a drug and ended up gaining about 30 pounds. It was terrible! I've regained control on that front, but now I kind of feel like I've just transferred that to shopping. When I feel stressed out, upset, or bored, I have to shop!  I like living without clutter, and I guess since I have my makeup collection properly stored, and it's so small compared to other things, it's something I feel safe buying. I also feel like it's an extension of me taking better care of myself too. For a long time, I hardly wore makeup or even washed my face at night. I also wore frumpy clothes and no accessories. I just wish I was capable of slowing down the flow of makeup buying. One good thing is that people love getting gifts from me now since I always buy really nice makeup for female friends and family. I've gotten a lot of people into makeup and seen their confidence increase as a result.

 
OK so all my beauty stuff fits into one milk crate (awesome right?? i dont really have that much stuff). BUT, i feel like I should par down my nail polishes. my boyfriend and i were talking about it and he noticed that i really only paint my nails using one or two colors yet, i do have a mini "collection". Im thinking of getting rid of most of my nailpolishes except for the Sephora Formula X 22 and maybe those few colors that I wear constantly. I went nuts during the Sephora by OPI sales but I've probably just swatched them, if that. 

I feel like i'm irrationally holding onto a basket of nail polish I haven't/probably wont use. What would you do?

I also have a feeling I might par down my collection as a whole. Since we packed up the bathroom stuff I've been living off of one palette and its been *fantastic*. Its really putting into perspective how I already know what I like and already have what I will absolutely use so I think that my shopping will be brought back significantly! woohoo.

I'm also trying to be in super saver mode and remind myself that just because i'm now a big girl with a big girl job and a real person paycheck that this doesn't mean i can eat out/shop/fill my home with random stuff! I'm surprised at the crazy debt my peers find themselves in on top of their college debt! Yeeesh.

 
usofjessamerica said:
OK so all my beauty stuff fits into one milk crate (awesome right?? i dont really have that much stuff). BUT, i feel like I should par down my nail polishes. my boyfriend and i were talking about it and he noticed that i really only paint my nails using one or two colors yet, i do have a mini "collection". Im thinking of getting rid of most of my nailpolishes except for the Sephora Formula X 22 and maybe those few colors that I wear constantly. I went nuts during the Sephora by OPI sales but I've probably just swatched them, if that. 

I feel like i'm irrationally holding onto a basket of nail polish I haven't/probably wont use. What would you do?

I also have a feeling I might par down my collection as a whole. Since we packed up the bathroom stuff I've been living off of one palette and its been *fantastic*. Its really putting into perspective how I already know what I like and already have what I will absolutely use so I think that my shopping will be brought back significantly! woohoo.

I'm also trying to be in super saver mode and remind myself that just because i'm now a big girl with a big girl job and a real person paycheck that this doesn't mean i can eat out/shop/fill my home with random stuff! I'm surprised at the crazy debt my peers find themselves in on top of their college debt! Yeeesh.
Click to expand...
For me, weeding out nail polishes is one of the easier beauty stash purges, because I receive so many polishes that are close in color or don't quite work for me because of the color or formula. I try to narrow it down to one or two reds that are flattering to my skintone, one silver that has a good formula and isn't streaky, one nude that's flattering, etc. Open them up and toss the ones that are goopy and separated, or promise yourself that you'll get some thinner and fix any HG polishes so they're in usable condition. You might also try tossing anything that hasn't been used more than once or at least once in the last year, etc. 

If you're having trouble letting go (I do), try moving stuff you're undecided about getting rid of into "cold storage" (for me, a Glossybox under the bed). If you go another few months without going to cold storage looking for a certain product, I think it's safe to get rid of it without feeling guilty.

 
usofjessamerica said:
I feel like i'm irrationally holding onto a basket of nail polish I haven't/probably wont use. What would you do?
Click to expand...
What I did after realizing I had accumulated too much nail polish, and I still have too much, was go through my swatch sticks and sold all the dupes I had. I had a few colors that were the exact same as another, and picked the one I liked least for whatever reason (formula, brand, etc.) and sold them on Storenvy. Then I went through them again, and really considered whether I was going to wear a certain color. I tried to take the thought process of "oh well I need that shade for nail art" off the table, and really considered whether I would wear it alone. If not, get rid of it.

 
Hopping on board.  No more non-food purchases until September! I just spent waaaay too much money on vacation (worth it though) and desperately need to reign it in.

 
I went back through my spreadsheet and tallied up the number of makeup puchases I've made each month. From January-June I made 55 purchases (0 13 4 10 15 13) and so far my July-December total is 3 (0 3). I'm aiming to keep it at 25 or less for the last 6 months of the year. Having an item limit has been so helpful.. I really have to be selective.

I've also purged about 15 makeup items this month and have been working on using things more.

 
I totally fell off the no buy wagon already.  But today is a new day and I am starting from now.  No more buying anything I am not totally and completely out of.  Period.  I will have some boxes coming in this month and I will have an order that I placed coming in next week, so that will have to keep me happy for the rest of the month. 

I actually spent some time this weekend doing up the spare room that will be "my" room until we have kids, so that was fun.  It was full of boxes that we didn't have anything else to do with, so I got those in a pile to go to the basement.  I unpacked all my books and I hung up some pictures.  I still have a ways to go on it, but I can see progress.  So I will continue with that this week, which should keep me occupied and away from unnecessary purchases.

 
I may have to break my no-buy for a Memebox that is hopefully going back up today, Moisture Surge. I was the one who actually suggested this box, because they had never had a box for dry skinned people like me. I have a hard time finding products that can take care of my really dry skin, that will only get worse in the winter. So I may get it only because they are products I do actually need, and not just "oh shiny, want!"

 
Spoke too soon.. just saw that the 2x-3x-4x points is now on at Sephora. Placed an order for Tarte Exposed blush, the Give Me Some Lip set, and that lipgloss pickup artist tool. I also got a free mini Buxom gloss and a mini Marc Jacobs eyeliner for 100 points. And I just broke VIB Rouge! Only 1 more purchase allowed for this month! 1) NARS Himalia 2) MAC Sable 3) Tarte Exposed 4) Give Me Some Lip set 5) ??

 
I'm not doing so well. :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />  Sephora and Memebox. I was fine with Sephora until I saw that you could get a rouge sample bag online. I'm not sure what my excuse is with Memebox. I guess I just suck. I have no room for so many more Memeboxes and I just bought 8 more. It's only day 4. Maybe I need counseling.

 
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