General Subscription & Sampling Programs

No Buy Program Guide   I found a great new No Buy channel on YouTube (well it found me; it was in my recommended videos), a new No Buy channel from a New York concert pianist, Natalia Lavrova. I find this fascinating, because I love the world of classical music. Here is someone in my dream life, who loves shopping, and beauty subscriptions, who has credit card debt, and is doing a No Buy! I'll be fascinated to watch this channel and hear how this artist's No Buy goes as she is preparing for concert tours abroad! Ms. Lavrova has a really good Shop My Stash video with great tips on winter makeup colors, like icy pink highlighter. I looked for her piano performances on YouTube and they are stunning. This is going to be a big inspiration for me!   

I made it through the night with no buying! I slept through the shopping craving like it was an illness. I woke up after the 12 hours of sleep and as I was waking up I thought of a happy time in the 90's. I was young; all my family members were alive. I was at a Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, (I love James Bond and don't know what I am going to do when his new film is released, since I'm not allowed money for entertainment on my No Buy). On the floor near my feet was a big bag of Estee Lauder products that I had just gotten with my birthday and Christmas money. I had a full size moisturizer and a huge PWP, beautiful. The film had a great ending. The Bond girl was underwater, running out of air, and just in time, there's James Bond, the theme music resumes! Great scene! And walking around the mall after, how happy I felt! And today I am sad that time is gone, many family members are gone, life is sadder, time is running out, and I did not use that bag of Estee Lauder products up! I probably used them a few times and then threw them out and bought something else. And maybe if I had used every drop, in my mind, I could have held on to life, to time, to happiness. At any rate I would have had more money. If only we knew about No Buys and Project Pans then! This is just one of a million examples of how I think about this.  When I woke up Elle S was still analyzing her samples! She was talking about how her project taught her to evaluate (excellent video, Oct 1, 2017).  Last night in bed I took some photos of samples I need to use up. Sorry for so many long posts, but I've really had to work on this for the last 24 hours. Primers, shower gels and body scrub, toners, and masques.   

I haven't given in and bought anything yet, though I wanted to. I went to bed early (I think it was 5 pm), and I was listening to Elle S 365 Days of Samples playlist on YouTube. It is inspiring. Elle is detailed, persevering, and creative. I was very cozy, and I dreamed I was going to a spa in Europe. I was so excited about the spa, and about the skin care products the spa was going to have in the room for us. My mother was going with me, and I told her I was going to bring a minimal amount of beauty products in my suitcase, because we would be getting some from the spa. When I woke up I was sad, because the dream was so nice. Now I just woke up and I'm hot and thirsty, but the craving to shop has gone down somewhat. Before I went to sleep I looked in my sample boxes. I saw a beautiful mini lotion with a gold bow on the package that I got for Christmas and had already forgotten about. The glittery gold bow sparkled beautifully in the light.  This while experience today of realizing I have been on No Buy so long without realizing it has been interesting. I have been keeping busy with other things. I began going to a a new religious congregation a month after I went back on No Buy (a different religion I wanted to learn about for a long, long time) and have been busy with that, and have been making new friends and socializing more. The new religion is one that fills my need for intellectual and artistic (through its liturgy) stimulation. I've met wonderful people. It's not always easy to keep going there, as I'm shy and reclusive, but I've kept it up. Maybe this is what made the time go so fast without me knowing it.  I guess I'll go and listen to some more 365 Days of Samples.   

I'm changing the way I keep track of the time on my No Buy in order to motivate myself more. I didn't realize until today that I'm in month 8 of my second year! Four and a half months until completion of Year 2! I want to finish my mini sample products by June 12, 2020. Here is a partial inventory: Shampoo minis - all used up! Face cream, and face cleanser minis - all used up after a great deal of work and patience!  Mini body scrubs - 1  Mini shower gels - 7 Mini face primers - 8 Mini toners - 9 Mini face masques - 12 I still have to add up mini body creams, hair conditioners, and perfumes. I should reorganize them all to get a new perspective.   

Today is the test - will I pass or fail?  Two years ago at this time (end of January 2018, on a Sunday), I discovered Hannah Louise Poston videos for the first time. She had just begun her channel. I recalled cleaning my room while watching the videos and feeling very inspired about my No Buy. I was inspired for an entire year, until ... One year ago at this time (end of January 2019, on a Sunday), I was feeling down. The weather was very bad. There was no good food in the house. I started watching haul type videos. I decided to buy something I didn't need. I felt HORRIBLE and just went on a binge. I tried to hard to get back on the path, but couldn't. I didn't get back on the path until June, when I came back with renewed vigor and had huge success for the rest of the year.  I have been thinking, why don't I just let go again, today? After all, last year I let go and did not ruin myself that much, and then by summer, like a miracle, I was back on No Buy and finished all my goals for the year and more. So I'm using that as justification for cheating. I do have shopping cravings right now. Still, I have not used half of the nice things I got on my binge last year. What will I do? Will I relive 2018 or 2019?  ______ Several hours later. I still want to shop. I cleaned a bit while watching the very first video of Hannah Louise Poston, which was published on January 15, 2018 (Introducing My No-Buy Year!). Watching that brought back a lot of good memories. At the 10:00 mark of this video, Hannah was taking about still being in the exciting early phase of the No Buy, with packages still coming in the mail from the last fling before, and it all being new and not the long haul yet. Then I realized I'm not in the early phase, I'm in the long haul now. I looked at my diaries and realized that I am already halfway through the eighth month of my second No Buy year! It has actually been that long since I began again on June 12! I only have four and a half months to complete in my second No Buy year! I really had no idea I was so far along. So while the calendar year is young, it's August as far as my No Buy Year 2 is concerned. The second year of No Buy goes quickly! I still want to shop, but now I am looking at things differently, and may feel less tempted.