The "We're past halfway through 2014" Thread : Holiday spending plans and resolution reevaluation

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Now that we're moving into the latter part of the year (only ~5 months left in 2014) I'm going to urge everyone to reevaluate how they are coming on their goals. At the beginning of this year we all set out to be in control of our spending. See your goals here: https://www.makeuptalk.com/f/topic/127423-no-buy-low-buy-goals-for-2014/

We all had changes this year, some were expected, some unexpected. We did the best we could to deal with those changes.

And now, we can reevaluate how we are doing so far, and see if we want to make any changes for the tail end of the year. This is probably when people spend the most money- the holidays! So keep your head up and start thinking about it early, get yourself some goals. Let's talk about our game plans!

 
Regarding my year so far:

Me, stick to resolutions? Hah, that's a laugh. I should say it's a pretty hard fail so far, but just keeping my goals in the back of my head is helping me at least try to stay on track. This has been a bad year for me, what with my divorce.... but I'm doing better and I'm hoping to really kick this Fall in the booty in terms of spending.

Let me examine why I think I did badly....so here were my goals for this year:

(Grey is what I accomplished, Red is what I failed at)

 
Monthly goals:

JAN- Low buy ($20), sell on ebay

FEB- No buy, sell on ebay

MAR- Low buy ($20), sell on ebay

APR- No buy, do the Zoya Earth Day nail polish thing

MAY- Low buy ($20)

JUN- No buy

JUL- Low buy ($20)

AUG- No buy, sell on ebay

SEP- No buy, sell on ebay

OCT- No buy- instead, have fun decorating house for the Fall, going on walks, etc.

NOV- Take advantage of all the good deals ($200)

DEC- Lowish buy to take advantage of the good deals ($100)

(Ok to replace necessary items, including: Paula's Choice skincare, personal hygiene items, mascara, concealer, and foundation but only when I run out!)

Planned buys as of Jan, 2014: Used Clarisonic on Ebay (maybe- or get muslin cloths), NYX jumbo eye pencil in 'milk' ($4.50), UD Naked 3 palette ($52), a few new makeup-brushes by Sigma or Real Techniques (crease, blending, flat kabuki for mineral foundation), Faber Castell perfect pencil ($13), prescription sunglasses ($150), Butter London backstage pass with 'yummy mummy' ($44) (only if I consistently use my current nail polishes and like them for two months). May need new camisoles with bra shelves built in ($36), as well as new panties ($7), and perhaps a new pair of jeans ($45). Would be nice to have a classic purse or briefcase-type bag for my job ($60).

General beauty goals:

1. Take inventory of all beauty items, keep it in Google Docs so I can access it from anywhere.

2. Determine how long each item lasts me, and how much it would cost annually to keep using it.

3. Start actually using my eyeshadows, try two develop two go-to looks that work with my eye shape.

4. Declutter and minimize- if I don't like or use a product for more than 3 months, it's time to donate it or trash it.

5. Remember: cruelty-free only! And make myself reusable cotton squares with my sewing kit!

6. Make a monthly 'most wanted' list and must wait 30 days minimum before buying, and only during 'low buy' months, within the price range.

General financial goals:

1. Fully fund my 2013 Roth IRA

2. Fully fund my 2014 Roth IRA

3. When raise comes in, put a larger percentage of gross income into 401K

4. Check credit report three times a year on annualcreditreport.com and use creditkarma and mint.com monthly

5. Save at least $100 every month into my Emergency fund (ideally $300)

6. Consider trying the envelope method or get online bank that allows unlimited sub-accounts

How to stay on my No Buy:

1. Impulse control- must still want it at least 30 days after first feeling the need (see above).

2. Train yourself not to get a thrill from purchases, instead, go on walks, bike rides, and visit the library often for books, magazines, movies, music, and graphic novels. In short, do instead of buy.

3. Try DIY projects if you already have the materials- no going out and purchasing! This is to save money, not create a new hobby.

4. Trade or buy from sold items on ebay

5. Consider making a chart of goals and rewards, kind of like a rewards calendar. Each week I don't spend any money, I can give myself a point, which will allow me to add $5 to my next low buy month's quota, making it possible to change that low buy of $20 to a low buy of $40 if I meet my no buy goal each week of the previous month. Conversely, if I slip up in a week, I will have to be on a no-buy the next month again.

6. I can buy anything I want if I sell stuff and increase my paypal balance, but no more than my paypal balance.

And my plan for the rest of this year:

My main plan is to go on a no buy the rest of the summer, through early Fall. I can only start making purchases again in November, when all the holiday sets and deals come out.

So, until then, all I can do is repurchase necessary items (skincare I use daily). I can't repurchase a lipstick if I still have another one, because that's not necessary, and also just because it was my favorite color doesn't mean I can buy it willy-nilly, even if it's under $5. That ish adds up!!!

Try to follow what I laid out for myself- but also add these:

1. Try reviewing your makeup or skincare as a way to 'play' with your pretties, rather than just displaying them and wanting more. Don't treat it like a collection, don't check it off. Enjoy it!

2. Resist smaller purchases, because they are seldom used, and add up big time! I need to figure out a way to realize their worth. Such as: if I make one pointless $5 purchase every day of the week (7), that adds up to $35, and in two weeks that is $70! That's enough to buy Guerlain Meteorites (to put it into perspective)!!!!

3. Stop hunting for the 'perfect' product- if it's good enough, just keep with it and try to remember that switching up skin products all the time is not good for your skin. Keep it stable.

4. Learn about 'urge surfing' and committing.

 
I didn't post my resolutions but my main one was to only buy 12 makeup items this year. EPIC fail and by July I had purchased around 50.. so my July-December goal is 25 items and next year I'll go gradually lower again. I didn't realize how much of a shopping problem I really had. :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
Thanks for making this post!

I think for me, the first of the year was ... so-so. 

- January was a low-buy month, and I stuck to that and did not impulse buy. I planned my purchases and only purchased that. so success.

- February I did meh. Ok but not great. I managed to stick to below my allowance for the month but ultimately I did not really need anything of what I bought.

- March was a fantastic success, as all I got was shampoo and a few lip products with points I had, and I had a successful march project of using my items for a consecutive month and even hit pan on a blush. This was the month I felt most proud of.

- April went down hill, though...spent $300 on a handful of mac pigments =| that I didn't need, by the way.So let's just call April a disaster.

- May went the way of April for the first half of the month, but then did well the remainder of the month.

- June was another successful no buy month (woohoo!), though I kind of failed at replicating my march success with another project by half.

- July was fine...I spent $12, which ....$12 compared to April's $300-ish feels like a huge success to me. I had decided on it being a no-buy but it turned into a very small low-buy.

And here we are in August, and no purchases so far! I think from 6 months' worth of data (and 5 months previous to that), that I go in waves. I do not NEED makeup for a while, and then suddenly I get this urge to splurge. A similar thing happened last August, where I tested the waters with a low-buy, and that went well so it turned into a successful no buy, and then somewhere along those lines stress got the best of me and I splurged on something. 

Ultimately, though, I do see a trend towards being more aware... for example, the 300 dollar purchase versus the 12 dollar purchase. A year and a half ago I would have just blown through 300 bucks almost every other month (money that, I may add, I didn't have). Nowadays I think REALLY hard on whether I need something or not. With the pigments, I got caught in the hype (ugh, again), but seeing that I now have the few colors I REALLY wanted, and those things last lifetimes, I should be set for life.

My goals for the rest of the year look like this:

(stealing this from you, lady)

GENERAL BEAUTY GOALS:

- Hit pan on Naked and Sin by the end of the year, and start on Toasted and Smog from my naked palette. This will hopefully get me making progress on that bad boy so I can get it out of my life and move onto other things.

- Get back on the skin care horse. I fell off of it and my skin was suffering for a bit...I really need to remember to just put on moisturizer at night.

- Try to make the stash get smaller, either by using things up or by giving and purging. I have too much.

- Develop 2 go to looks (stealing this too!) so I can just slap them on when rushing for time, or when going to the gym, which are usually the more restrictive of occasions for making myself look presentable. 

GENERAL MONEY GOALS:

- Save up. <- basically the gist of every money goal for me.

- Invest time and effort into putting money aside for etsy shop and product development.

GENERAL MAKEUP BUYING HABITS AND GOALS:

- Continue on a no buy or low-buy. A no-buy is not mandatory, but it is the one thing I hope to aim for until the end of the year. My no-buy officially "ends" by the end of September, but I am confident with a little bit of planning and a little bit of effort, that I can make it through a no-buy all the way until the end of the year. 

- Continue to make progress on panning my naked palette, which is a goal of mine because that palette is like 4 years old and just needs to be used up. I have plenty of dupes for almost every single color in it, or, even worse, back ups of a few of the shades.

- Finish stuff.

 This is a big one for me. I feel like I have so many items because I never finish stuff. I am sure I have a few things in my collection I've already hit pan on, that just seem to be floating around for no reason.... they need to go.

 
I didn't post my resolutions but my main one was to only buy 12 makeup items this year. EPIC fail and by July I had purchased around 50.. so my July-December goal is 25 items and next year I'll go gradually lower again. I didn't realize how much of a shopping problem I really had. :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
I am right there with you- I had no idea how much of a compulsive shopper I was, much less that I use it for ... self medication. The main problem here is figuring out a better way to deal with my stress and ... get that little bit of excitement. I think for me I need to start having goals- like exercise goals or something.

Thanks for making this post!

I think for me, the first of the year was ... so-so. 

- January was a low-buy month, and I stuck to that and did not impulse buy. I planned my purchases and only purchased that. so success.

- February I did meh. Ok but not great. I managed to stick to below my allowance for the month but ultimately I did not really need anything of what I bought.

- March was a fantastic success, as all I got was shampoo and a few lip products with points I had, and I had a successful march project of using my items for a consecutive month and even hit pan on a blush. This was the month I felt most proud of.

- April went down hill, though...spent $300 on a handful of mac pigments =| that I didn't need, by the way.So let's just call April a disaster.

- May went the way of April for the first half of the month, but then did well the remainder of the month.

- June was another successful no buy month (woohoo!), though I kind of failed at replicating my march success with another project by half.

- July was fine...I spent $12, which ....$12 compared to April's $300-ish feels like a huge success to me. I had decided on it being a no-buy but it turned into a very small low-buy.

And here we are in August, and no purchases so far! I think from 6 months' worth of data (and 5 months previous to that), that I go in waves. I do not NEED makeup for a while, and then suddenly I get this urge to splurge. A similar thing happened last August, where I tested the waters with a low-buy, and that went well so it turned into a successful no buy, and then somewhere along those lines stress got the best of me and I splurged on something. 

Ultimately, though, I do see a trend towards being more aware... for example, the 300 dollar purchase versus the 12 dollar purchase. A year and a half ago I would have just blown through 300 bucks almost every other month (money that, I may add, I didn't have). Nowadays I think REALLY hard on whether I need something or not. With the pigments, I got caught in the hype (ugh, again), but seeing that I now have the few colors I REALLY wanted, and those things last lifetimes, I should be set for life.

My goals for the rest of the year look like this:

(stealing this from you, lady)

GENERAL BEAUTY GOALS:

- Hit pan on Naked and Sin by the end of the year, and start on Toasted and Smog from my naked palette. This will hopefully get me making progress on that bad boy so I can get it out of my life and move onto other things.

- Get back on the skin care horse. I fell off of it and my skin was suffering for a bit...I really need to remember to just put on moisturizer at night.

- Try to make the stash get smaller, either by using things up or by giving and purging. I have too much.

- Develop 2 go to looks (stealing this too!) so I can just slap them on when rushing for time, or when going to the gym, which are usually the more restrictive of occasions for making myself look presentable. 

GENERAL MONEY GOALS:

- Save up. <- basically the gist of every money goal for me.

- Invest time and effort into putting money aside for etsy shop and product development.

GENERAL MAKEUP BUYING HABITS AND GOALS:

- Continue on a no buy or low-buy. A no-buy is not mandatory, but it is the one thing I hope to aim for until the end of the year. My no-buy officially "ends" by the end of September, but I am confident with a little bit of planning and a little bit of effort, that I can make it through a no-buy all the way until the end of the year. 

- Continue to make progress on panning my naked palette, which is a goal of mine because that palette is like 4 years old and just needs to be used up. I have plenty of dupes for almost every single color in it, or, even worse, back ups of a few of the shades.

- Finish stuff.

 This is a big one for me. I feel like I have so many items because I never finish stuff. I am sure I have a few things in my collection I've already hit pan on, that just seem to be floating around for no reason.... they need to go.
Dang, lady, a no-buy to the end of the year? I'm so proud of you. That is a really admirable goal. I hope we all stick around to keep each other on track, hehee. Maybe we should start participating in those 'face of the day' threads here. That could be a fun way to use up our makeup?

Or even give our friends makeovers or something. Hehee. Or spend 2 nights a week just playing with makeup? Like, you can use it up while developing new looks. Just keep some makeup remover wipes by the mirror and get a going! I think I'll try doing this!!!

My main goal is to save too. I wonder if a fun way to do this would be to open up a separate savings account with another bank and not have a checking account so you can't transfer it and use it... I might try to find one with a good interest rate online. Or I may even look into CDs again this year... hmm...

Your July was awesome! And so is your August. You're so inspiring and on top of things, we love having you here!

Hmm, yeah, I think I'll go for that separate bank account or go to CDs, or even savings bonds... hmm... gotta think on that a bit more.

I think I need to get back on top of my finances and have a plan to move money to my savings and stuff...

 
I am right there with you- I had no idea how much of a compulsive shopper I was, much less that I use it for ... self medication. The main problem here is figuring out a better way to deal with my stress and ... get that little bit of excitement. I think for me I need to start having goals- like exercise goals or something.
Same for me. It was a huge shock when I did my mid-July inventory and tallied up how much I spent in 6 months. Probably the worst it has ever gotten for me. I did a No Buy in July for material items and it went really well - probably because I was so upset with myself. My only purchase was a second set of yoga gear and I considered that an "experience" purchase. Sticking to 5 items is helping too because I'm not completely limiting myself. Also I've really been working on the fitness goals. I joined a yoga studio and have been eating cleaner. I've lost almost 10 pounds this month. It really helps to focus on improving my body and well-being rather than my makeup stash. I'd much rather spend money on my health, and my skin has really cleared up too!

 
Dang, lady, a no-buy to the end of the year? I'm so proud of you. That is a really admirable goal. I hope we all stick around to keep each other on track, hehee. Maybe we should start participating in those 'face of the day' threads here. That could be a fun way to use up our makeup?

Or even give our friends makeovers or something. Hehee. Or spend 2 nights a week just playing with makeup? Like, you can use it up while developing new looks. Just keep some makeup remover wipes by the mirror and get a going! I think I'll try doing this!!!

My main goal is to save too. I wonder if a fun way to do this would be to open up a separate savings account with another bank and not have a checking account so you can't transfer it and use it... I might try to find one with a good interest rate online. Or I may even look into CDs again this year... hmm...

Your July was awesome! And so is your August. You're so inspiring and on top of things, we love having you here!

Hmm, yeah, I think I'll go for that separate bank account or go to CDs, or even savings bonds... hmm... gotta think on that a bit more.

I think I need to get back on top of my finances and have a plan to move money to my savings and stuff...
Heee!! I can totally do it. I just need to remind myself not to spend monies. And I totally get what you mean. I had someone suggest to me that I put together a basket for "spa" treatments...so things I like that would help me de-stress... I was blown away by how much just a hot shower and a bit of self care can do after a long stressful day, which helps me also use up my items, haha. So I did that and might do the same for a small "fun" basket to play with my makeup. 

Having a second account is ultra helpful. If you could check out capital one 360. They're an online only branch of the capital bank, I don't think I've ever seen a building for it, but it's nice because it's my separate account and I keep a savings there. I never use the checking (I think you can either have a checking with savings or just savings account), but it's nice that once that money is put into savings, it's not getting used. 

 
Great idea for a thread!! Love reading how everyone is doing.

I didn't set any specific year-long goals (I think?) in the resolutions thread. It took me a while to realize just how problematic my makeup-buying habits were. Really focusing on a palette for a while (over in the Project Pan thread) has helped me realize just how long powder cosmetics really do last. So I really need to stop buying every new eye shadow palette that comes out that I want--there's no way I'll make it through my existing stash as it is!

Major successes: finally doing a complete inventory!, a couple of no-buy months, whittling down my skincare stash significantly. 

Major fails: splurge months REALLY became splurge months, buying too many lip and eye products. 

My year has been full of ups and downs, like others. When I say "I'm doing a no-buy this month!," I actually tend to be really good at sticking to it. It is the "splurge" months in between that get me. I went crazy during the Chic Week sale/Ulta 20% off and then again during my birthday month in July. 

So my plan for the rest of the year is to set a budget. I think that will help once my no-buy is over and the holiday sets come. I'll be allowed to buy, but within reason. [For the record, I do a monthly budget, but makeup is always lumped in with other fun spending, so I don't track it as closely]. As of right now, my total makeup budget for the rest of the year is $225. That includes EVERYTHING--replacement skincare, holiday sets, makeup wipes, shampoo, new brushes, etc. I think it is generous enough to let me take advantage of some special holiday items, but not so much that it is problematic or would be significantly adding to my stash. Incidentally, if I divide it correctly, it will be enough to make Platinum at Ulta and keep Rouge at Sephora, sigh. As much as I'd like to keep my status, I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. 

I am going to continue on my replacements-only no-buy through the end of October. I'd rather deprive myself a bit now (because I have PLENTY) and save the budget for holiday sales.

For other plans, I'm going to continue with my Project Panning. I'm hoping to hit pan on two eye shadow shades by the end of the year, and finish up a couple more lippies. I've made really good progress so far on whittling down my skincare and body care stash, and I hope to get it to a point where almost every category in my inventory spreadsheet only has the item I'm currently using and maybe one back up. 

Onward and upward!

 
Oooh I love this idea!  Way to keep us accountable, @@eastofthesun !

Successes:  Over the first part of 2014, I became unhappy with the marketing/ad techniques of major corporations.  I hate having my insecurities played on to sell me more crap.  I also have been really fortunate to find a bunch of awesome indie companies, and I've decided to start throwing my money at *them* instead!  I also FINALLY organized my collection, and was immediately dismayed to find I couldn't even fit skincare and perfume samples into the flippin 5-drawer organizer.  (Currently, the drawers are Eyes, Face, Lips, Palettes, and Bath/Shower stuff).

My under-sink area is still overrun with hair care, shampoo/conditioner, perfume, and lotions (yes, I now have a separate gallon-size ziploc for BOTH hand AND body lotions.  Oh the shame)

BUT.  I've been very successful in the past two months of avoiding the little pick-me-up drugstore purchases like nail polishes and WnW eyeshadows.  One slow, torturous step at a time!

Failures:  Succumbing to all the good deals.  Do I need two Birchboxes?  Even if I get $15 in store credit *and* a box of samples for the $10 I spend each month (total $20 for 2 boxes)? NOPE.  It took a box of utter abject failure to get me to cancel Ipsy.  I've bought 2 PopSugar boxes JUST because they were 1/2 price. I joined Sample Society, which I didn't need to do, even though they're sending out fabulous stuff now!  Aaaaaand last of all, even though it's indie, I really shouldn't have joined Notoriously Morbid's Vanishing Cabinet (their new sub, and this month's shadow collection is based on Neil Gaiman's work. So yup, there went my money!)

Goals for the rest of the year:

- Cancel 2nd BB after Sept (I'm paid through then).  Get my reviews in, use my 400 points to fill out my Secret Santa gift.

- Cancel 1 of Birchbox, Sample Society, OR Notoriously Morbid.  I do NOT NEED THREE SUBS.  Hell, I don't need any.  But it does keep my spending in check.

- Start channeling the time I spend looking at stuff online into something useful.  Volunteer more in my sons' classrooms.  Update my blog with reviews of items I ALREADY HAVE.  Actually get my application in to be a substitute teacher.

- Don't ask my husband for makeup for Christmas.  He loves supporting my pretties habit, which is sweet, but after seeing the handful of times I've actually used the Vice Palette/Book of Shadows/Tarte Lip Pencils/insane amount of samples the Ulta ladies threw at him for being a hot dude buying makeup for his wife, I want us to focus more on buying meaningful things for each other. I'm going to suggest our gift to ourselves be a new set of bedroom furniture.  We worked really hard to buy a nice house, and I'd so love to have nice furniture to match.

And lastly:

- Keep it simple.  Take it one day at a time. If I make it through the day without buying something, then that's awesome, go me, high five!  If I buy something, then I need to stop and consider.  Do I REALLY need it?  If not, can I return it? (If I can't, I will gift it rather than letting it sit in my stash).  If I'm getting to a point where I *have* to buy something, I'm keeping a wishlist of indie items from Shiro, Geek Chic, Glamour Doll Eyes, and Fyrinnae (among others) and will disperse small orders between those companies.  That way, at least if I spent money, I helped pay someone's electric bill/rent/mortgage/etc rather than contributing to the bottom line of a huge company.

In the end, it is just money, and just makeup.  I enjoy using it to make myself feel pretty, and should not be making myself feel guilty and stressed every day over it.  I want more days like this  :luv:  and fewer days like this!  :wacko2:

 
I had not joined this site when the original goals were posted, but here are mine until the end of the year:

-stop beauty couponing! This is the reason why I accumulate so much crap. I stack store coupons with manufacture coupons, and wait for a nice sale. Seriously, it's like a predator/prey relationship.

Someone posted this quote on the finished products thread:

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

Plus, I'm moving to a small town without any big retailers, so that's helpful :blush:

 
My goals for 2014:

Year-long no-buy! Necessities and skin care only. Verdict: SUCCESS.

So far this year I have used up over 100 products and not bought anything "unnecessary" (I know, almost all of it is unnecessary anyway) EXCEPT one nail polish, one glitter liner, and two mascaras. Those are justified though, because I wanted the nail polish and glitter liner literally for about 15 years and found them for $1.50 and $7.00, respectively, and the mascaras were under $3 together and I adore them. So about $12 for four items that I really like and they're all I bought this year? Works for me.

Other than that, I have truly stuck to necessities like replenishing body wash, got most things on sale (as usual) or made them myself, and even spent my gift card on skin care (no regrets!).

I just remembered that I bought a body scrub trio for $10. Whatever.

 

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