Autumn Winter No Buy/Project Use it Up 9/23-12/31 2018

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I put together my no buy/project use it up for the rest of the year. The idea here is to finish using up all items in some subcategories of products by December 31. This will make me less likely to want to buy new things, because that would set me back from finishing the subcategories by New Year's. 

Subcategory 1 - Finish Using Foil and Mini Rinse Out Conditioners

  1. rahua foil pack
  2. Herbal Essences Naked mini
  3. Rene Furterer Lumicia mini
  4. Oribe Gold Lust mini 
After using all of these, I will have just one full size conditioner, and six mini leave in hair products left. 

Subcategory 2 - Finish Using Foil and Mini Face Creams, Oils, and Serums

  1. Two Yves Rocher Sensitive Vegetal foils
  2. Two Yves Rocher Elixir Jeunesse foils
  3. Dior Capture Youth Serum foil
  4. Clinique 3 Step foil sample set
  5. Chanel Hydra Beauty foil
  6. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence mini
  7. Avene Hydrance Serum mini
  8. Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre mini 
  9. Mirenesse Powerlift Concentrate mini - use with Mirenesse CC Cream mini
  10. Yves Rocher Anti Age Globale mini
  11. Yves Rocher Serum Vegetal Wrinkles and Firmness Serum mini - use with Serum Vegetal toner
  12. Yves Rocher Wrinkles and Radiance Smoothing Care mini - use with Serum Vegetal toner
  13. Yves Rocher Sensitive Vegetal mini
  14. Poetic Blend Ghost Oil mini
  15. Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum mini
  16. Marula Oil mini
  17. Clark's Botanicals Day Cream mini
After using all of these, I will have only two full sized face creams left, so will be almost completely finished using up this product category! 

Subcategory 3 - Mary Kay "MK Signature" single eye shadow sample cards

  1. Rose Mist
  2. Sheer Pink
  3. Storm
  4. Sugarplum
  5. Tropical Sun
  6. Vintage Violet
  7. Whipped Cocoa (two cards)
  8. Whisper Pink 
After using all of these, I will have only a few duo and trio sample cards left in the MK Signature line. Then, I can begin working on my Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color sample cards. 

Subcategory 4 - mini shower gels 

I only have one left - Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds. 

Subcategory 5 - Holiday Limited Edition shower gels

I have two: Yves Rocher 2016 holiday collection Clementine and Spices (almost gone), and Cranberry and Almond 

After I finish category 4 and 5, I can proceed with using my shower gels - one of the largest parts of my collection, in 2019. 

Also: pay off credit card $500.54.

If I can accomplish all of this by December 31, I will begin 2019 in an excellent way. 

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It's now officially autumn, and I am so excited for it. From now on, each day will get a little shorter, more restful, more fun, right? Until December 21, when we can celebrate! My thought will be, as each day gets a little shorter, each day I will use a little more product; my credit card balance will disappear little by little. Each day a little happier, a little more free, is my vision for autumn!

I made a little head start. I've already made an extra payment on my credit card (balance $470). Also, I have already used my four Yves Rocher foil packs and one Mary Kay eye shadow card from the list above. I did a bit of cleaning and decorating. I have a cute Halloween decoration that belonged to my mom on my beauty shelf, and I am using my October 2017 Birchbox to store the samples I'm currently using up. It has a design of fall colors. 

I'm now going to use up my Dior Capture Youth Serum foil sample. I got it from Sephora. I was looking at the Sephora "3 samples with purchase" page, and I saw a beautiful little pack of Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale eye cream. I always wanted to try it! I decided I needed a replacement of my cotton pads, a necessity, and then I would get the lovely Guerlain sample. I was so excited for it. But when my box came, I was disappointed to find they sent me a Dior sample instead. They also replaced the Nest perfume I had selected with Replica Beach Walk. I guess they ran out of things, which I can well understand, and the samples they sent me are still amazing, but that will teach me to be so greedy for free samples. When I looked at my bag of Shiseido cotton pads, I realized I really have a big bag, and didn't need to replace them yet. Plus I paid shipping for the Sephora cotton pads, when I could have just gone to the supermarket for some. So the Dior sample is a reminder to watch out! 

Enough scolding myself; today is a new start, and I'm looking forward to a great autumn. 

 
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Sorry - I want to take back negative post I wrote when I had really bad Sunday and Monday blues. I start to get really bad stress about work on Sunday afternoons. I get so sad when the weekend ends. It gets me down, but NO BUY IS THE WAY TO FREEDOM (yelling at myself).  

 
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I looked at the 2018 holiday beauty calendars .... and it scared me ?

I'm going through a lot of thought processes now where old habits are asserting themselves, and clashing with new behaviors I've developed over the past nine months. I'll dream about or recall purchases and shopping episodes from the past, and want to relive them. I told myself I wouldn't look at new holiday offerings online to avoid temptation, but I looked. The interesting thing is, that new thought patterns from my no buy are present and make me less tempted. For example, when I see a new eye palette, I remember that nine months of methodical experimentation with eye color sample cards has convinced me that pale shimmery eye shades look good on me, and that dark colors do not, so I don't want the palette. When I looked at the holiday beauty calendars, I recalled all the work I have done for nine months just to use up samples, and then I don't feel like piling up more. (Plus the boxes are not as pretty this year, right?) I feel the stress of shopping an overwhelming market, the decision fatigue, and miss the peace that comes with no shopping at all. I guess that's why it's good to begin a no buy in January, so new neural pathways will be in place in time for this tempting season. Maybe I need to travel down the old pathways a bit to recall how nice the new learned behaviors are. 

I let myself look into my old shopping behavior again, and I don't like it. It is a scary place. I miss the peace of mind of my new ways. I need my strict limits to feel at peace. I'm going to allow myself the "necessities replacement hauls" I was going to take away--where I replace essentials in a way that gets me some free samples or a free gift. I feel safe with that; it gives me an completely non arbitrary limit and a little outlet at the same time. 

It's nice to know that I have new habits in place. It shows the work every day over all this time has paid off. I need to keep following that path every single day without fail, and it will only get better. 

 
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I've got a lot of thoughts right now; it will be hard to put them all in writing ....

Project use it up ... This weekend I've been relaxing in a cloud of White Diamonds. I had purchased a big White Diamonds fragrance set, and then thought I did not like it. But I am on no buy/project use it up, so I made it my goal to use everything. I decided to use the products just on weekends. And now I love them. White Diamonds fragrance is not something you can wear to work, cooped up in a little cubicle all day; it's a distraction in that environment. But for relaxing at home, it's superb. The top note is overwhelming, but then the comforting creamy white floral comes through. The shower gel smells more like the top note, but the body lotion smells like the divine middle note and leaves the skin so soft. I wouldn't have found this out if I were not pursuing my project. I would have decluttered the items and missed the experience. 

I'm almost finished with the foil packs of skin cream on my use it up list. I'm using my Chanel cream now. It is divine. Then I will have no foil samples in the skin care category except one Laura Mercier Face Polish (which I love), and no foils in the hair care category except two shampoos and one conditioner. I had used up all my foil pack samples in the beginning of the year, then piled up some more when replacing necessities. Almost caught up again!

Finance plan ... I really worked hard this week to pay my credit card bills, to pay extra, and I couldn't even afford to eat out like I wanted to. I thought I was having a dull weekend. There was nothing at all to do but think and think of my no buy. But all this empty time to think has led to a breakthrough idea! All this year I have been working on a debt snowball plan, paying off the little debts, and just making minimum payments on the larger ones. I realized that, with the debt I am trying to pay off now, if I just make one more extra payment, I will only have 14 payments left (based on the little chart on the bill that tells you have many months you need to pay it off). That means after the extra payment, it would be paid off by the end of 2019 with me just making the minimum monthly payment. Excited by this, I looked at all my bills and saw that two other credit cards only need two or three extra payments each, and they will be paid off by the end of 2019 with only minimum payments. So my new goal is to make these extra payments by the end of the year. Then, I can just let the debts get paid off automatically, and focus on something bigger! By the end of this year, I will have my easy debts sorted, and my little things used up, and my no buy will get more productive .... you didn't think I was going to stop at the end of this year, did you? NO BUY IS MY LIFE! Maybe having these goals to get myself in great position for 2019 with counteract Christmas temptation. Speaking of which ...

Holiday temptation ... This is my favorite time of year to shop, and some old neural pathways have been triggered with memories and even dreams of shopping adventures of seasons past. Right now, all I want is the Yves Rocher holiday shower gel, and maybe the lip balm. I look at the site every day to see if it is updated yet with the holiday things. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Yves has a set of the holiday shower gel and hand cream in mini form with a really nice shower pouf to match as one of the free gifts with purchase. If only that would come on the US site, I could buy my shampoo and deodorant necessities and get it for free. I would be happy with that. I wouldn't even need a beauty calendar. I could use the minis Christmas week as a reward for being good all year, and the shower pouf would make the mini shower gel last long. Wouldn't that be great if that was the only holiday beauty item I purchased this year?

I feel really great right now .... I AM HEADED FOR A BREAKTHROUGH! 

 
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I have not purchased anything! Currently using up: the little mini bottle of SKII Facial Treatment Essence from the Sephora Luxury Play! bag from September 2017. It's been fun to use, and I'm halfway through. 

I got paid today, and I was so excited about it. After paying almost $100 off my credit card, there are only 14 minimum monthly payments left (November 2018 through December 2019). So it will be paid off by the end of 2019 with no extra effort. Next, I have a credit card with 16 monthly payments left. I just need to make two extra payments, and it will be in the same state. That's the next goal. I'd like to complete that by the end of October. 

More and more, I don't want to buy, as it will set me back on my goals-they are so close now. Paying off credit cards and project use it up used to seem never ending, and I've never made it this far. 

 
I have not purchased anything! Currently using up: the little mini bottle of SKII Facial Treatment Essence from the Sephora Luxury Play! bag from September 2017. It's been fun to use, and I'm halfway through. 

I got paid today, and I was so excited about it. After paying almost $100 off my credit card, there are only 14 minimum monthly payments left (November 2018 through December 2019). So it will be paid off by the end of 2019 with no extra effort. Next, I have a credit card with 16 monthly payments left. I just need to make two extra payments, and it will be in the same state. That's the next goal. I'd like to complete that by the end of October. 

More and more, I don't want to buy, as it will set me back on my goals-they are so close now. Paying off credit cards and project use it up used to seem never ending, and I've never made it this far. 
Great job managing those payments!!

:sunshine:

 
Today, I pushed myself to do a little better than I have been about repurchasing essentials. I went to Dollar General to get a replacement of my shampoo and deodorant, instead of ordering from Yves Rocher to get the free samples and gifts. I got Soft & Dri Sparkling Citrus Deodorant ($1.95), aluminum free. It is pretty and pink and is a floral citrus scent. I saw a shampoo that I wanted back in December, when I began my no buy, but I was not allowed to get it then, as I had too many shampoos to use up. It is the Garnier Whole Blends Moroccan Argan Oil and Camellia Shampoo. I was drawn to it due to the pretty bottle. I love Moroccan design. The shampoo was still there, waiting for me after all this time. I decided to get another Garnier Whole Blends product this time called Maple Remedy. It has maple extract and castor oil. I just thought it was different and fall appropriate. That was $3.50. With the money saved not ordering online from Yves Rocher and paying for shipping, I was able to buy extra useful items. I got a pair of hose. I always buy a Dollar General brand of hosiery called Sheer Breeze. They are very basic and are not designed to make you look thinner, which means they are comfy, soft, and light. I love them. They hold up pretty well even in the washer and dryer. They were $2.50. I also got cute Halloween greeting cards for my cousin and brother ($1 each). I got two little spa sock sets for Christmas gifts for my cousin and her daughter. They are $3 each and have a little mini foot lotion and a pair of soft comfy socks tied with a ribbon. There are several different scents, each with a different color packaging. The lotion, socks, and gift box are all color coordinated, and the gift box is gilded with gold. They are so pretty for $3. I got my cousin a pink grapefruit set, and her daughter a coconut lime set. I also ordered their fruit basket from the grove today, with honey and marmalade, to be mailed up north right before Christmas. It's an old family tradition. I am starting my Christmas shopping way, way early. Usually I am buying for myself at this time, all the beauty stuff, advent calendars. Then I realize it's time to buy for others, and it's getting late, so I open charge accounts, charge things, pay for expedited shipping, etc. 

While writing this I realize that color and design highly influence my shopping. I don't like minimalist packaging at all! I like pretty, colorful things. Pretty packaging, free samples, and free gifts are what get me! 

 
Photo of pretty spa socks and lotion gift set, $3 at Dollar General. Also detail from pretty gift box. I bought some as gifts for others, not myself--they are not allowed on my no buy! I am tempted. 

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Project use it up - Still going really well, enjoyable. I've almost finished my little mini SK-II Essence. Then, I'll use some samples from my October 2017 Birchbox. I have an Avene sample and an Embryolisse sample. I'm so looking forward to using those! The little sample tubes even have their own little boxes. I love my White Diamonds, Mary Kay eye shadow sample cards, everything I'm in the habit of using. They are a little comfort in my day. 

Temptation to buy - Not bad. I'm happy with just my Garnier Maple shampoo from Dollar General for now. I think that's good. I'm not looking at the holiday beauty releases online. 

Work - Main job is hard and stressful now. It's overwhelming. Must try harder. I went grocery shopping for foods to help my focus and energy level. I found some new overnight oats in the yogurt section that are already made, in little containers. There is a brand called Brekki, and a brand called Zen Monkey. They come in different flavors with berries, cardamom, etc. Overnight oats are like the Bircher Muesli from the Swiss spas. They are a beauty food! I've always wanted to try them, so I was excited when I found them in a convenient form. I also got a chicken wrap and four salads. I usually don't eat breakfast and lunch, just snacks, on work days.

Paying off debts - My student loan payment schedule increased. I thought maybe I should let go of my credit card payoff snowball plan, but I can't bear to! I decided I will still proceed with it, but I won't have a deadline for paying each card off any longer. I'll just pay each one off when I can. It's still better than when I was not working on it all. 

 
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YouTube No Buy/Project Pan Vloggers who inspired me this year

1. Leticia Sanchez - $1000 Project Pan Challenge - Last December I discovered these vlogs, in which this lovely lady set herself a goal of using up $1000 worth of products and paying off some credit cards. She had some really nice high end skin care products in her project. This project took place in fall 2017, and Leticia was able to avoid temptation, only purchasing a nice shampoo set from Ulta when her favorite bottles ran out. I loved her series, and it inspired me to start my own project, which has been very successful. 

2. iseedee - iseedee is a beautiful lady from Sweden who is very dedicated to project pan, and sets very strict rules for herself. She uses everything to the last drop. She can't use perfume or nail polish at her job, and can only use these items on days off, but she still finishes them all, with patience. She never wastes anything. Favorite videos: 5 Thoughts On Project Panning - What I learned in 4 years of panning, and Project NoBuy 2017-2018 (Intro). I've been watching iseedee all year, and I like her perseverance and ideals. 

3. Beauty Unboxed - This is a the vlog of a German lady who lives in London. I like to watch vlogs of ladies in Europe so I can see the fabulous products they have there. This vlogger always has many Kiko Milano and Aldi Lacura products, for example. She has very good vlogs on repressing and repurposing powder products. She has an excellent video called How to clean your make up, stay committed to project pan and enjoy what you own. I have been following her all year, and she has been successful at panning many items. She has some really good little hauls, and her hauls are inspiring because she is always thinking about how to haul in a controlled way, and tries to only have one backup of everything. She has excellent taste, and gives tips on how to be an environmentally conscious consumer. 

4. Hannah Louise Poston - A rising star in the beauty vlog world, this talented lady is a dancer, dance costume designer, and poet. I've followed her from the beginning of the year, and she is great at articulating the thought processes that go into a no buy. She has been super successful in her project and has inspired many. She stresses the freedom that one gains from being on no buy, despite the little emotional ups and downs. Since she is a literary person, I would say she is like Thoreau. She went on a no buy because she wished to live deliberately. 

Thank you ladies for all of the inspiration! 

PS - I forgot Reviewer's Diary / Mary - I find her so calming to listen to. I believe she is a nurse and professor. She gets all the beauty boxes off and on, so has projects to use all the items from them. She had a great video recently called Don't get swept up in the excitement - think before you spend. 

 
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I don't know if this is allowed but I loved the people you listed and checked them out. Made me want to participate for 2019 doing the use up 1000$ challenge as well as make 1,000$ extra for 2019. I figure that would be idea because I do resell things within the past year and would like to use up some products and make money! so, if allowed would love to make a post for that closer to the time.

I also, want to get a credit card again next year. I used to have 3 but when I was 18 I did okay until the following year and used up all my cards and went into collections. However, last year when I was 22 I paid it all off. Now have good credit but because of my issues, no place will give me a credit card. I finally am using one of the sites like QVC  but called Montgomery and that helps by making payments on time or ahead and my credit scores slowly going up I am planning for January to apply for a new credit card since I'll have a credit history with this account. 

 
I don't know if this is allowed but I loved the people you listed and checked them out. Made me want to participate for 2019 doing the use up 1000$ challenge as well as make 1,000$ extra for 2019. I figure that would be idea because I do resell things within the past year and would like to use up some products and make money! so, if allowed would love to make a post for that closer to the time.

I also, want to get a credit card again next year. I used to have 3 but when I was 18 I did okay until the following year and used up all my cards and went into collections. However, last year when I was 22 I paid it all off. Now have good credit but because of my issues, no place will give me a credit card. I finally am using one of the sites like QVC  but called Montgomery and that helps by making payments on time or ahead and my credit scores slowly going up I am planning for January to apply for a new credit card since I'll have a credit history with this account. 
I really look forward to hearing about your project! Your goals sound excellent. Best of luck with your credit. I have too many credit card accounts, and my main goal is to reduce the number. In January 2018 I had 16. That's bad, isn't it?  :blush:  It is too much heavy burden with all those payments. I have paid off five since I began my no buy, and I have a plan to pay off five more by the end of 2019! I have the payment plan all mapped out. Also I want to finish using up my skin care and hair care products by the end of 2019. Please come back and post some more about your project if you would like. 

 
About ten days until the end of October! I'm feeling strong, and not tempted by all the magical holiday beauty collections, as I am almost to the end of my year-long no buy. The end is only weeks away. I'm not going to go off my no buy when 2019 dawns, but I really want to reach that milestone of one year completed. I will have traced a path for myself to follow next year, and I'll have set a good example for my 2019 self. It's as if I've been on a climbing expedition on an Alpine mountain, and now I can see the top of the mountain. I have caught glimpses of a cozy party in the village below, with colorful lights, food and laughter, and gemütlichkeit. For a moment, I want to turn back and join the party below, but I carry on, because my goal is so close.

Plan for today is to take a shower in the evening and use my St. Ives Apricot Scrub mini in the shower for a facial. I've been really enjoying the St. Ives scrub. After that, I may finish my Avène serum mini. I have the tube cut up to get the last few drops out. I'm thinking of a great beauty article I found that really inspires me to relax and use my skin care stash. It is "Maximum Self-Care: The 10-Hour Facial" by Brennan Kilbane, from Into the Gloss. Then for the rest of October, I will be using my Embryolisse mini. I have waited so long to try it. More about Embryolisse later. 

 
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I am almost ready to try Embryolisse. I first heard of the product long ago. I was in grad school and was, as usual, poring over the bound volumes of Vogue in the university library instead of working on my studies. I was in heaven when I found out that my university had bound volumes of several American, French, and Italian fashion magazines going back decades and decades. My favorite were the Vogue magazines from the 1960's, when Diana Vreeland was editor. Each issue was a beautiful dream world. The writing and photography were to die for. I was at a big football school, and I loved the weekends of the big games, as there would be no one in the library. In the peace and quiet, I lost myself in the magazines. I saw all of the beauty products of the past in the US and France. How I miss my college days. 

Anyway, I remember the afternoon I read about Embryolisse in the library. There was an article in Vogue about French beauty. It mentioned Embryolisse, and said it was the most popular cream in French beauty routines. The cream sounded fascinating. I took French and German in high school, and always wanted to travel to Europe, move to Europe, experience European culture, and own all the European beauty products. This was before the Internet, so it wasn't so easy to buy European brands then. But I did not forget the name Embryolisse. One year ago, a precious little box containing a tube of the cream with a leaflet showed up in my Birchbox. It's amazing when Birchbox makes one's little beauty dreams come true. I've been hoarding the tube for a year, but it is finally time to use it. 

I Googled the cream and found that it was created by a French doctor in 1950. Apparently, it is regarded as a cult cream by models and makeup artists, as it has a special finish on the skin that makes makeup sit really well. It's a really simple cream, just containing shea butter, aloe vera, and ... mineral oil.

Mineral oil! The dreaded ingredient I have feared for decades. I wondered why the cream would use such an ingredient, if it is such a renowned product. I recently heard a favorite blogger state that cosmetic grade mineral oil is of high quality, and not bad for the skin. I Googled that and found many articles to back this up. Apparently, cosmetic grade mineral oil is a highly purified form of petrolatum, with carcinogens removed. The articles say it is purified so as not to harm skin, and in fact has been found to be non-irritating. It also lasts a long time without going bad. There are other articles that denounce mineral oil because it just sits on top of the skin so the water does not evaporate. Is it good or bad? I don't know, but I've decided not to worry about it and just enjoy trying the Embryolisse. 

 
Happy Halloween! ?

This is a good milestone for me. I made it through October without breaking my No Buy. October is usually a big month for me to shop too much. I get excited for the fall and holiday beauty releases. It starts when Bath and Body Works decorates their store for "The Perfect Autumn." I love that, and will go and buy the new scents, then I will want many Advent calendars. Usually by around Thanksgiving I will feel remorse and try and control myself. 

This month I only got shampoo and deodorant, and I bought two tiny things I needed from eBay. I was looking at my Eve Lom Rescue Mask mini, a sample I got from Birchbox, and the instructions on the tube say to remove the mask with a muslin cloth. I wanted to get just one cloth to use with the mini, but the cloths are sold as three packs for $22.00.  I didn't want to buy that much. I thought I might get the Eve Lom ornament from Sephora, which has one cloth and a cleansing cream, but it was $24.00, which is a lot for me to spend at the moment. On eBay I found just what I needed: I was able to buy just one Eve Lom cloth with two foil sample packs of the cleansing cream, and the nice seller sent me a foil pack of Fresh Soy Face Cleanser also! I can keep the cloth to use for a long time. Also on eBay I got a 50 pack of my sponge tip eye shadow applicators. All year I've been using a pack from a generic brand. They work so well, and have lip brushes on the other end. With my 50 pack, I will be set for 2019 and probably beyond. The two little eBay purchases were around $10.00. I'm really happy about that.

I finished my Embryolisse face cream mini tonight. I really loved it. Even when I love things, I can't wait to finish them and start using the next item on my list. Next I will use my Mirenesse Power Lift Treatment Cream mini. Last October I tried one of the Mirenesse subscription boxes, and this mini was part of it. All of the Mirenesse products are high quality, they ship very fast from Australia, send you nice product information, handwritten notes, reply personally to emails. They do everything really well. The Power Lift Cream smells like roses, because it has organic rosewater. 

I have a lot of No Buy plans for the holidays, 2019, and beyond! 

 
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Happy Halloween!! Enjoy the Eve Lom cloth! I wanted to try it but never have. I have used muslin cloths though and they are really nice. Way to keep focused and going on your no buy plans!!!

 
I'm feeling very peaceful and relaxed now, and looking forward to the upcoming holidays. Experiencing this time without my usual overspending feels so restful. I was looking at my diary from 2017, and at this time last year I was worried about my Yves Rocher bill, which was almost $100, as well as some other spending. Without the shopping, I can enjoy little things. I enjoyed getting my cousin a cute Thanskgiving card. 

As soon as I finish my Mirenesse cream (the tube is cut up now to get out the last bits), I'll start my holiday beauty mini plan! I'm so looking forward to it. I'll be using up my 2016 Yves Rocher Holiday Limited Edition Shower Gels, which are really lovely. They are better than having something new, because they remind me of happy times from the 2016 holidays! In addition, I'll be using up four Yves Rocher mini face creams, and an Yves Rocher toner and foundation sample. That should see me through a month or more. 

I forgot how nice the 2016 Yves Rocher Holiday Shower Gels were. I got a set with the three scents (Pear and Cocoa, Clementine and Spices, and Cranberry and Almond), in 2016, and I finished the Pear and Cocoa last holiday season. It was my favorite. My second favorite was the Clementine and Spices, and I only have a bit left. I had forgotten that it has a fragrance with Clementine, Star Anise, and essential oils of coriander, cinnamon, ginger and clove! I have almost a full bottle of Cranberry and Almond. I wasn't as interested in it as the other two scents. But today I was reading some French beauty blogs from when the collection was released, two years ago at this time, and the French bloggers were most excited for the Cranberry and Almond. They were raving about it. So now I'm excited to use it. It has Cranberry Extract and Sweet Almond Oil. I'll probably just use these shower gels on weekends as a treat, to make them last longer. Learning to love what I have! 

?

 
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Happy Veterans Day to those in the US. Love and respect to our military and veterans. 11/11 is a wonderful day. ?

I am still happy in my No Buy! I found a perfect gift for my cousin at Dollar General. She was down about her bills and other worries. I sent her an encouraging email. I told her, "You Got This." At Dollar General I saw a cute planner with "You Got This" on the cover. What's really cute about the planner is that it has two pages of cute stickers to decorate with. Some are for goals, and some are for planing vacation. My cousin loves planning her finances and little vacations. That was $3.00, and it's already wrapped in gold paper with snowmen. I like to watch You Tube videos where people chart our their budgets in pretty planners and decorate them with cute Etsy Stickers; this is a less expensive alternative. 

The old me, in my compulsive shopping days, was not always very nice to the cousin, or thinking of others. All I wanted was to be alone with my credit cards, thinking how to buy every beauty advent calendar or every deal at Sephora. I see personal growth coming from my No Buy.

Last autumn, I was frantic with buying. Luckily I did not declutter the things, so I have tons of things to enjoy now, but my diary last year shows the strain of worry about the purchases.  :sick:

Last October, Yves Rocher had a special for Friday the 13th. With a $50 purchase, you could get 13 minis. I love minis, so I jumped on it. But the bill was high for me. My journal mentions in several places being nervous about that and other things I was getting. I have four face cream minis from the Friday the 13th set to use. I'm using the first one now [Anti Age Globale Day Cream]. It's really nice, and I am just loving my Yves Rocher Holiday Clementine and Spices Shower Gel from 2016. Another big purchase last year was the Avon A Box. Avon A Box is cute, but goodness, you have to pay a lot to get it. You could get an Estee Lauder bonus for that. But I got a spa box, and now I am so loving the Lavender 3 in 1 Pampering Foot Oil mini from it. It makes a milky foot bath that fills the air with a beautiful floral scent.  

I am more excited for Thanksgiving than usual. I feel relaxed. Feel blessed. 

 
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Love the update @EdithS2! I'm so happy for you!!! I'm also happy with my no buy too. It has been the more deliberating thing and has helped me to become a better person. I've been concentrating on reading self-development books and just overall being grateful for every day and noticing the little things in life. I've been just concentrating on my family outside of my crazy work hours. I work full time and also own 2 companies (my own jewelry line and I'm also a certified essential oil coach) so I hardly ever have time off. I'm no longer worried about what can I buy or not buy. I used to get so angry if there was a new makeup item and I couldn't buy it. Now it doesn't affect me. I just look at it and think oh how nice and move on. I have no interest to shop. The only time I look at things to buy is if my children need something but that's it. I no longer fill up my shopping cart online at sephora or other websites thinking of all the items I'd like to buy and save it for later. I don't even put anything in my cart. I hardly even look at Sephora's site. I did purchase a mascara recently but it was the only thing I bought because I needed a waterproof one and my current one had gone bad. I didn't think how many more other things can I add to the cart with the mascara like I would have before. I just bought the mascara and a gift for someone for Christmas and that was it. It was a very thought out purchase and I didn't purchase anything that I didn't need like I would have before.

 

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