February No/Low-Buy 2014

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I had food poisoning last night.  Not pretty.  This morning while reading emails, I was like "I deserve something for what I went through last night". 

Fortunately, I decided not throwing up anymore was the best reward, so I didn't buy anything
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Quote: Originally Posted by Lulubelle107 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  I had food poisoning last night.  Not pretty.  This morning while reading emails, I was like "I deserve something for what I went through last night". 

Fortunately, I decided not throwing up anymore was the best reward, so I didn't buy anything
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Isn't it funny the things we tell ourselves we deserve shinies for? lol! hopefully you feel better now! :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> get some liquids in you. 

 
Quote: Originally Posted by jaylilee /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Isn't it funny the things we tell ourselves we deserve shinies for? lol! hopefully you feel better now! :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> get some liquids in you. 
Thank you, I do feel better.  Drinking hot tea right now
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I'm trying to pick out more things to sell from my stash but there's some stuff I can't seem to let go! My full sized Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil being one. I used it once and that was it... I've whittled down my stash quite a bit as it is and I might move on to selling samples next.

 
my stash is getting smaller and smaller :'( makes me kinda sad. sold another 10 items in 3 days ($170 total). also, yay for me! i just canceled two online orders before they get processed. it does feel like money earned lol. i have a lot of unopened lippies i'll probably sell next. probably like 6 full size lipsurgences and such.. and maybe perfume. still debating if i should start selling pencil eyeliners. i have quite a collection of unused ones, cause i've only always used my samshbox gel liner for forever!  :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> :( :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> i'm now getting mixed feelings from selling my stuff.... but i must do it.

 
Oh my god, I feel so bad. I didn't read anything on this page before posting, so my post above seems so callous. I'm so sorry.

I am so so so sorry for everyone who has started off this month with a terrible hole in their hearts. :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I can only offer my condolences and my understanding of the feeling and the loss. I too have lost a very old family cat recently, well, actually two years ago, but it doesn't feel that long ago. I'm so terribly sorry. And I lost my grandmother more than a decade ago, but I still miss her and I love her so much.

I just want to offer my support and my thoughts and I'm so sorry.

I hope you can heal soon.

I'm sorry, it's hard to find the right words, but just know I'm sorry and want to offer comfort and support.

 
I get so torn on purchasing beauty products. I know I don't need them but I realize it's my hobby and you only live once. I've been getting better about deciding what I really need or want to try. I spent almost 100 on drugstore but saved 60 something. So I need a serious no buy. I did start up my blog again to give some purpose to all of my products. My plan/goals: -sell textbooks on amazon -start saving to pay off loans -find a job (I graduate in may) -realize that I'm getting bday gifts so I don't need to buy -update/promote blog everyday -save for a decent camera for blog -finishing unpacking from move -wake up with enough time to do makeup Hopefully I can no buy/low buy until I use up a bunch of products! Good luck to everyone. Btw, as a psychology major, at some point I learned that to help get your goals accomplished you should write them down and tell people, so this forum is great!

 
My bank account overdrew this morning! I went grocery shopping last night and figured I'd be fine until friday, but I forgot that my gym dues go through on the 5th every month - whoops! This is the first time I've overdrawn in about a year, and mostly because I spent a lot of $$ in atlantic city last weekend, but it was definitely a wake up call. I need to stop WASTING money! It's pathetic how easily I let a sale or ad make me want to buy the latest and greatest. I also really need to be more frugal when it comes to eating out and drinking at bars/clubs. If I ever want to move out of my parents house, I need to stop treating money the way I do. I don't want to be a slave to debt.

 
Is anyone here a constant credit card user? I pretty much ALWAYS pay off the entire balance when my paycheck rolls around. I like to think I'm getting rewards (1-5% cash back) so I put everything on my credit card but I know I'm not because 1-5% takes forever to add up. I didn't pay my statement last paycheck because I had to help my lil bro with his rent and some groceries (poor college kid... As if I'm not one too!) and HOLY CREDIT CARD STATEMENT BATMAN. It really put into perspective how much I spend on little things! Not even make up but things like a cocktail or two, several coffees, buying granola bars in the student lounge... Yeah me witching about how 1-5% doesn't add up? 1-5 dollars definitely adds up! I absolutely know I should move to being cash-only but I feel like my money will run away from me EVEN FASTER. On a positive note - I made $30 from Instagram sales. Woohoo!

 
Quote: Originally Posted by usofjessamerica /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Is anyone here a constant credit card user? I pretty much ALWAYS pay off the entire balance when my paycheck rolls around. I like to think I'm getting rewards (1-5% cash back) so I put everything on my credit card but I know I'm not because 1-5% takes forever to add up. I didn't pay my statement last paycheck because I had to help my lil bro with his rent and some groceries (poor college kid... As if I'm not one too!) and HOLY CREDIT CARD STATEMENT BATMAN. It really put into perspective how much I spend on little things!

Not even make up but things like a cocktail or two, several coffees, buying granola bars in the student lounge... Yeah me witching about how 1-5% doesn't add up? 1-5 dollars definitely adds up! I absolutely know I should move to being cash-only but I feel like my money will run away from me EVEN FASTER.

On a positive note - I made $30 from Instagram sales. Woohoo!

To help, I have a certain amount I can spend on "fun."  That includes eating out and things like coffee or random cokes. I pull that much out in cash at the beginning of the week and when it's gone, it's gone. I cannot put it on my card. After a few weeks, you'll be able to better gage how much you spend on that kind of stuff, and then learn to cut back if you need to. I've had to set out specific guidelines as to what is "card worthy." The hardest part for me is that a trip to Target is card worthy (food for the animals and other household stuff), but I always find non card worthy stuff there and at times, I do cave. But I'm getting better! It's all about baby steps!

 
Quote: Originally Posted by usofjessamerica /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Is anyone here a constant credit card user? I pretty much ALWAYS pay off the entire balance when my paycheck rolls around. I like to think I'm getting rewards (1-5% cash back) so I put everything on my credit card but I know I'm not because 1-5% takes forever to add up. I didn't pay my statement last paycheck because I had to help my lil bro with his rent and some groceries (poor college kid... As if I'm not one too!) and HOLY CREDIT CARD STATEMENT BATMAN. It really put into perspective how much I spend on little things!

Not even make up but things like a cocktail or two, several coffees, buying granola bars in the student lounge... Yeah me witching about how 1-5% doesn't add up? 1-5 dollars definitely adds up! I absolutely know I should move to being cash-only but I feel like my money will run away from me EVEN FASTER.

On a positive note - I made $30 from Instagram sales. Woohoo!
I used a credit to earn rewards too and paid it off before it could earn interest, but after a few months of usage I started to notice my checking account was lower than normal, and it was because I was spending more money while using the card. I couldn't use my checking account balance as a reliable amount of money that I actually had because I'd see it and be like "Oh, yeah, I have money. I can buy it." Then, I would spend more money than I thought I had in there. I never reached $0 because I save too, but I wasn't saving as much anymore. I got rid of the card. It's better to earn cash back by investments instead.

 
Quote: Originally Posted by aricukier /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I get so torn on purchasing beauty products. I know I don't need them but I realize it's my hobby and you only live once. I've been getting better about deciding what I really need or want to try. I spent almost 100 on drugstore but saved 60 something. So I need a serious no buy. I did start up my blog again to give some purpose to all of my products.

My plan/goals:
-sell textbooks on amazon
-start saving to pay off loans
-find a job (I graduate in may)
-realize that I'm getting bday gifts so I don't need to buy
-update/promote blog everyday
-save for a decent camera for blog
-finishing unpacking from move
-wake up with enough time to do makeup

Hopefully I can no buy/low buy until I use up a bunch of products! Good luck to everyone.

Btw, as a psychology major, at some point I learned that to help get your goals accomplished you should write them down and tell people, so this forum is great!

If you plan on going to graduate school, be careful with those books! I was a psych major and now I'm kicking myself for selling back some of my books! This does remind me that I can let go of some of my grad school books now though.

 
Yes omg this is EXACTLY what I'm going through. A lot of the "grown ups" in my life tell my boyfriend and I to only use our credit cards though because it's easier to reverse charges on a credit card than it is to try to get your money back on a debit card should the number be compromised. In my head, that is my main defense as to why I use my credit card so much. But yes -- I know exactly what you mean about the checking account vs credit card. I usually end up with a good buffer or a timely paycheck to avoid having more on my credit card than what's in my checking. But you're totally right, I'm definitely not saving as much and I'm spending more because i feel like my checking balance can justify putting it on plastic!

I used a credit to earn rewards too and paid it off before it could earn interest, but after a few months of usage I started to notice my checking account was lower than normal, and it was because I was spending more money while using the card. I couldn't use my checking account balance as a reliable amount of money that I actually had because I'd see it and be like "Oh, yeah, I have money. I can buy it." Then, I would spend more money than I thought I had in there. I never reached $0 because I save too, but I wasn't saving as much anymore. I got rid of the card. It's better to earn cash back by investments instead.
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I used to be a continuous CC user but then switched to debit card only. If I don't have the money, then I can't spend it.

it has helped tremendously. 

 
So, I had a frustrating experience today.  But ultimately, it convinced me NOT to buy more makeup. I am sharing in hopes that it can help others too.

A few nights ago, I pulled together about 4 neutral eyeshadows that were stored in different places, and that I thought might be dupes or close-to-dupes.  Turns out, they weren't dupes at all!  Great, I could shop my stash!  I duly used them today as part of The Monday Club which I'm very haphazardly doing.  I spent extra time and went to a bunch of trouble to use all 4 of these shadows in a neutral eye look.  Normally I'd just use 2.  A couple of hours later, they've all blended together and it's impossible to tell I have more than one shadow on.  My time consuming look--totally for nothing.  Argh!  I used primer (a must for me) and it's all staying on, it just all looks like the same color.

Oh well, I had been vaguely considering one of the Naked palettes or the Chocolate Bar palette, and now I am CURED of the urge--I have in these 4 shadows more than enough neutral for the next 10 years.

 
I agree with @jaylilee. I don't bother with my credit card anymore. Debit card or bust. Better yet, cash for bust. Since early last year, I've been trying to pay off my CC bill which has always hovered around the $2.5k mark. Every time I would get my card paid down a bit I would charge some more makeup to it with promises that I would pay it off immediately but never did. Instead, I'd end up using the money I wanted to pay my card with on even more makeup. I'd have all these things I'd tell myself to convince myself that it was fine and I'd be good and pay asap and never did. So my balance never really dropped from $2.5k for over a year. Now I leave my card at home and exclusively use my debit card. Maybe when I get my card paid off I'll bring it back out again but no sooner. Since December I've gotten my card down to just over $2k. Doesn't seem like much that I've paid, especially with the interest rate, but I'm feeling good that the number will continue to drop instead of drop for a day, then pop back up the next day. 

In other news, I almost broke down today but I stayed strong. I have been in such a bad funk--that I'm blaming on February/this godawful winter, getting rejected by a cute guy, and the fact that I'm moving soon and have to get my life in order--that I was craving a ~fix, so to speak, and almost headed to Sephora. But in this case the weather worked for me since since it was too cold and damp to bother going, even though I was about 4 blocks away. Success, I guess. 

When I remove buying makeup from the equation, it's crazy to I realize how much I've used it as a coping mechanism. I think it's why this funk has lasted so damn long compared to ones in the past. Usually I get a lipstick, or five, and then the feelings would go away for a while. Now I'm stuck feeling blah and have to find a different way through. 
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Tomorrow will make it 2 weeks since I've bought makeup though and I am a little proud. I haven't lasted that long in a while. Feels good and like I will actually overcome this. 

 
I almost caved twice today. But instead, I exited out of Freagrancenet and Beauty.com
I didn't realise It would be THIS hard!
What tips do you guys have to avoid spending?

 
The best way to avoid spending is to have something else to do!  I know the crummy weather isn't making it easy to do the usual "free stuff" like take a walk, go to the park, etc., but even reading a book or binge-watching an entire season of a show on Netflix would be better than browsing Sephora and finding new pretties to buy!  However, it HAS to be something that you ENJOY doing!  If you try to read a book, but get bored after 5 minutes and go back to online shopping, that is obviously not a good distraction!

When you find yourself on a website or in a store, filling up your cart, STOP.  Think about why you're there.  Look at the items in your cart.  Will they make you happy?  Will they improve your life?  Put the basket down, or remove the items from your online cart, and walk away.  Think about something else that you would like to be doing at that moment.  At first, it may involve making a smaller purchase instead of a large one (maybe go get a cup of coffee for $5 instead of buying that $30 palette).  Eventually, you'll be able to stop what you're doing and not spend money at all, and it will be one of the awesomest moments in your life that you don't *NEED* to spend money, that you'd rather have the money in YOUR pockets instead of Sephora's.  The only way you will stop spending is to change the ingrained habits that you've created.

Good luck!  Hopefully this sounded like decent advice and not some crazy self-help psychobabble.

 
I did so well in January, but I am really struggling now. I shopped, filled my cart, and exited out of the page of retail sites today 3x! I also bought the Dermstore Winter Wonders grab bag today (even though I do not need more stuff). I think I am just nervous about some upcoming events that I probably need to buy a few clothes for, so shopping really lifts my mood. It's so silly! 

 

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