June 2014 No/Low-Buy Thread - Hugs, commiseration and confessional

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I've been doing well at not buying anything so far.  The Ulta gwp tempted me today, but I don't need to spend $60 on anything even though I do adore free samples.  I also got a second unpaid job (internship? research position?) this week which means I will be able to work fewer hours at the job that actually pays me.  But hopefully I will be in a better position with more connections come graduation.  And I'm really excited about the new research so it won't be that terrible to keep a lock on my spending habits in exchange for that position.    

And I found out that the pair of glasses I so gracefully snapped in half this week (I have had glasses since the age of three, I should really know better by now) are still covered by warranty and free to replace! So yay about that expense not being real!   

 
My low-buy is not going so well this month.  Maybe it's the heat.  I made a couple of purchases to take advantage of some promos.  I only bought stuff that would need to be replaced anyway, but I still feel a little guilty.  

 
Doing excellent so far on my low buy - no makeup or skin/body/haircare purchases as of today. However, I did "purchase" a new tankini. I desperately needed a new one for this summer, so I checked out Sears/Kmart where I have a Shop Your Way Rewards card. Found a tankini that, with using my points, was free for me. And I have it delivered to the store for pickup, so other than gas to get there (not far, the mall in my town), and $1.10 for tax, I'm doing great so far with the low buy :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Still working on my Project 10 Pan. So close on my shampoo, hand soap, hand lotion, toothpaste, etc. I know some of this stuff might not be officially 'counted', but my makeup to use up is going to take a while to use, so I'm including the other items, as an all-encompassing beauty pan project for this summer. Though I am still looking forward to purchasing eye shadows and nail polish (my downfalls) - but will wait until I use up more items first.

@ jaylilee - my DH and I follow the Dave Ramsey plan for debt reduction/savings and YNAB program for budgeting and have done well - we will be debt free this September if all goes as plan, having paid off $40,000 mostly over the course of this year. We don't have a house yet though, still renting an apartment, and waiting for DH to get through his Masters in Teaching (math/history/government) program to buy a house - looking at 100% down plan :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

ETA: And there goes $10 a month. I signed up for my first Birchbox. But these are on my allowed list, and still considered part of my low-buy. Yay! SO happy to start my first sub box. Really hoping I like what I get.

 
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I'm doing great so far and haven't even been tempted to buy anything.  However, I got an email about the HUGE annual book sale that I look forward to every year.  I'm going to go, but am going to try to keep it under $30.

 
Doing well with the 2014 no-buy so far. Only buying replacements once I completely run out. A local grocery store does well in their clearance department, and in the past month I scored four 10-ct. packs of Yes To Cucumbers face wipes for $1.20 each, a Dr. Bronner's shave gel for $4.50, and a Gud body wash for $3. At Target I found the 0.5 oz. sizes of L'Oreal primers (Miracle Blur and Pore Canisher or whatever) on clearance for $3 apiece. There were other good items too, but they weren't necessary nor will they be any time soon so sticking to the no-buy!

 
AliciaKnits said:
Doing excellent so far on my low buy - no makeup or skin/body/haircare purchases as of today. However, I did "purchase" a new tankini. I desperately needed a new one for this summer, so I checked out Sears/Kmart where I have a Shop Your Way Rewards card. Found a tankini that, with using my points, was free for me. And I have it delivered to the store for pickup, so other than gas to get there (not far, the mall in my town), and $1.10 for tax, I'm doing great so far with the low buy :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Still working on my Project 10 Pan. So close on my shampoo, hand soap, hand lotion, toothpaste, etc. I know some of this stuff might not be officially 'counted', but my makeup to use up is going to take a while to use, so I'm including the other items, as an all-encompassing beauty pan project for this summer. Though I am still looking forward to purchasing eye shadows and nail polish (my downfalls) - but will wait until I use up more items first.

@ jaylilee - my DH and I follow the Dave Ramsey plan for debt reduction/savings and YNAB program for budgeting and have done well - we will be debt free this September if all goes as plan, having paid off $40,000 mostly over the course of this year. We don't have a house yet though, still renting an apartment, and waiting for DH to get through his Masters in Teaching (math/history/government) program to buy a house - looking at 100% down plan :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

ETA: And there goes $10 a month. I signed up for my first Birchbox. But these are on my allowed list, and still considered part of my low-buy. Yay! SO happy to start my first sub box. Really hoping I like what I get.
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Holy crapola 40k in under a year? I am seriously impressed. I will look into this program. 

No buy for me is going well. No makeup bought! I do have 2 gift cards sitting in my inbox... they are being kept as rewards for myself for when I finish some stuff, or for when I get the itch that I MUST buy something, but at least no $$ down. Probably won't, though.

The more time I spend trying to put a dent into my project pan items, the more discouraged I get from buying more stuff. I hit pan on my cargo blush and making that pan get bigger is taking a. lot. of. work. you guys. like a lot. at this rate I don't know that I can get the pan very big by the end of june, or that I can finish it by the end of july like I had hoped. And this is with daily use since I made my list back in late may (25th, I think?)...so two weeks in, and the pan is tiny/hasn't budged...I only have about 3 weeks left to this month.....so even if I manage to DOUBLE my pan size on that blush it'll still be tiny.

And then I think back to the 39 blushes I own.

Yep. No incentive to buy anything, at this rate. 

 
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chibimorph said:
Doing well so far. Currently working on my list of Shiro CotMs that I want to buy near the end of this month (the Shiro CotM clear out is on my allowed list and the colors are guaranteed until June 30). Also pondering a Rainbow Honey order near the middle to end of the month (because of their limited edition nail polish for June). Hopefully these will be my only makeup-related orders for June.

I have two indie orders that I ordered in May coming in this month, too, so hopefully those will keep me occupied and prevent me from buying more things.
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Chinchillin' turned out so great. I didn't even vote for it because when I read that it was going to be a gray based I assumed it would look too close to Jareth's Tight Pants. Now I have all the COTM's for the passed year.

 
I've reorganized my stash and put away some recent purchases that have been piling up, and I think I am back on track for my low-buy.

 
cumber1137 said:
Chinchillin' turned out so great. I didn't even vote for it because when I read that it was going to be a gray based I assumed it would look too close to Jareth's Tight Pants. Now I have all the COTM's for the passed year.
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I voted for Chinchillin' and therefore feel a small obligation to buy it :rolleyes:   I really do like the way it looks on the site; I had considered getting Alkahestry during the anniversary sale but thought it was too light, so I think Chinchillin' will work better for me. The number of CotMs that I want from Shiro have increased since then, though. I'm still waiting until later in the month to make the order.

Yesterday, I made an unplanned purchase because Hello Waffle had a 25% off flash sale to celebrate the release of blushes. I got blushes, 3 of which are orange-toned so I'm hoping that this ends my hunt for the 'right' orange blush. The GWP I chose was an eyeshadow called Corgi Butts (love the color, love the name). So... because of the Hello Waffle purchase, I'm removing Meow Cosmetics from my allowed purchases list. I had originally considered getting foundation samples and orange blush samples if they had a 20% off sale, but I have enough foundation to last the summer and I just bought orange blushes from Hello Waffle. So I should be set :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
Margiee said:
I've been doing well at not buying anything so far.  The Ulta gwp tempted me today, but I don't need to spend $60 on anything even though I do adore free samples.  
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If you have to spend money then samples aren't really free ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

 
Well I have a new rule to my no-buy. My trip where I could go to Sephora and make a few purchases was cancelled. And on top of that I went through a kind of breakup. I was upset so I purchased the black Fergie lipstick (to match my mood) and a purple Essie(allowed by my rules seeing it was from TJ Maxx. The lipstick was $3 and a color I do not have in my collection so I am allowing it. HOWEVER!, I need to not let my emotions (usually sad ones) make me purchase things as a temporary fix.

So! Instead of the one day at Sephora I am allowed ONE Sephora order online or order from Urban Decay seeing I want the Electric palette. With the UD sale stuff I will probably order there so I can get enough for free shipping without spending more then necessary. It depends on the samples offered.

 
 I want the BB Mermaid box so bad I can taste it, but I am not going to buy it. I don't have enough points, so I'm going to stay strong.

 
I've been toying with the idea of opening up a youtube channel to keep me accountable on my project pan... but the idea of being on camera is scary. I also dont want my face all over the interwebs.

The struggle is real.

 
I need to participate in this group. I was all gung-ho after the new year (thanks to my Xmas goodies) but that didn't last.

May was horrible. I bought so much m/u...at least it was all avon & drugstore. Avon is my big weakness. That colorful catalog filled with all that beautiful makeup & tons of sales.

June hasn't begun so well on my low buy. Today I bought a Lorac set from kohls I had been eyeing but resisting. It came with 3 eyeshadows, mascara, a waterproof eyeliner, & a powder blush stain. All full size & all the colors that look good on me.

 
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azalea97 said:
I need to participate in this group. I was all hung ho after the new year (thanks to my Xmas goodies) but that didn't last.

May was horrible. I bought so much m/u...at least it was all avon & drugstore. Avon is my big weakness. That colorful catalog filled with all that beautiful makeup & tons of sales.

June hasn't begun so well on my low buy. Today I bought a Lorac set from kohls I had been eyeing but resisting. It came with 3 eyeshadows, mascara, a waterproof eyeliner, & a powder blush stain. All full size & all the colors that look good on me. the kit was $36 and I had $10 kohls bucks so I got all that high end makeup for $26....less than the total would be for all that at a drugstore. Soooo at least I do t feel that guilty for that purchase.

My goal for this month (& hopefully for a while after) is to only buy 1 or 2 sale items from Avon per catalog equalling $12 or less.
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Welcome!

No-buys/low-buys are a muscle. flex it and exercise it. I think your goal is a good one, but also perhaps consider how often avon puts out a catalog. I remember them being a monthly thing when I was growing up but I haven't looked into avon since I was 12. I do know they still make my mother's favorite perfume xD 

Try to rediscover items you already have that you can fall in love with, and get rid of /donate/ toss things you don't, or if you're feeling more daring, try to project pan them by finding alternate ways to use them. I have found that sometimes the items we have that we feel don't work can be used in order wonderful ways, or it's a matter of application. 

 
Doing well so far, though it's only a week into the month. I have been simply deleting the sales e-mails that come into my inbox without looking at the contents. I think this has helped with impulse purchases. I've also been adding things to my amazon wish list in hopes of getting a better idea of the things that I actually need, rather than just blindly purchasing tons of stuff because it's on sale. 

I did pick up some Almay single eyeshadows and lip balms at Rite-Aid yesterday, but those were free after coupons and rewards. I only paid tax, which amounted to a couple of bucks. @@azalea97's post reminded me that I do have an Avon order coming in soon, but I ordered those things before this month started, so I'm not feeling guilty about it. 

If things get bad, I do have a JustFab credit I've been sitting on for a couple of months. A cute new purse always makes me feel better. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
shopstash.jpg

Talk about shopping my stash. I just posted this on my instagram but HELLO SHOPPING MY STASH! Guess who forgot she had these? This girl. I had been lusting over sleek flamingo blush, mac desert rose blush, Mac cranberry, expensive pink, nylon and bronze. Also eyeliner. So guess what I found in my collection?

I found exact dupes (some not pictured here). Guess who won't be buying more stuff any time soon? This girl! I will keep this palette patiently waiting until July 1st after I'm done with my June products, or will incorporate them before then ;) but if I wait then it's definitely more like shopping my stash (totally psychological, but it gets me excited to use my stuff).

edit: I FINALLY figured out how to add pictures! guess I just couldn't do it from the regular reply screen. I'm proud xD (it's the little things....)

 
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msambrosia said:
Doing well so far, though it's only a week into the month. I have been simply deleting the sales e-mails that come into my inbox without looking at the contents. I think this has helped with impulse purchases. I've also been adding things to my amazon wish list in hopes of getting a better idea of the things that I actually need, rather than just blindly purchasing tons of stuff because it's on sale. 

I did pick up some Almay single eyeshadows and lip balms at Rite-Aid yesterday, but those were free after coupons and rewards. I only paid tax, which amounted to a couple of bucks. @@azalea97's post reminded me that I do have an Avon order coming in soon, but I ordered those things before this month started, so I'm not feeling guilty about it. 

If things get bad, I do have a JustFab credit I've been sitting on for a couple of months. A cute new purse always makes me feel better. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
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That's a really good idea!  I need to just delete the emails without looking at them until I get my summerswap giftee.  At least with that, I'll have a purpose and a "budget" to go on and, of course, I'll want to get the best deal possible to stretch the budget.  So that should satisfy my need to hunt for the best deals.  

I made a purchase at Neiman Marcus with some gift cards, but other than that I've been good at resisting the urge to buy lately.  It's those really good deals that tempt me so badly.  

I've started to inventory the extras I have and that is helping me see that I don't NEED anything.  I still have a wishlist, but unless I completely run out of something, I don't need it. I'm trying to go no-very low buy until my birthday at the end of July, so I'll be able treat myself to some pretty things to make it extra special.    

 
valeried44 said:
That's a really good idea!  I need to just delete the emails without looking at them until I get my summerswap giftee.  At least with that, I'll have a purpose and a "budget" to go on and, of course, I'll want to get the best deal possible to stretch the budget.  So that should satisfy my need to hunt for the best deals.  

I made a purchase at Neiman Marcus with some gift cards, but other than that I've been good at resisting the urge to buy lately.  It's those really good deals that tempt me so badly.  

I've started to inventory the extras I have and that is helping me see that I don't NEED anything.  I still have a wishlist, but unless I completely run out of something, I don't need it. I'm trying to go no-very low buy until my birthday at the end of July, so I'll be able treat myself to some pretty things to make it extra special.
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I think Summerswap will help me as well. I just love looking at all the pretty things, and the fun of seeing how far I can stretch my budget should help me be more careful of what I buy so that I can make sure I'm buying just the right thing.

 

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