Intro
It looks like 2019 is going to be the Year of the No-Buy. All over YouTube, people are starting No-Buys, Low-Buys, etc. with varying sets of rules. I, like many others, was particularly struck by the videos of Hannah Louise Poston's no-buy for 2018. I watched the year-end wrap-up recently, and too many of her points hit home for me. I encourage you to check out her videos if you're unfamiliar. Many people are doing Low Buys in which they set limits on the amount of new products they can buy, likely so they can continue to produce new and exciting content. However, I don't make any money from this blog (nor do I anticipate doing so in the future), and its' content doesn't hinge on "new and exciting" anything. My finances have not necessarily been suffering as a result of my makeup purchases either, and I feel lucky to say that. So why a no-buy?
Why
I consider myself to be an everyday person who happens to spend way too much time and money on makeup and skincare. Last year I was Rouge at Sephora and Platinum at Ulta. I'm realizing that all that money and time doesn't make me special, for all that those companies want me to believe it does - it just takes money out of my pocket. I cringe every time my husband makes a remark about going to the mall again. And I panic whenever anyone asks what I like to do as a hobby because I all do is consume makeup and beauty-related media. As a formerly over-achieving student, this makes me feel vapid and boring. You might have noticed from my Healthy Habits Challenge series that I've been taking small steps to change that part of my life. I like to read, I crochet, I've started taking more joy in caring for my home, and I have an adorable cat and loving husband. So I need to stop trying to find worth in my makeup, and start finding it in ways that matter (I am religious, but won't get into that here). I'm hoping that participating in this now-trendy activity will bring some balance to my life and decrease the size of my makeup collection in a meaningful way. Go take a look at my makeup inventory post if you haven't seen it. Ya girl has way too much.
Financially, I haven't gotten into debt from my beauty habits. But my priorities have not been in order. I've never felt like I've been able to travel because "I can't afford it" when in reality I had just been spending that money on makeup. I would rather spend my money on experiences rather than stuff this year.
Rules?
~ Replacement only no-buy. That means I cannot buy another product until I have nothing else in that category.
~ I won't use things I hate just to comply with the rule above. Some people are really hard-core about "replacement-only", meaning they'll power through products they hate and won't get rid of anything that hasn't been decimated. For example, if I open up a mascara and HATE IT (unlikely as I haven't been burned too bad before, but just go with it), I'm not using that puppy up. It's going into the trash. That MAC Fix+ that works terribly as a setting spray for me? Not using it up as a setting spray. You see where I'm going with this. It will also apply to skincare and haircare products.
~ I'm allowed to buy gifts for others. My husband loves the dental floss from Sephora and I usually get my mom nice skincare/makeup for gifts. Those won't count against me. I do have to plan those purchases close to the time the gift will be given OR around a sale (e.g. Mother's Day skincare at the spring Sephora sale). Otherwise I know I'll have a loophole to buy something "for someone else" just to get a good gift with purchase for me.
~ I will allow myself one home decor item per month. We're still settling into our home, and I want the freedom to decorate it and make it our own. For example - in January, I bought a snake plant (and it looks great in our kitchen).
~ The no buy applies to clothes as well. I don't really have a problem with shopping for clothing, but my previous short no buys have taught me that when I cut myself off from buying makeup, I start to have a problem with shopping for clothing. So this is just to nip that in the bud. If I need something for an event that's not covered in my wardrobe already, I'll give myself the freedom to buy something.
~ I get the freedom to decide what constitutes a "category" for me. For example, I want a stick foundation for travel, but I don't want that for my only foundation. So liquid foundation is another category. Lipsticks also get further broken up. I already have all the color categories I could possibly need. If I somehow use up all of my red lipsticks (liquid, bullet, doesn't matter) I would be allowed to purchase another red even though I'd still have other lipsticks to wear. I don't foresee this happening with lip products, but I'd like to have that freedom nonetheless.
How long?
There's a pirate-themed T-shirt out there that my mom loves. It says something along the lines of "The beatings will continue until morale improves." (Don't worry, my mother hasn't beaten anyone, to my knowledge.)
I'm going to take it month by month, thinking about the size of my collection and the fervor of my desire to shop. I might allow myself the freedom to purchase ONE item from the Sephora/Ulta sale or for my birthday. I know I tend to go into "treat yo'self" mode as I did this past year, so a limit would definitely be in order. If my collection is still out of control, I might not allow myself anything. Ideally, I'll keep this up for the entirety of 2019. Or until my attitude towards makeup and shopping improves.
Any last words?
Since I don't wear makeup to work, it's a fun time activity for me instead of a necessity to look put-together for the workplace (though many of my coworkers take the time to do makeup and look great as a result, it just isn't me). I don't need anything, but I do want to keep my collection in a state that still allows me to have fun doing my makeup in the morning. I'm still planning on keeping up with Project Pans as a way to focus on loving different parts of my collection and get use on different products. I plan to continue updates on the Healthy Habits Challenge to incentivize myself to keep doing activities not related to makeup and add some balance to my life (and to this blog as well). If there's anything else you're interested in seeing, let me know.
Here's to an accountable and affordable 2019.
It looks like 2019 is going to be the Year of the No-Buy. All over YouTube, people are starting No-Buys, Low-Buys, etc. with varying sets of rules. I, like many others, was particularly struck by the videos of Hannah Louise Poston's no-buy for 2018. I watched the year-end wrap-up recently, and too many of her points hit home for me. I encourage you to check out her videos if you're unfamiliar. Many people are doing Low Buys in which they set limits on the amount of new products they can buy, likely so they can continue to produce new and exciting content. However, I don't make any money from this blog (nor do I anticipate doing so in the future), and its' content doesn't hinge on "new and exciting" anything. My finances have not necessarily been suffering as a result of my makeup purchases either, and I feel lucky to say that. So why a no-buy?
Why
I consider myself to be an everyday person who happens to spend way too much time and money on makeup and skincare. Last year I was Rouge at Sephora and Platinum at Ulta. I'm realizing that all that money and time doesn't make me special, for all that those companies want me to believe it does - it just takes money out of my pocket. I cringe every time my husband makes a remark about going to the mall again. And I panic whenever anyone asks what I like to do as a hobby because I all do is consume makeup and beauty-related media. As a formerly over-achieving student, this makes me feel vapid and boring. You might have noticed from my Healthy Habits Challenge series that I've been taking small steps to change that part of my life. I like to read, I crochet, I've started taking more joy in caring for my home, and I have an adorable cat and loving husband. So I need to stop trying to find worth in my makeup, and start finding it in ways that matter (I am religious, but won't get into that here). I'm hoping that participating in this now-trendy activity will bring some balance to my life and decrease the size of my makeup collection in a meaningful way. Go take a look at my makeup inventory post if you haven't seen it. Ya girl has way too much.
Financially, I haven't gotten into debt from my beauty habits. But my priorities have not been in order. I've never felt like I've been able to travel because "I can't afford it" when in reality I had just been spending that money on makeup. I would rather spend my money on experiences rather than stuff this year.
Rules?
~ Replacement only no-buy. That means I cannot buy another product until I have nothing else in that category.
~ I won't use things I hate just to comply with the rule above. Some people are really hard-core about "replacement-only", meaning they'll power through products they hate and won't get rid of anything that hasn't been decimated. For example, if I open up a mascara and HATE IT (unlikely as I haven't been burned too bad before, but just go with it), I'm not using that puppy up. It's going into the trash. That MAC Fix+ that works terribly as a setting spray for me? Not using it up as a setting spray. You see where I'm going with this. It will also apply to skincare and haircare products.
~ I'm allowed to buy gifts for others. My husband loves the dental floss from Sephora and I usually get my mom nice skincare/makeup for gifts. Those won't count against me. I do have to plan those purchases close to the time the gift will be given OR around a sale (e.g. Mother's Day skincare at the spring Sephora sale). Otherwise I know I'll have a loophole to buy something "for someone else" just to get a good gift with purchase for me.
~ I will allow myself one home decor item per month. We're still settling into our home, and I want the freedom to decorate it and make it our own. For example - in January, I bought a snake plant (and it looks great in our kitchen).
~ The no buy applies to clothes as well. I don't really have a problem with shopping for clothing, but my previous short no buys have taught me that when I cut myself off from buying makeup, I start to have a problem with shopping for clothing. So this is just to nip that in the bud. If I need something for an event that's not covered in my wardrobe already, I'll give myself the freedom to buy something.
~ I get the freedom to decide what constitutes a "category" for me. For example, I want a stick foundation for travel, but I don't want that for my only foundation. So liquid foundation is another category. Lipsticks also get further broken up. I already have all the color categories I could possibly need. If I somehow use up all of my red lipsticks (liquid, bullet, doesn't matter) I would be allowed to purchase another red even though I'd still have other lipsticks to wear. I don't foresee this happening with lip products, but I'd like to have that freedom nonetheless.
How long?
There's a pirate-themed T-shirt out there that my mom loves. It says something along the lines of "The beatings will continue until morale improves." (Don't worry, my mother hasn't beaten anyone, to my knowledge.)
I'm going to take it month by month, thinking about the size of my collection and the fervor of my desire to shop. I might allow myself the freedom to purchase ONE item from the Sephora/Ulta sale or for my birthday. I know I tend to go into "treat yo'self" mode as I did this past year, so a limit would definitely be in order. If my collection is still out of control, I might not allow myself anything. Ideally, I'll keep this up for the entirety of 2019. Or until my attitude towards makeup and shopping improves.
Any last words?
Since I don't wear makeup to work, it's a fun time activity for me instead of a necessity to look put-together for the workplace (though many of my coworkers take the time to do makeup and look great as a result, it just isn't me). I don't need anything, but I do want to keep my collection in a state that still allows me to have fun doing my makeup in the morning. I'm still planning on keeping up with Project Pans as a way to focus on loving different parts of my collection and get use on different products. I plan to continue updates on the Healthy Habits Challenge to incentivize myself to keep doing activities not related to makeup and add some balance to my life (and to this blog as well). If there's anything else you're interested in seeing, let me know.
Here's to an accountable and affordable 2019.
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