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What tips do you have for someone on a no- or low-buy?
What tips do you have for someone on a no- or low-buy? Share! (A no- or low-buy is when someone is actively not purchasing or minimizing purchases for a specific time period, often with certain rules like they can repurchase foundation if they finish, etc.)
I work best with incentives, so I would try to think about how to reward myself for sticking with it at the end. I also think keeping a spreadsheet of what you own can help you keep track of what you’re using, what you have, and give you a better sense of how much you have and why you felt the need to go on a no- or low-buy!
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No/low buys are so hard lol. But it’s a little easier if you already have a nice sized collection. You can just shop your stash. It’s a great way to rediscover old favorites and new products that have been forgotten. I do this all the time when I realize I need to slow down lol
It helped me a lot to organize my stash, depot all my singles onto z-palettes, organize my lipsticks by colour and not by brand; all these makes you realize that you already own a few similar tones of the same shade and make you less vulnerable to the next new shiny thing
I think I am going to try the spreadsheet though!
Ugh, I’m doing a long no-buy (but sinned a little during all the sales now…) and it’s really needed but sooo boring!
Invest in the basics and really think before you purchase. Only buy what you REALLY need. No one needs 5 different mascaras and six brown eyeliners.
Reorganize! See if your stash is hidimg some treasures you’ve forgotten about. Put out some rarely used products where they can inspire you. Consider swapping with a friend.
In all honesty, I’d advise staying away from youtube makeup tutorials entirely and also beauty blogs (including THIS one!!!). I’d say about 85% of my makeup purchases in the past years have been motivated by what I’ve seen online in these 2 formats – youtube and beauty blogs. So if I were sincere in trying to do a “no buy”, I’d make it easier on myself in this way.
ITA with everything you said! I was completely happy with my makeup and makeup routine until I discovered beauty Youtubes and blogs. I’ll have to find something else to watch/read for awhile.
Hear!hear. I agree I never was a shopaholic till I started watching youtube. This is the best advice for people like us.
Soooooo true! I’ve been watching project pan and purging and pan that palette videos and staying away from monthly favorites and haul videos.
For sure! I’ve spent more money on makeup in the past year since I started watching beauty bloggers on youtube, than I have during all 39 other years in my life!! I get so much enjoyment from these sites and trying new products, bot I’ve almost stopped reading books and doing my other hobbies since this began. It’s strange how this becomes so consuming. Christine, this is testimony to how great your work is. Happy new year!
it also helps to encourage others when they decide to go on no or low buy
motivation does help 😉
Shop your stash, try out new combinations with products you already have!
Great question! When I’m on a tight budget, I try to have a good look at my stash and first clean it out. Sometimes having too much makes you dissatisfied and makes you feel like you need more. Next I challenge myself to use products in a creative way, like using shades I never use or combining products that I’ve never put together before.
I also like to keep a wishlist in my planner. Although that might seem contradictory, it makes you feel like you’re allowed to want things and that one day you’ll be able to splurge. Also to see it written down with the price helps me realise the worth of something and whether or not I want it badly enough to actually get it. Also try to find the best price when you’re constructing your wishlist. I’ve saved money by comparing different websites, something I would not have done on an impulse buy. I’ve saved a lot of money by having a wishlist!
Excellent point about the wishlist.
Happy I could help!
I love this idea, too! I use Wishpot.com for such things. Often, once items are on my list for a long enough time, I start to feel like I’ve already purchased them, and they become boring and are replaced by new wishes! When you see everything that you want side-by-side, you can prioritize what you really want (what you’ve wanted consistently for three months vs. what you’ve wanted REALLY BADLY for three hours). Mind tricks.
I have kept a good record of low-buy for about two months in skincare category. But when it comes to makeups, I don’t hold it that well. My new rule to myself is, stop buying drugstore products as they are affordable which leads to overbuying. And I only add mid-to-high end products to my wish-list to make sure when I can’t afford it at the time, I either forget about it later, or I save up for a really good product.
So often I say I’m going on a no-buy and then more beautiful things that I “need” are released. It’s a conspiracy =(
I’m starting a “low-buy” today, actually, LOL! I plan to strictly adhere to my current “wishlist”, which is primarily things I’ve wanted for a while. The *only* things I will be adding are NARS seasonal collection items, and since those happen 4 times a year, it’s not *that* bad, LOL!
Writing everything down on paper, including price, really helps with staying on budget, and puts spending into perspective. I plan to have my list done by April, and after that, it’ll be a “no-buy” for the rest of the year…
Crawl into a cave, away from all the tempting pretty things!
Yeah – that’s about the only thing that would work for me!
I’m on a no-low buy this year. So for February the Nars palette is all I’m getting from Sephora. I know it’s going to be a ridiculous price CAN because it’s $79US. I’m on a $100CAN non essentials budget.
I just use my stash, and change up my products every day. So, I agree with those who say to organize your stash, and shop it. It can be fun discovering old favorites, or realizing some colors you own are really in style now.
If I’m on no or low-buy, it’s usually because cash is short, so it provides its own motivation. It feels good to pay off a credit card, etc. It’s surprisingly satisfying to finish off a tube of lipstick or hit pan on an eyeshadow.
Unless you’re really broke, I think it helps not to go completely “no buy.” Even an inexpensive Wet n Wild lipstick, or some nail polish from a dollar store once in a while feels like a beauty treat and won’t break the bank.
Invest in the basics, stay away from YouTube and blogs, stay out of stores. I put together a weekly/monthly beauty basket so I can rotate through my collection and discover products that I ‘had to have’ so that I can use them.
1)Organize your stash and make it really visible, so you see you already have hundreds and hundreds of products. I have 90% of my stash out on the vanity, in clear plastic cups, and it’s starting to look like a Sephora store, so I can “shop” my stash. And after seeing a cup with 20 brown eyeliners and another one with 10 pink- brown lipsticks, I realize I don’t need anymore!
2) Keep a wish list of stuff you really want or need. This cuts down on impulsive buying
3) Stop reading beauty blogs, as that’s where most of my purchases come from! But seriously, I love reading the blogs and can’t stop, but I have to build up more willpower.
It depends on the reason for the no or low buy. If it’s just to use up what you have, great! If it’s budget related that’s harder.
For me, I’ve been on a low buy this year. I’ve bought maybe $300 in makeup and personal care this last year. Some of it was replacing and some of it was for my blog.
1. Shop your stash.
2. Go through everything you have and decide what you love. Keep track of those products or colors and only replace those ones when finished or close to gone.
3. Only buy LE stuff that catches your eye and you know you will use. Not collector stuff either but like an LE quad or special LE lip color that fills a whole in your color or formula collection.
4. If you have a blog, have a blog sale for your nicer unused or gently used items. Put that money towards frivolous spending.
5. Incentives. For every month you make it with just the bare minium needs met, put a bit of money aside (like $10) and put it towards a haul at the end of the year!
I started a “low-buy” at the beginning of December that’s going to last until November when all 5 of the out-of-state weddings I’m attending are done. I’m going to avoid buying any permanent collection products unless it’s to replace something I finish, really hardcore evaluate any LE purchases, and not get suckered in by coupons and sales (that’s my worst weakness). I already organized my stash (it’s all by color) and stocked up on some of the basics a few months back.
Get a boyfriend like the one I have than you’re definitely going NO-BUY haha ! Seriously you need to realize that you have already everything what you need and so much more. A new color is always tempting but if you practice make up everyday with mixing different colors it will be easier and so much more fun. Don’t be afraid to mix, even the eyeliners! The key is to remember what you got
1: My first step is going through my entire stash to find any products that need to be tossed because they are old. Any products that may be on the brink go in my everyday rotation so I can use them up first. (This is also helpful because if I have something that already has a significant dent in it, I use it up fairly quickly and have gratification sooner–like getting a head start!) Looking at my entire collection is also a good way to determine where my ‘problem areas’ are so that I can focus on using more of those products (or buying fewer when I allow myself to purchase things again).
2: I keep empty containers for however long I’ve set for my goal period. Then at the end, I can really see my progress in comparison to my stash.
3: I make lists of a few things that I want to use up. That way when I get through my first batch, I can jump right into the next one.
4: For products with longer shelf life, I just switch them up every month or so. I get to use ‘new’ products fairly often and my various shadows, blushes, and palettes get equal love.
Come to Middle Earth, ROFL! The prices here will keep you flawlessly honest :,-)
More seriously: I’ve found this twin method really helpful, but also really pleasant:
1. Make a concentrated effort to finish products you already have. Keep a lipgloss or handcream or something you’re working on at hand around the house, and reapply while you’re reading or watching TV or raiding dungeons or cleaning the bathroom or whatever. This works especially well for stuff that you’re not in *love* with, but you don’t want to waste and throw away, and are non-sterilisable/sellable/giftable. As you see the pile of empites grow, the sense of accomplishment is rather nice 😉
2. Think of a big sale/event that’s coming up in a few months (yes, MONTHS), and actively save for it. Save yourself up a little bit of ‘me/hobby’ money each week, and then when the time comes, you can get yourself some nice stuff. This has the added bonus of making you think about and plan your purchases, and might give you a chance to let the OMG THAT’S AWESOME I NEED IT NOW feeling pass on a few items. 😉
I find that the end result of this system is that you finish up more of your existing stuff, make fewer impulse purchases, and wind up with a better edited selection of items at the end of it, that you genuinely like and use, no matter what the ultimate size of your stash or spending power is. 🙂
Multi-use!
There are plenty of lipsticks you can use as blush. Eyeshadows you can use as highlighters, bronzers or blush or vice versa. Lipliner as eyeliners and eyeliners as pencils. Come up with creative ways to use what you have in your stash differently than how you are used to using them 🙂
It’s a really good way to rediscover your makeup collection and become excited about a product all over again.
Reorganising and maintaining a sheet of what all you have will surely help in going on a shopping ban!.. It helps me reuse some of the least used products and save on some bucks! 🙂
There are some truly excellent suggestions here. Even if you are not on a low or no-buy, it’s always a good idea to go through your beauty collection to make sure things are in order and to evaluate what you reach for the most and why. Then, what tends to get overlooked, and why. And, finally, what products would fill a need/want in your collection. Those are my wishlist items.
Another budget-friendly way to treat yourself is to purchase staple products when there are value-added bonuses such as GWPs, points perks, gift sets, great samples, etc.
I am always on a no-buy/ low buy. This is because in the past, I bought a number of things on impulse. I’d tell myself I would use them one day, but other than experimenting at home, I never did use them. They got tossed out, returned, or given to others. So now I keep an excel spreadsheet. It does the following:
-Tracks everything that I currently own (with prices listed next to each item, then a total price right underneath). This is so that I remember that it all adds up and that I have enough.
-Lists everything that I WANT (a very short list, and again it has the prices next to each item, and a total price underneath). I also keep track of WHEN is an appropriate time to buy it. Normally I wait for something else to run out before buying something I want. For example, I want to try a NARS foundation, but I’m not purchasing anything till my Bobbi Brown is done. Because then I’d have 2 foundations lying around. I’ve tested the NARS foundation before and it’s the perfect match/finish, but it I got it, I’d never go back to the Bobbi Brown. So I wait.
-Lists the kind of products that I DON’T use (i.e. I don’t use blush or mascara) Often when we go into Sephora or wherever, we’re tempted by all of the pretty packaging/displays, and the item seems promising. There are some items however, that I just don’t use, so I list the items that I never use, so that I never buy them.
-This one’s not as clean and straightfoward as the other purposes listed above, but I type notes next to the products that I currently own, and the notes typically say if I’ll repurchase or if I want to try something else. For example, my brown eye pencil is almost finished. It was an ‘alright’ pencil, so I definitely want to try something else. That column is highlighted, and it has the note “research other pencils” which lets me know to look into other eye pencils and see which one to try next. But I WILL NOT purchase any other eye pencil until this one is finished and off the list.
-Lastly, I write down my makeup routine. Helps me stay in perspective and remember what I DON’T need.
It sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t. Haven’t visited my list in months because I haven’t wanted anything/ finished anything recently. I don’t know how anyone can buy makeup constantly (unless their makeup artists) and then have too much of it, the thought of owning things I don’t need makes me nervous.
I would say you should really keep in mind of what you have in your collection and if you really truly need it. Instead of doing an impulse buy, stop and think if this thing is similar to something I already have. At least this is what I do. 🙂 Also if you’re doing a no-buy to save up for something else think about that reward at the end. 😀
I don’t find that no buys work for me, or even no buys restricted to a particular category, because I will just want everything more! What’s worked for me is setting a budget at the beginning of the year, and keep track of all of my purchases. I set a dollar amount for the whole year, rather than a month. I enter everything in an Excel spreadsheet, and as I enter purchases, I can visually see my budget shrinking. I also give myself “credit” towards my budget for any products I use up, so if I go over my budget, using up more products can give it a little boost.