Hi Ladies!
I'm new to the forum, I created an account a while ago but finally decided to post
So my question is, HOW do you keep yourself from buying so much?? Haha. I think I'm an addict, I'm constantly telling myself not to buy but I still do! I have drawers of stuff but I always want more. I just love looking at everything I have!
The good news is I always shop sales and bargains and I try to always sell stuff quickly that I know I won't use
Looking forward to meeting a lot of you!
Welcome!
Been there! Oh, have I ever been there.. My opinion is that if you constantly tell yourself to stop but can't, you're in the realm of addiction.
How I personally stopped:
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Ask yourself WHY you want to change: is your spending causing you stress, unhappiness, disappointment in yourself? Do you feel that your time, money, or energy could be better spent elsewhere? Knowing your big WHY is key. Design the life you want, don't get stuck on the hamster wheel.
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Identify your #1 financial goal: paying off debt, saving for a house, helping kids out with college, travel, quitting a job you dislike to pursue other dreams. Money you spend on cosmetics
is in direct competition with this big goal. Every time you buy something, ask yourself if you want another lipstick or financial freedom.
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Maximize your happiness: studies show that happiness = time > experiences > possessions. Spend money in a way that gives you more time or experiences, not more things. Studies also show that simplifying your life is more likely to lead to happiness. More possessions lead to higher stress, more time spent shopping, organizing, cleaning, caring for all of these items, choosing which items to use. The Paradox of Choice TED Talk by Barry Schwartz is a great illustration of this.
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Create an environment that sets you up for success: unsubscribe from sales emails, YouTube channels that encourage excessive consumption, blogs that promote new products. Instead surround yourself with people who are letting go, becoming creators instead of consumers, spending their money in a way that increases happiness.
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Focus on other hobbies: take an art class, learn a new language, volunteer, write a novel, start a side hustle, play an instrument, join a club.
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Remember that advertisers have power: they know
exactly how to make you spend more. They know all the tricks. They know the sales techniques that make people spend. If you want to spend less, you have to recognize this power and take it back from them. Remind yourself that you are beautiful. Advertisers tap in to your biggest insecurities: attractiveness, youth, success, relationships. You don't need things to be beautiful or youthful or successful. You live in a world of abundance, not scarcity!
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Be patient with yourself: changing ingrained habits takes time. Don't be too hard on yourself, but continue to challenge yourself to make positive changes. One small step at a time!
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Consider the impact of spending: the impact on your life, but also the impact on the environment, animal testing, factory conditions, etc. The True Cost is a fantastic documentary focused on the fast fashion industry (on Netflix) but many things also apply to cosmetics.
A final note: by cutting back on my spending,
I will be paying off my student loans in HALF the time and I'll be able to quit my 9-5 job TWENTY YEARS EARLIER to travel and maybe start my own business. I could go out to eat more, buy more, have more, but I could also have twenty extra years of traveling and spending ALL of my time as I want to.
The best part: I am also much happier! I don't feel deprived at all. I feel like I have everything I could ever want or need.
! I'm really trying to go out of my confort zone and change it with my eye look. Those duties fees ... I know with a purchased of 100$ and more the shipping charges are waved, but if I have to pay duties it doesn't help. 
What sucks is Tarte and Too faced sometime have collections only sold at Ulta, bummer. I also love Beautylish, I have a cart full of products just waiting for me to press the checkout button .... That will need to wait after July 25th/August 1st I guess, I want that ABH subculture palette. 
