How do you all afford Mac?

[Korms]

I'm a student but I also work. My income is minimal so I only buy basics that I actually need and use (foundation, concealer etc). All of my MAC products are well used.

 

[3773519]

I have a pro card. I have a f/t job but i also freelance as a MUA. I've been meaning to work for MAC I make way more money at my f/t so i'll do MU on weekends, holidays, birthdays, weddings, just because. Even though I'm big on budgeting I dont ever budget for MAC but the dinero is always there some how. I just cant seem to budget myself for MAC alone because the thought of spending so much on makeup kills me but if i just do it in the heat of the moment it wont be so bad..plus i get my money back when i do a gig....oh yea and everyone knows im big on MAC so im easy on gifts.MAC never gets old.

 

[banjobama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sushi_Flower You guys sure have a lot of Mac stuff and you can't all be millionaires! I only have a few Mac things and even those i find hard to afford, so how do you guys do it? Do you have great jobs and don't have to worry about it or do you scrimp and save for precious Mac? And what are your best tips for getting as much Mac as you can?

I'm also somewhat of a kept woman, lol. But before that, honestly one of the biggest ways I built my collection was buying gently used stuff here on Specktra. I bought so many quads, and now I'm kind of like, what am I supposed to do with all this? haha.

Also my mom and sister know to buy me makeup for presents. I told my mom to get me one of the holiday eye palettes this year.

And you don't need to be a MAC snob. Once it's on your face nobody is going to know what the brand is so do whatever makes you feel like you look best.

 

[lunargen]

By closing my eyes when I slide the card

But seriously, a whole lot of overtime, and mad budgeting skills. ^^b

 

[toparistonight]

I'm a student and live at home and don't pay for my bills and stuff, so I only have a part-time job, but luckily for me its for a really good employer. I only work seven hours a week but normally end up with about £300 ($500ish, I think) a month. Because I work for a branch of a department store, I get a staff discount of 25% off on brands they sell, like Dior/Chanel/Estee Lauder/Clinique. Which gives me a bit extra money to spend on MAC. If I know a collection is coming up, I'll try and work some extra hours, but mostly I set about £100-£150 from my pay aside to spend on new collections and the like. Oh, and I only buy what I'm actually going to use. It makes me mad when I see people buying stuff just cause its LE or whatever.

 

[nursee81]

I work PT as a nurse (of course), I also do freelance on the side and my hubby work FT and OT almost every other week. The pro card helps too, not really b/c it makes me buy more.

 

[carandru]

Quote:

Originally Posted by banjobama And you don't need to be a MAC snob. Once it's on your face nobody is going to know what the brand is so do whatever makes you feel like you look best.

I totally agree. My hubby and I were just talking about that last night. Like it it looks the same, functions the same or very similarly, and is cheaper why not get it? No one knows who made that color on your face just by looking at you.

As far as how I afford MAC, my hubby and I both have f/t jobs. We put our collective money in our joint account each month and whatever is left over is put into our personal accounts. He saves all his money and I spend all mine,

. I dont' really budget for MAC or makeup or anything for that matter. I have a self imposed limit that my checking account cannot go under and I usually buy what I want until I reach that limit. Some months that means more makeup and some months that means more essential items like clothes, lol.

I also try to buy items when I can get some sort of "discount". So I'll get most of my MAC products from Macys.com where I get a 20% discount. If they dont' have it there, I'll buy from the mac website w/ a free shipping code so I don't have to pay taxes. And lastly, if I need it right then or its sold out everywhere, I'll go to my MAC counter. But I hate buying there b/c then I have to pay full price and taxes lol.

But who can resist MAC goodies when you see them in person? Not I, definitely not I.

 

[cmonster]

I'm still a student, but since I have a steady income and I don't have to pay for anything (ie transportation, food, etc...) I can splurge on makeup like MAC

 

[Shadowy Lady]

I have a good paying job. However, I only buy MAC after paying for various expenses such as mortgage, insurance, student loan.....and also after saving a percentage of my income for the future.

That being said, I don't buy as much MAC as I used to. I feel that my collection is mostly complete. Nowadays I buy 1-2 things or nothing from each collection. I think it's all about balance.

 

[Blushbaby]

I work F/T and my only indulgences are clothes, shoes and makeup. My rent's inclusive of all bills and I only have to pay for my Sky TV (cable to you guys) on top of that.
I REFUSE to buy at UK counters anymore cos I'm being ripped off, so either buy what I want off U.S Ebay or have splurges everytime I fly to NY to visit my boyf.

 

[eulchen]

i get money from my parents and i work next to university, which leaves me with about 600 to 700€, for paying everything i need. (rent, phone, food, books, clothes...) i had to cut back the past half year as i was in the US and mexico, which kinda ruined all my savings and credit card balance, so right now i just get the basics (powder, mascara) and one item at a time if its LE and im in love with it. (Petticoat.) i try to stay under 30€ a month right now, so i can pay off my credit card and slowly start saving again.

 

[ClaireAvril]

The best thing to do if you have an average salary is to make sure the bills have been paid and the savings have been put aside before you go to MAC so you have a realistic amount of what can be spent!
I stopped doing a few things that I used to do before MAC entered my life..
I drive less.. thanks to where my job is - downtown.. I take transit to work every day and try to take transit as much as I can instead of driving.. the amount of money I spend in gas has really gone down .. I also try to not eat out anymore.. better for the wallet and the body.

 

[Mandypaul]

I pay for mac, by working part time and my partner has a full time job. I also splurge every now and again and then dont buy any for a while i also dont drink or smoke, so i have extra money for makeup and stuff

 

[Sario]

I'm a FT student and work PT, soon to be FT. Also, I'd say probably 90% of my makeup that's mac is from CCOs.

 

[Lizzie]

Truthfully, I can't afford it. Doesn't stop me though.

 

[pinkstar]

I'm an only child

 

[yodagirl]

I only spend money on MAC....I don't have a shoe, purse, or clothing addiction to feed as well, so that leaves me lots of money for the pretty stuff

 

[MacAddict_Sami]

I am 22, I went to school, got an education, and then got a well paying job. I currently live at home with my parents (who refuse to let me pay any rent) but I have bought a house with my boyfriend, we're just waiting for it to be built. I don't smoke, rarely drink, don't eat out, so I have quite a bit of extra cash. I am someone who literally makes a budget every month and there is seriously a cell on my spreadsheet that says "MAC Budget". My boyfriend thinks it's funny, but I think it's sensible. That's why I find this site so helpful, knowing what new collections are coming out, helps me to pick out what I really want, so I know what not to spend money on.

 

[NauteeJo]

I try my best to budget but it never works. I end up going there with a set amount to spend.....while im there i double that amount (at least) and convince myself that its not a bad thing and that i do really need MORE makeup. Then i go home and show my mum my haul

and hide it before my boyfriend sees it!

 

[christineeee_]

i need to start working more because i just got my bill for my mastercard and after i pay that off i'll have $200 left in the bank