Hey everybody, I'm not the most frequent poster, but I've been around Specktra for a little while to learn about new collections/see what people think about products. As much as I love makeup, spending all this money on stuff I barely use on a day-to-day basis is ridiculous, and I need to refocus my finances to have more room for saving money and having extra dough to be able go out and do things that I want/need to do. I will also be participating in this initiative, but I'll be on the conservative end of the spectrum. Over the past few years, I've done a much better job at putting together a collection that flatters my face well, so I don't feel the need to get a bunch of neutrals anymore since I have more than enough for one person. I also have so, so many brights and fun colors to break out when I can, so it's not really necessary for me to freak out over fuchsias/magentas/corals/oranges/reds/plums/purples etc. that have minute differences from the ones that have been released previously either. Because I have so much to choose from, I'm going to be limiting myself to 1-2 new color products a month, and I won't be differentiating between permanent and limited edition. New is new, and that's that! Honestly, I'd prefer the number to be zero, but we'll see how that goes since it's better to be realistic. I won't be including refills of products I own since the only things I tend to buy again are skincare, but hopefully I'll be going through things like foundation/primer more quickly and will only need to re-buy things like that.
I buy makeup to distract myself from stressful situations, and I'm over it. It's time for me to focus on healthy solutions for stress like exercise, time management, changing up my eating habits, and spending time with family and friends since these options are the ones that will actually make me feel better in life. There are a lot of big changes that are most likely going to be happening in my life within the next year, and I want to feel equipped to approach them instead of wondering where all this money is disappearing and getting annoyed that I can't seem to get a grip on saving any freaking money!
I want to thank PixieDancer for creating this thread, and I hope everyone is successful in meeting their goals. Seeing people's suggestions have already given me many practical ways to change my behavior and get rid of spending inspiration. I'm leaving for a two-week vacation on Tuesday, and I'm going to be taking a break from reading makeup/nail polish/lifestyle blogs during that time. I need to stop getting exposed to all the new products that are coming out, and I think not reading about them and looking at lovely product/swatch/full face photographs would do a lot of good in getting me to lose interest and keep my money. Over time, I'd like to reach a point where I can check out my favorite blogs for fun but not always feel like it's the final check on my list to convince me that I need to go out and get something as soon as I can.
I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season, and I'll be checking in periodically!
