Monday, February 5, 2018

My Low/No-Buy Goals for 2018

Hey everyone!

I'm wrapping up my 2018 posts with some low and no buys that I'll be working on maintaining throughout the year!  If you haven't already, be sure to check out my 2018 Goals and Resolutions post, where I mention my desire to do a makeup low-buy.

A low buy is when you set a limit of either amount of purchases or amount of money spent in a time period; this could be as small as a day, or as large as a year.  If you want to do it for even longer you can, it just might get harder to track.  A no buy is when you set a time period and don't allow yourself to purchase anything.

Since my word of the year is Mindful, I thought that a low and no buy would help with that a lot.  Not only will it help me control my spending, it'll also keep me from bringing in more stuff and help with my "less" mindset.

Makeup - Strict Low Buy
I've talked a lot about this already, so it's pretty clear what I plan.  I'm allowing myself 12 makeup purchases in the year of 2018.  I chose 12 because it's one a month, but I don't necessarily have to only buy one in one month.  If I find 3 things I like in one month and nothing for the next four months, that's okay!  I'm hoping that by the end of the year I purchase less than 12, since I don't count Ipsy in this total.

Stationery - No Buy
If I showed you my stationery collection, you guys would freak out!  I don't want to count totals or try to track down all of the notebooks, sticky notes, notepads, etc.; it would be insane.  I should also include writing utensils and office supplies in general, but I'm not as bad about buying them as I am about buying paper products.  This year, I'm not allowing any purchases so that I can actually use all of the stuff I own; I'll probably never need to buy another piece of stationery in my life!

Stickers - Strict Low Buy
Another thing I own way too much of is stickers.  I don't use them nearly enough, either!  This year, I'm putting a strict low buy on them by only allowing myself to purchase a monthly sticker kit each month for my Happy Planner.  This isn't even something that I really need, so I'm waiting until I feel like I have enough disposable income to buy them again.  This may not be until I have my first adult job!

Clothing - Low Buy
The most difficult decision for me to make this year was how I wanted to allow spending on clothing.  I have a lot of clothes; this is something that I have definitely acknowledged and I'm trying to declutter them as I go this year.  As I am starting to move into the workforce, I'm sure I will find that I need a lot more professional clothing options.  I'm saying low buy because I want to be conscious about what I bring into my closet now.  I don't want to purchase casual clothing anymore because I certainly have enough of it! 

Restaurant Meals - Strict Low Buy 
This is a weird one, but I didn't know what else to call it.  Last year I had the problem of going out to eat way too often; like at least once a week.  This wasn't good for my bank account or my weight.  This year, I'm going to limit myself to going out to eat twice a month, max.  If I don't have to pay for it I might make an exception, but I'll play it by ear!  This also includes any restaurant, so anything from McDonald's (fast food) to Dominoes (delivery) to Perkins (sit down).  Any order where I'm buying prepared food when I could eat at home!

I certainly didn't include everything I spend my money on, but these were the categories I have the most problems with, and what I wanted to focus on controlling.  In general, I'm trying to pay attention to how much I'm spending and what it's on this year.

Are you doing anything to curb your spending habits? What do you have too much of? Let me know!






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