Days 21-30 of the 100 No Buy Challenge

[Jams53]

Well, I finally went through all my jewelry today. I was hoping to fit all my necklaces into my jewelry armoire. That didn't work xD I only got rid of 2 things, earrings and a bracelet....oops xD But I'm not going to get rid of things I like. I think I'm going to start a new goal for the rest of the 100 days and every time I go somewhere I need to wear at least 1 piece of jewelry except if I'm going to a concert. I don't like wearing jewelry to concerts because things get a little rowdy at the shows I go to and I don't want to lose anything.

I know one goal was to use a face mask at least twice, which I did. I wore makeup 3 days so far so need to wear it at least 2 more days to hit my goal. I'm going to clean my brushes and paint my nails tonight so those will get crossed off. I've only used my eyeshadow palette I'm panning, so need to keep doing that. Haven't bought anything. I even went into bath and body works and picked up the free travel size item and that's all. Yay! So it looks like I'm right on track to hit all my goals! Yippee!!

 

[recklesslysober]

Love capsule wardrobes! I never have more than 30 items in my closet at one time anymore, I've just got so used to that size from being on Project 333 all the time. When I shop, I have specific items in mind and almost everything can be paired with everything else. Makes getting ready a breeze, and laundry is easier too. Plus, you really do end up looking more put together! So many benefits, iincluding more space to breathe.

 

[TooMuchElectric]

I am struggling with how to use up the various lipsticks I have.  What works for all of you?  Use one at a time until it's gone--I think that would get boring.  Use 2-3 at a time to prevent boredom--but then do the others go bad in a drawer somewhere?  Focus on using up lipsticks or lip glosses first?  I just don't know.

It takes hundreds of uses to use up just one lip product, and I don't have the patience to just use one color that many times in a row. I'm taking a different approach.

During my no-buy, I'm trying to use my whole stash and make sure that I'm only keeping things that I really like, and no clutter or dupes. There are too many awesome things (both out there for sale, and right here on my desk) to bother using up a whole tube of a mediocre lipstick. I swatched everything to see if I had dupes, and to see if there were any colors that I just don't like. Now I'm trying to use everything a few times to determine if it deserves to stay.

I like having LOTS of color options, so my goal will never be a small collection. My goal is to have products that I enjoy, and that I use.

 

[Luxx22]

I'm officially on a NO BUY Challenge for (yea right) 11 months lol - not because I have to of course, but because I want too... I figured if I stopped spending so much money on makeup, and luxuries I could save up 19,000$ by December, that's excluding bills, necessities and groceries (No entertainment). It kind of sounds unrealistic but it's something I really want to do. Anyone have any tips on how to maintain a blog without buying brand new stuff to blog about? I have stash's galore, but I've pretty much already blogged about it... Maybe DIY stuff and what not..

 

[jaylilee]

Aaaaaaaaand now I really want to create a capsule wardrobe! 

That might have to be a goal for later in the no-buy though. Haven't even thought about organizing my closet yet! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 Do eeett!!

@@jaylilee nice closet and thanks for capsule closet info.

Thank you!

Hmm...I'll be moving into a much smaller space late this summer. I had no idea capsule wardrobes existed but I'll seriously consider making seasonal ones later this year. Currently I am still participating in a personal experiment where I am working out the value of my clothes/shoes/accessories via cost per wear. 

Yeah, the being practical with a small space is kind of what kickstarted the change for me. I don't think I'll look back!

@@jaylilee That brown purse in the middle just called me "Momma"

ETA: I have still not cleaned out my car. We have all been sick as dogs here, dang flu. Whenever I manage to drag my ailing carcass outside I will tackle it.

 My no buy is still going strong. Between an Ulta exchange (won't be used until after the no-buy, but I'm still excited at having something to look forward to) and all the great stuff I got from Secret Santa, and a bonus surprise gifty I haven't really had any urges yet.

  I'm getting myself mentally prepared to resist any Spring collections and new product releases.

  BTW, if you love EmilyNoel83 on youtube, her first Emily Awards 2014 video is up! (insert fangirl flailing here)

ahahha @ calling you momma! thank you! it was a birthday present from el hub. I put it in its dust bag a few days after taking this picture and probably need another dust bag for the black bag (a vintage coach leather bag i found which omg so gorgeous), but I need to have it taken in to have the leather treated since it has lost some of its luster over the years (from the tag...it's from back when coach still had their bags made in the US...so at least 20 years). It's such a timeless piece, though, that I don't want to just have it collect dust. 

Love capsule wardrobes! I never have more than 30 items in my closet at one time anymore, I've just got so used to that size from being on Project 333 all the time. When I shop, I have specific items in mind and almost everything can be paired with everything else. Makes getting ready a breeze, and laundry is easier too. Plus, you really do end up looking more put together! So many benefits, iincluding more space to breathe.

Yes! the laundry is so much nicer now that there isn't giant LOADS every Sunday haha. If only I could do the same with my makeup ;--;

 

[kawaiisofoxy]

@@jaylilee @@Kristine Walker I think that'll be one of my rewards for culling at least 1/2 my closet - a NICE bag!  Yes, the $15 clearance ones from Kohl's do just as good a job, but I'd love to have a nice Michael Kors or Kate Spade bag for interviews and special occasions.

But that's a long way off!  In the meantime, anyone else having an easier time with the no-buy as we get closer to the end of the month?  Gotta love too much month, not enough money.  When it comes down to "Hmmmmm do I want makeup or do I wanna eat?" the choice gets much easier!  :lol:

 

[chocolatesauce2]

I guess I should be kinda glad the original thread disappeared because I posted about how I had royally messed up on this No Beauty Buy Challenge. Oh well. I'm still determined to not buy any beauty-related purchases, downsize my stash, and get better organized. Here were my goals for the week.

Weekly Rollover Goals

1. Paint nails. DID
2. Use at least 3 hair products every wash day. DID
   
3. Do a chemical peel once or twice a week. DID
   
4. Cook at least once. DID
   
5. Wear at least 3 different scents a week. ALMOST THERE
   
6. Completely use up at least 5 products or samples during the 10-day period. ALMOST THERE
   

Goals for Days 21-30

1. Begin phase 1 of organizing closet and getting rid of excess clothes. DID (donated them to a friend's sorority event. The rest will be going to H&M to get their 15% off coupon).
2. Begin phase 1 of organizing beauty products. DID...I ordered the acrylic containers needed to begin organizing.
   
3. Come up with a simple, yet effective skin care regimen to stick with for a month. DID
   
4. Inventory all beauty products in Excel. Halfway done. I inventoried all of my hair products. Can't believe I have over 120 hair products!
   
5. Order eyeglasses to update my look. STILL TO DO
   

So far, I've completed 7/11 goals.

 

[annatomical]

Love capsule wardrobes! I never have more than 30 items in my closet at one time anymore, I've just got so used to that size from being on Project 333 all the time. When I shop, I have specific items in mind and almost everything can be paired with everything else. Makes getting ready a breeze, and laundry is easier too. Plus, you really do end up looking more put together! So many benefits, iincluding more space to breathe.

I am in awe of you with 30 items in your closet.  Does this include everything like t-shirts & pjs?  Or do the 30 items consist of your work attire?

 

[jaylilee]

For me it includes anything I wear "outside" Anywhere people will see me lol. For lounging around the house or working out, I do not count my PJs or yoga pants and tshirts, but the rule is I can't wear them to go grocery shopping or anything.... I also don't include anything like undies, and while I tried to curate my jewelry a bit to make it easy to pick and choose, I didn't quite include them in the 30 pieces. Same with my 3 bags...curated but not included. Just clothes and shoes. 

Maybe once I get a better handle of what I need and how big my closet really needs to be, I might make my selections even smaller and start including jewelry and bags into my capsule. 

I am in awe of you with 30 items in your closet.  Does this include everything like t-shirts & pjs?  Or do the 30 items consist of your work attire?

 

[Allison H]

So my goals were to organize my makeup completely (done!), prepare healthy meals for my family (done for the most part, we have eaten out twice, but that's it!), and start a craft project (I haven't started yet, but I have decided on what I'll be making, a tutu for my daughter). /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I did buy some detangler from a site earlier this week...the formula is changing and it was on sale, so she could quickly get rid of her inventory. Anyway, that purchase did technically break my no buy, but this stuff works like a dream on my daughters hair so I felt like it was at least an acceptable item to buy, even if it did break the no buy. I'll do better, and hopefully this'll be my only exception!! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[recklesslysober]

I am in awe of you with 30 items in your closet. Does this include everything like t-shirts & pjs? Or do the 30 items consist of your work attire?

Thanks! That's sweet of you. <3 It's basically all of my core pieces for everyday, which is a casual/business casual style for work and classes. If you're interested in the numbers, I include 3 pairs of pants, 6 shirts, 6 tanks, and 6 dresses - enough outfits for 12 days. I also have 3 pairs of boots, 3 scarves, and 3 sweaters. I don't count jewelry because I only have a few really special pieces that were gifts and I don't want to limit wearing everything. I also have 1 belt that I wear with a certain dress that I don't count as a separate item. I have 3 bins of clothing items I don't include: underwear/bras and tights/socks (I didn't count but I tend to keep these limited too); workout gear (2 sets of hot yoga clothes, 3 sets of outfits for acro, and one for running), and PJs/lounge wear (3 matching PJ sets, 1 pair of sweatpants, and a few t-shirts). That's it! I have one small clear bin of summer stuff put away right now, and 3 suits and 2 formal dresses in the hall closet for interviews and special events. Plus a few other pieces of outerwear.

Almost everything can be paired with everything else. Lots of neutrals as a base. I really like gray and black, and I throw in accent colors I like on myself, usually navy and dusty purple/wine shades. I also try to add in interest with patterns, textures, and accessories. When I go shopping, I try to fill gaps in my wardrobe. If I find a piece I really like, I try to make sure I can wear it at least 3 different ways with things I already have.

Anyway.. long winded but I hope that helps!!

 

[eastofthesun]

Love capsule wardrobes! I never have more than 30 items in my closet at one time anymore, I've just got so used to that size from being on Project 333 all the time. When I shop, I have specific items in mind and almost everything can be paired with everything else. Makes getting ready a breeze, and laundry is easier too. Plus, you really do end up looking more put together! So many benefits, iincluding more space to breathe.

I need to check out Project 333 and get started on my capsule wardrobe! I've been wanting to do it for a long time, ever since seeing these types of articles in magazines:

hah no kidding! and the capsule wardrobe is changing how I look at my clothes! Though I have to say, I am very different with my closet than I am with makeup -- whereas makeup is an all-shiny-all-day-long love/hate relationship where I buy too much shit and can never make up my mind on what combo to wear (certainly don't have any go-to looks). ...clothes I wear until they basically fall apart, I hate shopping for clothing and I have no problem having a "uniform" of sorts, to the point where my other clothes get neglected. So for me, it has really helped! this is what my closet looks like now:

This was post-clean out. before this, it was PACKED to the freaking brim, shoes everywhere, could not see my bags because they were up higher due to baskets being where the bags are now. Now this is all I have in there (have added two shirts, but that's about it), and it's making changing a breeze...everything goes with everything for the most part, and walking into my side of the closet feels luxurious and I breathe a sigh of relief at how minimal it is. I love it.

If you're interested in the concept of a capsule wardrobe, check out un-fancy.com, the blogger there makes some amazing stuff happen with a basically 37 piece wardrobe. 

You guys are an inspiration!

You should also check out Into Mind if you haven't already- she does a lot of articles on capsule wardrobes. Like this one: http://into-mind.com/2012/12/20/building-a-capsule-wardrobe-101/

And this might help too- it's basically what color clothing to buy if the bulk of your clothes are certain colors. For me, that's navy blue and grey. http://into-mind.com/tag/colour-palettes/

It takes hundreds of uses to use up just one lip product, and I don't have the patience to just use one color that many times in a row. I'm taking a different approach.

During my no-buy, I'm trying to use my whole stash and make sure that I'm only keeping things that I really like, and no clutter or dupes. There are too many awesome things (both out there for sale, and right here on my desk) to bother using up a whole tube of a mediocre lipstick. I swatched everything to see if I had dupes, and to see if there were any colors that I just don't like. Now I'm trying to use everything a few times to determine if it deserves to stay.

I like having LOTS of color options, so my goal will never be a small collection. My goal is to have products that I enjoy, and that I use.

I have the same issue. I a few lip colors I thought would be perfect for me but weren't. Now I'm stuck trying to use them up while not loving them, sometimes hating them. I'm having to carry a few at a time because I have to layer them to get the right color.

I do know what the perfect color for me is, but I won't allow myself to buy it until the 100-day no buy is over. It's expensive ($32) but I think it's worth it. I've been trying to find a dupe for it for a long time and had some come close, but not exact matches.

I'll post my goals for Days 21-30 a little later, I'm still working on them, as dopey as that sounds, considering it's day 26!!!

 

[Suzaqu]

I love project 333! I've done it a few times already and I'm starting to notice that some items never make it into my 33, so I'm expecting to do a purge and will probably put that on one of my next few sets of goals!

If anyone wants to lose a few hours playing around with color pallets, I highly recommend this website. A designer friend showed it to me, and it helps a bunch with generating random colors that still look good! http://coolors.co/ (I hope it's okay to link to this site, I don't think it's a competitor or anything). I'm working on using it to build my color palette in order to be more directed in my clothing purchases once the no-buy is over. 

I think I'll add coming up with a color palette to my goals for this set of 10.

 

[kawaiisofoxy]

@@Suzaqu I just created my first few palettes... I might be a little bit hooked now!

 

[LadyK]

I'm feeling good about the Pay-it-forward part of my no buy.  I mailed out two packages today with items I won't use to people who will enjoy them.  I want to try and do at least one or two of these a month for the duration.  I've been stalking the wishlist portion of everyone's the trade lists. It takes a while but it makes me feel like the no-buy fairy so I'll keep going.  I realized over the holidays that stalking and giving was my favorite part of secret santa so I'm selfishly trying make it last all year!  

 

[caffeinatedhoarder]

They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit and I guess they're not wrong. Here at day 26, with the blizzard going on over here as well as my new paycheck finally in hand, I started getting very, very twitchy for makeup. In fact, I wandered into Sephora today thinking I would treat myself, just a little something to shake those winter blues. But ultimately I walked out with nothing...I walked through Sephora's aisles and picked a few things up but put them back a few minutes later. I could basically talk myself out of everything. Oh that red lipstain looks so gorgeous! Wait I have 20 million reds in this exact color. Yes but this is a lipstain....I barely have any lipstains! Yeah because they dry my lips out. Okay, well, this peachy pink blush would be stunning this spring! Yeah but it's practically a dupe for Nars Orgasm, Tarte Glisten, MAC Springsheen, and TheBalm Hot Mama blushes that I already own. How about this tub of moisturizer? Surely you need moisturizer given how dry and cold it is! Yeah but I already have half of a giant bottle of Jergens left to finish first. I usually love spring collections but the collections this year at Sephora have been very underwhelming so far. Then again, that just might be a function of having so much makeup that you basically own something similar to everything in these collections. 

So I walked out with nothing. Which was great, and a huge accomplishment, but I can't help feeling a little blah. Makeup used to be a nice little mood booster, particularly in the grey, interminable winter months but I couldn't bring myself to get anything. All I could think of was the guilt I'd feel if I bought anything...so I passed on everything. So little victories! But boo for crappy winter moods. 74 days to go! Over a quarter of the way there!

 

[missionista]

@@kawaiimeows and all the mods--thanks for all your hard work.  Computers:  Can't live with them, can't slather them with kibble and throw them to the dogs!  That's totally a proverb, right?! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Natasha01]

Hmm...I'll be moving into a much smaller space late this summer. I had no idea capsule wardrobes existed but I'll seriously consider making seasonal ones later this year. Currently I am still participating in a personal experiment where I am working out the value of my clothes/shoes/accessories via cost per wear.

I would be really interested to hear more about your experiment. I'm so interested in things like that.

Brightestbulbinthebox blog has a series on cost per use of makeup and I loved it. Sadly, it seems as though just when I found her awesome blog a couple of months ago, she abandoned it.

 

[numbersmom]

@ if your goal is to save money and no buy. You should blog about just that. Post financial tips, free events to go to, saving on expenses, etc. Good luck, I wish you much success for the year!

 

[Kristine Walker]

 I'm glad I am currently stone-@$$ broke, today has been a shop triggery type day. I've been a bad combo of of anxious, depressed, lonely, and frustrated today, which is my usual "perfect storm" conditions to send me on a spending spree.

  I didn't buy anything, because like I said, I am completely broke at the moment.I would like to believe that if I had money I would have resisted anyway. Hoping the feelings pass before February 1st, if they don't I'll be here begging y'all for encouraging words.