Recently, I set myself the goal of going 100 days without buying any make up or unnecessary beauty items. I survived! I thought I would share with you my tips on how I did it, because if I can do it, anyone can.
How To Survive a Spending Ban
Tell Everyone You Know That You Are On A Spending Ban
This is definitely one of the things that helped me the most. If it wasn’t for Rosie – Eat Read Glam – acting as my spending ban buddy, I am sure I would have crumbled after a week. I am also pretty sure that I got on Rosie’s nerves a lot (sorry!) , but having a buddy who can help you kick the temptation to spend is so helpful.
As well as having Rosie as a buddy, I also told my mum that I was on a spending ban – very helpful for when the Avon book came through the door! You can ask your mum, dad, boyfriend, girlfriend, family member, friend or even a fellow blogger to be your buddy. You can even be their buddy too if they want to do a spending ban as well!
If you have a blog, share your spending ban on your blog and encourage your readers to keep you motivated. I know that when I posted on my blog about the spending ban, the idea of having to write a blog post basically saying “oops, I failed, I have no self control” was a big motivator. What can I say? I care too much about what people think.
If you aren’t a blogger, you could create something like a Facebook or WhatsApp group and get your friends to either do it with you, or keep you motivated.
Be Nice to Yourself
When it comes to a spending ban, it’s important to set yourself rules and exceptions. If you say to yourself “I am not spending a single penny on ANYTHING” , chances are that you will probably end up failing within a few days. It’s a lot of unnecessary pressure to put yourself under. My spending ban was solely on make up and unnecessary beauty items, for example lipsticks and mascaras. If I needed the essentials, such as more cotton wool pads or deodorant , I bought them. A good idea would be to buy essentials in bulk before a ban , so you don’t have the temptation or excuse to “pop into Boots” if you don’t have a lot of willpower.
Shop The Stash
Even though you might think that you need the latest lipstick or mascara, or even something like a new bag, chances are that you probably already have it or something similar . I know that when I was tempted by the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lipstick, I had a rifle through my stash and realised that I already had many similar offerings unopened in the stash, or in my make up bag. After that, I didn’t really want it any more, and even now I haven’t bought it. Another example is when I saw a Cambridge Satchel Company in a sale. I’ll be honest, I was rather tempted… until I remembered I already had a perfectly good Topshop satchel I could use instead.
Avoid Places of Temptation
I know the feeling. You innocently pop into Boots for toothpaste, and you come out with half the shop … and no toothpaste. If you find yourself unable to resist the till-side treats, go somewhere else for the essentials. Wilkinsons/Wilko is great for toiletries such as toothpaste, deodorant, sanitary products etc and at times it can be cheaper. If you can’t even trust yourself around Wilkos’ make up stands, you could go to a big supermarket like Tesco to get them. Again , the essentials are more likely to be on offer and save you a bit of money.
If email offers and newsletters are your downfall unsubscribe , or set a rule in your email client to automatically forward them to a separate folder . If you don’t see it, you won’t be tempted. I know there are times where it feels like the offer is too good to be true, but trust me, there will always be another offer.
Remind Yourself Why You Are On A Ban
Are you on a ban to save up for a holiday , clear the stash or pay off some debts? Whenever you feel tempted, remind yourself of why you are on a ban. For me, I wanted to clear the stash and save up a bit of money. When I thought about how nice it would be to have some more money in my savings, which I could use for a house deposit or a holiday , the temptation to spend went away.
Have you ever set yourself a spending ban? How did you do?
Dannie x
I’m putting myself on a spending ban for the rest of the month, it’s so annoying looking at my bank account and having nothing in it *cries* I hope I can stick to it like you have! Congrats x