90 Day Spending Ban

Feeling inspired by Grace from www.allthatslap.com, as well as feeling a little suffocated by all the stuff in my bathroom, I’ve decided to do a spending ban on make-up, hair and beauty products. I know Grace and many others are doing 100 day spending bans but as they started on 1st January I’m already behind, so mine will be a 90 day spending ban starting 11th January. If you could see my bathroom you’d understand why – here’s a little taster of all my stuff.

Why do I own so many lipsticks, when I wear lipstick maybe four times a year? I see a lipstick, think it looks pretty on, wear it once then can’t be bothered to keep applying it. If a non-lipstick-wearer has this many lipsticks, you can just imagine what the rest of my make-up collection is like.

Now perfume I love but seriously, that is too many. To be fair, I haven’t bought myself perfume in about two years, those are all gifts and the little ones are from the 2011 Selfridges Advent Calendar. There’s even a forgotten hair product hiding behind the perfumes…

Every Christmas I always joke that I get enough stuff to last me the year, and it is so true. These photos are only some of the products I am currently hoarding; there are more hatboxes hiding around the place, beauty subscription boxes, plus a huge shelf in the bathroom that is completely covered with my “day-to-day” products.

Now, I’m not going to go on a complete spending ban, I would never manage that. I’m setting myself a simple rule: I cannot buy something new if I have that type of product already in my stash. So if I use up a body lotion I can’t buy a new one unless I have used up ALL the body lotions.

Whenever I run out of something I will see if I have another product in my stash. If I have I’ll use it; if I don’t then, and only then, am I allowed to buy it. I'll also still have my Joliebox subscription, though I'm currently debating whether to cancel it. I’m interested to see how much money I can save during the 90 days so whenever I do start something from my stash I will find out how much it would have cost and keep a log.

I’m also going to try to wear lipstick more often, even if I am just at home with the little one, seeing as I have so many of the things! Hopefully by the end of the 90 days my bathroom will be less claustrophobic and I will have saved myself a few pennies. Maybe I will also become obsessed with wearing lipstick!

Are you on a spending ban? Let me know!