I have not been this afraid in a very long time, well afraid to write up one such post that is. The results for the past couple of months have not been my best as you well know, but the ones from November are something else entirely and they look even worse when put in perspective so worse than they might look at first sight.
And to think I was quite happy with my progress for this year…
Anyway, let’s go. Let’s dive in.
November’ Purchases
- Cult Beauty Advent Calendar 2022 – £235
- My Little Box December – £16.35
- Make P:REM Safe Me Relief Watery Ampoule 50ml – £13.16
- Make P:REM Safe Me Relief Watery Gel Face Cream 80ml – £14.92
- Make P:REM Comfort me Panthenol Moisture Essence 80ml – £11.41
- Keep Cool Sheet Mask Ocean – £1.56 x 2
- Keep Cool Sheet Mask Soothe – £1.56 x 2
- It’s Skin Tiger Cica Green Chill Down Toner 400ml – £10.53
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Crushed Candy Cane – £4.39
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Peach Bellini – £4.39
- Bath and Body Works Gel Hand Soap in Japanese Cherry Blossom – £4.39
- Bath and Body Works Gel Hand Soap in Fresh Rainfall – £4.39
- Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitizer Spray in Ivy Rose – £3.46 x 3
- Erborian Bamboo Glow Dewy Effect Cream 30ml – £15.98
- Erborian Pink and Care Primer 45ml – £27.64
- Erborian Matte Mattifying Face Cream 15ml – £10.61
- I Dew Care Let’s Get Beauty Sheet Faced, 14 Day Beauty Sheet Mask Set – £21.05
- Huangijisoo Sugar No Rinse Cleansing pads 10 pieces – £2.83 x 3
- SNP Vitaronic Toner Pad 60 pads – £7
- Neogen, Bio-Peel, Gauze Peeling, Wine, 30 Count – £13.17
- Neogen, Bio-Peel+, Gauze Peeling, Green Tea, 30 Count – £13.17
- Neogen, Bio-Peel+, Gauze Peeling, Lemon, 30 Count – £13.17
- Meisani Blue Elixir Retinol Serum – £14.42
- PAKage Melt Me Softly Nose Strip – £0.66 x 4
- PAKage Monthly New Feet Foot Exfoliation Mask – £3.04 x 2
- Dr Oracle 21 Stay A-Thera Peeling Stick – £0.84 x 2
- Keenonicks Querencia: Flawless Intense Moisture & Reg. Mask – £2.39
- Keenonicks Camo Cleansing Pad – Cabbage & Moringa One-Step – £15.67
- Rated Green Real Tamanu Soothing Scalp Shampoo – £17.91
- Juice to Cleanse Clean Butter Shampoo Bar – £7.21 x 2 (not a shampoo though…)
- Ondo Beauty 36.5 Panthenol & Coconut Gentle Shampoo – £7.21
In November I ended up spending a total of £561.17 on beauty products which is definitely not ok, but what can I do now?
Noevember’ Empties
- Purito Deep Sea Pure Water Moisturiser for Dehydrated Oily Skin – £10.24
- Ziaja Hand and Body Wash 400ml – £1.93 x 2
- Wet Brush Tea Tree Oil Infused Hairbursh – £9.17
- Jo Malone English Oak & Hazelnut Cologne 30ml – £55
- Erborian Pink Primer and Care 15ml – £18
- Erborian Yuza Sorbet Radiance & Revitalising Featherweight Emulsion 20ml – £19
- Dior Hydra Life Balancing Hydration 2 in 1 Sorbet Water – £33
- Lixir Good Skin Shaker Super Dew – £36
- Pat Skincare Feather Canyon Echium and Argan Eye Cream 15ml – £34
- Bath and Body Works Pocket Hand Sanitezers in Fresh Cut Lilacs – £1.01
- Sachajuan Ocean Mist Hair Cream 125ml – £25
In November I ended up emptying £244.28 worth of products. This resulted in an allowance of £122.14
Allowance from posts
Allowance from Reviews – £15
- My Little Box November 2022 Review – read here
- Juice to Cleanse Clean Butter Shampoo Bar Review – read here
- Erborian Pink Primer and Care Review – read here
Allowance from Social Media – £0
Total allowance from posts: £15
£122.14 (allowance from emtpies) + £15 (allowance from posts) – £561.17 (November’ Spending) – £2540.69 (previous closing balance) = – £2,964.72
Bad, right? I was hoping that I would be able to avoid going into the territory south of – £2,500 this entire year and I was doing so well. Then as I realised that I was starting to near it, I kept hoping that perhaps only BF would push me over the threshold. If you’ve read my October post, then you know that it was a moot point to hope. I was too far gone.
I felt bad for a few seconds, but you know what? I refuse to feel bad. I did not go crazy over Black Friday and purchased only the things that made sense to get. Yes, I purchased more than in any other month this year, but I purchased only stuff that I know I will use and things that were on really great offers, not just that baffling 20% off we have seen this year from many retailers. Plus, the items are ones that were on my list for a while and that I know for certain that they never really went on sale, not to this extent in any case.
As you can probably see, there are quite a few products on my purchase list with x times. In the sale, I did pick up quite a few products I knew I loved or tried in recent months and really enjoyed and wanted to try again. I stocked up to put it that way.
In terms of actual stores I ordered from, well I shopped not just the same items as last year during Black Friday but pretty much at the same stores as well.
I placed two major orders – one at Miin Cosmetics and one (well three) at iHerb. Both stores carry lots of interesting things, but their sales do not take place as often as one would expect given their all-year-round great prices. Since that can be misinterpreted, what I meant is that the prices at both stores are already great as if the items they carry are on sale, but that is not the case.
One thing I am grateful for from all of this is that I started becoming more comfortable with shopping at iHerb and more open to trying more of their products and not just beauty. I got some refillable detergents/soaps for use around the house which I am liking and make so much more sense to use both from an environmental point of view, and also from a financial one. So far I am really impressed with the quality of the products and despite already purchasing some refills, I intend to get several more if they are still in stock and on offer this December. If not, I will track them from now to pay more attention overall to the brand. iHerb is more than just supplements it is a retailer that you MUST check out. I am serious! It is the hidden international retail gem of the US.
As for why I said that this month’s results look even worse than they seem is due to the fact that they represents a third of my entire 2022 spending till this point. Now that is way worse than just spending nearly £570 on beauty in one month.
This November has definitely been a challenge, but I’m not too hard on myself because I only purchased items that were on my wishlist for quite some time and in the sale, which would be silly to miss out on.
The takeaway from this month: do not impulse buy, both during sales and otherwise, even if the offer is AMAZING. Stick to your list and don’t be tempted by ‘shiny new objects’. Only purchase products you are certain you will use. That way, you can stay within your budget without any regrets! Easy to say so right? A bit more difficult to implement though.
Good luck to all of us this December! Let’s make it a success!
How was your November?
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