Why do a Low Buy or No Buy Challenge?

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Modern Consumerism and the Beauty Industry. How I plan to buy less and use more.

A low-buy or no-buy challenge is exactly what it says on the tin.

We currently live in such a throwaway society. Modern Western society is all about consuming, adverts are everywhere and we are encouraged to buy and ‘collect’ all the time. However, it is not doing our planet any good. 

The damage caused by trends and our throw-away society

The amount of damage caused to the planet from the use of water, electricity, natural resources, plastic and so much more to create the products is phenomenal not to mention the damage caused at the end of the product’s life cycle. Often these items go unused before we ‘declutter’ and throw them away.

This is all too prevalent in the fashion and beauty industries where we are shown new trends, new items and new things to buy constantly. Makeup companies bring out new products and encourage you to collect every shade or item in a range.

The true cost of overbuying

If you are anything like me, think now about the amount of money you have spent on products you don’t really use, like or need. Perhaps because they were only £x each and seemed a bargain! Or maybe you could collect the set even though truthfully you only really liked one of them… .

I know realistically that this money would have been better saved and spent on the products I actually needed. If I hadn’t of spent frivolously in the past, or if I didn’t in the future, I also could of spent more per item if I had so wished and potentially buy better products.

Beauty items-makeup, creams etc-all have a life span (check the packaging for an icon showing a number of months) so there is no point buying more than is needed just because it’s new or someone pushed it on Instagram. As a makeup artist I have so much makeup already but I’m still always buying more. A lot of mine is unused and unopened (to preserve it) but even untouched it doesn’t last forever and I bought these products to use not to sit around.

I have always been really bad at using stuff up, especially stuff I like, because then I wouldn’t have it anymore and I never wanted that. However I have found that hanging on to things because you like them generally doesn’t work. They expire and it’s wasteful, or they break and you’ve lost them anyway. Now I feel it’s much better to use them and enjoy the use and then move on. I also find it less stressful to have one of each thing on the go rather than shelves full of half-used products etc. 

Low Buy Challenge Rules

Therefore I have set myself the challenge of using things I already have before buying more. Here are my rules…

1. No buying stuff without very good reason.
2. Avoid unnecessary spending
3. Don’t just buy stuff because it’s ‘on trend’, on offer or ‘collectable’
4. Make considered choices (think about each purchase overnight before buying)
5. Use up what I have before replacing
6. When buying new buy Vegan and Cruelty Free only
7. Consider alternative uses for products I already have (i.e. lip balms as a moisturiser)
8. Co through all make-up, beauty products, nail polish etc and bin those that are unusable (sob!)
9. Go through what I currently have and create new looks with it-experiment!
10. Document my experimentation with products so I know what to buy again and what not!

Low buy not no buy

I decided to go for a buy less challenge rather than a no buy challenge as that I feel is too restrictive, like yo-yo dieting, you could end up buying more once the challenge is over to compensate or treat yourself. Plus hopefully, this will change my thinking on purchases permanently rather than just stop me from buying stuff for a limited period of time.

Low buy is a sustainable life style change.

I have bought a few products recently (within the last 6 months) with the aim of making my skin (face and hands mainly) look less tired which I will be sharing on this blog but these were informed, carefully thought-about purchases which were nothing like what I already had and you’ll have to check out my blog posts to see if I would re-purchase!

So there we go here is my challenge to myself. Can you think of any rules of your own to add? Let me know in the comments!