The Challenges #1 December 2013

I held off on posting this at first, as I didn’t want to publicly set myself a challenge I couldn’t stick to! I have decided that I will begin each month by setting myself a challenge, which can cover any aspect of my life, and do little updates on here. It might be a good way to set myself in the routine of new habits, or just prove to myself that I can stick at something for the month.
December’s challenge is a toughie: NO spending on toiletries or cosmetics. Anyone that knows me knows I have a huge collection of these things, far more than I could ever be using in one go. My mum moans about it all the time… until she needs to borrow something, that is!
Although I don’t waste all my money on these things, and I do budget and have money to save at the end of every month, it can never hurt to save a little more. I thought that, in the months where I was finishing Christmas shopping, it might be a good idea to reduce spending on myself. And so December’s challenge was born. 16 days in and I’m finally blogging about it, because I think I’ll actually stick to it. In fact, because I’m steering clear of certain shops (the temptation!), I’m just spending less all round.
I’ve got to admit, a beauty advent calendar has helped out the challenge a little, as I’m getting little treats every morning, but it’s still not made me not want to add other things! In the lead-up to Christmas every brand seems to have such incredible offers running, and when you add in tempting launches, like the Naked 3 palette, it’s not the easiest month to have chosen.
When the month is up, I will be very happy to add a couple of bits to my collection that I have had my eye on, but it’s given me the chance to really think about what I want and when I’ll use it. Hopefully, my spending will become a bit more measured and my savings can start to build up more quickly. With both Andy and me now working full time, getting back into a place of our own is the priority into the New Year, so it’s nice to know exactly what I’m saving for.
Have you ever tried a spending ban? How did it go?
Sophie x

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