Okay, so I got in the Canva groove and wanted to make this all cute. Basically, I started helping friends and family declutter. One side effect has been an unintended recipient for lots of beauty and candles. These are also items I've received as gifts. 

As far as the makeup goes, I've never been one to own too much makeup. Before receiving this much, I've probably owned enough to fill two (maybe 3 max) regular sized makeup bags. I tend to be a little boring when it comes to makeup. 

When I lived in Korea, I got really into k-beauty. Growing up, I would get most of my everyday makeup at, say, CVS, with just a handful of things from maybe Sephora/Ulta and usually just with a gift card. I would also have things from the Clinique "free gifts with purchase" sale. But in korea, I felt like their stores (for example, olive young, etude house, nature republic--not chicor) had the price point I was used to (stuff I would get at CVS) but also the cool shades and packaging that one might find at, say, Sephora. I started trying new things, most of which would be used often but some were a bit wasteful for me to purchase.

I get it--on the one hand it sounds really cool to get alllll this free stuff from my mom. If I added in the body care/hair care/ toiletries she gave me (I might do another post on all that soon enough...it's a lot), I think i very well saved about 1k usd. Yes, it's great in the sense I dont have to buy product and it's all very nice stuff. I am appreciative that I was rewarded all this for helping her minimize, but I also had a lot of bad habits that I had to work through as a result.

Like perhaps many of you, I have struggled with overconsumption, compulsive buying, "treat yourself" culture. I also used to have the (flawed) belief that if you didn't buy something nice or enjoy your money, you would be some kind of miser missing out on life (like my dad). Needless to say, I felt like I was raised by two parents on extreme ends of the buying spectrum, and I have since learned that the answer is somewhere in the middle. 

I have seen first hand what happens when you do too much shopping--the credit card debt, the anxieties, the clutter, the list can go on and on. While I am getting my finances together now, I very much feel behind my peers because I don't have the savings they do. I wish I wasn't so easily swayed by 1) novelties and 2) the dopamine rush of a sale or a deal. Needless to say, I am very thankful this space exists. 

The good news is that I have already started lowkey panning at the beginning of the month, so I have a small box set aside for empties. I look forward to sharing all of my progress with you.

Today's inventory: MAKEUP, fragrance, hand sanitizers, hand soap, & an ungodly amount of CANDLES!