Looking for advice re low/no-buy years and beauty boxes.

This isn't beauty related but if you sub to Audible, perhaps check out your public library instead. Many of them offer lending of audiobooks and ebooks via app free of charge.

They keep me away from makeup stores

Is this even a positive point if you're still accumulating an excess of products that you don't need?

they’re fun and a form of entertainment

Are you comfortable with one of your forms of entertainment being shopping? Spending money on beauty boxes is still just shopping for makeup, don't let the element of surprise trick you into thinking it's anything other than just buying beauty products.

If I were you, I'd ditch 'em. You're straight up just spending money on stuff that you don't want or need which is not conducive to your goal of saving money. Turn to what you already have for a source of entertainment, like maybe trying a project pan or a weekly/monthly makeup basket. You have existing clothes and makeup, shows, books, and music in your life, you don't need a constant flow of new stuff to be happy and entertained.

Something that helps is to look at all of the items you received over the past year for each subscription box. How many have you finished up? How many have you enjoyed? How many are unopened or were decluttered? How many things actually fit your makeup style and collection? Break down the numbers.

One of the big problems for me with sub boxes was that I’d receive tons of products in certain categories (like red lipsticks, mascaras and black eye pencils) and then none in others (foundations and concealers, which are tricky due to needing to be color matched, and, weirdly, colored eyeliners). I’d end up with a big backlog of certain products because I like only having one open at a time.

After a while, I found that it was easier to just buy the couple things that I actually wanted/needed. There’s less of a problem with storing samples and backups. If you have a $22 Boxycharm subscription and a $10 Ipsy subscription, that’s $384 a year. Wouldn’t that money be better spent going towards things that really fit you and your preferences?

I was just doing regular Ipsy and it was a problem for me, so I canceled it. My issue was basically this: I was getting decent enough products in my bag, but the add-ons always looked better than what I had. I'd signed up for Ipsy thinking it would be a way to get my desire to try new things out of the way for just $12/month, but then I would always do 4-5 add-ons because I had add-on FOMO, and sometimes buy something in the flash sale and offers. So I was spending way more than $12/month on Ipsy, and as you said, that contributes to product overload. Even in deluxe sample size, things I didn't end up really liking or needing either take too long to use up, keeping me away from the products in my collection I really like using, or just end up being thrown out and wasted.

What has worked best for me was sticking with one subscription that allows me to queue up what I want to get each month, and only sends 1-2 products. It's one that is geared around travel-sized fragrance but also has full size skincare and makeup on a rotating basis. It still has to option to do add-ons or buy ahead in your queue but the cost of doing so is much higher per item ($11-15) than the Ipsy DS add-ons so it's over my impulse buy threshold. I get to choose exactly what they send me, so I'm not getting FOMO for whatever they didn't decide to send. For me, having a subscription experience I can curate myself is so much better than anything with a "mystery" element where I'll end up with products I didn't want taking up space.

Tbh when I’ve done or attempted low buys, even ones I intend to be short term, I have not found subscriptions to be helpful. Ultimately it doesn’t stop me from wanting other things, I’m just annoyed I spent however much on sub boxes of stuff I only sort of wanted. I always end up thinking if I hadn’t been subbed I could have saved that money and bought the thing I really wanted. I’m definitely better off . I’d rather save what I pay for boxes each month and put it toward one thing I want or whatever .

Honestly the beauty boxes and other subscriptions count against your buy for the year. That’s a yearly 600 dollars worth of spending on shopping entertainment. How much would that money look better in your savings account toward college.

There is so much free entertainment out there that really all those subs are unnecessary, especially for college students. Every time you want to spend, look at your goal - school - and decide which you want more - the lipstick or to go to school.

Look into this app called hoopla for free audiobooks rental via library card. It’s pretty cool. I am signed up for audibles silver plan aka one credit every two months which works better for me and is cheaper, they only offer that plan when you go to cancel your current membership to essentially keep you and it’s working well for me.

I was subbed to Lookfantastic for a year, and I stopped my boxes in July 2018 because I was feeling overwhelmed along with their Advent calendar. Did some panning and regular usage, still using some items from that year even now. I re-subbed for 6 months this September and won't renew that subscription for a while again while I work through what I got.

I think it's fine if you want to keep getting it in the future, but it will definitely be quicker to get your stash under control if you cancel it for now.

Maybe you could look at cancelling the beauty boxes as a way to pay for your other subscriptions? I'm not sure how the pricing compares but I think Ipsy and Boxycharm are both more expensive than the others? If you give yourself a subscription budget each year and frame it as cancelling Boxycharm gives you a "free" year of Audible or Cancelling Ipsy gives you a "free" year of Netflix it might help determine what's a bigger priority.

Breaking down the cost of each subscription in a cost per use is another helpful way I look at things. I use my Spotify and Netflix a ton so the cost per use is so small. If I had a 5 items from a beauty box, the cost per use would be super high since I wouldn't use all the products and can only use a shadow palette or a mascara once a day (for example). If Boxycharm is $25/month, I would have to use 1 item everyday for a month to get it below $1/use. Then you have ANOTHER box to add in the next month. For Spotify, I listen to it at least 3 hours a day (let's say 3 individual times) which is approx 90 times a month. For $9(or less if your a student) I would get way better mileage out of my money with Spotify.

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I cancelled all of my beauty subscriptions at once and unsubscribed from all beauty influencers. I thought doing that would help me start a no-buy and it absolutely did. I also subscribed to The Minimalists podcast and that helped strengthen my resistance to compulsive shopping by figuring out where that desire is coming from. I haven't bought any makeup since 2017.

Thanks for the sanity check everyone! I am cancelling my Boxycharm subscription and pausing my Ipsy subscription (those are the two I have).

I think a better rule for myself might be that I will allow ONE cosmetic-related item per month (makeup, haircare, skincare not including actual necessities like shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste etc) — meaning it could be a needed replacement, a small thing from the drug store, something from Sephora or nothing. But just allowing myself one. That way I feel I won’t be hoarding mindlessly, ill still save and might not even use the option. But it will be there. (I’ve literally failed at no buys after a couple weeks in the past and so I feel I need a rule like this in place so that I don’t immediately fly off the handle again as I learn to consume less).

Also thanks for everyone who sent tips about audible — looking into other options. I have some credits built up anyways so I could cancel that for a bit too or do the every second month option. Unlike lipstick I’m not sure I could live without my constant stream of audiobooks ☺️