Although I love trying new products, in recent years my spending has gotten out of hand. Lately, I’ve been trying to stop my impulse shopping through meticulous inventory tracking, project panning, and intermittent shopping fasts. Keep reading to learn more about my 2018 Rolling Project Pan + Declutter finale.
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How to do I track my collection?
Starting in 2016, I began the arduous task of tracking my beauty collection through a comprehensive beauty inventory spreadsheet. Why? By using my spreadsheet, I am better equipped to track what I’m spending, what I’m finishing, and what I’m decluttering.
Also, by tracking my beauty collection, I am able to avoiding purchasing unintentional dupes. Moreover, my inventory system clues me in to what I’m spending and what money is being wasted. Through my system, I log whether products are opened or unopened. Additionally, I track the volume and value of products I’ve finished, donated, decluttered, or sold
As a data-minded person, I geek out over my ability to log the changes to my collection using pivot tables, charts, and graphs.
What are my beauty inventory system rules?
First, to accurately track how my collection ebbs and flows, I use the number of products that I owned at the start of the year as my base point. For example, for example, I ended 2017 with 192 products. Therefore, that number became the base number for calculating my progress in 2018. As a result, if I finished 10 products in 2018 that would indicate that I used up 5.2% of my collection
However, there are obvious cons to this method of tracking. First, obviously this method of tracking doesn’t account for fluctuations in the size of my collection during the year. Obvious influences on month-over-month changes to my collection include:
- Finishing & repurchasing products I consistently use
- Receiving gifts from friends, family, and coworkers
- Acquiring freebies from events or rewards programs
2018 Rolling Project Pan Goals
At the start of 2018, I set several goals for myself in terms of the number and percentage of products that I wanted to finish by the end of the year. Overall, my base goal was to finish or declutter 20% of my collection. Said differently, I aimed to finish 40 products by the end of the year. However, my ”reach” goal was to finish 50% of my collection (90 products).
So how’d I do? Keep reading for my 2018 rolling project pan finale results
2018 End of Year Beauty Empties
2018 Rolling Project Pan Results
As a whole, I have mixed feelings on my 2018 rolling project pan finale results. Although I am proud that I finished or decluttered more than 90 products, I am sad to discover that my collection didn’t decrease in size. In fact, it increased by 13 products! How did this happen?
- After attending a beauty convention earlier this year, I received a TON of free products.
- I repurchased items that I regularly use, such as shampoo or skincare.
The above being said, the biggest reason my collection grew was due to my old shopping habits creating back in. After a year of very strict shopping limits, I let the desire to try new products and brands overtake my reasoning not to shop. Moreover, my ”need” to review products enabled me to purchase new products without feeling guilty.
Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the sheer volume of products that left my collection. Please see the below for the complete breakdown:
- Finished: 114 products / $1,321.00
- Returned: 0 products / $0 .00
- Sold: 12 products / $138.00
- Give Away: 46 products / $431.00
- Decluttered: 68 products / $1,325.00
Total Gone in 2018: 240 products / $3,215.00
2019 Beauty Collection: 206 products / $4,075
Final Thoughts on my 2018 Rolling Project Pan Finale
Overall, the biggest benefit to tracking my rolling project pan progress is my ability to learn more about myself. For example, by taking a deeper look at my 2018 rolling project pan finale, I am able to truly assess the things I purchased and the products I finished or decluttered. By doing this, I can hopefully void making similar mistakes i the future.
The below summarizes some of my main learnings this year:
1 | If I don’t like something, I don’t need to finish it
I’m done torturing myself using products that don’t work for me or don’t inspire me just for the sake of finishing them.
2 | I’m not obligated to keep gifts or freebies
It’s okay to let things go – especially when there are others who could benefit from my donations.
3 | My beauty collection is never going to be conventionally “minimal”
I truly love this industry. I love playing with new products and testing new formulas. Therefore, I need to stop trying to fit myself into someone else’s mold. However, I may want to consider participating in another No Buy.
Beyond my 2018 Rolling Project Pan, my ultimate goal is to develop better shopping habits. I want to curate a refined collection of beauty products. I’m tired of looking at and using products that I don’t like using. Moreover, I never want to feel ”obligated” to finish anything.
In the end, I want to waste less money on things that I do not need. Instead, I want to spend my money on experiences and things that bring a deeper level of ”richness” to my life. I do not want to be a ”makeup collector” or revert to addictive making buying tendencies.
Related Posts
Product Empties: Mid-Year Haircare Empties, Mid-Year Makeup Empties, Mid-Year Skincare Empties, and Summer Empties (July, August & September!)
Declutters: Saying Goodbye to $200 Worth of Skincare
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Are you a beauty addict like me? Do you participate in project panning? Please let me know in the comments below.