BEAUTYTICKET.COM CONTEST AND NEW ARRIVALS FOR FALL !! SHHHH THEY'RE A STEAL!!

im frugal but i havent mastered the sacrifice thing. i cant wait to read others' stories.

I think Punkeydew wins! Except don't sell your eggs.  They pump you full of hormones and you'll sprout hairs on your chin, a friend of mine in college said that's exactly why she didn't do it!

Yes, I think it is going to be hard to top that story!  But good for you for following your dreams!  I am lucky enough that my parents are paying for my veterinary education, and won't charge me interest when I start paying them back!  So for now all the money I make for myself can go to fun stuff!

Thankfully I consider myself rather good at budgeting. I am not tight, but I know when to say know.Generally what I do is if I see something I like (clothes, makeup, whatever) I look at it, test it out, try it on. Then one week later if I still like it and I am still thinking about it,I go back and buy it. This doesn't always happen, obviously, but I *try* do it. I find I save a bit more that way as I am not impulse purchasing :)

I don't imagine that this will be a killer saga, but this is my tale:Growing up my family was not very well off. I lived with my Mom and Grandma who were both ill and could not work. I was able to attend private Catholic school because of scholarships and I did work study. Throughout the week I worked after school cleaning and/or helping out with bingo. During the summer (in high school), I would work during the week on cleaning, painting, weeding, etc. I feel that my upbringing gave me some sense of frugality and responsibility. My family did have to rely on some government help to get by: food stamps, commodities. I wore the same clothes year after year. I had to watch my friends do things and go on trips that I could not afford. I remember when I went out to eat with my friends..... If we went to Olive Garden, I had water and the free breadsticks. Sometimes a friend would give me her side of spaghetti. Sometimes I had a few dollars and could split an app! We had not water from time to time. That sucked. All of these sacrifices were made by my family so I could get a good education.However, I did become obessed with skincare and hair products. I will have to say, though, that in college I still purchased within my means. Bills came first. Fun spending came later. My ingrained sense of responsibility is rather hard to shake. I had a credit card, but my main reason was to buy dance clothes: new ballet shoes, pants for jazz, leg warmers--I'm not kidding. :) And, yeah... I started checking out more beauty products...One thing that I would skip out on a little was food. I was never starving, but I did not eat poshly. There was that time in my early twenties when I regularly skipped lunch so I could have money for ballet class. :) Then for dinner I'd eat a giant $5 burrito from Chipotle as some kind of reward. I typically ate a lot of soup, beans, and eggs. I can cook a mean omelet now! I was a theatre major in college, and after I graduated, a lot of my friends moved to New York. I was talking to a professor about how I wished that I could go, but I did not have enough money. He suggested that I should just throw caution to the wind, forget about my bills, and just go--What!!??!?? That sounded like the most absurd thing ever to me! Not pay your bills? Do you know what that does to your credit? Needless to say, I never made it to New York. (Although I have visited, and by golly, I just LOVE that city!!!)As I got older, I was able to purchase and try more glamourous beauty products. But, to reiterate: Bills always came first. I did my best not to max out cards. Oh, I used them enough, but I am a major avoider of overdraft charges and late fees. And if I ever get those, you should see me talk my way out of them, and I can because I have a responsible history with my credit card companies. Fast forward to now. I am married. My husband has a stable, well paying job. I want to work full time, but after getting my Master's degree (yay!) I haven't been able to find any work that suits me. For now, I suppose I'm fine with that. My husband wants us to try to really limit credit card use. **cricket** **cricket** But, uh... I can't use our bank card for everything--He's not supposed to see my beauty "budget". :) Well, I have done exponentially better on cutting down on credit card use, and I even let him be privy to much of my product purchasing. However, when I "need" some Kinerase moisturizer, or some $28 face wash... I still use those credit cards. I mean, he just wouldn't understand.To end my too long tale, I will always have a roof over head, my bills paid, something edible in my house, and electricity and water, etc. But I will also always have the amazing beauty products of my desire, because I have my credit cards. I have good credit that I have built since college. So even if I'm jobless (which I was for 3 months this year, and now I make less than half as much as did before I had to quit my full time job, that I hated anyway, in order to finish graduate school strongly) I can buy my $100 peptide serum. Hell yeah! I feel that after all that I didn't have growing up, and after accomplishing so many educational goals (which is why my family sacrificed so much for me in the first place), that I deserve the luxury products that I buy! (Even if they fall a little bit out of the budget of the "bank card".)

LOOL i think all have obssesion its natural !!! and i'm little bit impulsive buyer for clothes And BAGS of course im a girl ;)

I wish i could join in on this great contest!! hahaIam way spoiled! My Boyfriend pays for everything .. and i only work 12 hours a week!! hahaGood luck everybody!!! =P

I am currently saving for a house that I just bought they give you a few months to pay your first mortgage payment and since all my other money went to the down payment i have to start saving for my first month..... but it is so hard i have been saving for months now with no new clothes or shoes but..... i have not gone without makeup shhhhh dont tell my fiance

Punkeydoo, I think you win...you are too funny.I remember living off Ramen noodles (5 for $1) for quite a while after I spent too much money on myself. Oh, I must have the Too Faced Diamond Lip Gloss! (I am thinking about "candy diamond")

I have never gone without - I only buy when I can (which is pretty much always).  My biggest splurge was a white gold 1/2kt diamond ring.  I saw it in the jeweler's window and fell in love.  I bought it just because it made me happy to see it on my finger.  I am financially responsible.  I pay my credit card bills (I pay the balance down each month) and I watch my checking account to make sure I don't get too low.  I have a savings account that I put money in without fail every month.  I buy what I want within reason and only if I can afford it.  I try to buy on sale as much as I possibly can.  I do eBay, I do discount stores, I buy used books, etc.  Before I buy something, I try to think "Do I need this?  Why do I want this?  Do I have something like this already?"  So I think before I buy.  But if I think I'll regret it if I don't buy it, then I generally buy it.  And I've never really regretted it.  I am very proud that I make my own money and spend only within my means and that I don't have to rely on anyone else to feed me, etc.  I can take care of myself. 

i have four kid and it is hard to spend money,at times thinks get very hard and i also try to buy what i need and i love make-up a lot.

Wow, at least I now feel like part of a community.  I would spend all my money on makeup and skincare.

Brooklyn007 and Himekosorano - you two are such a great inspiration!  I wasn't nearly as wise in my youth as you are.  You are off to great starts -  keeping your priorities straight.  Congratulations and best of everything to you both!

yes, i am glad this got posted, i have theworst spending habbits but thankfully havenot gotten myself into too much trouble :)