I’ve tracked my expenses for many years. This means I log the amount plus some notes in one of 13 categories after every purchase. One of those categories is simply called ‘Misc Wants’ – ie things I didn’t strictly need, but simply wanted.
‘Misc Wants’ is kind of like that random drawer in your house, the one you just chuck random stuff in. Unlike ‘Misc Needs’ – another expense category meant to track things I really did need at the time – purchases under ‘Misc Wants’ tend to be more varied in motivation. I could be bored, stressed, sad, excited, depends. As long as they’re ‘technically unnecessary purchases’, I lump it in there.
In this article, I’m going to share with you some of my ‘Misc Wants’ purchases. I’m looking at data all the way from June 2014 (I have earlier data, but not as comprehensive). As I’m writing this in August 2018, that’s more than four years’ worth of data.
I spent more than RM15k for Misc Wants in 4 years…
Sara of Jewelpie.com recently published how much she spent on beauty products. Loved it and was immediately inspired to show mine too!
To be fair, I don’t have a specific category for beauty costs. Most of the time they’re chucked in either Misc Needs or Misc Wants. If I needed those things urgently for an event or something, they’re logged into Misc Needs. If they’re just things I randomly picked up due to shopping mood, then they’re under Misc Wants.
Unlike Sara, I don’t know how much I spent on beauty annually. It fluctuates a lot – most of the time I keep it simple and spend very little, but I also did a RM3,600 dermafiller injection procedure, so that throws the whole annual average out of whack.
Doing things a bit differently, I drew out in my notebook: beauty expenses I spend on with the price range, what I splurge/skimp on, a frugal beauty habit, guilty pleasure and a beauty wishlist.
How Much I Spend On Beauty, A Visualisation
Analysing my beauty spending, I can see I prioritise services more than products. I am most satisfied by the more expensive ones, with the sole exception of eyebrow shaping – the eyebrow threading at Indian beauty shops are amazing and cheap, love them.
As for my makeup, it’s usually quite minimal. I only splurge on two things: sunscreen and eyeliner. Everything else I use regularly – face powder, eyebrow pencil, blush, lipstick, etc – is either cheap drugstore brands or gifted. I used to buy and use moisturisers, but now my skincare routine is mainly face masks + serum samples. Those little packs lasts for a surprisingly long time! I love getting them.
Do you know how much YOU spend on beauty expenses? What are beauty products or procedures you can’t live without? What’s in your wishlist, and what’s your guilty pleasure? What do you splurge and skimp on? Share with us!
Also, let me know what you think of the drawing! Don’t know if I should continue making more graphics and showing my notebook entries. See if this post got love or not 😛
I talk about money and currency all the time – things that are valuable; that has value. Beauty has value as well, and this post is all about that.
Makeup and skincare are something I took up seriously early on, but never really mastered. I’m still navigating this world. Some women are really good at it, and I salute them. If you don’t, it’s worth trying – wearing makeup (or at least good at grooming) may help you to earn more money, according to this research. There is financial benefit in being more attractive, so why not? Worth noting: the effect is similar to men, albeit a smaller boost.
I have 5 general rules when it comes to beauty. It may help you, it may not, but this is what helps to make beauty affordable to me.
I spent more than RM15k for Misc Wants in 4 years…
