Simplifying household stock and introducing routines

Primrose wrote: »

Totally agree. Where does all this dust come from? Human skin particles? I have only to go into our bathroom 48 hours after giving everything a thorough clean and it's as bad as ever. The fewer toiletries you use and have on display, the easier cleaning becomes.

Tell me about it! Frustrates me no end. Even my cleaning products gather dust at an alarming rate.

GreyQueen wrote: »

I like this idea.

Much choice is actually delusion. Most conserves like jams and marmalades are only flavoured sugars, shampoos are pretty much of a muchness, with perfume and colours and additives to effect viscosity etc giving you an illusion of differences. Cereals are a load of sugary carp in most cases.

By artificially restricting availability, such as having refills under lock and key until the current item is used up, you may be able to train the household to be more efficient. Good luck!

absolutely correct.

A few years ago I had a huge declutter after recovering from depression. I think stockpiling was part of the anxiety which went with the illness. I started one of the 'no toiletries' challenges in January, and the first thing that ran out and I needed to buy was shampoo.... in November :eek:

I've since noticed that in relation to toiletries I like to try the new products that are out, but was also thinking that 3 for 2 etc were 'bargains', and also was trying to be economical by buying the biggest sizes. The combination of this thinking was an enormous stockpile of toiletries, a stockpile that would have been far more useful as money in the bank, rather than zillions of bottles.

It was only by not buying new that I could really see how long something lasts, and in particular, how long that last couple of inches lasts (weeks - plenty of time to buy a new one without panicking I'd run out). I could see how much I was really using over the months, and I realised that my 3for2 often meant I was buying a year's worth of something, when in a few weeks, there would be something new I wanted to try...

Now I buy the small bottle, as I know that it feels pampering and nice to have a wander round boots and choose a new shampoo or whatever, but I only buy one, and then use it up (or pour it in the handwash bottle if I don't like it). Generally, it's just come out so it's at the discounted launch price as well. I think overall this saves me money, as a stockpile is only useful if you get it at a much lower unit price than normal AND you use it up.... as I never actually used up the stockpile, this money was not used well....

I also realised that shampoo, shower gel, handwash (and in a pinch, washing up liquid) are basically all the same - just liquid detergent of different strengths.

firebubble wrote: »

I also realised that shampoo, shower gel, handwash (and in a pinch, washing up liquid) are basically all the same - just liquid detergent of different strengths.

Not the cheapest, but there is a soap available called Dr Bonners which openly admits it has 18 (yep, 18) purposes. It's a pretty basic formula available in a selection of fragrances (rose, aloe, green tea etc) - like most things with less ingredients these days, that means it costs more...

I think I might treat firebubble's 11 months of shampoo as a challenge! I don't think I'll get that far but I wouldn't be surprised if I get to 6 months. I've done the same in buying large bottles of the-one-I-liked-at-the-time on 3 for 2, thinking this was a money saving idea. Nope. This will sound awful at first - but I've also helped stretch out my stash by cutting down on how much I wash my hair. I used to wash it every day, which was time consuming and costly. Now I'm down to twice a week (as per the suggestion of my hairdresser I might add).

Lipsticks, glosses and tinted lipbalms are a whole separate issue - I'll be at that particular stash for years.

Cutting down on groceries was a lot easier than this, unlike the toiletries I didn't have a year's worth of anything I didn't particularly enjoy!

This is a really helpful thread, thanks for all your ideas. I'm currently on a "not buying anything other than groceries, or replacements for something finished or worn out". I did have to buy some socks the other day, as my trainers were suddenly very uncomfortable, and on feeling inside, I found the liners had worn away, leaving seams of harsh stitching, and the extra socks helped protect my feet until I could get home (I had one pair on already) In the past, I would have bought some shoes immediately, but I do have sufficient even without the worn pair. Socks were the cheaper option, and I am refusing to count how many pairs I have, and now prefer bamboo ones, so am making a positive effort to rotate the whole lot until they get worn out, but will replace only with the good quality bamboo. I haven't worn tights for ages, and then only black opaque ones, which last forever, seemingly.