February is 'use up' month

moggins

I have been so good with toiletries lately, haven't bought Lush in months, DH bought it for me for christmas. Did a multibuy on the shampoo at Boots but got loads of extra points for that.

Only problem I have now is Yves Rocher. I can't stop buying their perfumes, they are stunningly gorgeous, I get some lovely free gifts everytime I order (2 bags this time which I have put away for birthday presents) and going through GP gives me £2.50 cashback every time.

cha97michelle

I must confess - i went to my mums house. My brother had a stonking cold so i got out my face sauna that i personally wouldn't have used for at least 6 years. Inside the box were some face masks. One of them my mum recognised as one she had bought some time in the 1980s (or possibly even 70s).

Needless to say, that one went in the bin, but it felt such a waste as it was half full.

I still haven't finished looking around, but there is a lot of stuff.

Michelle

davidjohndean

pavlovs_dog wrote:

i've been doing this with toiletries for a while now, and apart from things like toothpaste and deodorant, i havent bought toiletries in almost 2yrs.

its amazing the amount of shower gel, bubble bath, soap, body lotion etc etc ive collected over the years (im sure people are trying to tell me something ) but now ive actually started using it, i've saved a fortune, and have reclaimed some serious cupboard space.

I agree Its madness!! From Christmas I seemed to have every smelly set thats fit the shelves!

Ticklemouse

Help!! :eek:

My 'use everything up and declutter' is going wrong. I'm at my mum's at the moment and have just cleared out the bathroom cupboard under the sink. I now have in a bag to take home (cos she doesn't use these particular items) 3 large tubes of Colgate and 5 assorted large bottles of shampoo, all unopened. I haven't to forget that I'm to take the large pack of smoked salmon out of her freezer and relocate it to mine when I go and erm,.......her £100+ pressure cooker has found a space in my boot too.

(However, on the bright side, my house may be falling down with the amount of stuff in it, but this lot has cost me...... zilch :D)

Hell - if I was into photography.......... I'm currently surrounded by 000's of £ worth of dad's equipment. Unfortunately, I'm an 'aim and snap' type of a gal

well-medicated

This idea sounds terrific - and I'm going to be strong and make it work. I did try it myself last year, cos every surface in the bathroom shelves and cupboard was overloaded with bogofs and multi-packs. My kids are at their teenage stage, so each insists on having their own smellies, gels, shampoos and cleansers.

Started off well with the clearout last year, but have to admit that I only got on top of the problem after buying a four-drawer cabinet for the bathroom (with is now jammed full)! Another year, another resolution. And at least there's no room for any more cabinets.

WM

MrsB_2

Hi Well-Medicated and welcome to OS!! :hello:

Been trying to do this too, but now I have a dilema. I've used up all my single bath bits (like bath bombs and stuff from Lush), used up all the half empty pots of bubble bath too, except for 1. Trouble is i now have:

1 unopened bubble bath i dont really like (prezzie from old lady relly)
1 unopened bubble bath that I'm 'saving' (Molton Brown very lovely prezzie from mum)
1 OPENED tub of Sanctuary Spa Mande Susu bath stuff which is my ALL TIME FAVOURITE ever.

Do I *have* to use the opened tub up first, or can I use the one I dont like first????

Must also go through the shampoos and stuff littering the en-suite up.

Spendless

The unopened one you don't like. Is it a special brand or not? Can it become part of someone elses pressie, birthday, xmas, leaving pressie for teacher, donate to school fete, give to kids to make their mixtures with (only if its a cheap one though:D ).

Wirenth

Arrrrgh. I've just read this entire thread and now have a bad case of the guilts.

OK. Inventory coming up tonight.

MrsB_2

Spendless wrote:

The unopened one you don't like. Is it a special brand or not? Can it become part of someone elses pressie, birthday, xmas, leaving pressie for teacher, donate to school fete, give to kids to make their mixtures with (only if its a cheap one though:D ).

It's a big bottle of red tesco's own 'rejuvenate' stuff. I'm sure it'll be fine, and I'm just being picky, but I LOVE my bath and part of that is having really lovely stuff to put in it. I have to say though - I get 90% of my bubble bath stuff for birthday and christmas. Just this lot doesnt seem to have lasted very long!!

Caixta

Downsizing__for_sanity wrote:

Wouldn't it be great to have some sort of a calendar that showed when things were due to come on offer? The Sanctuary and Radox seem to come around about every 6 months or so, and it would be great to be able to restrain myself to buying only 6 months supply!

I suppose it's a bit anti-moneysaving at the extreme - when I think of how much interest I would be earning on the capital "tied up" in toiletries and beauty products, not to mention food!


Ellie

That's what I do, Downsizing_for_sanity

I noticed that some of my favourite BOGOF items were coming round at predictable intervals. So I started noting the date in my price book. I try and buy just enough to last me until the next offer comes out. I view that as the "true price" of the item, and try and do without if I run out before it's on offer again.

As for tying up money in bulk buys, I follow the advice of Amy Dacyczyn, author of "The Complete Tightwad Gazette". I hope it's ok to briefly quote her here:

"To find additional room for bulk foods, rethink the spaces in your home. If you were offered $50 per month to rent out the space under your bed, would you do it?"

I have a large cupboard at the top of my wardrobe where I store bulk buys like toilet roll, etc. I like to think that this otherwise unused space is paying its way because I buy toilet roll twice a year and save £20 annually by buying it in bulk. So in a roundabout way, this cupboard is paying me £20 "rent" a year. Tax free! And so on, with other nooks and crannies around the house. Better than filling them with clutter. The trick is, not to be too much of a squirrel and remember where you put things. Also, don't over-hoard or buy stuff you don't truly need.

I love this thread, it's really all about taking stock. If the supermarkets have stocktakes to make sure they cut down on waste and maximise their profits, then it's just the thing for us MSE'ers!