The use it or lose it challenge - please join in

Odette

4 books to charity today and one massive bag of shoes.

MessyMare

Almost used a conditioning mask up and whittling down my facial cleanser stuff Also almost read one book!

castri09_2

hi im sorting through my girls room found loads of old toys that dont play with anymore .good sorting everyone hope you all make loads of money

Snowdonlily

Hi, just come across this thread.........can I join too please? I have lots of lovely smellies and toiletries that need to be used as well as a roomful of books that I haven't read yet. I also have a thing for buying pretty notebooks which never seem to get used. They will now be used as spending diaries. I've made a start on the attic which is full of stuff...........I'm sure it will take me months to ebay my way through all that lot but I'm determined to declutter and spend less at the same time!

Snowmoredebt

Morning everyone,

OH's dress sold on ebay for a really nice profit, I also have sorted out another car load for the tip. 21 books added to green metropolis and more clothes etc being sorted for ebay.

debtdesperado

I did this last year - I had loads of toiletries, boxes and boxes of them... I started using them up, and the only thing I needed to buy all year was shampoo! I seemed to end up with loads of hair conditioner in particular... I had 5 litre-sized bottles of treseme...I think this is a result of it being 3 for 2 at boots, buying it, just getting bored of it halfway through the first bottle and then changing to something else. I learnt my lesson - I only buy small bottles of conditioner now and just have one on the go at a time!

I bagged up a load of the weird and wonderful toiletries that I bought but never used (eg foot scrubs, eyelash dyeing kits, home waxing kits, massage oil etc) and decided instead that if I wanted (insert random grooming ritual) I would pay and get it done at a salon rather than keep all the rubbish at home. I gave the bag of toiletries to my teenage cousin who was thrilled! The only thing that I have found I am happy to pay for is a regular pedicure which is such a treat and makes me smile every time I look at my toes...

It is so satisfying to use everything up! My tip is to start with the nicest stuff first... all the things that you've been 'saving' as it's such a treat!

Books were my next target... I gradually worked through them and sorted them into 3 piles..keep because I love it, I can remember the story and it has meaning for my life / give away or sell / yet to be read. I ended up with over 50 books 'to be read'. At first I had them stacked by my bed, but I found it made me feel too guilty, so I picked 5, and listed the rest on Amazon... I sold most of them and the rest went to a charity shop. Now I try and have no more than 10 'to be read' books and keep them together on a shelf (I'm terrible for finding books in charity shops too!). I force myself to read them in the order I put them in the shelf, so that if I pick one up and want to put it back on the shelf, I know that, really, I don't want to read it, so then I sell it or it goes back to the charity shop.

Anything I list on amazon that is either really cheap (less than £1) or doesn't get sold in a month I give to the charity shop.

It is so satisfying to get rid of all the clutter! Best of luck to everyone with this challenge!

mavvysmum

Hi, can i join this please? My vices are books, DVD's and body lotion. I have a great big bookcase full of books, most picked up from car boots and charity shops and most of them not read, yet I keep buying more. Am not going to buy anymore now till I've read at least 20! As for DVD's I'm going to sort them out - will keep any classics that I could watch again and again, put some aside to watch one more time and decide if i want to keep them, and the rest to go on ebay. Anything not sold on ebay i will either put aside for when we have a car boot, hopefully in the next month, or will give to family or charity.
Body lotion accumulation is mainly down to the fact I keep getting it as presents....and am too lazy to use it. So I wont be buying anymore till its all used - will try and use it daily. Some of the body lotions are scented ones that came with perfume, and i no longer have the perfume so may sell those or give them away.

angelflower_2

just a wee note to say i did this with toiletries last Christmas, refusing to buy any more (other than the occassion dandruff shampoo which was not in my goodies box) and I have to report, the box is still nearly full a year later!!

Its amazing how much stuff we gather then throw out for no reason other than we have no more space left to put the new 'crap'.

Good luck with your challenge.

madmich666

Hello all,

just thought i would update as I am quite pleased with myself having ebayed a whole box of clutter!!! :j Hubby doesn't really understand and just had to share my excitement with like minded people.

Also got quite excited looking in my wardrobe seeing expensive shirts ive not used for ages and shouted out "yay", it was so funny you should have seen the look on my hubby's face. but found more stuff to declutter and put on ebay. Its so exciting. Even though I'm just boxing stuff up and listing it I can see space starting to appear!!! Woo hoo!!!!

Now I have sorted out turbo lister there is just no stopping me. If you see 20 mice, 3 cats, a husband and a flat on ebay that will be me whos listed them!! lol!!

scubaangel

Due to being snowed in I had a sort out of the bathroom, my sister has a box of part used very expensive shampoos, I just seem to have a box of all sorts of things, mainly free samples I've gained from here....hmm can't stop getting those but I will have to start using them more often!!