No Buying Toiletries in Jan 2011 !!!!

trudij

Almost all of this post has been shamelessly copied!
Thanks to FOOTYMADGIRL for preparing last month's thread, a lot of which will be familiar in this first post....! Most of us have found December difficult with the temptation that has awaited us while Christmas shopping and the presents we were all lucky enough to get, not to forget January sales still going on! So, let's make a real effort to save our pennies and use things up!!!

Tomorrow is 1st January and so here is the FIRST THREAD OF 2011!! :j


This fab challenge was set up in January 2010 by Katie Clampet

Here's her original challenge post:

"No buying any new toiletries, cosmetics, perfume etc... until I have used up ALL the ones I already have. I got a huge amount of (really nice) stuff for christmas but I am going to resist the urge to browse Boots, Asda, Superdrug etc, and pop another tub of cream, face scrub, shampoo or conditioner into my basket. I reckon the stuff I have will last me until possibly June. I have decided that the money I save I will put into my special holiday account.

Anyone else?"

Lots of us have taken part in the challenge over the past few months and are making great progress reducing our stashes and unnecessary/excessive spending.

Come and join us for the month of January. No need to wait - now is as good a time as any to turn over a new leaf. The more the merrier!!

Regulars ignore this, but a quick resume is always helpful for newbies;

Why not add the challenge to your sig as a reminder?

How about taking a bit of time to do a stock-take and see if there are any gaps in your stash that you might need to spend on this month? Some of us set a budget for the month for essential purchases or to help with withdrawal symptoms, others like to go cold-turkey!! Other ideas which some people find useful: Listing everything out so you can cross things off as used to increase the sense of achievement, and putting a sum of money in a pot each time you use up an item to save for something you really want, or simply to assist in making future essential purchases "cash neutral".

Remember the challenge is about making the most of your money, enjoying your products, finding which products really suit you best and are worth buying, giving yourself a well-deserved pampering and breaking the habit of buying for the sake of buying. In money-saving tradition, it should also be about making your products l-a-s-t as long as possible ( although the temptation of using an unloved shower gel extravagently to finish it off is sometimes too much to bear!)
Brand new products ( or opened perfume) sell well on ebay
Unsuitable products can be used for other jobs (shower gel/ shampoo as handwash etc)
Some items can be returned to certain stores for exchange (for essential items or gifts!!) without a receipt
Unwanted items can be recycled as gifts or for gift hampers (saving the money you'd have spent on gifts)
Unsuitable items can be donated to charity as mentioned earlier.
It helps to avoid the places where temptation lurks for you; be it QVC, Boots, Bodyshop, the supermarket toiletries aisles, grabbit board, online toiletries browsing, seductive department store beauty counter offers etc. Remember retailers are making offers and promotions all the time, so there'll always be another deal!

Good luck all for January and remember to keep popping in for inspiration and support, and to report your UU's and IN's.

Welcome to all newbies - the more the merrier :santa2: Please introduce yourselves so we can welcome you properly!

Good Luck Girlies :j and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

(oh - and anyone thinking "OMG my stash is FAR bigger than all of theirs,I cant possibly join" - believe you me, we have been doing this challenge for just over a year some of us - you wont scare us,and I can almost guarantee that someone somewhere will have had more and survived.... we are very supportive (and protective - so dont be scared !!) oh- and we are nosey !!

Useful abbreviations!
WIBA? - Will I Buy Again?
UU - Use Ups
IN - Self explanatory - stuff you've gained into your stash - warning, lines may be given out for unnecessary purchases!
WNBA - Will Not Buy Again!
Glitch - when a shop/online store make a pricing mistake so you end up paying less or even get freebies!
PYN(M/T/W/Th/F/Sa/Su) DELETE AS APPROPRIATE! - Paint Your Nails Monday/Tuesday...... it allows everyone to try and finish those dastardly nail varnishes with group support! You can never be too groomed for this thread Also see PY(T)N... - for toenails!
Splutterer - the stage where an item is nearing the end of it's life and spluttering - also the most annoying and seemingly never ending stage!
GWP - Gift With Purchase - a sample or mini sized item
HG - Holy Grail - this is the product you would go back for time and time again, it does the job brilliantly, and is either economical, or so fantastic price becomes no object!

If anyone can think of any more we can add to the list so newbies won't be intimidated by our jargon!

alyssa_liss

think ill have to join this , i got my first set of soap and glory at christmas (pink tote). i then managed to get another one from harvey nicks , and i may have just bought some more soap and glory from boots. but it was a good deal

larmy16

I am in for this one too. I have humungous amounts of hair stuff, shampoo, conditioner, perfumes, creams etc.

My weakness is Poundland - I must avoid at all costs!

ebayqueen_2

Hi there
Count me in please!!!!!!!!!!
I am one of these people who takes all her hotel soaps home and cant find them!!!!

So am going to get them all out and use what I have.

Will give you all a laugh. My 80 year old very young at heart mother rings me 2 weeks before Christmas to ask me would I like Chloe perfume...I of course said YES MAM ... WHATEVER I GET I WILL BE HAPPY WITH... thats fine she says and goes on to tell me she has had it for well over a year now...got it as a free gift from some club and didnt want to waste it !!!!!!!!!!!!
She knows me too well but she could have kept the age of the perfume to herself!!!
Will be going on ebay or will I keep it and give it to someone else next Christmas

Hope all goes well for us MSE ers this new Year

loopylulu_3

Definitely count me in on this. Tried last year but didn't succeed and have added a lot more to my stash.

My weakness is QVC but i can now only have those delivered to home so no way to hide the parcels from my OH as he gets home before me and he has told me not to buy any more.

I added a lot of L'Occitane and Elemis to my stash and probably have enough to last me the next year or two.

There probably will be items i need to buy like shampoo but that comes out the weekly shopping that my OH pays for and i don't stock pile this.

I will also need to buy some concealer as i only have one in my stash and i find it only last about 2 months.

I will go abut making a list of everything i have tomorrow and post it so i can keep a track on what i have.

Definitely going to paint my nails more as i have about 30 colours all bought in the last 12 months and they need to be used more.

freyasmum

After seeing what I got for Christmas, I'm definitely in this month (year :eek:).

I haven't posted a lot, but knowing that you lot are here to reprimand me should I need it keeps me in check

I shouldn't need anything at all this month.

Happy New Year everyone :beer:

mummyofonechild

Count me in too. I am back to work next week after being ill for 6 weeks. No more time to surf the web for bargains and glitches. I will use up what I have.

Bronnie

Mee tooo! Thanks trudij!!

Must update my sig to reflect another year of trying to be good!

poppy_f1

count me in, my stash seemed to have increased in size due to the 3 soap and glory tote sets i got over christmas (bought 1 and 2 gifts) plus all the stuff i bought before xmas


only thing i dont count in these challenges is hair dye lol i usally need to get at least 1 a month to cover the grey roots as im not willing to go grey gracefully at 33

mum2one

Count me in, my weakness - if pretty much anything from Body Shop, or most of Boots collections, did have a sort out a couple of months ago, and had 30 showergels - various sizes.........make up,

My other weakness was the make up from Avon, esp if there was a big discount, but luckly our Avon rep has now finished, and I can't be bothered to order on-line

recycled as much as I can, sold some of Body shop that I'd had - so everything got will use.

I've put anything that i had for xmas left in boxes, was tempted by Boots offers, FCUK bag, Soap and Glory and the Gok Wan, but use everything 1st.
This will def help keep me on track xx

kazmeister

Ok I HAVE to be committed to this thread as I am an addicted to Lush foremost but also makeup and any other toiletries.

Current Lush stash which I must reduce before I buy any more as not only does it involve more spends when I need to save but also an 80 - 90 mile round trip :eek:

Best Wishes gift box containing
Satsumo Santa
So White ballistic
Bearded Lady Bubble bar

Christmas Present gift box containing
Mandarins T party soap
Christmas Eve Bubble bar
Fizzbanger Ballistic
Winter Bath Ballistic

Winter Garden gift box containing
Vanilla in the Mist soap
Mandarins T Party soap
Snowcake Soap
Maple Taffy Lip Balm
Once a Year Massage Bar
King of Skin Body Butter
Sugar Plum fairy Scrub
Olive Branch Shower Gel

Chillin with the Gnomies gift box containing
Whoosh shower jelly
Snow Globe soap

The Art of Bathing Gift box containing
Avobath Ballistic
Sex Bomb Ballistic
ButterBall Ballistic
Big Blue Ballistic
Blackberry Bath Bomb ballistic
Fizzbanger ballistic
Dragons Egg Ballistic
Blue Skies Bubble bar
Karma Bubble Bar
The Comforter Bubble Bar
Ma Bar Bubble Bar
Pop in the bath Bubble Bar

Christmas tweets Gift box containing
Snowcake soap
Vanilla Fountain Ballistic
lil Lush Pud Ballistic
Smitten Hand Cream

Other stuff
Cinders Ballistic x 3
Angels Delight Soap x 2
Whipstick lip Balm
Bubblegum Lip scrub
The Boogg Ballistic x 2 (was 3 til yesterday)
Candy Cane Bubble Bar x 3
Snow Fairy 250g shower gel x 2
Bearded Lady Bubble Bar x 2
Gingerbread House Bubble bar x 3
Rock Star Soap
Big Blue Ballistic
Avobath ballistic
Dragons Egg Ballistic
Fizzbanger Ballistic
Karma Bubble bar
Bob Soap
Gold Frankincense & Beer Shower jelly
Karma Soap
Porridge Soap x 2
Jingle Jelly Shower Jelly
Egg Snog lip Balm
Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser
Coalface Soap
Ring of Roses Butter Cream WNBA
Big Shampoo x 1.5
Dream Cream
Karma Cream
Karma Solid perfume
Lemony Flutter Cuticle Cream
Fair trade Foot Lotion
Running to the Embassy Foot thing WNBA
Big Tease Hair gel
King of the Mods Hair gel
Jungle Solid conditioner
Sugar Scrub WNBA
The Joy of Jelly shower jelly
Happy Hippy Shower Gel
Ultralight
and numerous trial size moisturisers

There is also Tramp shower gel and Grass shower gel in the bathroom but they're not mine. DD has her own stash!

OMG thats a wake up call to see it listed and I think there are probably extra bits n pieces as well as just thought of the snow fairy lip balm. Needless to say they are all individually wrapped in plastic bags to retain their smell and also in an attempt to keep them hidden from DH!

I also have a Soap and Glory Tote Bag 'bought' with my Boots points which I havent started on yet.