No Buying Toiletries in Jan 2011 !!!!

footymadgal

On themes, I love cats too but don't own one as the OH is allergic to pet hair. My Dad has a cat though which I adore and we always had a cat when I was growing up.

I don't hoard everything but I too have a large number of books, although I do give them away once I've read them. It is difficult to resist buying them in charity shops. I have quite a few candles which take up a lot of space in a cupboard, although this winter I have been using them and also oils on a regular basis. In fact last night I actually finished a candle (the first time in ages) and tonight I have started to use a small scented candle in a pretty tin. It's only the second time I've used it and yet I think this was the first candle that I bought a few years back that started me off on my fetish! My candle buying habit is now under control - I know I won't be tempted until the stash has reduced significantly! I also love bags, whether handbags or canvas shopping bags. There are 3 cheap bags I'm after at the moment - a pretty £1 Celia Birtwell lunch bag which I've seen in the Boots magazine, a £4 shopping bag from Tesco (can't remember the designer's name) and the bag from Poundland that McCulloch mentioned has intrigued me. I do use all my bags though - I am always chopping and changing them to match different outfits/needs.

Over the last couple of years I had a thing about buying tights - particularly opaque ones in different colours/patterns. I kept buying them when I saw them on offer and subsequently I've now got a drawer full :rotfl:. I have had to go cold turkey on buying these - I still look at them in the shops but now manage to talk myself out of buying any.

Gosh, on writing all this down, I think I definitely have an addictive personality. Let's face it girls, once we get the toiletries under control there will always be something else!

footymadgal

Talking of the Boots magazine, I was relieved that the coupons in it aren't very exciting and therefore don't tempt me. However, I now want one of the limited edition Bourjois Fete Paris Collection blushers just because I love the designs on the lids! But at £7.49 I can't justify it as I know I have a few blushers in stock (I may even have an old Bourjois one, will have to check). Temptation awaits us on every street corner...

Blonde_Ambition

Hi everyone. Can I join in please?! I've spent much of today reading all the posts and I know I really need this thread. You all seem like a very friendly and kind bunch. And I love the photos! I joined this challenge last year but didn't really keep up with the thread so I have managed to reduce my stash quite a bit. It's still quite a lot of stuff though so thank goodness I slowed down my buying. I began thinking about this challenge at the beginning of the year and since then have "only" bought a Champneys set half price (£6) which came in a bag which I kind of needed and a hair mousse which I definitely needed. Ok, so I have a can of hair mousse and some gel (why oh why?!) but I'm using them up on days which don't really matter or when I can just pull my hair back (for work). Not very Rose Candle I know! But quite mse as the wonderful hair mousse is £15 so I like to economise when I can.

I'm really feeling the pinch at the moment so it was great to find this thread. I really need to get in control of my spending again. I'm not actually in debt but I do limp rather painfully towards payday. Also, I'm moving in with my boyfriend and already he seems shocked by the amount of stuff I have, mostly hidden in the S&G hatbox and a couple of make up bags. This is just the tip of the iceberg. He doesn't know about the two large storage boxes and the two drawers. Also, I just don't like the waste of it all, what's the point of buying more if I have something to do the job already? I'm like this with clothes too so I'm also off to find a clothes challenge.

I'll try to keep up with you all but you're all very chatty. Love it!

Kaz2904

Hi blonde ambition *waves like a loon*!
I'm with you on the economising, I was just checking my bank and we've lost £12k of savings. !!!!!!! Not lost exactly but new(er) car this year, DH's every other day shop in asda etc etc has frittered 6.5K. Since June.
It's not entirely him, I've just prionted out all the bank statements for the last year and my phone bill went from £10 a month in August to £25/month for the last 6 months. Not happy as I'm on a contract and I can't actually access my online bills. I'll be ditching the phone at that price as I don't need it.
DH's going to go mad. I'm really upset. It goes to show what happens when you take your eye off the ball doesn't it?

Blonde_Ambition

Hi Kaz. Thanks for the welcome. You're so right, things can creep up on you. My work situation is a bit unstable so I've been saving as much as I can. I expected to end the year with my bills account equalling one month's salary but instead it would barely cover a month's bills. I looked and a few bills had gone up quietly, including a 50% increase on my flat's service charge. How? Why? Anyway, back to nice smelly things!

I've just uu a Nivea Visage cleansing foam (travel sized). Wiba? No way. Left my skin shiny and a bit blotchy. Back to the Boots cleanser which just goes on and on.

I love the idea about saving some money when you've used something up but I have loads of travel sized things so I realised I'd be putting money aside all the time and I have so little to last the month anyway. So I'm just going to enjoy the eventual mounting up of some spare cash in my bank account. Surely?!

Jacks_xxx

Blonde_Ambition wrote: »

Hi everyone. Can I join in please?! I've spent much of today reading all the posts and I know I really need this thread. You all seem like a very friendly and kind bunch. And I love the photos! I joined this challenge last year but didn't really keep up with the thread so I have managed to reduce my stash quite a bit. It's still quite a lot of stuff though so thank goodness I slowed down my buying. I began thinking about this challenge at the beginning of the year and since then have "only" bought a Champneys set half price (£6) which came in a bag which I kind of needed and a hair mousse which I definitely needed. Ok, so I have a can of hair mousse and some gel (why oh why?!) but I'm using them up on days which don't really matter or when I can just pull my hair back (for work). Not very Rose Candle I know! But quite mse as the wonderful hair mousse is £15 so I like to economise when I can.

I'm really feeling the pinch at the moment so it was great to find this thread. I really need to get in control of my spending again. I'm not actually in debt but I do limp rather painfully towards payday. Also, I'm moving in with my boyfriend and already he seems shocked by the amount of stuff I have, mostly hidden in the S&G hatbox and a couple of make up bags. This is just the tip of the iceberg. He doesn't know about the two large storage boxes and the two drawers. Also, I just don't like the waste of it all, what's the point of buying more if I have something to do the job already? I'm like this with clothes too so I'm also off to find a clothes challenge.

I'll try to keep up with you all but you're all very chatty. Love it!

:dance::T:beer::jWelcome to the gang Blonde Ambition! :j:beer::T:dance:

Our finances are all changing at the moment, my son is moving out in a few weeks so we won't be feeding him and his girlfriend most nights. I'm going to have to adjust the shopping and planning.

After the Christmas consumerist excess it feels good to batten down the hatches and rein in the spending this month.

I haven't bought any chocolate or wine related treats because we still have plenty left from the Christmas shop.

We haven't been out socially much (just the once).

And it's Day 15 and I haven't bought any toiletries. I aided and abetted my daughter in buying some sale bits and bobs for her present drawer, but didn't get anything for me and my present drawer is empty!

I am off to google, I'm doing some makeup for some of the girls for their photography course and they wants "lips like Jessie J". I hope they just mean red ones and don't mean the spiky black ones she has in one of her videos! (I bet they do!)

Have a great saturday everybody!

Pinkphoenix

mineallmine wrote: »

Be interested to hear how you get on - never used the stuff My hair is in pretty bad condition so it's interesting - plus with QVC you can send it back after 30 days.
QVC are amazing at selling. I think they do a subtle form of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). They convince you to buy things because and I quote "maybe you know someone who's been ill" (nods head), "maybe you've had the horrible flu going round and want to give yourself a treat" (nods head), "maybe maybe maybe". If I like the look of a TSV (todays special value) I have to try and watch it on mute Having said all that. Sometimes their bundles of products do represent good value, as long as you need and love all the stuff :A

OMG! I watched QVC for the very first time yesterday because I've been off work poorly and bored of my normal channels. QVC is like a drug! They think of amazing reasons why I need they stuff! One lady was saying how Elemis stuff keeps for 2 years and it would be brilliant to save for a special occasion!
Haven't bought yet as can't walk properly and couldn't reach the phone!:rotfl:

Trying_really_hard

Pinkphoenix wrote: »

Haven't bought yet as can't walk properly and couldn't reach the phone!:rotfl:

This may be one of the times that not being able to walk is considered "a blessing". Well done on resisting. I am trying to decide if I need to go to the local shopping centre just for some Body Shop Seaweed cleanser (and all the matching things that come with it) in a bid to clear my skin up. It would go on a gift card for said shopping centre but still......

Getting out of shopping for a habit is really hard.

SJP

Morning all

Just a quick catch up....

Kaz - Know what you mean about money going without realising it, I have tried in January to cut the spending, but with the sales, we just 'needed' a few things, so i'm hoping February will be the month when we make a proper start on cutting down...

Loved the one 'can't walk to phone yet, so not bought' thats fab :rotfl:

My mother is a QVC nut - she must have some lovely stuff in her stash as she's always buying from there - will have to ask her when i next see her....

My gift drawer is running low, hoping we can find some glitches soon, its Mothers Day soon..... :eek:

fru-gal_3

One UU to report - Decleor Angelique night balm sample
WIBA - no need yet, I have one other sample and a small pot of it. It was part of a QVC TSV and although it smells nice I'm not sure it would be something I'd get at full price.