No Buying Toiletries in March Challenge

sunshineyday

Almost all of this post has been shamelessly copied!
Thanks to Footymadgal for preparing last month's thread.
Welcome all newbies and regulars :hello: to this very friendly and chatty thread where we give lots of lovely tips on how to use up your stash and lots of if you need them.
Keep up the pampering and keep down the spending. Let’s make the naughty step an empty and lonely place this month (rather than one so long that it can be seen from space! )

We are eternally grateful to Katie Clampet who set up this fab challenge in January 2010.

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 in reducing our stashes and unnecessary/excessive spending.


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 March 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 . Please introduce yourselves so we can welcome you properly!

Good Luck Girlies .

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 or you may be sent to the naughty step!
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!
NPI - Near Purchasing Incident (OMG we all have those!)
PRCP -Pink Rose Candle Philosophy. From Erma Bombeck who said, 'If I had my life to live over again I would have burned the pink candle sculptured like a rose that melted in storage'. Don't keep things 'for best' or 'for a special occasion'. That day never arrives. Give the best to yourself now and enjoy it. (Thanks to McCulloch29 for introducing this thought provoking sentiment to us)

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


Graduates
Here is a list of our lovely, fragrant ladies who have polished and pampered their way through their products and managed to get their toiletries stash under control. Ladies - congratulations :T:T:T You are an inspiration to the rest of us, xx . Thanks also to Inapickle who suggested we start the Graduate list:T To join the list of graduates let us know by posting that you are graduating in big colourful letters, that way the OP can easily spot you and add you to the list, or better still - pm the OP as the thread can move really quickly! You may also wish to add how many products you have used up during the challenge, good luck ladies xx

1.mineallmine - graduated with honours March 2011
2.Bronnie - graduated with honours March 2011

mad_scientist

Thanks sunshineyday for starting the new thread :j

I am definitely in again for March, I still have more products than space!

Good luck everyone!

VALM

Hi, count me in again. I think I am getting better because of this thread. Will try to post my UUs and Ins in my signature as well as a reminder. Have a few products spluttering at the mo but all of them I have an alternative for in my stash so am hoping not to spend much this month apart from the consignment of Glamour mags I need to get my hands on! x

The_Dragon

Excellent - I'm in again!

PudseyDB

I'm back again

Joining the no toiletries challenge has made me re-think my attitude to them. No more saving things for "best" only to find they've gone off. I've also shocked myself by realising just how much I've got - although I havent yet sat down and wasted a couple of hours counting them all :rotfl:

thevicster

I'm in! Definitely no purchases required from me!

Thanks for starting the thread sunshineyday!

madwife28

Woo hoo! :j I'm in again - got to be better (strong:o) this month, still so much in stash! Thanks sunshineyday

butler_helen

Oh dear I am in with the caviat that my body shop spends don't count! I sinned and bought four vouchers. I don't need shower gel for a very long time!

VALM

I've just had a look at the QVC site and the only TSV I'm remotely interested in is the Yankee Candle one (not beauty yay - even though there are Ojon and Elemis TSVs this month). Then again I always pursuade myself not to buy cos the p&p is always so high.

lynseydee

VALM wrote: »

I've just had a look at the QVC site and the only TSV I'm remotely interested in is the Yankee Candle one (not beauty yay - even though there are Ojon and Elemis TSVs this month). Then again I always pursuade myself not to buy cos the p&p is always so high.

Just curious, honest, but how do you know when the tsvs are coming up?

Have packed up a little box of stuff and have 12 items ready to send off, just waiting for someone to kindly pm me a label and then hopefully I can post that off tomorrow.

Does that justify my three JF items I bought earlier?

VALM

lynseydee wrote: »

Just curious, honest, but how do you know when the tsvs are coming up?

Have packed up a little box of stuff and have 12 items ready to send off, just waiting for someone to kindly pm me a label and then hopefully I can post that off tomorrow.

Does that justify my three JF items I bought earlier?

If you go to https://www.qvcuk.com and look at the TV Guide you can look at upcoming shows for 4 weeks' ahead. The shows featured at midnight each day contain the TSV.