No Buying Toiletries in May Challenge

Jacks_xxx

Sorry to hear about your friend thevicster, and your pooch Vivh

Living_proof wrote: »

May I join you please? For the last few years I have had an addiction to buying toiletries from charity shops and car boot sales. Without doubt, I have saved an absolute fortune and have had the very best of soaps, lotions and bath goodies. However I seem to have got carried away with the regularity of my purchases. I hate to list the number of cream moisturisers, etc. I have and even basic items like shampoo have been over-purchased due to sheer enthusiasm. Alternative hand washes are becoming an embarrassment.

I have started keeping a felt tip pen in the bathroom and every time I open a new item I note the date. That, together with the rather obsessional shopping lists I keep in a notebook, should guide me to how much of anything I actually use, how long it lasts, etc. I suspect everything lasts much longer than you think but if you are confronted by a top-quality toiletry set, how can you refuse at car boot prices? I have oodles of soap, bath items (have bath, rarely use it - always shower), every eventuality for feet is covered, etc. but like most people on this thread it is really difficult to get to the end of it all. Is it that WE DON'T DESERVE IT if we don't buy all these goodies? Have we become slaves to the marketing men?

:T:A:beer::jWelcome to the gang Living proof! :j:beer::A:T:D

Whenever I have a Near Purchase Incident I have to remind myself of how long it is before I actually need to buy any shampoo / body lotion / whatever. It's always ages. In the case of eyeshadow it's somewhere a long way past the twelth of never! :D

But just in case that doesn't work, I have a post it with a big black
NO!
taped over my debit card. :rotfl:

Not wanting to be a dupe of the marketing men is definitely one of my reasons for buying less.

Alanis

Just received my dispatch email from the BS! xxx

mcculloch29

Living_proof wrote: »

May I join you please? For the last few years I have had an addiction to buying toiletries from charity shops and car boot sales. Without doubt, I have saved an absolute fortune and have had the very best of soaps, lotions and bath goodies. However I seem to have got carried away with the regularity of my purchases. I hate to list the number of cream moisturisers, etc. I have and even basic items like shampoo have been over-purchased due to sheer enthusiasm. Alternative hand washes are becoming an embarrassment.

I have started keeping a felt tip pen in the bathroom and every time I open a new item I note the date. That, together with the rather obsessional shopping lists I keep in a notebook, should guide me to how much of anything I actually use, how long it lasts, etc. I suspect everything lasts much longer than you think but if you are confronted by a top-quality toiletry set, how can you refuse at car boot prices? I have oodles of soap, bath items (have bath, rarely use it - always shower), every eventuality for feet is covered, etc. but like most people on this thread it is really difficult to get to the end of it all. Is it that WE DON'T DESERVE IT if we don't buy all these goodies? Have we become slaves to the marketing men?

What an interesting first post! Welcome, Living Proof!

Interesting too that your addiction should be car boots and charity shops - very MSE! :money: But not MSE if it's not needed. I've always been a tiny bit wary of s/h toiletries - as if they have been opened they may have deteriorated. I've got some Body Shop stuff that's dated 2001 that was a raffle prize and that was fine, though. Still is.

I use up 5 ml of shower gel per shower, c 8ml of shampoo and ditto conditioner 32 ml per week max. The three part -used shampoo bottles and two shampoo bars I started the year with are down to one bar, but still three bottles. I reckon only one bottle will go by the end of the year as I do send for freebies.

So in that respect, yes perhaps I am a slave to the marketing men, even though I have no intention of buying the products this year.

minerva_windsong

I have had an excellent day today - not one, not two, but four OUTs :j

Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser - WBA as it smelt really lovely, had a nice texture and got my face good and clean, especially when used with a muslin cloth, but it is quite thick so it's possibly better as a winter product.

Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion - this was a sample but I probably would buy it if it was on offer as it sank it quickly and felt nicely moisturising. Didn't smell of much but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The only bad thing is that the sample wasn't very big so could only do half my body!

Colgate Total Advanced Whitening toothpaste - WBA if on offer as it did the job, although I'd question how much whiter it made my teeth. But then all toothpaste seems pretty much the same to me.

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Flat Iron Protection Mist - WBA as it makes my hair very straight, especially when used before blowdrying which in turn makes it easier to straighten later, and also smells quite nice. It was a HG product but I found the Charles Worthington version to be slightly better and also want to try the new John Frieda stuff, but have another one of these in the stash so will use that up first.

ETA: However, I got my email from Debenhams Beauty Club saying I still had £15 in rewards to spend, which I thought was odd - the SA didn't mention taking the rewards off my card when she swiped it when I bought my Touche Eclat but I figured she must have done and it'd come off at the till, so I've just checked the receipt and it says £24.50. Which is really rather annoying as I wasn't expecting it to be that much. Part of me is tempted to go back to Debenhams and complain but I also don't want to cause a fuss...

EssexHebridean

asset2004 wrote: »

I'm using Flake Away too but quite like it. Why don't people like it?

For me it was the nasty greasy coating that stayed on my skin after using it - which in turn came off all over my towel when I dried myself. Definitely not something I EVER want to use again. Breakfast Scrub, on the other hand, smells fabulous, is really effective, and washes off the skin brilliantly.

vivh wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your friend thevicster.

Having a horrible afternoon myself, my beautiful dog has been attacked by a weimeraner this aft and had his ear ripped apart. I went completerly ballistic (have a legendary temper) the owner didn't make an attempt to get his dog off and then behaved like a cocky t**t, his dog ran over to ours when he was playing with his ball, it was completely unprovoked. Kids were devastated and I can't stop crying, dog is at the vets now with DH so hopefully they will be able to patch his ear up.

Massive hugs to anyone else who needs it today :grouphug:

Awww Viv that's so sad - your poor dog. These wretched dog owners who are quite happy to let their dogs run round causing havoc drive me mad. If people aren't prepared to train their dogs, and then look after them properly, they simply shouldn't be allowed to have them. You definitely need to report it to the police Viv - as someone else said, another time it could be a person the dog attacks.

Vicster it sounds like you are going to do your friend proud - good for you! We all wore bright clours for my uncle's funeral years ago - it was exactly what he wanted to happen and it was so nice to think we were doing something so positive too.

I have a small UU to report - and a minor victory over temptation!

UU - a random Mince Pie soap - one of two we were given at christmas! WIBA? No - it was alright, but nothing special, and I was slightly thrown by finding that it had actual rains and currants in the middle of it! :rotfl: I now have a lovely posh Molton Brown one out to use - it's only a little one but I shall thoroughly enjoy using it!

Someone mentioning the Cheap Smells 50% off TIGI offer earlier on got me thinking - I had been wanting to try TIGI shampoo & conditioner for ages, so although I don't actually need either yet, I decided the deal was too good to miss out on......then having browsed the website for a while, remembered the "there will be another deal along in a moment" philosophy, closed the site, and have left my cash in the bank! :A

Absinthe_Fairy

So sorry about your friend, Vicster, and your dog, Vivh - hope he recovers well.

I really like Flake Away, too, but then I use it in the shower rather than the bath, and I have dry skin so am glad of it's slightly greasy properties. However I also love the Breakfast Scrub, not sure which one I'd prefer if I had to choose!

sarah*a

Alanis wrote: »

Oh wow! That must be pretty hard to deal with both bipolar and CFS!! I cant even imagine that!

Do you have any coping strategies you could share?

I'm pretty newly diagnosed too - but after being diagnosed it all made sense I use hot pads (those wheat heat in the microwave ones) for my hands and take a lot of hot baths to help with the aches and pains

I'm lucky that OH is so good - he knows when I'm really bad - and it gets worse after a busy day like yesterday or when we went to London last week so he helps me - and he lets me sleep when I need to - even if I sleep the whole weekend away :rotfl:

Medically there's nothing available except a small dose of anti-depressant (which I can't take as it causes me to go manic or just knocks me out cold ) and pain killers and I have a repeat prescription for co-codomol

I'll let you know if the specialist tells me anything that can help. But I really do applaude you for not letting it rule you and getting on with everythig you do - it takes a strong character to do that - much stronger than mine I fear

Jacks_xxx wrote: »

But just in case that doesn't work, I have a post it with a big black
NO!
taped over my debit card. :rotfl:

Still makes me :rotfl::rotfl:

Living_proof wrote: »

I hate to list the number of cream moisturisers, etc.

But do .... we like to see lists :rotfl:

Welcome to the thread

I'm watching a programme on Discovery Real Time called Extreme Couponing :eek::eek: Its based in the US obviously as they have more of a coupon culture than we do but it's still :eek: One woman spent over £1100 and paid just £50 after her coupons were deducted and one guy spent $5750 and paid just $250 :eek::T Talk about stash envy - these people have separate rooms just for their stash

And my OH gets embarrased when I hand over half-a-dozen coupons :rotfl:

Kaz2904

So sorry to hear about your poor doggie. Sorry to hear about your friend the vicster too.
The link to the laundry gloop provided earlier is the recipe I used but I halved the quantities. I also added 125ml of borax and a squirt of stardrops. It made 2 Litres of the gloop which fitted in my old laundry liquid bottle. It has set quite firm though so nex time I make it, I may make 1/4 quantities with double the water (IYKWIM?).

Alanis

sarah*a wrote: »

I'm pretty newly diagnosed too - but after being diagnosed it all made sense I use hot pads (those wheat heat in the microwave ones) for my hands and take a lot of hot baths to help with the aches and pains

I'm lucky that OH is so good - he knows when I'm really bad - and it gets worse after a busy day like yesterday or when we went to London last week so he helps me - and he lets me sleep when I need to - even if I sleep the whole weekend away :rotfl:

Medically there's nothing available except a small dose of anti-depressant (which I can't take as it causes me to go manic or just knocks me out cold ) and pain killers and I have a repeat prescription for co-codomol

I'll let you know if the specialist tells me anything that can help. But I really do applaude you for not letting it rule you and getting on with everythig you do - it takes a strong character to do that - much stronger than mine I fear

Thankyou so much! I'm not overly sure I'd want anything, prescription-y. I dont like admitting it as, apart from the need to sleep alot and messing up my private life, I dont feel it does too much harm to my work life (apart from lectures where I'm sat doing nothing for prolonged periods of time). The moment I say I have CFS to anyone (educators, lecturers etc) everyone starts faffing and making me feel like I'm an invilid and incapable of doing anything. Based on that can you imagine what future employers would say to my application!? I know they're not supposed to discriminate, but why hire someone who has CFS when you have 350 other applicants for the job who are fit and heathy?

I wish my partner was as supportive =[ he's good, but frequently tells me he feels like he's dating an "old lady" (I'm 21), and leaves me out of things incase I "embarass him by falling asleep", does wonders for my confidence as you can guess **eye roll**

I'm sure you're very strong, to be able to cope with CFS and bipolar and still live life etc! I have it easy compared to you, I just have determination,, I've wanted to be a vetinary physiotherapist since I was 8/9 years old. Soon to have my human physio degree, then can apply for the animal one.
Single-mindedness, is the only thing keeping me going sometimes

sarah*a wrote: »

I'm watching a programme on Discovery Real Time called Extreme Couponing :eek::eek: Its based in the US obviously as they have more of a coupon culture than we do but it's still :eek: One woman spent over £1100 and paid just £50 after her coupons were deducted and one guy spent $5750 and paid just $250 :eek::T Talk about stash envy - these people have separate rooms just for their stash

And my OH gets embarrased when I hand over half-a-dozen coupons :rotfl:

LOL!! I saw that advertised! It said like "we've saved 101% on our shopping" it struck me as being unfeasable... if you've saved 101% surely you're being PAID 1% to do it?? :eek:
I get embarassed to use coupons =s I dont know why lol, gift cards require alot of preparation to use haha :rotfl:

xxx

xoxo_2

minerva_windsong wrote: »

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Flat Iron Protection Mist - WBA as it makes my hair very straight, especially when used before blowdrying which in turn makes it easier to straighten later, and also smells quite nice. It was a HG product but I found the Charles Worthington version to be slightly better and also want to try the new John Frieda stuff, but have another one of these in the stash so will use that up first.

Is this SLS and all that rubbish free do you know? Could I use it on keratin treated hair?

The john frieda one is pants, by the way