Here we go again for another month. As usual this initial post has been shamelessly copied from the many previous months. A big thank you to
catherine/kate for starting us off last month.
Welcome all newbies and regulars to this very friendly and chatty thread where we give lots of lovely tips on how to use up your stash and lots of support and encouragement 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)! Will this be the month when the "usual suspects" rein it in a bit? Let's see..... (but I doubt it!)
Remember - those products do nothing for you while they are stashed in drawers, boxes and cupboards!
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 some of us even years!!) and are making great progress in reducing our stashes and unnecessary/excessive spending.
Regulars can ignore this, but a quick resume is always helpful for newbies:
Why not add the challenge to your signature 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 extravagantly to finish it off is sometimes too much to bear!).
Brand new products (or opened perfume) sell well on eBay.
Unsuitable products can be repurposed and 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 or a local women's refuge as mentioned earlier
It helps to avoid the places where temptation lurks for you; be it QVC, Boots, Body Shop, email newsletter, 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 will always be another deal! Honest!
Good luck all for February 2018 and indeed the coming months, and remember to keep your stash lists updated, keep popping in for inspiration and support and to report your UU's and IN's, especially any sales bargains - we want a nosy!
Welcome to all newbies - the more the merrier. Please introduce yourselves so we can welcome you properly! Do de-lurk if you are lurking, this is one of the friendliest threads on MSE.
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 well 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 don't be scared!!) oh - and did we mention that are nosy??!!Useful abbreviations and jargon!
WBA - Will 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!
NBI - A non-bought item such as a present, gift with purchase or free sample
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!)
LHJ - Long Haul Job - for those products - love 'em or hate 'em - that never seem to end no matter how often you use them
PRCP - Pink Rose Candle Philosophy inspired by Erma Bombeck who said: 'If I had my life to live over again I would have burned the pink candle sculpted 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)
GA - for an out that was given away to charity, as a present, or "just because" rather than binned or UU
TA - for an out that was thrown away due to going off (generally as it has been lurking at the back of a stash since time immemorial) or for any other reason such as a broken container or spillage
PP - Project Pan: a list of specific items targeted to be used up
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, you are an inspiration to the rest of us, xx . Thanks also to InaPickle who suggested we start the Graduate list. 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
2. Bronnie - graduated with honours March 2011
3. lostinrates - graduated with honours around June 2010
4. Ruby_Eskimo - graduated with honours June 2012
5. Seaside dreamer - graduated with honours October 2012
6. InaPickle - graduated with honours September 2014
7. Fiasco55 - graduated with honours May 2017Previous threads
In case you need to refer back to a previous stash list or product review, here are links to past challenge threads. Click on the date to take you straight to it:
January 2012February 2012March 2012April 2012May 2012June 2012July 2012August 2012September 2012October 2012November 2012December 2012January 2013February 2013March 2013April 2013May 2013June 2013July 2013August 2013September 2013October 2013November 2013December 2013January 2014 February 2014March 2014April 2014May 2014June 2014July 2014August 2014September 2014October 2014November 2014December 2014January 2015February 2015March 2015April 2015May 2015June 2015July 2015August 2015September 2015October 2015November 2015December 2015January 2016February 2016March 2016April 2016May 2016June 2016July 2016August 2016September 2016October 2016November 2016December 2016January 2017February 2017March 2017April 2017May 2017June 2017July 2017August 2017September 2017October 2017 November 2017December 2017January 2018February 2018March 2018April 2018May 2018June 2018July 2018 
Replies
Mortgage Free Wannabe 2020 £42.98/£600
[STRIKE]Tata Harper Cleanser[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Aveda Rosemary mint conditioner[/STRIKE]
Aveda Botanicals eye cream
[STRIKE]Ren moisturiser[/STRIKE]
E45 body lotion
[STRIKE]Ren rose shower gel[/STRIKE]
Odylique shampoo
[STRIKE]Living Proof Prime[/STRIKE]
Burts Bees honey lip balm
Mortgage Free Wannabe 2020 £42.98/£600
Flora Mare eyecream carried over
Boots Extracts Vanilla body wash
Derma Vie night cream
ESSIE Spa scrub
Ath and Body Works Vetiver handwash
L’Occitane eye make up remover
Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen for face
Lush Cupcake Mask
E45 body cream
Murad toner
SPC Member 046
£2. Challenge member 55
My list for August
30ml Clinique Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser spf15
30ml Pestle & Mortar Superstar Retinol Night Oil
200ml Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil
Bobbi Brown Bone eye shadow
Clinique mascara GWP size
300ml Elemis Quiet Mind bath elixir
250ml System Professional Colour Save shampoo
15ml Hylamide for Eyes
41gm Mitchum AP/Deo stick
15ml Clarins Gentle Refiner
I have looked at my "No Buy" list and the only thing that I can justify this month is a "pamper shower gel", Korres or Balance Me perhaps:D
Cerave Hydrating Cleanser 236ml
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel 40ml
Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Boost Serum 50ml
Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Night Serum 50ml
SVR Sun Secure Hydrating Milk SPF50+ 100ml
The Body Shop Vitamin E Aqua Boost Essence Lotion 160ml
I'm trying to use up products I don't like or don't get along with.
July passed me by
No INS so that is progress although I do feel that I am barely treading water with the amount of toiletries I have.
Go as far as you can see, and when you get there you'll see further.
Take time but don't waste time
Strange that it's a mixture of yours and
pinkfluffybabe's!
Now helping hubby pay off loan. Finally paid off :j
Owe Virgin [STRIKE]£5,950.00 [/STRIKE]at 0% til June 2009 £3,427.89. Owe HSBC [STRIKE]£5,460.78 [/STRIKE]2.9% til May 2010 £3,703.07. Owe Post Office £1,676.62 at 0% til September 2010
Thanks for the new thread, Stevo. I'm in for August. I have an ambitious PP list and a couple of tubes I'm about to cut open.
Had a great July, only one very necessary IN, and 33 OUTs (inc 11 GA, 9TA).
Currently have no back-up shower gel or facial cleanser. I have tons of soap so may try this instead of the shower gel, though our shower is a wet sort of place and soap does tend to go gungy quite quickly.
And one fabulous UU already for August:
MUA Mosaic Blusher in English Rose. This cost me £1 and took 9 months to use up. It was fine, nothing special. I have 12 more blushers so no need to replace!
Tata Harper Cleanser. WNBA. It's a good cleanser but out of my price range.
Mortgage Free Wannabe 2020 £42.98/£600