No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries April 2020

pinkfluffybabe

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 sstevo 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 this month 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! 

Previous 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:

February 2020
March 2020
 

pinkfluffybabe

Back in again for April. UU very slow just now, but at least I've not been buying 

My PP list:
Laura Mercier Pistachio Body Cream
Nuxe night cream
Beauty Pie Retinol Night Cream
Beauty Pie Retinol Serum
Burts Bees Lip Balm
Aveda Cherry Almond Conditioner
Aromatherapy Associates Intensive Face Oil
L'occitane Almond Hand Cream

My 7 for Summer list:
Soaper Duper Tuberose Shower Gel
Soaper Duper Coconut Shower Gel
Odylique gentle herb shampoo
Drunk Elephant Slaai Cleanser
Umberto Giannini 60 second smooth pre-shampoo
Aveda volume tonic
Beauty Pie Retinol Hand Cream

sstevo19

Thanks for the new thread pinkfluffybabe  

I will post my PP list tomorrow

ponypal

Thanks for the new thread! 
Definitely going for a no buy month except some nail polishes I have purchased but have not yet arrived.

7 by Summer List can double up as my project pan 

1. Superdrug Colour effects wash in wash out conditioning colour 

2. Boots Botanics hot cloth cleanser

3. Superdrug hand and nail cream

4. Our Tiny Bees Cocoa & Honey Bath Melt

5. Barry M base coat and topcoat 

6. The Ordinary 100% Plant Derived Hemi-Squaline

7. Mroobest anti-hair loss Shampoo

dolly84

Thanks for the new thread pfb.

April PP List
Philosophy Raspberry Glazed Shower Gel 500ml

Soap & Glory Butter Yourself Body Lotion 500ml

L'oreal Ever Riche Conditioner 250ml

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Nourishing Mask 300ml

Charles Worthington Overnight Hair Healer

My 7 by Summer list

1. No17 Brown Brow Pencil - this has been hanging around long enough

2. No17 Falsifye HD Mascara in black

3. No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Statement

4. Barbara Daly Trade Secrets Sheer lip melt in Adorable

5. Rimmel Hide the Blemish concealer stick

6.  Miss Sporty Dr Balm lipbalm in  Sweet Kiss SOS

7. Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight - don't think I have a chance with this but will include it.

Will not need to buy in 2020.

Shower gel
Body moisturiser
Hair conditioner/hair masks
Foot cream
Nail polish
Hair serum/oil
Makeup (except maybe foundation)
Perfume
Bubble Bath

May need to buy in 2020

Shampoo bar - have already purchased one from Yorkshire Soap Co.
Cleanser - have purchased a balm from Blushberry Botanicals
Facial Oil - have one in use and one back up
Curl cream - bought a can of hair mousse to try
Deodorant - have purchased a natural handmade one from Blushberry Botanicals
Hand cream - will be buying ingredients to make my own

EssexHebridean

I'm back in!

Aims for UU's will be much the same - my Clinique mini sized liquid facial soap will be first to go, and I'm going to use my other cleansers that are open for a bit before I start a new one I think.  I might also finish a Body Shop handcream tube this months as well - my lovely peppermint one. Have another Bodyshop one in the stash, and also a S&G Hand Food. 

Also in aims for this month:
- use body butter or lotion after every bath/shower - because I have the time to do that at the moment!
- Maybe paint finger & toenails at some stage too - as again, I currently have the time. If I do then I'll see which NV's I have that are more used than not and prioritise using those. 

Definitely don't need to make any purchases this month, not even things like hair colour or deodorant as I currently have enough of both.

Tolteca87

In forever.

UU Body Shop British Roses - strong scent but not the most moisturising.

Went shopping the stash and opted for a L'Occ Neroli & Orchidee, which was much more moisturising and the scent is lovely.

A Liz Earle C&P tube has been cut open and I'm trying to decide whether I go for another classic or opt for the Orange & Mint special edition. Again, from the stash, so no ins.

sstevo19

My PP list for April:
EOS Cucumber Hand Lotion 44ml
Dermalogica PreCleanse 30ml
La Roche Posay Lipikar Surgras Lipid Enriched Cleansing Bar 150g
Lush Snowflake Body Lotion 45g 

Not a big PP list, just stuff I want to focus on using up. 

London_baby

In again, thanks for the new thread!

UU:
Wet n Wild lip gloss, which I bought 13 years ago and never used. Have one more in stash so will open that but WNBA.

I will definitely not purchase anything online,  in order to reduce the load on the postal service.

savingfortomorrow

I have enough of everything to weather the storm 
I have an obsecene amount of foundation, loads of everything. Im just going focus only on using up items. 

VALM

Hi ladies, back again.  More time to use the toiletries now that we're home!  PP list:-

Lacura Q10 serum carried over although this feels like it is on its last squeeze.

OPI Nail Envy Hawaiian Orchid 
Soap & Glory Clean, Girls shower gel
SBC Propolis Shower gel
Bath & Body Works Gingerbread Swirl Body Cream 
Doctors Formula overnight face mask

The Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Butter

Naturally Europea Ginger & Lime hand cream

Korres Mango body cream

Nivea deodorant

I wanted to put handwash on here but that's a given. Ha ha. 

I have ordered some concealer today from Superdrug because I'm scraping the bottle and can't get the stopper out.  Ordered 2 and got a free primer.

I also UUed a REN AHA toner today.  Hated it.  It foamed up on the cotton pad and dried my skin out.  Glad it's done.