No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries November 2020
sstevo19
Forumite 
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 er, me, sstevo19 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:
October 2020
Replies
PP List
- Oral B Floss Picks (b/f from October)
- Baylis & Harding Moroccan Rose Body Wash 100ml (using as hand wash) (b/f from October)
- Baylis & Harding Moroccan Rose Shower Crème 100ml (using as hand wash) (b/f from October)
7 by Xmas List
- Mandara Spa Amber Heaven Shower Cream 50ml
- Boots Nail & Cuticle Oil 9ml
- No7 Beautiful Skin Radiant Exfoliator 75ml
- No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum 5ml
- Deep Cleansing Nose Pore Strips
- Pantene Smooth & Sleek Shampoo 75ml
- Pantene Smooth & Sleek Conditioner 75ml
I’m just going to have the items brought forward from last month on my PP list and will hopefully get clearing some of the items from my 7 by Xmas list. The shower creams that I’m using as hand wash should be finished within the next week at the most, and I think I have just over a week’s worth of the floss picks, as there were more in the bag than I thought. I’m not intending to buy any toiletries for the rest of the year.
B x
Make £2021 in 2021 #2 £1,162.46/£2.021 / £1,897.24 made in 2020
3-6 Month Emergency Fund £2,550.32/£5,000
PP List:
Origins Ginger Body Cream
Aveda Cherry Almond Shampoo
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Cerave Hydrating Cleanser
Drunk Elephant Protini Moisturiser
Burts Bees Lip Balm
Bamboo Hair Oil
Beauty Pie Night Cream
Medik8 Calmwise Serum
And the remainder of my Winter list:
Soaper Duper Ginger Shower Gel
Aveda Cherry Leave-In Conditioner
Pixi Glow Tonic
Phillip Kingsley Elasticiser
Midnight Recovery Concentrate
Beauty Pie Retinol Hand Cream
Body moisturiser - was gifted 3 in November
Hair conditioner/hair masks
Foot cream
Nail polish
Hair serum/oil
Makeup (except maybe foundation) - already purchased
Perfume
Bubble Bath
Shampoo bar - bought 4 in July.
Cleanser - 2 bought in September
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
Fashion on the Ration 28/66
Toiletries PP List this month is practically carried over from last:-
The Ordinary Rose Hip oil
Lacura hand cream
ABC Body lotion
Elemis Lime Blossom cleanser
Elemis Apricot Toner
OPI Nail Envy
Skinsense eye cream
SPC Member 046
£2. Challenge member 55
NARS Outlaw blush
Too Faced Honey pot eyeshadow from the Natural Eyes palette
OPI Do you take lei away full size
Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb Midnight fragrance DONE
Hoping to finish the lip lacquer soon. The stopper has been out for ages.
1 IN already. Benefit Hello Flawless foundation. Was in Manchester yesterday so picked it up before the new restrictions come in place.
SPC Member 046
£2. Challenge member 55
I'm going to try and have some baths this month to UU up the bath products and to help me relax.
One UU this morning:
La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water 150ml - WDBA and will do. Love using this with the Hada Labo lotion. Also helps soothe any irritated areas.
1. I have a guerlain eye cream that must be five years old- it is still fine but sometimes it has to go.
2. I want to finish one conditioner this month
3. I need to finish nuxe body oil as it is getting past prime but still good.
4. My citaplast lipbalm needs finishing - one final push will get it one
5. La roche posey moisturizer.
i have pulled out a small Bare Minerals Blush called Golden Gate which I love and will pull out a Bare Minerals small lip lacquer. Hopefully one of these can be finished by New Year to make 20 products.
SPC Member 046
£2. Challenge member 55
Bumble and Bumble Thickening Volume Shampoo + Conditioner sample - WB as a full size but probably won't. I like how my hair feels after using this but I won't probably purchase this. Might try a light shampoo as my current one is lovely but sometimes a bit too heavy.
And one UU from this morning:
Colgate Total Original Toothpaste 75ml - WDBA and have done. Cheap and effective