No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries February 2021

sstevo19

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:

January 2021

dolly84

Thanks for the new thread sstevo. 

February PP List

Peppermint Foot Cream - b/f from January

Philosophy Livng Grace Shower Gel 240ml

Philosopy Vanilla Birthday Cake Shower Gel 120ml

Le Soft Stick Perfume

Cowshed Body Lotion - b/f from January

Woods of Windsor Pomegranate & Hibiscus EDT 100ml - b/f from January

Liz Earle Skin Repair 15ml - b/f from January

Tresemme Perfectly Undone Condtioner

Lee Stafford Grow Longer Hair Treatment 200ml

My 7 by Spring list

1. Poppy King Lip Crayon in Smiling - b/f from the last challenge

2. Barbara Daly Trade Secrets Sheer lip melt in Adorable b/f from the last challenge

3. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Powder Pink b/f from the last challenge

4. Miss Sporty Stick Concealer - b/f from the last challenge

5. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

6. Benefit rsvp cream shadow mini

7.  Bare Minerals Eyeliner in Plum

Will not need to buy in 2021.

Shower gel
Body moisturiser
Hair conditioner/hair masks
Foot cream
Nail polish
Hair serum/oil
Makeup (4 x foundations purchased in January)
Perfume
Bubble Bath - 1 bottle in the stash them I intend to make my own bath oils

May need to buy in 2021

Shampoo bar
Cleanser
Facial Oil - have one in use and one back up
Curl cream
Deodorant
Hand cream - will be buying ingredients to make my own

dolly84

I had 6 ins and 10 uu's in January.  I bought 4 foundations which should see me through this year, unfortunately the foundations I have been using in the past are not cruelty free (Rimmel and Max Factor) but due to not being able to go out and try a new foundation I have had to repurchase them, due to Max Factor changing the formula I bought the old version from an Ebay reseller so at least I didn't create a new demand for a product. 

London_baby

Thanks for the new thread. I'm in. 

Predicting a facial oil as my only in for the next 6 months. It seems to be stuck in Jubilee MC sorting office, so not sure when it will arrive.

ponypal

Thanks for the new thread!

4 IN's yesterday all NBI given by a colleague who bought them last year during the panic buy moment... I will use them as hand soap and in the shower, would not have purchased them as not cruelty free but I am not into waste. Hopefully they are okay for me sometimes my skin can be sensitive.

Olive oil soap - unbranded from Crete
Nivea Creme soft
Pears pure and gentle with lemon flower extracts
Dove shea butter

February goal is definitely more out's than in's, perhaps a no buy? I don't need anything that is for sure but I keep looking at makeup and wondering if I would like it... someone hold me back.

dolly84

uu

Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Shower Gel 120ml

hob_nob_bob

It's my mission this year to use up ALL my products! I recently moved house and, as stupid as it sounds, I didn't really realise just how. much. stuff. I had until I had to pack it all up and move it.

I'm adamant that I'm going to use everything up before buying anything new. One great thing that's come from this is that I've actually started (and am sticking to) a pretty decent skincare routine now, in a bid to use up the serums/oils/moisturisers I've accumulated.

I ought to put a list together like you guys have been doing to see exactly what I have, and I can then tick them off when I'm done with them.

VALM

I'm back too.  Thank you for the new thread steveo.

My PP list

Skin Sense overnight mask - feeling very light

E45 cream -
Ultrasun lip balm - Have made more of an effort. Want it gone this month.

Elemis Balanacing Lime blossom Cleanser

The Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Butter

Lacura Hot Cloth Cleanser

Lacura Glycholic pads

Fresh Black Tea face mask

MAC Paint Pot in Barely There.

Cherry cuticle oil pen - just so I keep using it. I've put it in my bag to use at work and then don't stop long enough at lunch.  Must try harder.

VALM

Finish 5 by Spring

NARS Outlaw blush - DONE

Urban Decay Bathwater eyeshadow from the Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette (already have pan - am using this loosely but have to say I'm not a fan.  It's very shimmery and creases so will have to just use it as a setting powder on my lid rather than taking it up onto the brow bone.

Smashbox Full Exposure matte brown shadow (already have pan)

Bare Minerals Warmth bronzer (sample size - came from advent calendar)

Bare Minerals Swank lip lacquer DONE.

Avon Mulberry lipgloss rotated in.  Can see wand scraping product away from the sides.

VALM

Two UUs already:-

SkinSense Retinol body cream. This came in a QVC kit.  It's nice enough but I prefer Bath and Body Works shea body creams.

SkinSense Retinol day cream.  This is so lovely.  A new HG.  Will be interesting to see how long one of these lasts.  Have one more in my stash.

shed35

Hi
I am definitely in for February 
UU
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Body Cleanser
Vintage & Co Hand Cream
Coconut Soap
IN
Balmond Skin Balm x 4
Rose Tree Rose Geranium and Ylang Ylang Body Oil

Total = 128