No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries December 2021

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 pinkfluffybabe 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

Also, why not reward your efforts by banking and recycling your use ups/throw aways with Boots scan2recycle points at participating Boots stores: Recycle at Boots - Get rewarded for recycling - Boots 

Alternatively, simply drop them off at Maybelline Recycling points: www.maybelline.co.uk . Unfortunately, you won't be rewarded for the latter but the earth will thank you :-)

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!

pinkfluffybabe

Back in for December, where did 2021 go!

Really want to get the stash down to 50-60 items for the end of the year, so need between 7 and 17 UU this month.  Fingers crossed...

December PP list:

Ren Rose Body Lotion
Weleda Skin Food Light
Aveda Botanicals Shampoo (mini)
Aveda Botanical Conditioner (mini)
Aveda Nutriplenish Shampoo
Aveda Nutriplenish Conditioner
Aveda Nutriplenish leave-in Conditioner
Ren Evercalm cleanser (mini)
Ren Evercalm Moisturiser (mini)

Ren Evercalm mask (mini)
Goldfaden eye cream (sample)
The Ordinary Niacinimide and Zinc

Winter List of 7:

Eight Hour Creme
Midnight Recovery Concentrate
This Works Eye Cream
Elacticiser
The Inkey List PHA Toner
Burts Bees Lip Balm
Espa Lip Balm

dolly84

Thanks for the new thread pfb.

December PP List

Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Shower Gel 480ml

Rituals Sweet Orange & Cedarwood Body Cream 250ml

Makeup I want to finish in 2022

1. Soap & Glory nude pink eyeshadow from a quad

2. Soap & Glory dark brown eyeshadow from a quad

3. The Balm Down Boy Blush

4. Brillo lipgloss in a pale coral colour - keep this in the car to use

5. Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara mini

6. Model Co Cream Blush

7. Bare Minerals Plum Eyeliner

8. Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in rsvp

9. Max Factor Fusion Mascara

10. MAC Foundation

11. Max Factor Facefinity Foundation

12. Wet n Wild Foundation

13. Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

14. Matte brown eyeshadow single (any of the ones I have taken from a palette and put into my magnetic palette.

15. Lipstick Queen Thrilller Lip Crayon

16. One other lipstick/crayon - to be decided

17. Bobbi Brown concealer

18. Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Will not need to buy in 2022

Shower gel
Body moisturiser
Nail polish
Hair serum/oil
Makeup  (except possibly foundation)
Perfume

May need to buy in 2021

Shampoo bar

Cleanser

Facial Oil /Moisturiser
Curl cream
Deodorant 

Hand cream

Foot Cream

Hair Conditioner bar

Soap

Solid shower gel bar (at the end of the year when I've used all my stash of shower gels)

Not much of a PP list this month, stash is getting smaller now and I only have a couple of back up skincare products so I'm not actually wanting to get things used up just to use them as normal.  No point putting makeup on the list, it just takes way too long.

uu to start a new month

Avon Cherish EDP

Smiths Rosebud Salve 22g - a LHJ indeed.  Pretty tin but I WNBA, it is just vaseline really.

asajj

I'm in! Thank you for the new thread. Let's see if I can have some more UUs this month (and no buys).

Betharooni

Hi

A very poor month last month, all but one items carried over from November:

• Hugo Boss Deep Red Perfume 90ml
• No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover 100ml
• No7 Beautiful Skin Radiant Exfoliator 75ml
• Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel 200ml
• Pantene Smooth & Sleek Conditioner 75ml

B x

dolly84

in

Sonestia Rosemary English Facial Oil 30ml - I use facial oils at night and sometimes during the day, they do actually work really well under makeup for me, I have one oil in use so this will be used next.

asajj

I have dropped the empty Gucci Bamboo bottle at the Perfume shop as I found out they recycle them and give you 10% discount on the next purchase.
I purchased 2 more bottles of it as they had an offer of 25% off on the 2nd item. Add to that 10% discount, it was a good value so I'm all set for at least 6 months now.

I have put couple of things on eBay and there is one bid on one of them so that will be one more out soon.

London_baby

Thanks for the new thread, in again for the last month.

UU:

Oral b 3d white toothpaste - WMBA, last in stash.
Sainbury's palm soap - WBA, does the job but a bit too harsh for the winter. Will switch to using up some body washes until summer.

In:

2 x Rosemary and Peppermint essential oils to mix a few drops in my hair conditioner for hair growth (apparently)

Me_v_The_Mortgage_Mountain

Hi All

No UUs to declare but several items on their last legs.

I do have a big IN though, I won a Bodyshop advent calendar in a raffle so 25 ins, but that's 25 opportunities to either regift or save £1 in my pot when they are UU!

MvTMM

shed35

Hi 

My first update for December

IN

Elizabeth Ardent 8 Hour Skin Protectant
Elizabeth Ardent 8 Hour Skin Protectant Travel Size
Tea Tree Oil x 2
Gariner Micellar Water
Child Farm Boy Moisturiser

UU 
Avon Rose Amethyst Eau Du Parumfum
Balmond Skin Balm

Total  114

dolly84

I hit pan on my The Balm Down Boy blush this morning - woo hoo.  It is a huge blush with 9.9g of product, I had a look at my Bobbi Brown blush and the Model Co cream blush I'm using and they are both 3.5g ish.

I've decided that next year I won't do the quarterly makeup challenges, makeup just takes too long to use, what I will do instead is make a list of products I want to finish in the year which might be more successful for me.