No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries August 2024

London_baby

Halfway through August but it's never too late to stop buying unnecessary toiletries!

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.

Thanks to Hodgepodge for starting last month's thread.

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!

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without

London_baby

Slightly more ins than UU's but most have been replacements. Still need to make a dent on hair products but they take forever to use up

Uus:
Lacura hydrating sun cream - WMBA, rubs in well and not too sticky. Good value.
Clairol root touch up - HG, haven't found better.
Davidoff cool water  EDP- WNBA, scent made me nauseous towards the end. 
L'Oréal excellence hair dye - HG
Biovene strawberry and hyaluronic acid body and face cleanser - WNBA, smells lovely but way too runny to use in the shower. 
Calvin Klein Eternity Moment EDP- WMBA, a nice, light, summer fragrance with decent longevity. 

Ins:
Superdrug salicylic acid body wash
3 X Cantu rosemary & mint hair oil, was buy one for the price of three.
Johnson's baby body wash cleanser
Biotherma shower oil gel
E.L.F hydrating primer
Nyx bare skin serum foundation
Superdrug top coat
Superdrug 4 in 1 base coat
Studio raspberry lip colour
Beauty of Joseon sun cream
Joico moisture recovery conditioner
2 x L'Oréal root touch up spray

beckstar1975

I need to do this so much but I'm too ashamed to actually count up everything I've got. Will do for September when back from holiday

VALM

Thanks @London_baby for the new thread. Life has been hectic. Ive been on a Nowegian Fjords cruise and have had serious post holiday blues ever since returning.  I have had some INs recently care of TKMAXX - 4 Essie polishes and a pack of Esfolio sheet masks. I also replaced my KVD liner and made an order with The Inkey List before I went away.  Igot a few items from ALDI yesterday - the body scrub, body butter, Face base and 2 x moisturiser.

So heres my PP List
Lacura hand cream

Bath & Body Works Into the Night mist

Bobbi Brown Clementine hit pan

Elizabeth Arden 8hr cream

Ultrasun lip balm

Nip & Fab micellar wipes

Skinsense facial oil

ELF Concealer

Benefit Rockateur

Kopari hair mask

Im excited that the blush may be done this month.

VALM

The Kopari mask is UU. The only mask I really like is the Amika one however I have a small tub of Christphe Robin to use next.

I UU an eyeshadow today - MAC Made my Fortune.  Will miss this one.

VALM

UUS
Loccitane verbena soup - one of the mini ones

Elizabeth Ardeb cream- another mini - did not like the smell or texture of this.

Bath & Body Works handwash- Waikiki Coconut

M&S handwash - bergamot - much prefer B^BW

Ultrasun balm - this got quite dry towards the end 

I hit pan in a MAC Highlighter - Soft & Gentle. Still loads left.

VALM

heres my updated PP List
Lacura hand cream

Bath & Body Works Into the Night mist

Bobbi Brown Clementine hit pan

Nip & Fab micellar wipes

Skinsense facial oil

ELF Concealer

Benefit Rockateur gone. Sad day.

London_baby

Last uus for the month: 

Vaseline radiant body oil - My normal HG for the summer but have noticed that my skin feels drier. May need to change.

Nature Spell Bakuchiol face cream - WNBA, seems to trigger eczema around my eyes, may be due to the fragrance. Repurposed others in stash as hand cream. 

Will do my best to report only uus and replacements for the rest of the year.