sstevo19
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Happy New Year everyone and hopefully you will all join in again!
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:
December 2020Quick links
Essential Money | Who & Where are you? | Work & Benefits | Household and travel | Shopping & Freebies | About MSE | The MoneySavers Arms | Covid-19 & Coronavirus Support
Replies
January PP list:
Living Proof colour care shampoo
Living Proof colour care conditioner
Drunk Elephant protini moisturiser
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Aveda cherry almond conditioner
Natural Siberia shampoo
Origins Ginger body cream
Natural Siberia shower gel
Soaper Duper ginger shower gel
Ren rose shower gel
Ren rose body lotion
Medik8 calmwise serum
The Ordinary niacinimide and zinc
7 for Spring:
Odilyque lip silk
Origins drink up
This Works eye cream
Phillip Kingsley elasticiser
The inkey list PHA toner
Keihl's midnight recovery concentrate
Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream
I’ll be back in for 2021, I’ll post my lists over the next couple of days.
B x
Make £2021 in 2021 #2 £0.00/£2.021 / £1,897.24 made in 2020
Saving for House Deposit £7,845.96/£40,000
3-6 Month Emergency Fund £1,153.71/£5,000
My PP List update
First Aid Beauty cleanser - tube is light
The Inkey List Caffeine eye cream - ditto
Balance Ne PHA spray
Skin Sense day cream - again, can't tell how much is left
Skin Sense overnight mask - feeling very light
Ultrasun lip balm - this has been open too long now. I have 2 other lip balms in my stash that I remember getting over a year ago.
SPC Member 046
£2. Challenge member 55
NARS Outlaw blush - finish. This is decanted into a small pot and being used as loose powder.
i do watch a lot of panning videos on YouTube and am a member of the Pantastic Ladies group on Facebook. I’ve joined some panning projects there. Especially enjoy the AtoZ one where you choose 26 items, each to correspond with each letter of the alphabet. I’m also doing Finish 21 in 2021 which will consist of none staple makeup items and fragrance. Hopefully will have 2 items on that list this month being a Colourpop Supershock shadow in Birthday Cake and the Swank lip lacquer mentioned above. The NARS blush probably still has another month worth of product left.
SPC Member 046
£2. Challenge member 55
2021 NSDs Jan 12 Feb 0/14
PayDBX2021 #31 £188/£18155 = 1.04%
365 Day 1p Challenge £28.37/£667.95
£10 a Day Challenge Jan = £156.66 Feb = /£280
I need inspiration. Most of the youtubers I wanted are so sold out with product placement, it makes QVC seem like a documentary. Every post some do is sponsored with multiple sponsored posts. It is great they are obeying the law and displaying sponsors it makes finding a truly entertaining and inspiring voice to inspire using the make up harder. New year renewed motivation!
Thanks sstevo for the new thread. I'm in! 2021 will continue to be replacement only buys, and trying to be sustainable and recycle as much as possible. Have purchased washable bamboo pads/cloths to replace sanitary towels and cotton wool as a start. The re-usable pads are not as icky as I first thought and feel more comfortable.
UUs:
Greek olive oil soap - WBA, lasts ages and doesn't leave skin another. Have more in stash.
Body moisturiser
Hair conditioner/hair masks
Foot cream
Nail polish
Hair serum/oil
Makeup (except foundation)
Perfume
Bubble Bath - 1 bottle in the stash them I intend to make my own bath oils
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
Fashion on the Ration 28/66
Fashion on the Ration 28/66
My PP list for January:
Superdrug Dragon Fruit and Vanilla Shower Gel 250ml
Lush D’Fluff Shaving Soap 70g
Heimish All Clean White Clay Foam Cleanser 30ml
Jordan Samuel Skin The Matinee Gel Cleanser 180ml
Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum 80ml
Purito Comfy Water Sun Block SPF50+ 60ml
Lush Peachy Bath Bomb
Lush The Comforter Bubble Bar
Lush Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar
Lush Goddess Bath Bomb
It's ambitious but hopefully I can cross off quite a few of them.
And one UU from this morning, first of the year
Colgate Total Original Toothpaste 75ml - WDBA and have done. Replacing with one of the tubes I got a few weeks ago. Cheap and effective