Anyone up for a Use it up and Don't spend January thread?

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

I've sorted out my cupboards in the kitchen and bathroom today and realised I have so much stuff I have never gotten around to using and desperately need to use up.

we are on a tight budget and I seem to keep buying without using up the store cupboard stuff. I want to get to a point where we have 2/3 tins of each item and a packet of lentils/rice etc. not the 15 tins of chopped tomatoes, 4 bags of lentils and 12 soaps (Dr botanicals thanks to the bargain thread), 8 bottles of contact lenses solution I currently have!!!

we are in a smallish house and there's stuff everywhere so storing all this is ridiculous. plus I'm a terrible cook I have no idea what to do with lentils....

who's up for joining me? share your hoards and let's use up our cupboards up together 😁

I'm a childminder and have boxes full of craft stuff, random bits I've collected and more coloured paper and card than I could possibly use.
I'm determined to use it all up before I buy anymore supplies 😁

Me too, fudgesmummy! I (the children!) made a really big dent in the Christmas craft collection I'd been building over many years.

I also want to know what happened to the mother's Day pigs blood?!

I'm in.

No buying clothes unless absolutely necessary.

No buying takeaway coffee until all loyalty points have been used. Then use keep-cup from home rather than buy from Costa/Nero.
Use up all the random veg in the bottom of the freezer. Make soup if necessary. Use various tins and half used herb pots to make the soups interesting.
Bake cakes with the mountains of flour and icing sugar and glacé cherries. Do not replace.
No more fabric for my sewing hobby
Use up toiletries (TBF, I've been doing this for a while, so not much of a stash)
Use up cleaning products and replace with eco versions
Stop hanging on to stuff in the vain hope I'll ever do a car boot sale. Take it to charity shop and enjoy the space instead.
I've opened loads of shopping sites to peruse the sales, then asked myself 'do I need it?' before closing the tab.

I did this last year and it was transformative. By the end of January I got to know what we actually eat and need space to store and was finally able to make a master shopping list and plan ahead.
I set up a milk delivery at the same time and filled the empty spots in the freezer with bread to keep me out of the shops as much as possible. Even though the milk is technically more expensive I saved loads over the year by not being in the shop to impulse spend.

Have made stock from the turkey carcass using up excess Christmas veg. Have made soup from the leftover meat from the turkey, and used the last 7 carrots, some onions and peas. There is enough to freeze several portions, so there is lunch for a while.

I made a mexican turkey pie for dinner using lots of stuff I had in, and will make a curry tomorrow using the last of the turkey. I usually have loads to stash in the freezer, but not this year. I will have a vat of turkey curry though, which means no need for a take away as I have rice, chutney, yoghurt, poppadoms and naans hanging about.

I've only read the first few posts so apologies if already said but also check dates on first aid items. I do that periodically, chucked out out of date stuff then needed quite a lot of it a week later when I injured myself.

I made Christmas dinner pie for dinner on the 27th and while it was cooking I roasted some veg and turned all the leftovers into a lovely soup. Feeling pleased to not have waste.

@MapMyMum

Great link - thanks for sharing :)

Leftovers for lunch here too. Feeling virtuous for not going to a cafe.

Me and DH are definitely on for this. I think it was earlier up this thread that I said I was going to work through my toiletry stash. We went to Bluewater yesterday and have spent the morning putting new purchases away and having a general sort out as well. We've now got two big bags for the charity shop, one rubbish and one bag of old undies etc for recycling. I'm also going to have a sort out of all my craft stuff in the loft room and see if I can donate some to our local children's craft club. I'm so fed up with seeing clutter around the house so we've really decided to go for it in 2020.

Happy New Year All! I spent the afternoon clearing out the youngest's clothes, I had so many things I was keeping for when he's big enough but he's either still too small for then or too big for them now. We cleared away 3 bin bags full his wardrobe is now very neat and we can actually see what he has and what he's lacking.

I plan to go through the kitchen presses tomorrow and jot down everything we have and hopefully the teenager will start going through his room at some point

I’m in too please. If I lose weight I’d never need to buy new clothes ever again! But I’ve loads of toiletries and stuff in the freezer to use up.

Need to get on with this. I've so much shampoo you have no idea. Really an obsession!

I have dried green lentils (soup?), fussili pasta, Tinned toms, lots of cream - might make a pasta bake with it all? Got some mozzarella too.

I need to clear out the pantry, the fridge isn't so bad. We have ton of cleaning prods too 🤔

I'm in. Made a start today with youngest daughter's clothes and took bits and pieces to the tip. Having another day of sorting tomorrow

We are also using up the shampoos and soaps and face products..not buying anything new despite what miracles it may make to the complexion etc !!
Also having a no parcel month so no Amazon or eBay purchases unless it's an essential to replace something broken etc... then it's frugal February and then miserly march !!

drybird can I have some of your vegan recipes, or ones with pork/chicken using lentils please? I have no idea what to do with the 3 bags full and need some inspiration.

I meant to get pastry and sausagemeat out the freezer for homemade pastries today. but I forgot! so something using my tins for dinners tonight!!

currently got 4 half empty shower gels in the bathroom for every one to use up before I open a new one. sorting out my daughter's clothes today, and making a list of the bits I'm keeping for dd2 to grow into. hopefully then I won't buy more.

I'm avoiding charity shops and looking at online sales. spent my Christmas money on a much needed new bed/mattress. our old one was given to us 10 years ago!!!

I'm tempted to delete the Amazon app to avoid temptation!!

I'm in. I've downloaded a 31 day declutter challenge, had a quick nose around my bathroom, and I have 8 shower gels to use up, thanks to birthday and Christmas. I also have a pile of stuff to put on ebay. Dh and I have agreed, after a wedding and 2 babies in the last 2 years, this year our major focus is on sorting ourselves out, sorting our house out (we have whole rooms we cant use at the moment as they're full of stuff) and getting our finances sorted.

Really like the idea of no-parcel January, I think we'll copy that

Just made carrot soup & cheesy scones for lunch, with leftovers & half-used storecupboard ingredients, feeling quite pleased with myself even though it was only a little thing really.

I've run out of face moisturiser but am convinced there must be some more lurking in a cupboard somewhere, so this afternoon's job is to have a good hunt around to find it - no need to buy more until I'm 100% certain there's nothing here to use.
I like this new habit!

I'm in too.😀
Spent this morning going through my bedroom drawers and wardrobe. Got stuff for charity shop, bin and a couple of things are now in attic.

Kids are doing the same albeit under duress but now have a bag of dvds and books for charity shop.

Xmas decs sorted out and reduced and back in attic.

Want kids to go through thier clothes to get rid of anything that doesn't fit now but letting them have a break for a bit (before I kill them for procrastinsting)

We already took a car load of things to charity shop before Xmas but I am being ruthless now as this house has absolutely no storage at all.😀

Fridge and freezer are ok as are food cupboards as done pre Xmas. Got rid of a load of stuff from kitchen pre Xmas too, stuff I never use now and won't ever use again.
Have plenty basic foods so only need to buy things like bread, milk, cheese etc and meat for a while.
Don't need toiletries either as plenty to last a while. Not buying any more plastic bottles of shower gels once these are done. Told teens that soap is just fine😁

Need to really get decorating this year as house is awful. We had to move here and I really don't like it. It was left in a real crap state and have still a lot of work to do. Have everything already just need to get started.

Having a cuppa then onwards and upwards.

I need to stop buying clothes. I've got 6 bags to go to charity. Fitness leggings and tops, hoodies, its ridiculous. I shop carefully and don't follow fast fashion. My wardrobe won't date but I get lured by pretty new things.
Shower gels. I must have ten. Its absolutely ridiculous.

I'm in!

I have been doing some culling and organising today. Certainly have too much of a few things including microwaveable rice, spelt cereal, tweezers (5 pairs wtf) and a few other random items. I also have 4 pairs of burgundy or damson toned boots. They are all different styles but that is a bit ridiculous. A few of the pairs are new so I can send some back.

Tackling the laundry and bathroom cabinets on Friday / Saturday so expect more weird excess items.

northern I'm the same with clothes - I must have at least 12 pairs of denim shorts and over 30 t-shirts.... I won't get rid as I wear these all the time. found 10 pairs of lace up converse style trainers unworn with tags under my bed so put them in a box and will use them once my current ones have worn out, got about 6/7 in various colours on the shoe rack. (i wear them all the time for work and outside of work!)

I'm also not buying any new clothes unless I need them. I tried last year then bought three tops in a week. Oops. I live in jeans due to my dog and stick to a few tops even though I have a few. If I do lose another stone then some tops will look better then I can wear them more. No food shopping until at least next week.

Joining this initiative! I have deleted the amazon app for all of January, we are prone to accumulation in our house so would be cathartic to have a clear out. I’m hoping to sneak in a couple of vegetarian days a week as well as we eat too much meat-I don’t think I will manage vegan though...