Using up a stash

[ExBert80]

I am trying to save money and to stop spending money on beauty products I don’t need.

But I have amassed (wasted money on) a lot of shampoos, conditioners, hair products, body lotion and make up.

How do you use up an excess of products? Just use one up and then move to the next? Or just dip into them as you fancy until they finish? I just want them gone and only have a couple of choices going forward but it is going to take an age to get rid of them.

I am doing this as well. I have been using one up and moving onto the next. I have already used up a fair amount but some of my husbands stuff might take him a while 😅

I’m doing this. I had a Rituals advent calendar and found myself with loads of shower gels. I’ve been alternating two of them and finished them both this week which was very satisfying.

I think my stash will outlive me!

i did this a few years ago and used up my stash one at a time.

it upset me to realise i had to discard a few products that had gone off (bad smell) as i was saving them for best(which rarely came).

as i worked thought my stash, i found some products i enjoyed using and others, not so much.

every product i used i tried to ‘saved’ me buying a new product, so i had to keep telling myself this when using products i wasn’t so keen on.

I tend to go through one at a time

I did donate masses of things that I wasn’t going to use to my local food bank - I asked first if they were interested and could use them.

Doing they got my stash down to something a bit more manageable and now I can see it all and get through it.

There’s a using up thread here if that would be encouraging for you.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5441152-cant-stop-buying-hoarding-beauty-treats-youre-in-good-company-here?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

I think you have to bag or box them up in groups first though, eye creams, face creams, day & night, neck creams, body moisturisers, serums, primers, face masks, hand creams, shampoos, conditioners? Hair masks, blow dry lotions, etc etc - then it’s easy to store them and see what you’ve got a real glut of.

I do that in shoe boxes. I then can’t find the relevant shoe box..

I was guilty of overbuying things and realised what a waste it was as I only have one face and realistically a lot of things would have gone bad before I had a chance to use them. I was embarrassed looking at what I had (and it wasn’t anything totally out of control compared to what some people have but more than I could use) and it made me realise that everything sitting in my drawers had once been money in my bank.
i passed so much on to my sister and nieces and now just have a couple of each thing to use up before deciding what I want to buy next.
so my advice would be to donate or pass on what you can and leave yourself with a couple of options.

I use clear plastic boxes like these usually from TK Maxx

Thanks all. I think I will use up the nice stuff first in case it goes off. I am going to ditch the stuff/give away the stuff I know doesn’t work for me, and then plough through them. And not add to the stash and change my ways.

It won't save you money but may make you feel good to donate them to a food bank type place or a charity shop. Or if they're top brands maybe bundle them up and sell on FB marketplace or some such - put the RRP so potential customers know they're getting a good deal. Watch out for 'use by' dates if that applies (generally only if opened). A charity shop would probably only charge £1-3 an item but it helps someone.

Would a charity accept used stuff?!

This 😂😂😂😂

No, it’s unlikely.

if they’re opened and used then you can’t do much other than bin them or offer to friends.

Charities will accept unused items still in date though. Or you can resell on Vinted/ebay.

I am guilty of overpurchasing toiletries and beauty stuff. The hoard is under my bed.
The best way I've found to use stuff up is to decant it so that I'm not distracted by the shiny packaging and looking for the next shiny thing. I have travel bottles for the gym and plain pump bottles for the bathroom. I can't explain it but the plain bottles ensure that do use up all the shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, day cream, night cream, body lotion and face wash and ready to be refilled. It is a psychology trick but it works for me. I do prefer pump bottles instead of a jar, seems more hygenic than sticking my finger in every day.

I think this is part of a shopping addiction and you will probably start spending on something else if you stop spending on this

I have sooooo many toiletries , I’ve put myself
on a ban , I tend to use shampoo / shower gel that I didn’t really like on work days and save my favourites for when I’m going out .
I’ve also donated a lot, boots have a toiletry donation box which makes me feel like they’re not going to waste , but they do only take unopened

I use them for things they weren’t meant for. So shampoo becomes bubble bath, face creams become body moisturisers etc. Bit of an extravagant way but they’re used

This is a good tip thanks! Going to try this.

Annoyingly there are somethings I have loads of and other stuff I still need to buy regularly.

Ask. They might take part-used things that are in tamperproof containers, and they might distribute what they can't sell amongst the volunteers.

I have a huge stash and have grouped it by product.
It's quite shocking what I had forgotten about.
No more advent calendars or bargains for me.
I use the smallest ones first.

Have one bottle of for example shampoo, cleanser etc out, put the rest in a box. Shop your stash when you run out.

If you can’t use them before the expiry and everything is open/used, then get rid. Especially if the product is no good for your hair/skin type etc.

What is your idea of excess?

I generally buy what I want. I have 5 sets of shampoo and conditioner open which are broadly:

• purple/toning
• colour protecting
• scalp health/dandruff/clarifying
• hydrating
• more intensive/rich/treatments

I don’t see this as excessive, I cycle what I use depending on what my hair needs. I wash my hair 2-3 times a week. There isn’t a single product that will make my scalp perfect whilst maintaining colour and hydration. Plus, your hair can get used to the same products being used whereby you see less of a benefit ie using hydrating products every wash will weigh my hair down. Hence some products are used less frequently than others.

Similarly, with hair styling products. I have a drawer of products where I use what I need, when I need it.

Body lotions, if you moisturise twice daily, you can get through those relatively quickly.

It’s not a big deal to have a lot of make up, it’s normal to have the same item in different colours for example. I own a range of blushers, only having 2 seems unnecessarily tight.

Would a charity accept used stuff?!
Nearly full shampoo maybe, pot of face cream with finger marks in it, no!

I thought you meant you had accumulated a lot of products e.g in 3 for 2 offers and had too much stuff, new and unopened. Are you talking about lots of half finished bottles and jars?