Beauty

[just bee]

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@Caffeina wrote:

It's been some time since I last posted, and wanted to update my progress.

When I joined he ComPact I committed to stop buying home fragrance and bath & body products. This past July I made it to two years of sticking 100% to that commitment. I had to, my stash was on its way to becoming a hoard. Although other types of purchases weren't as much of a problem, I realized that too much unnecessary stuff in general was accumulating in my house, and now I only buy things that I need and will use.

I want an uncluttered house and less things to dust, and have been slowly but consistently working on that. The more stuff I get rid of, the easier it becomes to get rid of more. Buying things I don't need has become very easy for me too. I no longer get the feeling that I'm going to miss out on something. I know if it's really that good it'll still be around later when I need it. If it isn't going to be around, there'll be something better. I don't stock up on things either. If I can't wait until I run out of something, I'll buy one backup of an item only if there's already one open. The only exception is toilet paper, I like to buy the big 36-roll pack from BJ's.

Earlier this year I read the Marie Kondo book. I was inspired, but feel her method of getting rid of stuff unrealistic for me. I then read The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life, by Francine Jay. I highly recommend it.

My motivation really kicked into gear when I had to to empty my parents' home after they both became disabled and could no longer live there. Something can happen to anyone at any age, and I started to think about what if someone had to come in behind DH & I if that something happened to us.

My ComPacting success has also helped me finally lose some weight, 22 lbs. since spring. I need to do that a couple more times, and I'm confident I will.

Good luck to all ComPacters!

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FABULOUS!  It's so true what you say about cleaning out a parent's home.  It's a real eye-opener.  And reducing the objects that require your attention releases you to put energy and time into something else.  I have kitchen cabinets and I hadn't put anything on top of them as decor until I noticed that this seemed to be the thing to do.  I collected all sorts of chickens -- ceramic, wood, metal -- to stick up there (along with baskets, tins, bottles and more) just to collect grease and dust.  It sounds like you've turned that corner.  Congrats!

[dosey]

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@DL2843 wrote:

Happy September Compactors,

   Congrats to all of you for the continued growth in understanding what we need vs what we want in life.

   Clothing is still an issue for me. My problem with many gurus is that I do not see needed but little used items in the closet. My job requires me to do two three day camp trips. I have several clothing items that hang out in my closet that only get worn on those six days. Also every guru must live in a city or have yard service, because I never see old worn out gardening clothes on those fancy matching hangers. 

    My biggest clothing issue is that I gained 20 lbs. I am working on losing it but I am taking a medication where the side effect is weight gain. So frustrating. It is the first medicine that has really helped my allergies so the headaches have almost completely disappeared. The weight gain is awful and nothing fits. Ugh!!!!!!!!!

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Those pretty closets in magazines do not imitate real life.  My closet doesn't come close to looking like those.

[dosey]

Caffiena, you've done so well!  Congratulations!!

[dosey]

One week into September and I am doing fine.  No beauty purchases.  Ulta has made my no-buy a little harder by having 21 days of beauty.  They have some nice specials, but I am not budging.  I did have an unexpected purchase on Saturday.  A car battery.  Mine died.  {{sigh}}

Over the past few days, I have finished a few products:  a lip gloss, HIAJ, body wash, and an eye cream.  There wasn't much eye cream left.  It was what remained when I received the Isomers eye duo.  After finishing the duo, I polished off the other eye cream.  I still have the Isomers duo on auto-delivery because I really like it but have pushed out the next ship date since I received a C eye gel in the C kit.  I am now using that and will not request for the next eye duo shipment until the C eye gel is gone.

Next week, I anticipate finishing a cleanser, shampoo, and makeup remover.  Once those are gone, it will be awhile before I finish anything else.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  I am feeling kind of blah, so I am going to go for a power walk.

[aprilskies]

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@just bee wrote:

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@aprilskies wrote:

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@just bee wrote:

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@aprilskies wrote:

 As far as decluttering, I am taking a break from it. I actually even put back the bins I was going to start attacking.  I have been decluttering off and on for so long that I think I need a break.  Instead, I think I am going to make September about having some fun.

 Fun sounds good.  I would like to have some fun, too.  Must investigate...

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I would like one day to understand when having fun became a number on the "to do" list. ..and something we need to check off.

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 I forced myself to sit down last week and order tickets to see some shows.  I even bought tickets to see the Beach Boys in November.  And I have tickets for In the Mood in February.  I missed the Glenn Miller Orchestra AGAIN, so this show should make up for it.  I have never taken advantage of the ticket discount I get as a rare perk through work, so I finally did.  And now I wonder why I haven't because it's a great discount.  Why didn't I go ahead and buy the Broadway series?  Duh.

____________________

I think planning sometimes is key.  I don't sit down and plan anything out and think I will just pick and go and I ususally don't for one reason or another.  Have fun, it lokks like you a have a few things coming up. I am going to try and do the same.

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[aprilskies]

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@FindingMyJoy wrote:

aprilskies - the Wen TSV got me too! I had tried it a few years ago and wasn't wowed. But this combo interested me for the oil and styling cream which I've never tried. I went ahead and ordered 2 - tea tree and the fig. The 2 hours later, I had buyers regret! I went back  online to cancel and when I tried, it said it was already in process and couldn't be cancelled!! So I will get them and give all of the products a good fair try for the month. Either I will find something I love in them or this will be the last time I try it. I have really curly dry hair so I'm always on the look for something that will play nice with it. I'm not beating  myself up about the purchase since I don't stockpile hair products. It's the one area that I don't?? Odd, I know. LOL

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We were on the same page with WEN.  I picked up the tea tree and really wanted the fig also. I need something moisturizing and that seems to be it but I held off on the fig. I have so much shampoo and hair stuff that I thought about adding to the stash, so that helped me hold off. I put the tsv on auto delivery so I am hoping I can change it up next time if I really like the tea tree.  I am not sure if I will be able too, but this is what I am hoping so I can try the fig. Enjoy WEN.  Mine should be here today if it is on schedule, I think.

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[aprilskies]

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@Caffeina wrote:

It's been some time since I last posted, and wanted to update my progress.

When I joined he ComPact I committed to stop buying home fragrance and bath & body products. This past July I made it to two years of sticking 100% to that commitment. I had to, my stash was on its way to becoming a hoard. Although other types of purchases weren't as much of a problem, I realized that too much unnecessary stuff in general was accumulating in my house, and now I only buy things that I need and will use.

I want an uncluttered house and less things to dust, and have been slowly but consistently working on that. The more stuff I get rid of, the easier it becomes to get rid of more. Buying things I don't need has become very easy for me too. I no longer get the feeling that I'm going to miss out on something. I know if it's really that good it'll still be around later when I need it. If it isn't going to be around, there'll be something better. I don't stock up on things either. If I can't wait until I run out of something, I'll buy one backup of an item only if there's already one open. The only exception is toilet paper, I like to buy the big 36-roll pack from BJ's.

Earlier this year I read the Marie Kondo book. I was inspired, but feel her method of getting rid of stuff unrealistic for me. I then read The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life, by Francine Jay. I highly recommend it.

My motivation really kicked into gear when I had to to empty my parents' home after they both became disabled and could no longer live there. Something can happen to anyone at any age, and I started to think about what if someone had to come in behind DH & I if that something happened to us.

My ComPacting success has also helped me finally lose some weight, 22 lbs. since spring. I need to do that a couple more times, and I'm confident I will.

Good luck to all ComPacters!

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You have done extremely well.  2 years is a long time.  Moving my parents from a house they lived in for 30 years is what motivated me to start decluttering.  It was truly a nightmare to the nth degree that I never want to experience again or have anyone go through so I started decluttering (or tried too) from that moment on. I think about moving and just the thought of packing up makes me shutter.  But, more importantly, I just dont want "stuff" around me anymore that I dont enjoy.

Good luck going forward.  You are doing really well.

[Barbiedr]

Well I was forced to do some heavy duty compacting of my clothes last week when my closet rod collapsed and everything fell to the floor.  I had to give up space in my extra closets last year when my daughter and granddaughter moved in last year. Everything got jammed into my bedroom closets.  After my daughter rebuilt the closet, I put a lot less back in and need to keep it that way.  My daughter and I both got rid of stuff and we ended up with 100 extra hangars in a box.

[dosey]

My 1 1/2" curling iron, the workhorse of all my curling irons, has a crack in the handle.  It works fine so no biggie.  Well, this morning, the plastic thing that I press to open the iron fell off.  Without it, the iron is too hot to touch.  To avoid a beauty purchase, I duct taped the piece back on, and I duct taped the cracked handle together.  Good as new.  New-ish.

[geezerette]

Caffeina,

Your post hit home with me in a lot of ways.  The dusting--I've hated to dust since I was a kid and that was 'my' job.  The stocking-up--I still have a tough time with this, probably because we live in the boonies and shopping is not convenient so I want to buy everything at once so I don't have to schlep to town over and over.  And having to clean out the parents' lives.  Took that route several years ago when first my father passed, then I had to take care of my mother for three years until she went too.  It shows you how little you really need to live, and what is (and isn't) important when you get life down to basics. 

Minimalist living is really my thing.  I'm lazy and hate to clean.  And I fret and worry about everything so the more 'stuff' I have, the more silly, stupid things I'm worrying about needlessly.  There are enough things in my life that I don't like doing but have to, that I don't need to pile on things that I don't need that will worry me.

Problem is, it's really easy for me to say all that.  Doing it, however, is an entirely different animal. 

ETA:  Oh, I make a 'stocking-up' exception for toilet paper too!