topic Re: ComPact 2014 -- June in Beauty

ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 13:40:39 GMT

The ComPact is a commitment to simplify, pare down, streamline. It began as a way to gain some control over our collections of beauty products. Why were we amassing so much, yet not using what we were buying? Why were we always searching for the next new product? Why couldn't we just find what worked for us and stick with it?

The ComPact, however, is not restricted to beauty items. If you have a collection you want to address, do it here. Choose an area you want to work on, and track your progress on the ComPact thread. Members will offer tips and encouragement.

Choose one of our many mantras (“One by one until they’re done!” “We are SPAHHHRRRTAN!!!” “Not until you really have to.” “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” “Resist the propaganda.” "If it's high, I don't buy!" “When in doubt, do without!” “Shoplighters of the World Unite!”) or create a new one and share it. Target items each month to toss, donate, or use, and post your “chopping block” -- or “hit list.” Post temptations, post victories.

They say it takes 30 days for something to become a habit: Let's see if taking the ComPact one month at a time works for you.

Join us.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 13:42:34 GMT

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 13:45:11 GMT

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 13:45:35 GMT

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

KonaKat — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 13:48:36 GMT

Bee--I love the cluttering and decluttering bugs. It is hard to believe that it is June. I love the "one by one until they are done" slogan. I also believe in "15 minutes at a time." Take a big goal and break it down into small goals; we can always manage 15 minutes but 12 hours non-stop may seem overwhelming.

I just spotted the "Are you moving, would you take it?" graphic. That is a great way to look at it. I often spend much time on the box of agonizing.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 13:58:23 GMT

On 6/1/2014 KonaKat said:
Bee--I love the cluttering and decluttering bugs. It is hard to believe that it is June. I love the "one by one until they are done" slogan. I also believe in "15 minutes at a time." Take a big goal and break it down into small goals; we can always manage 15 minutes but 12 hours non-stop may seem overwhelming.

I just spotted the "Are you moving, would you take it?" graphic. That is a great way to look at it. I often spend much time on the box of agonizing.

Even if we can manage 15 minutes a day -- at least we addressed the problem instead of avoiding it and feeling guilty. And it's amazing what can be accomplished in 15 minutes.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

DelaRose — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:06:35 GMT

Well it looks like I will be forced to declutter tomorrow. My baby (20 year old son and first born) is moving out tomorrow. It is a very sad time for me. He tells me he'll be back, but I don't see it. I have found in my experience, that once you move out you can't go back. I can't believe the years have gone so fast not only with him moving out, but with all the clutter that I have accumulated over the years. Not only that, I have saved a lot of things in case my kids would want the things for themselves....well I guess I'll see if he wants a lot of this stuff that I have accumulated.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

KonaKat — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:20:02 GMT

I will not add to the clutter by ordering multi-gallons of the WEN. I use WEN but I can't comprehend ordering such a large size, let alone more than one. I use WEN but I'm using up what I have and then will order only when needed. I understand it is a big savings but there has to be room to stash it.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

AuntG — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:24:06 GMT

Got three boxes ready for the thrift shop to pick up this week. It's mostly Christmas items that I really don't need and some BL items which get so costly when you have to put three batteries in them.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

DL2843 — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:31:15 GMT

Hello All, The Spring fashion bug finally bit. I swore I was not going to purchase more spring/summer clothing. There are days when I feel personally responsible for the weather. Spring will not come until I buy clothes for it. I love the agonize over endlessly box.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:48:00 GMT

On 6/1/2014 my 2 cents said:
Well it looks like I will be forced to declutter tomorrow. My baby (20 year old son and first born) is moving out tomorrow. It is a very sad time for me. He tells me he'll be back, but I don't see it. I have found in my experience, that once you move out you can't go back. I can't believe the years have gone so first not only with him moving out, but with all the clutter that I have accumulated over the years. Not only that, I have saved a lot of things in case my kids would want the things for themselves....well I guess I'll see if he wants a lot of this stuff that I have accumulated.

But sometimes you have to go back. When I graduated from college I had to put all my plans on hold because my stepfather died unexpectedly and my sister needed help dealing with my mother.

Some advice regarding the items you're saving for the kids. When my mother married my stepfather we moved into the house he had shared with his mother. She had died in 1969, but the house was full of items she had collected. When I went off to college I left many of my things in that house. When I got out of college my mother got the idea to buy another house and my sister and I would live there with her. I agreed to do it if my sister was going to move in, too, and we would address the other house.

None of what was supposed to happen happened. My sister moved into my stepfather's house and I couldn't leave my mother alone in the new house. All my post-college plans, including marriage, were put on hold -- permanently.

Fast forward a few years: I moved to New Mexico. Not long after that my mother became ill, my sister became her caregiver and then she died unexpectedly at age 50. My other sister and her husband emptied both properties and sold them at a loss. I brought my mother out here for her final five years.

Those houses were filled with things that are now gone. My sister tossed, donated, stored, and sold the contents of two homes and many valuable things were lost. Don't allow your children to use your home for storage. Encourage them to decide what they want to do with their possessions now.

I lost all my writing, artwork, and family photos. Things I had collected for years are gone forever. My sister's things are gone and it's like she was just erased. My mother's things, my stepfather's things, his mother's things. All vanished. All the things that were planted in both yards were yanked out of the ground. It's like these four people died and left no trace of their existence. And now with no family photos... well, it's just unfortunate.

Things happen. And they happen soon than we think they'll happen and we're just not prepared.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

kathie66 — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:51:54 GMT

Hello Compact Friends,

Happy June! I finally reached a milestone, my Bath and Body Works Handsoaps are gone!! I just finished the last one. I used to hit the BBW sales and being in education had quite a collection that was gifted to me by my students. But no more they are all gone! Happy Dance.!! On to using up the few other brands of handsoap remaining in my stash at the kitchen sink.

Been doing well with my shower gels, which will go even faster when I can use them at the kitchen sink not just the bathroom sink as handsoap! The handsoap stash should be all gone this year! Lotion stash is decreasing slower but steady.

I have added to the makeup collection and need to pull the brakes on it as my recent palette obesssion is out of control now. I have to be strict and use the one in one out rule now. I recently discovered BE Ready shadows and am loving them. Thank goodness I never got into the loose ones!

I am very happy with my purchase of the hourglass ambient palette. I also just bought the mood powder. And am loving them. Picked up two of the blushes and while they are nice and I like them and will use them, not as wowed by them as the powder.

So all in all bath and body collection is in check. Make up out of control and will be checked!

My ORC stalled bad. Need to get back on that wagon and will start with the 15 minutes. When my kids were little, I used to put the timer on for 7 minutes every night and we would race around and organize what we could every night. Need to get back in the habit myself. My kids recently reminded me of our 7 minutes of cleaning. My daughter turns 25 on Tuesday where did the time go?

my2cents- a hug goes out to you! I know how hard it is to let them fly.

Take care everyone much luck on a clutter-free June! Kathie

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

kcc — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 15:28:08 GMT

Yeah June ComPact! Just Bee: I so can relate to your story & recommendation about trying to save (or not) personal items NOW. I have 3 sisters. Two of us are 'savers' bordering on 'hoarders'. The other 2 don't want to hold onto anything. They'd rather toss everything. If there's a fork in the sink, they can't sleep :-) With you & all of the ComPacters advice, I am working to find the happy medium. Love the post about 'if we were moving' what to keep or purge. This will be my inspiration. If I were moving, what will I need/take. Thank you again Just Bee.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

PAlady — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 15:39:32 GMT

Good morning everyone, and Happy June.

I agree with have your children pick what they want and get rid of the rest. When I got married I cleaned out "ALOT" of stuff before I moved in with my DH. I left nothing at home, you weren't allowed to ( and that was a good thing). It made you deal with the items then and not leave it for my parents to take care of. Of course, I have manage to clutter this house up and now I will pay for with my time decluttering it.

I have decided no clothes, purse or makeup shopping this month, I really just don't need anything. Do you remember when you where younger and your mother or father would say that they just didn't need anything (for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas) and you could not fathom how anyone could not need something. Well I have hit that point, never thought I would. Funny how things change.

Well enough of my rambling, hope everyone finds at least one thing to declutter today and have a good day.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 16:39:28 GMT

On 6/1/2014 PAlady said:
Good morning everyone, and Happy June.

I agree with have your children pick what they want and get rid of the rest. When I got married I cleaned out "ALOT" of stuff before I moved in with my DH. I left nothing at home, you weren't allowed to ( and that was a good thing). It made you deal with the items then and not leave it for my parents to take care of. Of course, I have manage to clutter this house up and now I will pay for with my time decluttering it.

I have decided no clothes, purse or makeup shopping this month, I really just don't need anything. Do you remember when you where younger and your mother or father would say that they just didn't need anything (for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas) and you could not fathom how anyone could not need something. Well I have hit that point, never thought I would. Funny how things change.

Well enough of my rambling, hope everyone finds at least one thing to declutter today and have a good day.

I think about that a lot.

I actually dread the thought of receiving gifts.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

Eager2Learn — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 17:16:44 GMT

Happy June ComPacters!

I love the graphics Bee, and the "clutter-free June" Kathie. I'm sensing a trend here. I like the idea of spending 15 minutes a day on decluttering KonaKat.

My ongoing goal is to have more going out than coming in.

But I have another goal that's very different this month. I love scented candles and though I have purchased a lot of them, I haven't been satisfied lately with the throw. Soooooo, I have read about and watched videos on making candles at home. I have ordered the supplies I need and will be making my own candles! (Buying wax is really a lot less costly than buying candles). I will be starting out with soy and beeswax, I've been saving emptied and cleaned out jars, and I have essential oils for the fragrances. This will be a new experience WooHoo!

Here's to a Clutter-Free June!

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 17:23:37 GMT

On 6/1/2014 Eager2Learn said:
Happy June ComPacters!

I love the graphics Bee, and the "clutter-free June" Kathie. I'm sensing a trend here. I like the idea of spending 15 minutes a day on decluttering KonaKat.

My ongoing goal is to have more going out than coming in.

But I have another goal that's very different this month. I love scented candles and though I have purchased a lot of them, I haven't been satisfied lately with the throw. Soooooo, I have read about and watched videos on making candles at home. I have ordered the supplies I need and will be making my own candles! (Buying wax is really a lot less costly than buying candles). I will be starting out with soy and beeswax, I've been saving emptied and cleaned out jars, and I have essential oils for the fragrances. This will be a new experience WooHoo!

Here's to a Clutter-Free June!

Happy candlemaking! The last candle I bought was for some charitable thing and it was expensive. If you use them, it makes sense to create your own.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 17:30:55 GMT

On 6/1/2014 kcc said:
Yeah June ComPact! Just Bee: I so can relate to your story & recommendation about trying to save (or not) personal items NOW. I have 3 sisters. Two of us are 'savers' bordering on 'hoarders'. The other 2 don't want to hold onto anything. They'd rather toss everything. If there's a fork in the sink, they can't sleep :-) With you & all of the ComPacters advice, I am working to find the happy medium. Love the post about 'if we were moving' what to keep or purge. This will be my inspiration. If I were moving, what will I need/take. Thank you again Just Bee.

This reminds me of my brother who, if he hadn't looked so much like my mother's family, we would have continued to believe was one of those "switched-at-birth" kids. Zero sentimentality. No use for the superfluous. His room when he was a kid was immaculate.

He decided that we had some "old" (therefore useless) books in our collection, so he took it upon himself to rid us of them. He pulled them off shelves and put them in the garbage shoot where they were incinerated in the basement.

These books were old. Old and extremely valuable. Antique and rare. And burned to a crisp.

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

FUTURE — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 18:15:26 GMT

Hi, all! Well, I'm going to do the 15 minutes a day. I have to. I don't have a ton of stuff to go through, but I'm ready to be done with it. I'm also done with buying. I know we always say that, but I just don't need anything. At all. Now, we are talking clothes and MU and shoes and skincare. There are a few things for my house I need (desk, chair and ottoman), but I'm going to look online and see if I can find a good deal on those. I already have measurements taken and everything. I'm beginning to feel more of a moral/ethical/religious conviction when it comes to my "stuff", so now it's really getting real. Hubby and I were having a convo on the way home from church today, about garage sales, and thankfully, we don't have enough stuff to have one, but we both would just give it away, anyway. So that's what I need to work on!!!!. Working in the yard today. The never ending process. .

Re: ComPact 2014 -- June

just bee — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 19:38:15 GMT

How many of us collected items that are very personal and reflect our interests and tastes, and then we moved in with a person who has the opposite interests and tastes?

Do you have treasured possessions in hiding? Artwork that can't be on walls, shelves? Furniture stuffed in garages or spare rooms?