ComPact 2016 -- AUGUST! - Page 6

Caffeina · ‎03-09-2010

Last month marked three years of sticking to two no-buy categories, home fragrance products (candles, tarts, diffusers, etc.), and bath and body products (shower gels, body/hand lotions, fragrances, etc.).

By now some might be thinking that the bath and body products I'm still using must be really old. Yes, most are. But I don't use anything that doesn't smell or look right, and some has been thrown out. Most of what I've been using is still fine, and I can't believe how much I still have. A couple of days ago I used up a Partylite shower gel that had to have been at least 10 years old.

I initially committed to the two no buys because they were serious problem areas for me. Breaking the habit has helped me stop buying too much of everything else too. For example, I no longer buy 4 tubes of toothpaste because of a good sale and coupons. I have one backup, and don't buy another until there is no backup.

After all this time, it feels a lot better not to buy something or to use something up than it does to buy something I don't need at all. I've been bringing far less stuff into the house, and continue to declutter. But it's time to make a new commitment to start moving out more stuff faster.

@just bee, I'm 62, and haven't had a pedicure either. I had one manicure about 24 years ago, after a friend bought me a gift certificate at a nice salon so I could have my nails done for my wedding.

Everyone stay motivated for the 2nd half of your August no buys! Remember, if you don't need it, it'll still be around when you do. If it's not still around when you need it, there'll be something even better!

just bee · ‎03-10-2010

@Caffeina wrote:
Last month marked three years of sticking to two no-buy categories, home fragrance products (candles, tarts, diffusers, etc.), and bath and body products (shower gels, body/hand lotions, fragrances, etc.).

By now some might be thinking that the bath and body products I'm still using must be really old. Yes, most are. But I don't use anything that doesn't smell or look right, and some has been thrown out. Most of what I've been using is still fine, and I can't believe how much I still have. A couple of days ago I used up a Partylite shower gel that had to have been at least 10 years old.

I initially committed to the two no buys because they were serious problem areas for me. Breaking the habit has helped me stop buying too much of everything else too. For example, I no longer buy 4 tubes of toothpaste because of a good sale and coupons. I have one backup, and don't buy another until there is no backup.

After all this time, it feels a lot better not to buy something or to use something up than it does to buy something I don't need at all. I've been bringing far less stuff into the house, and continue to declutter. But it's time to make a new commitment to start moving out more stuff faster.

@just bee, I'm 62, and haven't had a pedicure either. I had one manicure about 24 years ago, after a friend bought me a gift certificate at a nice salon so I could have my nails done for my wedding.

Everyone stay motivated for the 2nd half of your August no buys! Remember, if you don't need it, it'll still be around when you do. If it's not still around when you need it, there'll be something even better!

Isn't it amazing how far one can go using the items that are already in the house? I can't remember the last time I bought a shower gel and I still have years' worth of product in two closets. There's probably a spectacular product out there that I could be using but I can't because I have all these other gels to use first. And doesn't that illustrate your last point!

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~

dosey · ‎10-16-2010

@Beauty$Junkie wrote:
Dosey, Happy Belated Birthday. I hope you enjoy your trip to Carowinds and it is not too hot. I also live in Charlotte, so what a coincidence. I have been so tempted by the no-buy commitment, even though my vanity and every bathroom shelf and cranny is still stuffed with unused products. I did pull out some clothing items to donate and had another pair of Clarks shoes fall apart when I was wearing them, so I am getting rid of some things--LOL I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend. Thanks for being their for me with all your postings.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Paws and enjoy life.

dosey · ‎10-16-2010

@rnmom wrote:
Hi everyone!

I had been doing well on the August no buy, congratulating myself on getting thru a week and a half and only 3 weeks to go, no problem, easy peasy. My family did some garage saleing yesterday and we stopped at a house where hubby knows the fammily. So there I found a bottle of Philosophy Cinnamon Buns, 16oz, 3-in-1. I took the top off because I thought for sure it had been used. Nope, brand new with the seal intact. And they only wanted one dollar for it. One dollar! So of course I had to get it. I don't have a huge shower gel stash, in fact, my hubby is using his last one, my kids just opened their last one, and our spare bathroom in the basement doesn't have a back up either. I'm the only one who has "extra". I have 4 going in the shower right now that I'm working thru, and only one unopened. So either myself or the kids will end up using it soon. I just couldn't pass up one dollar! Now back to the no buy!

$1? That is seriously cheap, and in QVC land, that is only three cents a day. Sort of. In a month. Nevermind.

Paws and enjoy life.

dosey · ‎10-16-2010

@just bee wrote:
@dosey wrote:
Thanks, everyone, for all of the nice birthday wishes!

How is everyone doing with the No Buy? I'm hanging in there. Ulta sent me an email reminding me that I have points to use. Ulta is so cruel.

I finished the last bit of Alterna Volume Spray. This is a nice product because is it lightweight and leaves no residue, but it is also $25 for about 4 oz. I haven't decided if I will repurchase it. I found a drugstore blow out spray (John Frieda) and would like to find a drugstore volume spray. But not this month, of course.

Tomorrow, we are going to Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, NC!!! That will be my fun activity for August. For the first time, we are going to buy fast passes so we can avoid the long lines. DD said that she will finally ride some of the rollercoasters. This will be great.

I continue to love my job. There is so much to learn, and it is challenging, but I like that. I want to push my mind to learn new things.

So what is everyone up to? Enjoying the Olympics?

It's so interesting to see "love" and "job" in the same sentence! Usually one will see other words there: "To," "quit," "this." Good to hear you're liking it.

How nice to be going to an amusement park. Alas, those spectacular rollercoaster days are over for me. Living in New Mexico, just driving to work is thrill ride enough.

Still committed to the no-buy pledge. Which really surprises me considering how much I wanted a pair of shoes that I, of course, don't need. But I just kept putting off ordering them and eventually the urge to buy fizzled.

The "fun" thing I'd planned turned out to be not-so fun. We went to the Boz Scaggs/Michael McDonald show Tuesday night and I suspect this may be my last concert. Great seats, oddly enough. It was good to see Boz, but I went home and wondered why I watched the band perform a Mink DeVille song and a Steve Winwood song instead of the handful of favorite Boz Scaggs songs that had made me buy tickets and take a night off from work. They didn't play the songs I came to hear. That was disappointing since they were on the set lists of the shows in other cities. I could have stayed home and watched Boz on YouTube or I could have bought CDs and I could be listening to those songs right now. Instead, I spent more than that on beer at the show.

Michael McDonald started off with political commentary. If I'd wanted political commentary I would have stayed home and watched cable news. I bought tickets so I could get a break from political commentary. When the band started playing "What the World Needs Now Is Love," I nudged Better-half and told him that it was time to go. No, Michael. What the world needed at that moment was a better sound system and more Doobie Brothers tunes.

And Better-half was in a foul mood because he was harassed for vaping. The concert was outside. Steve Miller's concert was canceled recently because of lightning and they're worried about steam?

Not watching the Olympics but I probably should have been Tuesday night.

Scaggs/McDonald are in my area of the country this week. Not going. I saw McDonald years ago before he thought we cared about his political views. I've never seen Scaggs but love his music. Why would he play songs by other artists? He has enough of his own music to fill hours.

Paws and enjoy life.

dosey · ‎10-16-2010

@just bee wrote:
On the HEP front...

For the heck of it, I sat down and started adding up the grams of sugar that are in some of the foods I regularly consume -- especially at work. Things like peanut butter, bagel, yogurt, vanilla chai tea beverage, fruit.

I figured 20 grams of sugar daily would be a good goal. The Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Tea drink that I bring to work as that little something to look forward to in the middle of the night has 26 grams of sugar. The drink is sold in three sizes: 15.2, 32, and 52 ounces. I used to buy the 15.2 oz size but it's more economical to buy the 52-ouncer and pour individual servings into a mason jar.

What's an individual serving? Clearly, this would depend on the individual. If I have a 15.2 oz bottle, that's a serving. Not according to Bolthouse. That's two servings. One serving is 8 oz. That's 170 calories and 26 grams of sugar.

Multiply that times two, then add a Noosa yogurt -- maybe coconut -- that has 30 grams of sugar. Because I went to school before they stopped teaching basic math, I can see that is a total of 82 grams. That doesn't include my 13 grams of sugar from my bagel and 6 grams from my Skippy.

The only good news is that the light beer I drink has a lot less sugar in it than I would have thought. Less than anything else I consume in a day. At this point, an all light beer diet might be healthier. Kidding. Sort of.

So I've added a couple items to my no-buy list. No more specialty drink at work. I bring water and that will have to do. No more yogurt. Even plain yogurt has a lot of sugar.

I can give this up. But I'll give you my Skippy and bagel when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.

ETA:

Actually, Skippy peanut butter has 3 grams of sugar per serving (2 tablespoons) -- not 6.

Sounds better than the cabbage soup diet that was popular several years ago. I like cabbage, but really, all the time? The unpleasant side effect of consuming cabbage is probably what set off this global warming issue.

Paws and enjoy life.

dosey · ‎10-16-2010

@Caffeina wrote:
Last month marked three years of sticking to two no-buy categories, home fragrance products (candles, tarts, diffusers, etc.), and bath and body products (shower gels, body/hand lotions, fragrances, etc.).

By now some might be thinking that the bath and body products I'm still using must be really old. Yes, most are. But I don't use anything that doesn't smell or look right, and some has been thrown out. Most of what I've been using is still fine, and I can't believe how much I still have. A couple of days ago I used up a Partylite shower gel that had to have been at least 10 years old.

I initially committed to the two no buys because they were serious problem areas for me. Breaking the habit has helped me stop buying too much of everything else too. For example, I no longer buy 4 tubes of toothpaste because of a good sale and coupons. I have one backup, and don't buy another until there is no backup.

After all this time, it feels a lot better not to buy something or to use something up than it does to buy something I don't need at all. I've been bringing far less stuff into the house, and continue to declutter. But it's time to make a new commitment to start moving out more stuff faster.

@just bee, I'm 62, and haven't had a pedicure either. I had one manicure about 24 years ago, after a friend bought me a gift certificate at a nice salon so I could have my nails done for my wedding.

Everyone stay motivated for the 2nd half of your August no buys! Remember, if you don't need it, it'll still be around when you do. If it's not still around when you need it, there'll be something even better!

Paws and enjoy life.

dosey · ‎10-16-2010

Carowinds was fun but uncomfortably HOT!! We did not buy the fast passes because the regular fast pass was an additional $40 per person, and the super fast pass was an additional $70 per person. I don't think so. Carowinds is fun, but it is no Disneyworld. We rode several rides but did not get to everything because of the heat. Besides, I think I got brain whiplash on the Hurler. Next time,

The Fury

and The Intimidator

Maybe not.

Paws and enjoy life.

dosey · ‎10-16-2010

NO BUY!

Paws and enjoy life.

aprilskies · ‎03-09-2010

@just bee wrote:

Michael McDonald started off with political commentary. If I'd wanted political commentary I would have stayed home and watched cable news. I bought tickets so I could get a break from political commentary. When the band started playing "What the World Needs Now Is Love," I nudged Better-half and told him that it was time to go. No, Michael. What the world needed at that moment was a better sound system and more Doobie Brothers tunes.

LOL!!. What a shame. It is interesting that he thought people paid good money to hear his political views at a concert. How self-serving.

Scaggs - really - he didnt play his own songs. Sorry, but LOL. What are these people thinking. I think they took a leave of their senses.