Beauty

[jeanlake]

Jolexi - good job this weekend. Feels good, eh? Sunday got away from me with last minute family plans. I'll pick up next weekend. Everyone -- Have a great week!

[Jolexi]

It feels great ury! :-) And it feels even better knowing that someone else will probably be able to use what what just sitting in my closet and completely forgotten about.

DrKelli, I used to have these pretty dispensers for hand soap and lotion on the bathroom sink, but when it was accidentally knocked over and broke, I decided just to repurpose the plastic ones I had from old lotion bottles. I did find a pretty apothecary type dispenser that had hand soap in it at the dollar store some years ago, and once that ran out, I just filled it with part body wash and part water and use it as hand wash by the sink.

I used to have all of these little bottles of samples I got for shampoo, conditioner, body lotion laying around incidentally - and when I was clearing out under my sink last summer, I found those plus all of those little tubes and sleeves of conditioner that come in the hair dye boxes. I had an empty dispenser, so I just emptied all of the smaller samples into that bottle, with some liquefied coconut oil and use that as shaving lotion in the shower. It works way better than store bought stuff. And it's helping me use up what I have. I also do not use traditional facial washes or cleansers. Instead use baby shampoo and my SO who has the occasional breakout of eczema uses Head and Shoulders as a facial wash. Repurpose and multi-use! :-)

[KonaKat]

I bought one item--a pain relieving gel my orthopedic person recommended. I have a box out in which I put an item when I run across it. Today, I worked on some kitchen cabinets so several items went into the box. If I haven't used the tool in several months and it can be bought if ever needed, the item went into the box. The next step is to look at expiration dates on some items or remember when I last used a spice, etc. and ditch when appropriate.

[lucylover64]

On 1/12/2015 DrKelli said:

Week 3 already! This weekend, I cleaned out 2 book cases and ended up with 3 boxes of books that I did not intend to read. So instead of 3 stacks of books (about 30 books per stack) on the floor and on top of one book case, I have reduced that to 1 stack on top of the book case (about 30 books) and everything else in the book case that I intend to read. If I cleaned the one out in my bedroom, I could probably get rid of the stack to be read. I intend to read all the books in the stack before moving on to the unread books in my case. I even passed up the new James Patterson book at the Mart this weekend.

I got my entry way cleaned out yesterday too.

One of my projects will be my closets. I was reading one of my "get rid of clutter books" and the author used the 40 hanger method--reduce your closet to 40 hangers (with clothes). The idea is that you will keep only the things you love and wear them more. In preparation for this project, I counted the hanging clothes in my master closet--194 hanging things. If I were to subscribe to this method, I would have to reduce my clothing to 1/5 of what I have. I don't know that I am ready to be that ruthless. But something to think about.

I need to choose what area I tackle next. I'm thinking the living room/dining room or the upstairs bathroom.

Hope you all have a successful week! I purchased one thing over the weekend--it was an athletic belt that holds id, a small mp3 player and keys. I racewalk competitively in the winter and hate having to find clothes with pockets to hold all that stuff, or I wear my keys on a lanyard around my neck and even just a car key adds too much weight.

Good for you! You are a great inspiration (as is everyone else)! Thanks to all as I plow forward (I admit to running out of steam for a bit with my de-cluttering/organizing).

[just bee]

On 1/12/2015 DrKelli said:

I use body wash in my hand soap dispensers

I had an enormous collection of philosophy 3-in-1s and B&BW shower gels and I never seemed to be able to make a dent in them. When I started using them as hand soap it made a huge difference. I choose seasonal scents from the collection for the bathroom and kitchen sinks -- it works!

We all have those particular fragrances that we cannot stand when we're trapped in the shower with them. But as hand soap? Perfectly fine.

[Eager2Learn]

Wow, week 3 already!

Purchases: Better Half's chain saw (the one he has needs repairs that will cost almost as much as the new one cost).

Used up 1 bar of soap, 2 one oz tubes of toothpaste, and 1 bottle of mouthwash from stockpile.

I'm in the process of having my Will drafted. This has made me think I need to stop buying things really I don't need for sure!

Imagine your executor and beneficiaries going through your stuff wondering "What the heck was she thinking!"

[AnotherView2]

Slightly off topic yet relevant to making sure you know your true value, your level of self worth. So, hopefully you don't then base your intrinsic qualities on what you wear, what you own, etc...Also a good book to motivate you to be "what you want to be when you grow up" . LOL!

I just read Oprah's latest book titled What I Know For Sure. A quick and excellent read. Grab it from the library so you don't add to the house clutter. LOL!

Owning that new thingamagig won't make you feel good about yourself. As we all know, the "high" wears off fairly quickly and we are left with something else to store and then get rid of... But, if we know that we are already worthy of happiness and love , even if it's only self love, we will be complete enough that we won't be looking outside ourselves for people or things to be filling that inexplainable void.

[jackthebear]

I have 3 things to return tomorrow, none I need. One I liked that I bought on a really good sale. The others were things I bought online without trying first. It was the Landsend vest I posted in another thread. Didn't love it when I saw it in person.

Aiming for buying $0 for the rest of Jan

[Anniecamp]

My main goal for January was to buy as few groceries as possible, and use up what's in the freezer and pantry. So far, I've only had to spend $27 on groceries. It's nice to see "air pockets" in the freezer and pantry. lol

I've also been going through papers, and tossing. Decluttering here and there, and getting rid of a variety of things. Still to scared to get serious about cosmetic/toiletries yet, although a couple of things have gone. Same with clothes, bags, shoes. One of these days, I will close my eyes, plug my nose, and dive in! Working on the kitchen isn't too hard, since I purged that pretty well a couple of years ago.

[Irish1210]

I have been somewhat procrastinating about tackling my 2nd closet which had a barely visible floor ~ Ventured in on Sunday! Have made quite a bit of headway with 3 large donation bags, so I'm pleased. I found shirts, shoes, purses, etc. that I didn't even remember having~

This whole activity of SIMPLIFYING has taught me a few things:

1) I had too much stuff and don't need to purchase a thing ~ hence, joining this group!

2) I must be a slob since I didn't know what I had OR where it was!

With that being said, I have learned that I must be more mindful of my tendency to buy something and put it out of sight which covers up the issue ~ I have the space, but that doesn't mean I have to fill it!

Evidently, that was my mindset BEFORE SIMPLIFY, or as I now call it ....B/S!!

I don't want to get into those bad habits again, so I'm hoping with the work and effort I am putting forth, things will remain neat and organized and my wallet will put on some pounds, while I SHED some!

I'm thankful for the support, ideas and inspiration I receive from visiting this thread!