Sunday 21 June 2015

A dead cheap pamper

Hello and Happy Fathers day to all dad's. So what's this little Orphan Annie doing today then. Looks like I am about to perform a war dance with my painted face. I am scraping out the last few applications of this small tube of moisturizer which I have cut in half, but it's so small I can't get my finger into it. So the answer is to use something to poke it out. 
A wooden toothpick is mighty small, which does the job, that's why I have stripes on my face. It's a freebie sample of hand and body lotion given to me by a friend. As far as I'm concerned it can be used on the face as well.

I've been checking my beauty stocks in the bathroom. I hardly ever buy anything new, lotions and potions last ages as I use them most sparingly. Take these cheapo supermarket smellies, they seem to last forever. Even the cheap ones I use the absolute minimum that I can get away with.

I bought the toothpaste from Poundstretcher, I was in there about six months ago for something else and spotted that this was on offer at 50p. Pretty good price I thought, best to have a tube on standby for when the other one runs out. I can't see me starting this for another three or four months, such is my sparse way of spreading it on the brush. I only use a smidgeon, just enough for a slight foaming of the mouth.

The toothbrush is another item on standby, still in it's packaging. Did you know that children's tooth brushes are cheaper than the adult equivalent? No need to pay full price just buy a smaller brush and give your mouth a good scrub round with that. It reaches into all the hidden corners. I usually walk around the house multitasking while brushing my teeth as it's such a boring job to be standing still.

This is my deodorant stash, ha ha. Not much to choose from, and I didn't even have to buy them. My sister gave me the Arrid, and my friend donated the Nivea to a worthy cause, me. Neither of them liked what they had bought for themselves so all donations gratefully received here. 
Getting to the end of this sun lotion so it's an upside down job. I bought this yonks ago, not sure if it goes off, but I use it as moisturizer from time to time. I like the smell, it reminds me of holidays.

There's a long way to go with these two, at least another years worth in there. I don't moisturize my body, so the whipped body oil gets used on my face, neck and hands. The body wash will be used in the bath, eventually. I bought these two before I went on holiday to Scotland because I read that it's good for keeping midges at bay. I never did see any midges, think I was too early in the season.

My soap stocks are slowly shrinking. I used to sell hand made soap on my stall at the market and events, so I had some left when I closed the business. That was over ten years ago. Here we have strawberry, lemon and lime, and gingerbread. It has lost some of it's perfume but still performs as well as soap should.

I keep my toiletry purchases to the minimum, I only need the basics and use them sparingly. I don't need all the posh names, or the expensive perfumes. There is no cream which halts the aging process, and perfume evaporates into the air. As long as I am scrubbed clean with one of those sponges with a rough side, that will do me. I've got the bath water on now, so I'll scrub up later.

How big is your stash of toiletries? Is it minimal like mine? Or do you like a bit of luxurious pampering?

Hope your Sunday is a good one. Bye for now. Toodle pip.

40 comments:

  1. Mine is minimal like yours, I have shower gels etc that I got for Christmas I am using up. I usually have to buy some more towards August/September but just basics I am really not fussed on brand names. My moisturiser is a body lotion at the moment, I use it on hands and face. Does the trick just as well and I usually get these for Christmas too.

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  2. Hello ilona, we are a family of 5. 2 adults and 3 children.
    We use one bottle of shampoo, one conditioner, one shower gel, one toothpaste a deodorant each for the adults. I use face cream and hand cream as have dry skin. One suntan lotion. That's it for us, I hate having tons of bottles hanging round my bathroom (the smallest room in the world). X

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  3. I'm afraid I am the opposite to you with this one. I use a lot of product. I know I don't need most of it, I know it won't stop me from getting older, I know they are over priced...but I do like using them anyway. I get bored of using the same things. I have a weakness for posh soap - I like the smell. A good perfume should last all day. I have a cabinet full of nice things - I go into my bedroom, lock the door put on some music and pamper myself. I never pay for any beauty treatments including my hair so I can justify being a bit extravagant on myself. The top picture of you is brilliant! Debbie

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  4. Indeed, mine is minimal like yours, too. I am down to my five last hotel guest soaps since I used to spend my working life in hotels. I estimate the need to buy schampoo, deoderant, foundation and toothpaste in August unless anything turns up. It will complement a huge bottle of skinlotion and a small bottle of sun lotion.

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  5. I am very much like you too. I use conditioner sometimes as a moisturiser on my legs which seem to get very dry. Mainly use up sample bottles or freebies from hotels we stay at on holidays. I just began buying children's toothbrushes because my mouth is very small, a result of having too many teeth extracted as a child. I think they work better for me so it's not so much a cost consideration. JanF

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    Replies
    1. I have very dry skin and I find the best value for my face is judith williams. Available on qvc. Huge pots!
      Perfume evaporates on me unless it's an oil. I get the lush ones but cheaper on ebay

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  6. Hi Ilona! I gave up using shampoo a couple of years ago and wash my hair in a spot of conditioner only as I'd read it was better for the wild naturally curly hair I have. It's certainly better for my pocket, and has cut down on the time I have to spend on it!

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  7. Just a heads up. A friend bought a new bottle of sunblock lotion. Although just expired the old bottle still had a little bit in it so she used it on herself and used the new one for her little girl. After an afternoon at the park they came home.
    she was as red as a lobster and her little girl was fine. I didn't realize they lost effect so quickly. I'm very much like you, I use all the bathroom supplies very sparingly. I do have a good backup stock as I buy when there are good price reductions.

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  8. I also use the minimum. I buy shampoo and conditioner on sale and the bottle lasts several months. My skin gets dry especially in winter so I do use lotion but that lasts a long time also. I only wear make-up on special occasions, and do not paint my finger or toe nails. I agree with you in that the expensive creams do not get rid of wrinkles as they claim. I have no problem with my wrinkles, I have earned every last one of them. Sometimes I will use coconut oil if I need extra moisturizing.

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  9. Bare minimum here as well. I don't use deodorant. A dip in Bicarb and a smear under the arms worked wonders and eventually I gave that up altogether. I don't seem to sweat as much as I used to. No one has complained yet anyway. Toothpaste is a smidgeon on the brush, shampoo is just enough for a lather, I don't use perfume and I use just soap to keep clean. No creams or moisturisers here - my skin is soft enough. You're quite correct, they won't stop the ageing process.
    xx

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  10. My stash is a strange one- I never buy any myself but I get given lots from the children I work with. I get given good brands too. I'm very lucky and I'm always grateful-it's nice that so many of them get us gifts. But then I use a lot of them as gifts for my friends so it is money saving. I'm the other way to you Ilona, I like body creams but I don't like things on my face!
    Thanks for this post, I do like a good nosey into your cupboards! Xxxxxx

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  11. I don't use body moisturiser at all. I had to go to the dermatology department (not for dry skin but rosacea) a couple of years ago and the consultant was horrified that I didn't moisturise. I still don't moisturise but I do get eczema so I do slap on some stuff from the doctors when my skin is bad. I don't use deodorants and my bars of soap last a couple of years - yep, that's true. Shampoo comes from Lidl - dilute it down. Natalie

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    1. My son has had eczema all his life. We've tried all the creams and cortisone creams. However, we've recently tried Aveeno and that has made an enormous difference, as long as he uses it twice a day. He also uses E45 shampoo as the eczema causes dandruff. He does use deoderant but it' fragrance free and so far he hasn't had any reaction to it. The only soap he uses is Simple. Eczema is a real pain! x

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  12. I hardly ever buy toiletries cos I'm a bloke people always buy it me for xmas/birthdays and I usually have enough to last me til the next present

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  13. These days I am very minimal when it comes to toiletries - bar soap, roll on, shampoo and conditioner are generally all I use. I use to stockpile smellies and get drawn in to buying expensive creams when I was younger, but now I just use value baby lotion to remove makeup and buy Astral cream when its on offer at half price - a large tub of this lasts forever.

    Elaine, Oldham.

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  14. Coconut oil can be purchased here in large containers. We buy it at Sam's Club, but Aldi's might sell it also. We use the organic for cooking and some baking, so I take a good sized portion of it out and transfer it to smaller containers when it is first purchased.

    Coconut oil is a great deodorant, deep hair conditioner, moisturizer, and body cream. No chemicals and one purchase for a multitude of uses.

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  15. Simple soap (which I stock up on when it's half price), shampoo (stocked up on when half price and also use vouchers at the same time so I get a huge bottle for about a third of the usual price), hand cream (guess what? stock up when half price), lip balm (cheapest I can find as long as it's fragrance free), toothpaste again stocked up when half price or less. Not much need for sun lotion where we live! And that's it. No make up, no perfume.

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  16. Hi Ilona, just a warning, sun cream definitely does go off. Loads of cases of bad sunburn in A&E each summer caused by people thinking they were protected by suncream that was out of date. It will last two seasons if not more than half used, I always write the date on mine when I buy it so I don't use it after that. Sunburn is very bad for you, I am not bothered about many expensive potions but I do spend money on sun cream. Ps love you summer house :)

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  17. I don`t use moisturizers at all. Instead, I put a drop of baby oil into the bath water, and that does the trick for me. I have a bottle of factor 50 sun tan lotion I use sparingly. It was bought 2 years ago and still has over half the amount in it as I only ever cover my shoulders and arms with it when I`m in the garden during the summer. I do get quickly burnt on my upper back and neck if I`m bending over whilst weeding. I had made loads of home made soaps about 2 years ago and I`m still stocked up with plenty. The only things I replenish once a year are the cheapest bottles of bath foam and body washes for DB as he`s not comfortable using home made products. I haven`t bought any for myself in ages. I use soft soap for washing my hair and rinse with a water and vinegar mix.

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  18. Hi Ilona, I have reduced my purchases to a minimum lately. I used to have more stuff in my bathroom but I have a small bathroom with very little space and since it's only the two of us now, we don't need extra stuff hanging about. I have dry skin so I really need to moisturize my face and also my legs get itchy so I need to put some type of lotion on them after showering. I use shower gel sparingly and it seems to last me quite a long time. Husband doesn't use it. He prefers soap. So it really lasts. It's funny but when I saw you cutting open that tube of cream, I thought wow she does that too! I do that also. There is so much product left inside those tubes, isn't there? It's a waste not to use it all up.

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  19. Definitely minimal. I use a lot of soap for handwashing, because my hands are pretty grubby every time I come in from outside which is many times daily. Otherwise, shampoo and such lasts me ages. And this year I am trying not using sunscreen and instead covering up including wearing a really wide straw hat (bought for $5) for gardening. It's REALLY wide. I feel like a glamorous actress in a Poirot episode when I sashay along in my sun hat. :)

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  20. For a number of years, our drugstores offered free toiletries through a rebate catalog and coupons printed on receipts. Those free items have stopped for the most part but I still have many items on hand.

    I probably have enough body wash and body lotion to last the rest of my life. Shampoo and facial cleansers will last another two or three years. I haven't had to buy deodorant in five years and probably have enough for another year.

    You are on the right track on toothpaste because my dentist tells me to use very little. I get a free toothbrush every time I go to the dentist. I do have to buy dental floss regularly.

    In some ways I wish I didn't have the clutter of a toiletries stockpile but financially it has been a big help.

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  21. I use all my toiletries sparingly also using only a smidge, esp. things like toothpaste and shampoo. It lasts forever and because I keep a stock, before too long I have no place to put anything. That's a drawback of being prepared I find, not enough storage.

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  22. I also use bicarb instead of deodorant, also for washing hair. Bicarb and coconut oil for teeth cleaning , coconut oil as moisturizer, breath freshener and hair conditioner. Very cheap, no chemicals and works a treat. Soap is the only thing I buy for personal use these days.
    So nothing fancy here. Since retiring I'm trying to live as my grandma (who raised me)
    did.....great fun and so, so cheap.
    Take care Ilona, great blog.

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    Replies
    1. I'm a bloke so I don't know what some of the things are for that are being referred to-never understood what 'conditioner' does. Like you and most of your posters i'm a minimalist too. Bars of soap,cheapest shampoo and a roll-on deodorant from Aldi and scissors to trim my beard-no need to waste money on razor blades!
      Best wishes
      Colin in Kent

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  23. no wonder there are so many smelly people in the supermarkets, the smell of bo is very unpleasant,
    someone should tell them to wash with soap and use deoderant before they go out, ann

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    Replies
    1. You can always stay at home, ann. Don't know why you bothered to comment just to moan.

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    2. Oh I laughed at the last comment! Naughty and not very nice Ann. All the people commenting here wash and were merely sharing the products they use. I've got one of the crystal stones as a deodorant. Works very well and will last for years as long as I don't drop it on a tiled floor like I did with the last one.

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  24. Hello
    Shamoo and conditioner
    Bubble bath
    Moisturiser........same one for face and body
    Colgate total........19p toothbrushes from tesco
    Mum deodorant.....
    Hubby has a bottle of perfume stashed away for our anniversary.....I will get that soon!
    Face powder. Mascara. Blusher. Lipstick. For the days when I want to blend in with the other painted ladies, not that often, thank goodness.
    On and liquid soap for washing hands.
    I buy when it's cheap...on sale.
    And Vaseline for lips and sometimes cuticles.
    My dentist said whatever you are doing keep it up. So that's good. Anyway that's me! Ginny x

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  25. If you're near a Tesco's or Wilko's they have toothbrushes 2 for 18p. Work perfectly well for me :-)
    And toothpaste about 25p.

    Toni

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for that Toni. Yes, I have had Tesco's toothpaste before, nothing wrong with it.

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  26. Reading through your comments it looks like a lot of people are becoming immune to all the advertising hype where toiletries are concerned. Common sense prevails, you don't need to spend a fortune to clean yourself.

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  27. Its so easy to get sucked into all that hype especially when your skin's crap like mine was in my thirties but I've learnt that the cheap own-brand, cruelty-free, unscented stuff is just as good (if not better, as it costs hardly anything!)
    I buy what I need and never stockpile even when they try and brainwash you with the BOGOFFs. Like you I snip off the bottom or eke out the bits at the bottom with a cotton bud.
    Watch that sun cream. There's an expiry date of 18 months from opening. I took no notice until I ended up with third degree burns on a trip to Greece in the 1990s. xxx

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  28. Your post and all the comments are really interesting. I have gone minimal, too, and as someone said "nobody has complained, yet"! And my husband would not hesitate to tell me, as he has a very sensitive sense of smell… I don't neglect myself and you said it, nothing will stop the ageing!

    I use talcum powder instead of deodorant, soap on my body/hands, a cheap almond oil shampoo (supermarket own brand) on my hair and don't use any toothpaste at all any more - it's the brushing that makes the difference and the taste is soon gone anyway: it's got little plastic bits in it that damage the enamel of your teeth and the environment. My dentist hasn't noticed. If my skin is dry or for any other reason like that, I bought a bottle of almond oil in the baby dept of a supermarket in France for 90 cents that is still half full after a year; other baby oils seem to have perfumes added (though I do like the smell of Johnson's, as it takes me back!! Not really the best reason, tho'!). I keep a tub of own-brand petroleum jelly (vaseline) as a lip gloss/moisturiser or for stubborn patches like elbows or heels occasionally. A good brush for a scrub in the bath/shower and plain white toothbrushes from Asda, no colour, no brand, they were 18p for 2 when I bought a few packs 2 years ago… I do have a few perfumes but keep them in boxes because I use them so rarely they'll go off - I check now and again and get rid of the ones that smell funny, so only 3 left, now. There is one brand of suntan lotion that I will buy but rarely use it (unless I'm sailing in the sun!) and actually, my husband buys it and uses it and I just grab a spritz when I need it!! It lasts us ages but as someone said, you're not supposed to keep them. I keep out of the hot sun and a hat on, mostly.

    Makeupwise I have two lipsticks, an eye pencil, a tube of mascara, a free neutral eyeshadow I got recently when shopping in Boots' that probably won't be used, a coverstick for the occasional blemish (ancient, writing gone…) and I keep nail varnishes in a soft neutral pink and a bright red. That lot is only for special occasions, really, as I forget to wear make-up most days. That thing with the "no make-up selfie" last year was hilarious - everyone who knows me knows what I look like anyhow!! ;o I can donate to a charity without a gimmick.

    Although I think the English habit of being feminine, having a dressing table and giving girls and women nice-smelling things is lovely, it's not something I grew up with and as a result, I think I have less stress, not worrying about not "having my face on"… ;o

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  29. I use 'everyday value soap' from Tescos at 15p a bar. It seems as good as Dove, very creamy.

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  30. Hello.I have extremely sensitive skin that I must protect every day,so I use a facial moisturizer with a high SPF content that I always buy when on sale.Am just recovering from the skin surgery and healing from skin cancer two months ago and am honestly very happy to still have my nose.Tee-hee!I always use sunscreen SPF 60 on my body too when going outdoors.Sunscreen is very expensive and I try to stock up when they are a good deal only.All other things, like shampoo, ,body wash,deodorants are as simple,natural and inexpensive as I can possibly find.I do stock up on sales if I have the extra to spend on such things.I try to use up what I have before replacing and often receive scent,lotions and pampering items as gifts which I appreciate a lot and use up.I water things down,bag balm and coconut oil are my mainstays.Toothpaste is made to last as long as possible and bought at the lowest possible price.I've always worn scent,make-up going out, colour my hair myself,and paint my toes a pretty colour all at bargain basement prices.It's a superficial thing,not a necessity and somewhat vain.On the other hand I think it's important to take care of and nuture myself ,not just on the inside but also on the outside,if that makes any sense,and finding the right balance that works for me.I accept aging and don't fight it but hope to accept all it brings with some grace and humour and taking care of the vessel that carries me through this life.Bye for now,D.

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  31. Mine's minimal like yours, just the basics, homemade soap which I use as shampoo as well and a large jar of E45 cream for everything else, from the 'Out of Date' shop, 50p. I always use a childrens toothbrush, in fact I use an extra soft baby one as adult ones are far too large and even the soft ones are too hard. You should always use a very soft toothbrush for your teeth as those harder ones cause abrasion. Don't know why they even sell those enormous hard toothbrushes, no wonder Britain's teeth are in a dental crisis! (.....You can tell I've just done a free online dental course can't you!)

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  32. I have recently defined my needs in this area. I'm half and half. For years I used only a hot washcloth to clean my face. I've recently discovered a natural face wash for mature skin. I can't believe the difference in how good my skin feels. I make my hand soap from castile soap and deodorant from coconut oil, baking soda, and essential oil. I have not paid for toothpaste in years as I use coupons.

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  33. I'm a bit late to this post but if you have a Wilko's nearby they are selling toothpaste for 13p!
    http://www.wilko.com/toothpaste/wilko-toothpaste-freshmint-100ml/invt/0305598

    Anne

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  34. Iam glad I read this yesterday, spent last night auditing my basket of lotions and potions; I have 8 different tubs and tubes of moisturisers! So I have written a list of what to use up in what order and got rid of 2 already. Most of it has been bought for me as presents. I think when you get to a certain age, you've really got everything you need and christmas presents become a token gesture so I ask for nice smelly toiletries, that way I get everything I need and it doesn't cost me a penny, also it is nice to have an indulgent bath with nice soap for a rare treat. For toothpaste I like Aldi's, it has just as much flouride as the top brands and it tastes mild and pleasant. Yorkshire lass.

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