Week One: Use it Up


The challenge for Week One of Frugal February is to “Use it Up!”
I don’t like the ends of things. Not of jobs or days or relationships or trips. Or bottles of hairspray, toothpaste, lotion, or handsoap. 
So I ditch. I ditch before they’re really through, and move on early.
Leaving me with (all other things aside), lots and lots of nearly-empty bottles. 
Sigh. 
So! My goal is to use up the half-empty bottles. There’s lots of money in them there bottles! 
Another great idea to “use up”? Food– I know I sure waste a lot of food by not planning ahead and using things on time. So I’ll try to manage that, as well.
What are you going to USE UP instead of buying new, to save some buckaroos?

6 comments

  1. I do the same thing leave 1/2 empty bottles of things so, I've been participating in my own "project 10 pan" for a while. You choose 10 beauty (etc) items and choose to use them up (hit pan like in a blush) before you buy another product. I recently finished a hair product and it felt great! My list also included a chapstick, a few lotions of various sizes, an eyeshadow and a moisturizer to name a few. It can be anything. It also helps you to re-evaluate what products you actually use and like so that you don't buy them again unless you really like them! I put an eco-twist on mine though. Each time I finish one type of product (ex. all the hair products) I move on to an eco-friendlier version of the product. Its a great way to go greener gradually and not be wasteful! Good luck!

  2. Ahhh I need to use up some of the endless bottles of perfume and body spray I have : ) And maybe a couple hair products, too. Excellent plan! Going to get on that!

    Jenn

    passengerseatperspectives.blogspot.com

  3. Go for it Jenn!! Yay! {cheerleading, hehe} Luckily I only have a few of those right now, my favorites, so I don't want to use THOSE up toooooo quickly 😉 Let me know your progress, too!

  4. Great minds think alike, Alexandra! I love your idea, and have been thinking along the same lines of replacing with eco-friendly products. Such a great goal! I hope everyone is reading the comments section 🙂

  5. I love your motto 🙂

    I'm with you on the food thing–I always try to get creative with food toward the end of the week and aim to have everything in the fridge used up by the time I go to the grocery store again. It's always a challenge, but it feels good to not be wasteful!

  6. Ive actually been trying to use things up for a while. When you know you're at the end of a time in life (college) and you expect to be moving across a country you really evaluate how much "stuff" you have. My worst offenders are lotions, and cleaning supplies. Lotions because every year I ask for ONE kind for Christmas (Body Shop Body Butter) and family keep giving all sorts of other lotions that I dont like! I try to use them and save my precious body butter for when Im in desparate need, yet I just dotn use the other stuff so I have dry hands ALL the time and a ton of half empty lotions. But I cant throw them away…. Thanks for the reminder and support to what we all know we should, use it up!!! (also trying to remember that I dont NEED to buy more tea as I have not emptied any of my 4 flavors yet) Im even jumping ahead and seriously evaluating a pair of shoes and jeans (which are needs, as both are worn out, but can I do without?) It seems finances are all anyone is talking about in my world lately. Church is doing the Financial Peace University, although we are not doing it, many of our friends are, so we keep hearing about it. Then your wonderful blog, and on top my hubby constantly telling me how much we have in student loans, how much we have to make to pay them off in 3 years (after we both find real jobs in May!) My head wants to explode, but with God's grace and patience, I'm sure I will gain something from all this bombardment 😀

    Any ideas what to do with old jeans where the inner thigh is shredding? Patching doesnt work, I can't trust my sewing machine to attempt to make them into a skirt (and I just dont wear skirts that often anyway).

    Shoes: my waterproof hikers are dead, I wear them everyday and they broke at between the upper and the sole and thus are not waterproof anymore, they have also recently deicded to start rubbing my heel wrong and causing blisters :-/ I switched to my 'gym' shoes, lightweight breathable runners. Runners are bad winter shoes, makes for cold feet, yet its not cold enough to wear my snow boots! As I see it, I need to go shoe shopping. Im trying to wait, will the weather change? Will I stumble across a nice pair that fits me?

    wow…I typed a lot. Ill stop now

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