Often, I would know I didn't want something, but I had to get rid of it in the 'best' way possible - by using it up, or donating it, or recycling it. Things that could not be donated (such as part used toiletries) gave me the most grief.
Sounds like me. I'm pretty good at going through the to-do list but theses little things just throw me off! I don't want to waste! things are worth something! And so many websites just say "throw it out," but I feel bad. I guess I feel bad either way, but sometimes the guilt is enough to motivate me to just use it up at a slightly accelerated rate. advicist what did you end up doing with those toiletries, may I ask?
Heartsnhearts it was a process for sure. When it first came up in therapy, my homeswork one week was to identify a toiletry I didn't like and throw it away. As in, just in the bin. Wow, that was hard (yes, I know I live a very wonderful sheltered life if I found that difficult). I actually couldn't bring myself to do it, so at my therapists suggestion, I took some items in and we did it together (wow I sound like a nutjob). I had to keep repeating it until the anxiety went down, to prove to myself that it would. And it did.
Stuff that was really fine (eg shampoo that I just didn't like the smell of) I actually gave to a friend of a friend. I was telling my friend about my therapy and she said, "oh, so and so loves toiletries of all kinds, and she's kind of struggling financially at the moment!", so I started putting things in a bag for her, and each time I saw my friend, I passed them on. On the one hand I wonder if I'm contributing to her toiletry problem, but hey, she might not have my issues, and the feedback is that she loves the surprise bundles.
Things that I just didn't prefer but were good, I used up. I asked myself, really, will I use this? And if not, I threw it out. I genuinely can now throw things away, although I still empty the bottle and put that in the recycling. But for example a 90% used lipstick that I was just forcing myself to use out of guilt, it's gone.
I'm basically down to only products I genuinely like and would repurchase, after using up odds and ends of lotions, conditioners etc. And when I recently bought an eyeshadow I decided I didn't love, I just gave it to friend of a friend straight away. No beating myself up over the wasted money, no moving it around from basket to basket for months, or using it when I have another one I'd rather use. I came to this realisation because I had been using up one I didn't like, and saving another one I did like and only using it occasionally. I finally gave myself permission to only use things I love, and realised that whilst I had been saving my favourite one, fashions had moved on, and I don't like it anymore. I never got to enjoy it, I just punished myself with the one I didn't like. So, no more. I use my favourites, I get rid of everything else.
Wow, that was an essay, sorry.