IN PURSUIT OF SIMPLE: 20 THINGS I NO LONGER BUY

 Hey y'all!

I have seen people film YouTube videos about "50 Things They No Longer Buy" and I thought it would be fun to share something similar on my blog  - but just a bit shorter. Maybe someday I will share 50 things on my YouTube channel, too!

This list is items that have both saved me money and helped reduce the amount of items I consume/throw away. Here are 50 things I no longer buy:

1. Cotton pads/balls to remove my makeup (I switched to these reusable ones!)

2. Tons of holiday decor. I have found that buying tons of pumpkins, seasonal throw pillows, etc. was just not effective for us, and really was not something we ended up enjoying for very long. I still have my Christmas tree/decorations, but that is really all I keep!

3. Excess groceries/food. I found that I have a really great system for ordering my groceries through Instacart, and I have really streamlined our weekly list and planning meals, so it has cut down on stuff to store, as well as waste that we throw out from not eating it. 

4. Candles - I started switching over to diffusing essential oils - it actually smells better to me, and I learned about how toxic candles/fragrances can be!

5. Coffee mugs. Nate and I were completely 100% coffee mug hoarders. We have really stopped buying them, and trying to also scale back on what we have. It helps clear up storage space too!

6. Random stuff at Target - I used to be the queen of impulsive purchases at Target, like mugs, random hair accessories, etc. but I have tried to enjoy looking more and being intentional with my spending. 

7. A gym membership. We tried out a gym here in Dallas, and cancelled just a few months later. Especially here, it was just not worth it. They were so busy, and just such a waste of money. Now, we go on runs/walks outside, or use the Peloton that we have. 

8. Random journals. I used to be addicted to buying journals at Target when I went (see #6) and now I don't keep tons of journals lying around. People always give them as gifts, so I really never need to buy them myself because I never actually fill up using one. 

9. Paper towels - we use these resuable 'towels' and they are really handy for cleaning up the kitchen!

10. Jeans. I found my favorite pair/style of jeans from Everlane (worn in these photos above!) And before, I would buy new jeans all the time trying to find my 'favorite' fit. I decided to try spending a little bit more over the Old Navy or Target options I had been trying, and now I found the best fit for me and I don't have to spend any money on them anymore. 

11. Tons of special occasion clothing. This is a newer thing I've been trying to focus on, but I have tried to stray away from spending a lot of money on 'new' things for events, etc. In college, I was always buying something new for every date party, formal, etc. and I recently tried Nuuly, which is a clothing subscription service, and it is amazing to replace specialty items for events or vacations!

12. Coffee/breakfast at Starbucks. When I worked downtown/at a corporate office, the temptation to grab a coffee at Starbucks in the morning was SO real. I won't say I never go there, but I definitely stopped making it a common occurrence. It saves SO much money. 

13. Drinks at restaurants. This is something I was in a pretty good habit of from college, but we rarely buy drinks, especially alcohol, when we go out to eat. It is such a big expense that really adds up!

14. Tons of hair products. I do dye my hair, but besides my purple shampoo, I really don't buy any hair products and I don't really even put hairspray on my hair, even when I style it and I still think it looks good!

15. Makeup I don't need - makeup is quite expensive, and I really only keep items in my makeup bag that I use every day. I don't have much variance in my day to day makeup, so I don't need excess here. 

16. Pop. I was once addicted to pop/soda, but I have stopped buying pop at the store and buying diet cokes from McDonalds (for the most part, every few weeks we MIGHT go to sonic, but its not a daily thing anymore!)

17. Cleaning products - I actually switched to all natural cleaning products, and I actually use the same bottle of cleaner to clean my entire house!

18. Tons of meals out. We never ate out very much, but quarantine has helped us scale down - and then buying a house made us want to cut back a bit to save extra money. It truly saves SO much money, and we have enjoyed cooking more together at home!

19. Random stuff on clearance/sale. I have been working on my shopping mindset lately, and I was always someone who tended to buy things because I knew it was a good deal. However, the more I've learned, I don't really need that stuff, and it would just end up unused/unworn in my home/closet. 

20. Sponges for washing dishes - another reusable 'hack' is these ones off Amazon.

I hope you all found this list interesting and helpful! Let me know something that you no longer buy to save money/be a bit more minimal. 

-Kenzie