Hello everyone! Today, I wanted to share a list of ten things I’ve noticed that I no longer buy.

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I saw either a YouTube video or blog post (or both? I can’t remember!) of someone sharing a few things that they are no longer purchasing. I realized that there’s quite a few items that I’m no longer buying too, so I thought I’d share some too.

Part of the reason to share them is because I am always trying to be more conscious of the environment and trying to be more sustainable. I blogged about sustainability last year a bit, which is the post I linked in the previous sentence, but I don’t think that sustainability has appeared in my blog too much since. That’s quite a shame, because I do think about sustainability quite often, and try to do my part.

I figured this post would be a perfect way to continue to talk about sustainability on my blog, as well as a bit of budgeting and trying to save money too.

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Ten Things I No Longer Buy

1. Candles

So, I used to really enjoy candles! I loved to buy a new candle, and amassed quite a collection at one point. My favorite scents were (and still are!) peony or generally floral scents. However, I eventually realized that I was collecting candles at a much faster rate than I was burning them. I really only burn candles in the winter, if at all, as I prefer to keep the windows open when it’s nice and it seems silly to use a candle then. Ever since I’ve stopped buying candles. But I’ve also stopped burning them as often too, which means that I have a backlog of candles!

Once I eventually use up my candles (if I ever do! I might have to ask my sister if she wants to take any off my hands… Sister, if you’re reading this, please raid my candles stash next time you visit) I want to change what kind of candles I buy. I used to just buy the most common candles (i.e. Bath & Body Works, stuff at TJ Maxx or Target, etc.) but since then I’ve realized that they’re not the greatest candles. I want to try out soy candles next as they’re supposedly better but I’d likely do some light research first to double check that. I’ll also want to check for burn times, scents (of course), and maybe try to support small businesses selling candles on Etsy or their own sites. Usually the thing that stops me from trying that kind of stuff is thinking that those candles will be overpriced or shipping will be too expensive. Which, maybe it might seem that way but I think generally I’ll feel better paying a few extra bucks for shipping and for a handmade item instead of giving my money to a giant corporation. I might not completely stick to that, but we’ll see!

2. Snacks

This might sound crazy, but I’ve found that it really works for me! I found that a lot of my snacks were not only unhealthy, but also over-packaged and kind of pricey. So many snack bars, for example, have crazy amounts of sugar added, plus are all individually wrapped in plastic. Both of those things make me feel uneasy about eating them when I really think about it so I stopped buying them. I’ve made some in the past for myself, which were really good so I should do that more often. But I really I have stopped buying so many snacks and it also led to me losing weight without really trying during the quarantine last year, which I managed to keep off by continuing not to snack. Sometimes I miss snacking all day, every day. But I also love losing weight without really trying, so I’m going to keep up this habit of not snacking!

3. Face Masks

Okay, be honest, did you think of the cloth pandemic variety or the beauty sheet masks first? When I first wrote this I meant the cloth pandemic kind (I’ll explain in a bit) but as I kept thinking about it, I also don’t buy the beauty ones either so I’ll chat about both! Two in one!

First up, the cloth face masks. I know so many people on social media seem to have enough face masks for a small army or something. They have all the colors, patterns, and they all look so pretty. I have two. Yes, two! Both are the same solid bright pink color. They are the most boring face masks. Why? Well mostly because I bought them at the start of the pandemic at Target because the woman’s masks I’d bought on Etsy were way too big for my face, so I got one of their kids’ pack of masks. I’ll admit, I tried to find more kids’ sized masks but the new patterns that Target brought in are so obviously for kids with little hearts or dinos and crazy colors. Hard pass! The other reason I never got more was because I realized how little I need them. I rarely go to the store, so really the only time I needed them was for the socially distant DIY projects at the library when I’d wear them to approach the librarian providing materials (we sat outside and put our blankets far away from each other to do the projects) and now to go pick up materials at the library (books and DIY take home boxes mostly). So I really don’t need more than two masks! And I generally wear pink anyway, so it’s not like it’s a shock to wear a pink mask for me. Now, if I had a reason to leave my house routinely, like a job outside my house, I likely would buy more to have enough for each day, but two work fine for me at the present time.

As for the beauty sheet masks, I stopped buying those too! I was never a huge fan of them, as I always felt that the product stayed on the mask or in the package more than on my face. Plus I’m quite lazy about skin care as I honestly feel that my face breaks out more when I put in effort than when I don’t. (It’s a little sensitive.) So I don’t buy sheet masks either. I think I gave most of my backlog of sheet masks away when I went to Mexico to my cousins, who seemed excited to get them. So no more sheet masks for me!

4. Clothing

When I shopped more often, I would find myself in love with the new clothing items that I’d see. I loved finding new stuff to buy for my closet but with the pandemic, I realized I had all these fast fashion items that I didn’t need anymore. I don’t have an office job anymore, or anywhere else to really wear them to. I do still wear my clothes around the house anyway, of course, but things like jeans have become completely useless. They don’t even fit anymore because I’ve lost quite a few pounds! Also, I’ve come to realize how much clothing I have. I have so much stuff that I really don’t need to buy anything new for a long, long time. Especially tops. Once I do find a new job I will need to get new pants that fit, but shirts and sweaters? Nope, I have plenty of those! I did buy a sweater from Taylor Swift’s merch though, I’ll be honest about that. But I bought that during the Black Friday sales and I’m pretty sure that was the last time I bought a clothing item. Before that? I can’t even remember!

5. Books 😦

This one breaks my heart but… I’ve stopped buying books. Not really by choice, but the closest Barnes & Noble to me is 45 minutes away, and I’m way too lazy to drive that much now that I’m not used to it anymore. I also own so many books, that I have two book shelves full already. I don’t have space for more currently, and while I’ve always dreamed of having a home library, I want to wait to get more books until I have my own house and can finally have a permanent home for them. Plus, I have so many that I’ve never read or never finished that I should read those first before I get more. On top of that, I have access to endless numbers of books through my library, both physical and e-books. Oh, and since the start of the pandemic, I’ve come to really love e-books, so I am thinking of getting a Kindle instead of more books.

6. Home Decor

I love to decorate my space as much as anyone else. In fact, I love redecorating more than anyone else I’d argue. But as I get more and more serious about wanting to buy my own place in the coming years, I shudder at the thought of having to pack up everything and having to transport it all someday. So I’ve stopped buying home decor, and I’m making do with what I have. Plus, styles and preferences change so often that buying stuff for “someday” seems silly. I do have a few items for “someday” still stored but for most of the stuff I’ve bought for my future home have become a current home item.

7. Holiday Decor

So this one might be close to the home decor category but I felt this so strongly last month with the holidays that I figured I might as well share this separately. I fell in love with the black and white buffalo checkered print that was super in style but I don’t own black and white ornaments. I did think about buying some but I really didn’t want to deal with the headaches of storing them later. In the past few years we’ve acquired so many new ornaments, that it’s so annoying trying to organize them to put them away! Instead, I used all the ornaments we already have (actually we have so many I probably only used 70% of them) and only bought a handful of the buffalo print stuff. So I guess I still did buy some inexpensive pieces but no where close to what I would have in the past.

8. Water Cups

By water cups I mean those common tumbler cups with straws. I used to buy them quite often, and so when my mom and I were talking about them recently I thought I’d add them to this list. So, I’m a huge fan of the Starbucks 32oz tumbler cups. I bought a pink metal one for cold drinks literally years ago. I think I’ve had it easily around 2-3 years now. I would say I’ve only noticed the color chipping on the edges and the bottom within the past year or so, but the rest looks perfect still. Previously, I would have to buy a new one every 6-9 months as they’d break but this cup has held up for so long. I don’t get Starbucks often anymore, and when I do I can’t use the cup because they’re not accepting reusable cups during the pandemic, but I use it for water every day. I find it so much easier to drink more water when I have a big water cup and a straw, so once this one does eventually break I will likely buy a replacement, but otherwise I’m only using this one! I did almost buy a new one in Texas last year when I went on a work trip but my coworker (wisely) pointed out I already had one when I mentioned it.

Recently, my mom bought me a hot drinks Starbucks travel mug. It’s beautiful because it is also of the metal variety. It’s a 12oz I think, maybe 16, so it’s not as big but with hot drinks I tend to get a smaller size anyway, so that’s perfect! I actually didn’t have a travel mug anymore as my previous one broke and I never replaced it. And that’s exactly what I want to do. I want to wait to replace something instead of buying so many extras. I plan to do the same with my regular mugs too. I have so many that I plan to wait until most or all of them are broken to get any new ones later on.

9. Movies

I think this one will be pretty obvious but physical copies of movies are something I don’t buy anymore. I’ve gotten quite a few streaming services that I share with my family so I don’t see the need! Usually I can find something to watch and if there’s something I want to see but don’t have it on those services, I can usually get it through my library. But I generally find something to watch anyway so there’s no need to worry about it!

10. Handbags

Sadly, I don’t buy handbags anymore. I used to have such a big collection of inexpensive bags. I still have quite a few handbags, but I don’t often use them as I don’t really go anywhere anymore. Now, I just use my favorites and keep a few for decor in my bedroom. I love handbags still and I’m sure I would still buy cute, affordable designer ones if I did have an office job again and there wasn’t a pandemic but for now, I don’t buy any handbags anymore.

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So those are ten things I no longer buy! I do notice I have a lot less clutter, save more by not buying them, and in general I don’t really miss them. I’m sure if I thought about it some more I’d find a ton more things I no longer buy, so maybe I’ll do a part two at some point.

Thanks for reading!

Pamela

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