Over 50 Things we stopped buying and never missed. Oh the beautiful savings!

I keep hearing that becoming a Minimalist is only for rich people and it is expensive to become a Minimalist!


Honestly, I have never heard a good or solid argument for this comment. But here is an example of how Minimalism can save you money.


Lots of money actually!



Bellow,is a list of things we had stopped buying years ago and never missed them.

1. Television cable. ------------> Netflix and Amazon prime
2. Gas for my car. ---------------> Plug-in Electric
3. Oil change for my car.---------------------> Plug-in Electric car
4. Paper towels.-------------> Stack of 20 kitchen washable towels for drying hands and dishes
5. Disposable wipes--------> Micro fibers.
6. Garbage bags--------------> Barely create garbage. Directly in to recycle bin, compost bin and garbage bin. I have three small buckets, one for each in my kitchen and once they are full, I dump everything in the big garbage bins. (But have some bio bags in hand just in case.)
7. Any kind of ziplock bags.-----------> Reusable fabric pencil bags with zipper. Also Pyrex dishes.
8. Aluminum foils -----------> Not needed. Either use Pyrex dishes or cover plates with clean napkins. 
9. Tupperware. -------------------> see this post
10. Plastic wraps.------------------> Not needed Pyrex dishes. Flour cloth. Napkins
11. Sponges ------------------------> hand made crochet from recycled yarn. lasts many years and I just wash them with our laundry.
12. Dish washing liquid-----------> Eco Friendly Multi purpose cleaner
13. Surface cleaner-----------------> Diluted multi purpose cleaner or vinegar. ( Used for bathtub, kitchen.......)
14. Coffee filter -------------------> French press
15. Bottled water ------------------> Tap water in reusable containers. 
16. Hand lotion in kitchen--------> Gentle dish detergent. Olive oil if needed 
17. Jet dry dish washer rinse-----> White Vinegar.
18. Disposable plates, cups, utensils ...------> Small jars for party drinks. Plates and utenciles reusable.
19. Disposable napkins------------> Fabric home made napkins. Only have one pack handy for picky guests. 
20. Disposable aluminum containers------> Big Pyrex dishes
21. Salad dressings.----------------> Olive oil and rice vinegar purchased from bulk store in my own jars.
22. Yoghurt. ------------------------> Home made
23. Tissues --------------------------> Only have a home made handkerchief made out of old Tshirts for my kid with allergies. Rest of us don't need it. Don't even remember what would we be using it for! 
24. Books -----------------> Library and on line blogs. 
25. CD, DVD -------------> Pandora and Netflix.
26. Toys -------------------> Once a year for Christmas. One Big toy only. The Birthday party is our gift by itself.
27. Clothes ---------------> once a year or so. Only if we truly need something. (Consumerism and buying cheap clothing and fast fashion is horrible for the environment.)
28. Fabric softener-------> Not needed. Haven't used for many years and no one noticed. 
29. Drier sheets-----------> Not needed
30. Face wipes, make up removers, eye make up removers wipe..... ------ > wash with soap and wash cloth. Olive oil. Or coconut oil to remove make up. Don't wear too much make up any ways. 
31. Cotton rounds--------> Home made and reusable. 
32. Shower gel------------> Soap
33. Exfoliator and scrubs for body.-----------------> Natural Loofah or a wash cloth
34. Hair masks and treatments-----------------------> Olive oil and conditioner
35. Face scrubs ----------------------------------------> Baking Soda
36. Tooth Paste-----------------------------------------> Home made
37. Mouth wash.---------------------------------------->  No need
38. Different lotions for different parts of body. Foot lotion, hand lotion, cellulitis, dark spots, skin brighter.ETC, ETC....!!! --------> Home made lotion. Coconut butter+Shea butter+ bees wax+ water+ jojoba oil. Or just put some oil on right after shower and you are done. 
39. Different make ups --------------->  See this post
40. Colognes and perfumes ---------->  Only have one perfume and only use it on special occasions. Lasts two years. It is in my Christmas list every other year. 
41. Face mask, cleanser, toner, tanner, black head remover. Etc......... ----------> Soap. Lemon juice. coconut and olive oil. Peroxide for acne. Baking soda.
42. Hand sanitizers --------------------> Not needed.
43. Candles. Still have from old days. ------> But not really needed. Used once awhile. 
44. Bath foams, salts, fizzer........ -------------> Not needed. Preferring quick showers due to Drought. 
45. Seosonal decorations ----------------> see this post.
46. Air freshener -------------------------->  natural or not needed. 
47. Office supplies.------------------------> We are paperless.
48. Printer ink -----------------------------> refill.
49. Extra Shoes ---------------------------> maybe once per year for each family member only as needed. (Fast fashion is damaging to environment)
50. Latest gadgets and electronics.--------------> still working on my husband on that. But he is doing much better :) 

I am sure there is more. But honestly, many more items I see in other people's houses that I don't buy, need nor have.

It is kind of hard to know what you don't buy if you never bought them. For example different laundry detergents for dark and light and white and wool .........

Laundry perfumes!!!!!  ....... I never even knew they do exist!!!  (What a waste of money!) 

Did, NOT buying these items changed our quality of life? You bet it did! 

-A LOT Less clutter (Visually, Mentally and Emotionally).
-Less wasting time window shopping and browzing.
-Less stress due to things finishing and being low on something. (" I need to run! We need fabric softness and I can't do laundry!" A friend once said ).
-Less spending.
-Less time at stores ( We are usually In and Out).
-Less junk to organize and deal with.


 Yes. All these Less'es deeply changed the quality of our lives.

Think about it. 

What are YOU not buying and not missing?
Paris.


Addendum:


I noticed that my computer hadn't saved my proof reading and this post was packed with mistakes. Please accept my apology.


While I am correcting the problem, I may as well add few more items.


Hee hee hee.


Here there are.

51.  Vacuum cleaner bags ------------------------>Roomba and a hand held vacuum. Just emptying the canister directly in the garbage bin does it.
51.  Any specialty tools, like various peeler, Apple cutter, Garlic crusher, Olive oil mister...........
52.  Most school supplies. Pens and other items-------------------------------> We have enough from old days to last us years to come. (Don't even know where all these pencils and pens are coming from)
53.  Extra clothing -----------------------------> We buy about once a year or so and only what we need.
54.  Microwave. Haven't had one for years.
55.  Individually packaged snacks.
56.  House decorations.----------> We have only two paintings which we have had for over 15 years.
57.  Unwanted gifts for friends -------------------> Beer, Wine, Food, eatables, Flowers, Gift card (Everybody has more than enough stuff in their houses. More incoming items for them are not the best gifts)
58.  Jewelry (Custom or real)---------------------> I have had few favorites that I love for years. Nothing new coming in
59. Nail polish ------------------> Have had a couple for years now.
60. Last but not least!!!!! Anything other than strict necessary. Includes Extra Glasses, Extra Sun Glasses, Multiple different drinking and coffee cups and glasses, Serving dishes, Fancy looking anything, Duplicate of anything and anything that needs to be advertised to be sold.


Can't even imagine how hectic my life would have been if I had been buying those stuff.


Thank you everybody for reading. Please think about your own shopping habits.
Paris

See my new page "Related Movies"

I love to watch documentaries. They are so many wonderful and eye opening documentaries out there and most of them are free. On my new page, i created a list of many movies and documentaries for you that have been life changing for me and my family.

So Please look on the right side of my blog for the newly added page called " Related movies".

I will constantly update it and add more links and names. I will deeply appreciate it if you wonderful readers add to my list by making a comment to this post.

Here is a link to my new page.

Thank you and enjoy.
Paris

The secret of Minimalist traveling.

Today i want to share with you how we travel simply and minimalistic.



All the suitcases we need!!!

We used to have at least 8 suitcases with various sizes and colors. We had a nice set we bought from Costco. It had four different pieces and we used it quite a lot. We also had many other pieces that we bought due to the immediate need at different places. My husband had some he liked and bought and our kids had Hello Kitty ones and other characters and styles. Our garage was packed with all kinds of suitcases and we also had lots and lots of toiletries bags. some came with the suitcases, some were free gifts with purchases and some were purchased because they were good deals or nice or cute or bigger or smaller...

I found out that this was not the case only in our home. I met many people that had that many suitcases. (if not more ) Garages and closets and storages filled with them in every house. I also remember seeing people buying extra suitcases when they are ready to come back home from a trip. This last one is due to excessive shopping while on a trip or a vacation.That is a HUGE source of frustration when the travelers are getting ready to pack and come back home.

My big wake up call about my luggage happened when we were spending three weeks in Spain last year. I was a Minimalist and tried hard to bring the least amount of stuff with us. I thought i was doing good till it was time to return. My husband returned earlier due to his work schedule and took one of our suitcases with him. But when i was getting ready to come back, packing became a nightmare. I still don't know how we ended up with so much stuff on our way back. We bought some stuff. But for some reason, it was extremely hard to fit everything. I had the option to buy another inexpensive bag. But i refused to do it and insisted that i am not going to be defeated by stuff.

After a trip with heavy suitcases coming with all sizes and shapes, changing plains over and over again, i promised myself that i am going to do a big overhaul. Our traveling style was in the need of a desperate make over and it wasn't working for us.

So,

After many research and considerations, for Christmas, we bought four small, light, simple, matched Cary-on suitcases. One per person and no more than that. It took a little bit of work to bring my husband and kids on the same page with me. But the result was wonderful.

We tested our new style on our trip to Iran this summer. We each got one suitcase and the gifts we took to Iran were evenly distributed between the suitcases. I packed the gifts first. This would let my kids and I know how much room we had left to pack our own stuff. We packed for less than one week and just simply did laundry there. On our way back, our luggage were lighter due to the gifts being gone. We easily had room for the souvenirs and yummy local delicatessens we were given and bought to bring for our friends and family here in US with some more room to spare.

While traveling, we ran in to some complications and problems due to delays of the airplane and very frustrating un-cooperativeness of Turkish Airlines staff. We ended up having to get our luggage, carry them around the airport during our transition in Turkey and check them back in again. Then due to all the changes and not having an active cell phone that worked in Turkey, once arrived in Iran, we had to take the Taxi to my dad's house since he didn't know what time we would arrive. All these, with only three carry-ons were a piece of cake. My kids each carried their own luggage and moving around was not a problem at all. This trip, going around the world, even though long ( 35 hours door to door) was a lot easier than our vacation to Spain. We also traveled to two different cities in Iran by Bus and Airplane. Those were also very easy to manage and the low number of our luggage surprised everybody. The allowed weight for the airplane trips are 50 pounds per person. We had 48 ponds for all three of us. ( My husband didn't come with us due to his yearly humanitarian trip to Equators. He also took his new suitcase and loved it)

Now that our new system passed it's test, we will NEVER ever go back to the old system of multiple bags and styles and colors. This simple solution also helped us to locate our suitcases very easily on the carousels in the airports since they all look the same.

Another problem it solved was, the small disagreements we sometimes had over who gets the bigger suitcase and who gets the smaller one. We also sometimes didn't have room in the smaller suitcases and had to share the big one. This would cause a big mess in our destination and our clothes got mixed up. Now, each person is responsible for their own clothes and luggage and nothing gets mixed up.

As far as storage goes, each person is storing one in their room. The empty suitcase could be either placed under the bed, or in the closet. They are very easy to store.

How many suitcases do you have?

Paris



Minimalist Cosmetics

A few years ago, I used to have a huge amount of cosmetics. The problem was that i was buying even more and more.

The problem is that we believe if we buy more, we will look better, or will be happier. We even believe a new set of makeup will change our life. The truth is that we all have too much. way too much.

Three years ago, i finally decided that enough is enough. So I started to reduce and declutter.
Now three years later, i believe i finally found my happy place with my cosmetics.


Do you have too much cosmetics:

Follow these tips:

• Check the expiration dates. Make ups don't change their texture or smell much due to tons of chemical preservatives in them. This makes us hard to pay attention to the expiration dates. The best is to replace after 2 years. No make up should really be good after two years.

• Buy only 1. All you need is one of every thing you use. stop buying a kit that has all the eye Shadow, mascara, eye liner and you still have more eye liners, mascaras and other cosmetics.

• Stop buying. In order to organize and minimize, you need to stop buying. Make sure you use what you have first before you buy anything more. I bet you have plenty make up to last you years. You can save a lot of money by Not buying.

• Let go. Every thing you haven't used for the past year, just toss or give to someone. The chances are that you will never use that again.

• Stop occasion buying. Many people buy make ups for a specific occasion, like Prom, Wedding, Birth day party... The problem is that once the occasion is finished, all the charm is gone and all those expensive make up will end up at the bottom of your drawer and add to your clutter.
• Know what you have. Make sure you have all you make up and other cosmetics in one place. Put all the same items together in the same place. Lets say if you have multiple eye shadows, you want to make sure they are all in one place. This will help you locate whatever you need a lot faster and there will be a low chance for you to buy an item just because you didn't find it.

• Organize. If you keep all your items in their right place, there will be less likely for you to feel like you don't have enough. Only when you organize them, you will notice how many you got. Organizing also help you to have a clam, nice, accessible area.
• Donate and share. If there is anything that you know you are not going to use and is in pretty good shape, give it to a friend. They will probably put it to good use instead of it seating in your drawer or cabinet.
• Dont' buy sale. When we buy items on sale, we have the tendency to buy unnecessary items just because they are on sale. You have to be strong and tell yourself that you don't have to own everything that comes with a good deal. The best deal is you not buying it at all. Trust me. Your savings will be a lot higher if your just don't buy that unnecessary item.
• Buy only when needing it. Make sure you stop shopping just because. Only buy the items that you know you will and only if you know you truly need it. Otherwise it is just adding to your clutter.
• Buy natural. Try to buy only natural makeups. After all, the make up along with all the chemicals in it, will staying on your skin for a long time and will absorb in your body. The more natural a make up is, the less chemical will have, thus the shorter shelf life will be. So it is good to only buy what you exactly need, because they will not last, years after years in your drawer. This will make you buy only necessities.

My simplification worked and I am content with the amount of my make up.

All i need now is:

My minimalistic cosmetics.

1. A good face Foundation. ( I have troubled skin)
2. A wonderful face powder + Application brush
3. A waterproof eyeliner.
4. A waterproof mascara.
5. One multi use shade for eyeshadow
6. 4 different colors of long lasting lipsticks
                Natural plum ( Cold)
                Dark red
                Bronze
                Natural Orange( Warm)
I mix and match these 4 colors depending of what i wear. I always get asked about my lip colors and never have a good answer. Because it is always a mixture of many shades.
7. All in a cotton cosmetic bag.

Do i have other cosmetics, yes. The ones that i bought long time ago and are pretty similar to these. I keep them to replace one of these, once one item finishes. After that, i will always buy only what i need. And only when one item is almost finished. We are lucky enough to not have to worry, about not finding something later again. Here in US, there is never a lack of STUFF. You can always find everything in stores. So, no need to stock up.

At nights I just wash my face with warm water and soap ( I have acne prone skin). The stubborn make up can be cleaned easily with Jojoba oil.

How did you simplified your cosmetics?

Paris

Simplified linen closet

Organize and simplify your linen closet.

Linen closet could become the source of stress and clutter. Linens are something that you could easily buy too much of. It could be a big task to organize and declutter. But with the right system, it could also be quite simple and organize.

Simplified towels

Minimalistic towel system.

Simple and organize towel system is well worth the minimal effort and money spent.

We used to have tons of mismatched towels. Bunch of guest towels, old Hello Kitty, Barbie, Cars, Spider-Man towels. Over the past 10 years the Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgivings sales got me many times and caused me to buy tons of extra stuff thinking our life will be happier with these. But the truth is that it just added to our stress and clutter.

Now, I don't even think or stress about it any more. My system worked!!!

Easy Laundry

Laundry.

One of the biggest complain of all times by families, here in US, is doing laundry.

Over the years I heard complains about :

• The time it takes.
• The load of unwashed clothes waiting
• The cost of detergent and fabric softener
• The allergies to some stuff
• The electricity cost
• The fragrances, some family member love it and some hate it.
• The washing separate. Baby clothes with baby hypoallergenic detergent, kitchen separate, undies separate, hand wash, wash in cold, delicate, ...
• The big old enemy, FOLDING.
• Surprisingly, the least of every body's  concern and my own #1 , effect on the environment.
• ...

I personally like doing laundry. A lot.

Here is why.