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

Don't give up on them.

Hotel soap.

A while ago, I saw a post on Pinterest about how to whiten and wash you pillows. On that person's blog post, i read the comments and was very surprised to find out that there are many people that don't wash their pillows. they just throw them away, because they are getting yellowed!!!

Coincidentally around the same time, I saw someone throwing away six perfectly good, but lightly yellowed  pillows. I was shocked!!! thinking about all the material and effort wasted.( I acted upon those pillows and saved them. More on that later)

I started imagining and thinking about the oil that has been extracted from under the ground, Factories that has been built, paperwork that has been done, regulations that has been set up to process that oil, Cotton plants that have been planted and harvested, animals that have been killed for their down and feathers to be used...
Just imagine all the work, time, money and effort going in to making those pillows! And then they have to be transported across the world by massive ships full of containers to finally get to our stores and bought by us. So we can throw them away, because we didn't want to wash them???!!!

This makes my head spin.

When we travel and stay in Hotel rooms, one small thing that has been bothering me was the soap that we use once or twice and would end up in the trash can. i always bring them back with me and keep using them till they are finished. Not because i am cheap. Because i value the effort and hard work that went in to making that soap and it shouldn't be only for one time use. I prefer to take our own soap, so we don't have to unwrap and discard the wraps ( Mostly plastic) the hotel soaps come in. But some times i forget and have to use their soap. That is when they always come back home with me and get used till gone.

Another day, I was at a drugstore and noticed they have many dying live plants. I asked if i could water them, they said "no, they are dying and it is time for them to go either way". I offered to take them home and take care of them. Then bring them back, thinking about all the plastic containers that will end up in landfill if they are thrown away. It bothered me that just because a teenager in the store forgot to water those otherwise perfectly good plants, they will all end up dead and their containers in landfills. But they said it is against their policy. So I ended up buying as many as I could for a discount. They are now happily seating in my home, well fed, green and fresh.


This made me think;
Why we give up on something so easily?
Why don't we work to improve things?
Why are we so scared of hard work?
What is up with this national laziness epidemic?
Why are we so scared of inconvenience?
Why are we taking things and our conveniences for granted?

Our life has never been more convenient as humans and we are still unhappy and are looking for easier life and even more conveniences.

Why nobody repairs things any more?
Why we don't care any more?

If your children get sick, would you treat them? If your home, your shelter needs repair, would you repair it? If your car needs repair, would you do it? Why not doing this for everything in our life?

Lets seat back for a moment and look around us and think about our addiction to newness. We have been brainwashed by the marketing companies to think," Why bother with something old, if you can have a new one for dirt cheap." The problem is, none of us know, or are told the high price that is paid for our dirt cheap conveniences.

I don't know if you have seen the animation movie " Robots". The whole movie is based on the mind set of corporations telling people ( in this case robots) to buy new upgrades instead of repairing their old bodies. Even in this movie the scrap metals are getting recycled. In our real life, nothing that ends up in the landfills gets recycled. Have you ever recycled a pillow?

China, the main producer of our dirt cheap plastic goodies is in horrible shape. The pollution in their water and air is unbelievable. Despite their economic growth, people don't look happier. I read that even in one of their factories, they had to install a net to prevent their workers from suicide attempts. This is the price that is paid for our disposable NEW plastic stuff we are addicted to buying.

Think twice before you throw something away and buy a new one. Can it be washed? can it be repaired? can it be used longer? can it be taken care of? loved? or upgraded or up cycled?

Stop and think and see if you can paint, reupholster, hem, repair, wash, glue, clean, sew, treat and even simply water something, before you throw it away and think about buying a new one. And guess what, the financial savings from the money you otherwise would throw away are a welcomed side effect too.

What have you cared for and revitalized lately?

Nissan Leaf. Electric vehicle

Nissan Leaf. My Electric vehicle.

 

I have a Nissan leaf. I always wanted one. Few month ago, my husband found one with a great deal. He got it for me for my 40 Th Birth day(Thank you love :)

Before the Nissan Leaf I used to drive a huge van. I always felt guilty driving around, by myself, in such a huge car, just to run errands. I felt that I am using all this energy, imported gas and create all this pollution to just lets say buy some apple, or mail a card.

Now I drive around in my little Nissan Leaf and drive guilt free. We live in a place that it is almost impossible not to own a car. Our suburb has been built for big cars and homes were built with 2,3, sometimes even 4 car garages. It makes me think that even if someone wants to take the public transportation and live a greener lifestyle, the city planing makes it almost impossible.

My small Nissan Leaf  has some pro's and Cons.

Pros

• zero emission. Thus no pollution.
 
• Zero gas. Bye bye gas stations.
 
• No oil change. ever!!!
 
• Smooth.drives very nice and smooth.
 
• Very low electricity usage.uses only around $30- $50 electricity per month which we are hoping to offset with signing up with Greenergy on SMUD.
 
• Grate mileage in town.That is where I mostly drive.

• No noise pollution. It even has an artificial noise generator to warn people that a car is approaching.

• Has the looks. classy, cool, matching every age group.
 
• Guilt free driving. not worrying about the pollution or the gas consumption.
 
• Free fast charging stations.All the Whole Foods stores have free charging stations right in front of the store and the parking spot is reserved only for Electric vehicle owners.
 
• Can be plugged in to any electric plug.

• Recharges itself when pressing the break.
 
• Comfortable, spacious and works perfect for a family if 4.

• Clean air access sticker for Carpool driving.

Cons

• Charging takes too long. 12 hours at home and 6 hours at the commercial chargers to charge if the battery is completely empty ( mine has never gotten completely empty yet)
• The fast half an hour commercial chargers are not on west coast of USA yet.
• It does not give me a good mileage in highway. I can see clearly how my battery 's energy is draining when driving in a highway.
• It can not be a family's only car in a suburb. For example if I need to drive to the airport and back, I might not make it on one charge ( i will need to recharge in the airport, it is free, but i will need to spend hours there to wait for the charging to complete). So we have to plan and exchange cars with my husband if I need to drive further or have too many far errands to run.

Overall I am loving and enjoying my beautiful Leaf and also I see many people asking me about it. It makes me happy to see people considering a zero emission electric vehicle.I only wish it was white!!!

Have you considered or test drove a Hybrid or a Electric car?