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

Simple 15 Min. Shoe repair.

Ripped only after few months.

Simple 15 Min. Shoe repair.

Yesterday, i noticed my beloved husband's Gym shoes. The sponge on the back side was completely gone. I asked him about the shoes.
"It is time for them to go. I need a new pair" Was the answer my husband gave.Of course, I couldn't agree more, at first.







In my mind:

My inner Economist Housewife said:" Oh boy. Didn't we just buy those few month ago? They suppose to be the best kind that is good for the back support. But he is right. The whole back is gone and they have no support. We will need to spend lots of money again to buy another decent pair.

My inner Green Diva said: "We will donate or recycle them. So someone else will use them."

My inner Economist Housewife said: "Or we can take them to the neighborhood Shoe repair store (Cobbler) and have them repaired. It hopefully will cost less.

My inner Green Diva agreed: " We could do that.What a waste if all these plastic pieces end up in landfills.

My inner Homestead said: "I might be able to repair them. All i need is some shoe glue and some foam. A quick trip to a craft store will solve that."

My inner Green Diva didn't like the idea of driving to store( Gas and pollution) for a small task. She also didn't like to buy packaged glue and foam. All plastics and all waste and clutter creators.

Well. I combined my inner Economist Housewife, my Green Diva and my inner Homestead and came up with a solution.

I said" I am going to try to repair it only with what i have in the house. So here i went.











The foam was completely gone. But the fabric was still there rolled down.




I searched for something in our home to be used to replace the foam. Some soft and puffy yarn and a crochet stick were my solutions. You can also use your dryer lint to replace the foam. I also thought about using an old folded sock to replace the piece which could replace the fabric as well, if it was missing. But in this case, the fabric was there.

It took less than 3 minutes to crochet the pieces. I measures the holes on both shoes and made two of these.

Then just placed them in the shoe.Unrolled the fabric and cover the pieces. Sewing them was a little bit of a healthy and fun challenge considering the position of the piece.

Here is the final result. Like new. They also feel very comfortable and resilient.My husband loves it and he said they have never been so comfortable before.

What have you repaired lately? Please live a comment and let me know. I love reading your comments.

Paris

Quest to finding the perfect purse.

Quest to finding the perfect purse.

Purses are one of the most vital parts of a woman's life. They carry all our stuff, along with our children's stuff. Not to mention carrying our husband's keys and valet and sun glasses for them.

"Honey, can you please put my key in your purse? I don't know where to put them." Is a familiar phrase in our home.

Many years ago, i bought a red purse that i used once in a while. I just loved the color. Back when i started to reduce and minimise, this one was a purse that i just couldn't let go of. So i kept it.

Now i only have three purses. One is for summer, One is a gift from my lovely sister in-law that i Cherish and love and one is my red purse. Once the cold weather started, i started carrying the red one around and loved it. It was making me happy. My only problem was that since it was a big purse, i tend to over fill it. But i was OK with it. Unfortunately, being an inexpensive purse, the wear and tear started showing right away. Before i knew it, i started not enjoying it as much. The little threads started showing and only after couple of short months use, it already looked old.

The look started bothering me and it was time for another purse. Here is my quest for a perfect purse.

Since i am not buying anything any more unless i really need and love it, i took this quest very seriously. First i looked on line to see what i really wanted.

What was i looking for?
. Something versatile to be matched with any kind of clothing.
. Made with natural material. No plastic please.
. Minimalist look.
. Classic and timeless look,
. Not too expensive, but the price was something i was willing to pay for a purse that lasts few years.
. Preferably red. I still loved the color of that red purse of mine.
. Preferably a consignment piece since i love to reduce, and reuse. It is good for the nature.

My quest started with online searches. Everything i loved were very expensive designer pieces. Then i looked in the Mall. The same problem. The style i liked were mostly either made of plastic, or very expensive.Then i started looking in the consignment stores in our town. The styles that i liked,  were almost all made by "Dooney and Bourke" brand. They are just all beautiful, but too heavy. I remember when i used to have few of their purses and they were hurting my shoulders. The prices in consignment stores were reasonable compare to the original price. But my comfort was not something i was ready to sacrifice for beauty.

After many searches and stubbornness, i finally was ready to give up, just go to the outlet mall and get the expensive , but almost perfect brown purse i saw there. I truly wanted something that lasts a lot more than few months for me.

One day, when i was dropping some stuff at the "Snowline hospice store" for donations, I just suddenly decided to have a look there.

BINGO.

There it was, waiting for me, the exact purse i was looking for with the tag still on , brand new with the beautiful price of $4.75. Yes I am not joking. It was four dollars and seventy five cents. It was made by Wilson leathers and was red. It was even smaller than my old red purse thus the perfect size for me. It looked like it was custom made for me.

Yes. That is when my quest for the perfect purse ended with a very happy ending.

Lessons learnt. Always take your time and research and don't under estimate the second hand donation centers. Always check there for hidden treasures. After all, the place might not look as nice or clean or fancy as other stores, but you never know when you might hit the jackpot.

I am set for a long time now.

Have you looked for your perfect purse yet?

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

Minimalistic toiletries and Cosmetics

Minimalistic, simplified , declutter and organize toiletries and cosmetics.


Come on ladies! Lets admit it. We all have way too many make ups and toiletries . The thing is that we still keep buying more. It makes us feel good. Going to the mall, passing through those cool and exciting looking make up areas that smells so good gives us a huge happiness boost. Buying the stuff makes us feel good. A new color, a new miracle face cream, a new more expensive eye cream ... Not to mention the free gifts with purchases ( god knows how much unnecessary stuff i bought just to get those gifts with purchases) .

I used to have two whole cabinets full with tons of stuff.

It felt good to buy. But after a day, that piece of expensive make up, was just another thing in my huge cabinet full of make up. The funny thing is that I was sure that, that one piece , that one miracle blemish cream, would change my life. That is what I was told. That is what I was to believe.

The thing is, none of them changed my life. none of them made me look like tho model on the ad. none of them took my years away and made me be happier.

the funny thing is, after each big purchase,  i started to become stressed out about the new beauty routine and not being able to keep up with it,  I always ended up using the same good old stuff I was used to. I truly did not have extra 45 min each evening to go trough my beauty routine. It just didn't feel normal to me.

Those days are long gone. My new and hugely improved toiletries system is in place and I am loving it.

Here are some tips.

• Stop buying.
• Remove every thing expired. 
• Remove anything you don't like or you know you will not use.
• Pack your absolute favorites in ONE make up bag ( a big bag is OK depending on how much you love make up) 
• Pack everything else and place them in a box under the sink. Close the box.
• Within next month, keep going back for necessary items. But only if you have to.
• After a month, what ever is left in the box, donate. 

I did this and then donated all was left to a friend that brings these to her family members and needy girls in Peru. She was very very happy about it. To my amazement, i ended up with less than 1/6 of all the stuff I used to own. I regretted all the money I have ever spent on all the unnecessary stuff, nail polishes, lotions and poisons. 



At this point, I have only one drawer for all my cosmetics and a small bag for my make up. I still am not satisfied. I am trying to reduce it even more, but there are many things that I am waiting to finish and not buy, ever again or buy the organic and natural alternative. 

The hardest part is trials and errors. When I buy something natural and organic,sometimes it doesn't work as good and some stuff might need more testing. That is how I ended up with more stuff again. But once I find what is organic and natural and also works for me, I will stay with that and will not buy anything else. My goal is to reduce all my toilettaries to be able to fit them all in an Organic cotton make-up bag :)

Have you been through your toiletries lately?