6 Things I No Longer to Buy

There’s no need to buy, buy, buy!

BUY MORE STUFF!

That’s all we ever seem to hear these days. Ads are constantly telling us we need this latest gadget (we don’t) or that what you’re wearing isn’t in fashion anymore (says who? And who cares?!). We need to buy more stuff to keep up with the Jones’s.

BUY, BUY, BUY!

Well, I’m not going to do that anymore. I’m never going to be a minimalist. Never!

But, I can be a little more conscious with my spending and intentional with where I spend it! The cost of living is rising and rising…it has been called a ‘crisis’ in all of the media outlets at the moment.

So, let’s get off this treadmill (or hamster wheel) of spending and think about what we don’t need to buy for a moment.

After all, the Earth is not going to explode if you put that t-shirt back on the rack!

Magazines

I like browsing through magazines. I’m a creative and crafty person, so they’re a good way of seeing what’s in fashion and to get ideas and inspiration for future projects.

But at £8.99, sometimes even £10.99 for a magazine (*gasps in outrage*) all I have to say is, that costs more than some books!

*RIP-OFF* She coughs loudly.

I like to look at the knitting, sewing and crochet magazines, but the thing is, the patterns are always -awful! Always!

Hideous colours (usually teal!) and useless projects. There are no top down sweaters, even though they are easier to make and are quite trendy at the moment. There are never any makes with natural fibres, or new brands…it’s always with the same old companies.

They are boring and repetitive. I can get more inspiration from Ravelry, Youtube and the websites of my favourite designers and brands.

A waste of money to keep being disappointed!

You won’t be surprised to hear I don’t buy the gossip magazines either. I don’t even know who all those people are, hahaha!!

Ready Meals

Disgusting, vile things!

High in salt and preservatives, made in factories where I wonder what the workers are paid, and frankly, if it’s a chicken dinner, why is it only 5% chicken?! What is the other 95%?

I haven’t eaten a ready meal in years, let alone bought one. Say that last sentence with a shocked and disgusted emphasis on the last part of it. Urgh!

They are for lazy people and for people who ‘can’t cook’.

And just so everyone knows what kind of ‘ready meal’ I’m talking about, I mean the lasagnes you heat up in a microwave. Or the curry, or the spaghetti carbonara that again, you heat in a microwave. TV dinners? Is that what you call them across the pond?

Why buy a pasta meal that you heat up in the microwave? Do you know how much nicer a homemade pasta dish tastes? And it’s not difficult. Seriously, it’s not difficult.

The only thing you gain with a ready meal is a little bit of extra time, and I won’t believe you if you tell me that extra bit of time you saved was used productively, usefully, and to it’s full potential!!

No, I’ll make my own dinners!

DVDs

I think the last DVD I bought was Rogue One — the only good recent Star Wars movie to get released in recent years, if you as me, but that is a whole different article!

There is no need to waste money on cluttering up your home when most films can be streamed a few months after release. They take up so much room and must take up so much energy to create…I’m just not that bothered about owning movies any more.

On that note, I haven’t been to the cinema for years. OK, the pandemic kind of put people off. That’s totally understandable!

But have you seen how much a ticket costs nowadays and don’t get me started on the snacks! It would cost me almost £20 for ticket and snacks to go to the nearest cinema (which is a good 30 mins drive away so there’s fuel to pay as well!).

No, there is no need to go all that way for something I don’t need.

Lottery Tickets

They say you have to be in it to win it.

They’re right, but do you know what the odds of winning the lottery are? No, neither do I. I think the money you spend on a lottery ticket could be better spent elsewhere. Put in a savings account maybe?

I’ve never even won a tenner on the lottery (cue sad violins). And also, I can’t be bothered to put in on each week if I’m being perfectly honest. So, I guess you could say it’s a mixture of despair that I’m never going to win and plain old laziness. And the usual shock and outrage at the price of a ticket…

Make Up

Last week I looked through my make up bag and decluttered it. Now, I just have a few brushes and some eyeshadow and that’s your lot!

It makes sense as I haven’t worn any make up in years. I’m not one of those insecure women who can’t leave the house without any make up. I have bad skin on a good day and I find High Street make up makes it worse.

So, buy the good stuff, I hear you suggest. What? Why? Have you seen how expensive the ‘good’ stuff is? Why should I spend so much on something I’ve always hated putting on?

I don’t buy make up, make up remover, perfume, nail polish…and I’m all the happier for it.

And if you think about it, the fewer chemicals the better.

Hair Products

Yes — I am that woman who can get her hair cut every 6 months or longer and not be bothered about going sooner (unless I’ve had a pixie crop which needs more frequent visits to the hairdressers to maintain it).

I don’t do anything other than a pony tail or bunches (pig tails!) so what’s the point in buying expensive mousses and sprays that I don’t need and will only languish unused on the shelf until they go all icky!

I use shampoo, have a hairdryer and a hairbrush. What more do you need?!

My hair is already straight, what need have I of straighteners?!

Photo by Shari Sirotnak on Unsplash

There you go. There you actually go!

A whole article where I get to whinge and moan about things in the guise of a listicle which could be listed under frugality, minimalism or saving money in some form or other.

It’s been fun. Let’s do this again some time!

And by the way, if you drink wine with your ready meal, whilst watching a new DVD with a full face of make up and a magazine to the left of you…good on you. I’m absolutely not judging you.

I might not understand you and I might look at you with a slightly quizzical look on my face.

But that’s not on you. That’s just my make up free face!