Over the past years, I’ve learned a lot on my way to create a simply elegant life with less. For instance, everything you currently own is in your space for a reason. And if it’s only to make you realize what you no longer need.
On my journey, I became aware that being surrounded by too much stuff that demands attention but doesn’t add any significant value causes stress and overwhelm. Decluttering and eliminating the excess in all areas of my life had a huge positive impact on my overall well-being. However, this didn’t result in wanting to own as little as possible. I still love beautiful things, I still love shopping. But today, I shop mindfully, and I genuinely appreciate my belongings.
From my point of view, it’s all about inviting the right amount of the right things into your life. The rest will simply no longer make it onto my shopping list.
Finding out what you love and what you (don’t) need is something very individual. Still, some inspiration may help you create your own ‘things I no longer buy’ list.
20 Things I No Longer Buy
- Flimsy, poor quality clothes
- Shoes I can’t walk in
- ‘Wonder’ cosmetic products
- Trendy, low-quality costume jewelry
- Cheap-looking accessories
- Brand Ts and band Ts
- ‘No purpose items’ (collectibles)
- Cheap home decoration
- Kitchen gadgets that don’t really work
- Tech gadgets or apps that only add little value
- Ebooks (I much more appreciate real books)
- ‘Just-in-case’ supplements and OTCs
- Foods with surprisingly long lists of ingredients
- Random stuff (impulse purchases)
- ‘Miracle’ sports equipment
- Magazines, neither print nor digital
- Cheap souvenirs
- ‘Magic’ cleaning supplies
- Thoughtless gifts
- So-so items I don’t really love
To sum up, the things I no longer buy just don’t fit my quality-driven lifestyle. My primary goal is to declutter, simplify, and enrich life. Thus, I won’t buy items that only add clutter, need too much attention, and offer little or no value. But let’s look into the criteria in more detail.
I no longer buy items that fall into these categories:
Things That Only Give a Glimpse of Joy
Magazines are a great example of this category. Admittedly, beautiful magazine covers can be so tempting. But, let’s be honest. Most of the time, you only spend a few minutes flipping through a magazine before discarding it. Instead, I invest in beautiful coffee table books that I can enjoy for a very long time.
Items That Aren’t Made to Last
Low-quality home accessories, for instance. Something you spontaneously buy in these shops that offer a new range of products every week. This week all in blush, next week, all in green. I genuinely love decorating. But this is, in my opinion, a waste of resources, considering the low quality and short lifespan of these products.
Items That Don’t Add Value
I feel this is true for most gadgets. They cost money and take up space. Just think of all these kitchen tools that promise to make life easier. In the end, you spend more time cleaning them than crabbing a knife and cutting the veggies yourself, just as an example.
Things That Demand Too Much Attention
When I was younger, I loved collecting pretty things. However, collectibles don’t serve any purpose (unless they are for investment). Still, you have to store, clean, and maintain them. I no longer buy items that just take up space and demand too much attention compared to the value they add to my life.
Anything Harmful
Once you start taking a closer look at what you buy, you become more aware that far too many things are seriously bad for you – or for the planet. I try to avoid harmful ingredients in food, nasty chemicals in cosmetics and cleaning products. I also opt for sustainable, environmentally friendly products more often.
All the ‘Miracle’ Things
I’m guilty of having tried far too many ‘wonder’ products in my life. You know what kind of products I mean, don’t you? The cream that wipes off 10 years overnight or the foundation that makes you look flawless. And don’t forget the fancy sports equipment that transforms your body in just 10 minutes. Or think of the ‘magic’ supplements that make you healthy, slim, and beautiful if you only take one pill a day.
The Just-Because and So-So Items
In this category fall all those items that find their way into your home out of an impulse. You suddenly feel you have to buy something – just because. Even though you neither love it nor need it. I still sometimes fall into this trap. However, I try to avoid such impulse purchases – usually, they aren’t worth the money.
Only Buy What You Truly Need and Love
As I said before, compiling a ‘things I no longer buy’ list is very individual. You may have different priorities, so please, take my list only as inspiration to change your buying habits. From my experience, life gets a lot easier if you’re not surrounded by too much stuff that demands too much attention and adds too little value. Thus, my recommendation is, find out what really matters to you. And leave the rest behind.
More Tips and Inspirations
There’re so many other ways to add value to your life – apart from shopping. Check my list of life’s little luxuries for inspiration:
If you want to be more conscientious about buying clothes, these post can help:
Basically, it all comes down to preferring quality over quantity. Read more about how this simple yet effective rule can upgrade your life – and how to spot quality – in these posts:
- 7 Reasons Why Choosing Quality over Quantity Is Always a Good Idea
- How to Spot Quality When Shopping For Clothes – 3 Things to Check
- How to Shop for Quality Shoes You’ll Love to Wear
- How to Become a Mindful Shopper
If you want to part with former shopping mistakes and get decluttering off your mental to-do list, don’t miss my post on how to live a decluttered life. This comprehensive guide explains 5 reasons why it’s worth it to declutter and shows 5 different ways to do so (KonMari plus 4 other decluttering methods). The article also dives deeper into decluttering specific areas like your personal belongings, home, and workplace. And I added tips on how to deal with mental clutter and which new habits can help maintain a decluttered life over the long run.
If you like the ‘less, but luxe’ idea, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more tips and inspirations. And don’t forget to join my email list to receive weekly updates plus content that’s exclusively available to my readers.
I’m curious to read what’s on your list of things you no longer buy. Let us know!
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