18 Things I No Longer Buy as a Minimalist Mom
Are you looking to streamline life, save money, and feel happier at home? Find 18 things I no longer buy as a minimalist mama.
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Minimalism isn’t just about having less stuff, living in a tiny space, or adopting a certain aesthetic. It’s honestly not about saving money, either, though there’s so much I no longer buy now that I do save a lot of money as a minimalist. Hello family travel fund!
At its heart, minimalist is about being happier in your everyday life by only surrounding yourself with things that bring a sense of peace. When you remove the clutter from your space, it helps to do the same in your mind, as well. Minimalism also helps me teach my children not to be materialistic. Without the burden of excess, you can focus on people and experiences.
Are you ready to feel decluttered? Do you want to stop spending money on useless products so your money can go where it really matters. If you’re a mom, I can almost guarantee you’re ready to stop tripping over excess toy clutter and have a space you can manage!
Most importantly, are you ready to be unburdened by your home and your bank account?
Keep reading to find 18 things I no longer buy as a minimalist mom to save money and be happier in my space.
But, First, I No Longer Buy Anything Without Asking Myself These Six Minimalist Lifestyle Questions
You can stop buying certain products and services, but until shopping habits change, you’ll continue to collect elsewhere.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when shopping if you’re ready to cut the clutter for good, save money, and be truly happy with what you have.
- Do I need this?
- Does it have many uses?
- Will I be completely, 100% satisfied?
- Am I shopping intentionally?
- Is this in-line with my lifestyle/morals
- Why am I buying this?
Your answer might be because my children were up all night and this almond milk cold foam latte is life. And that’s perfectly fine. Living a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t mean you no longer by anything or never treat yourself.
But if your answers make you think twice, feel unhappy, or cause debt skip it. Let’s form good, long lasting habits so real change can occur.
18 Things I No Longer Buy as a Minimalist
1. Water Bottles
Plastic water bottles are terrible for the environment and an unnecessary purchase when we can filter water straight from the sink. They also don’t take up space in your fridge or pantry if you don’t buy them.
2. Single Use Appliances
Single use appliances, like a quesadilla maker cause kitchen clutter. And I hate kitchen clutter. As a mom I spend a ton of time in my kitchen, making snacks, prepping dinner, cleaning. I need the space I spend most of my time in to be inviting, clean, and functional.
3. Paper Towels and Napkins
As a general rule, if a cloth equivalent exists, I use it. We use microfiber cloths and old clothes to clean, and cloth napkins with meals. The amount of laundry I do is no different, and I love that it feels fancy!
4. Single Use Cleaning Products
I either use a simple concentrated cleaner or I make cleaning products using vinegar, baking soda, and lemon. Even bathrooms are no match for baking soda.
When there’s an obscure stain – like the time I used spray adhesive on my carpet to make my DIY Travel Map – I’m always able to make something with what I have in my kitchen.
5. Plastic Baggies
I no longer buy plastic baggies, not because I’m a minimalist, but because they’re horrible for the environment and really unnecessary.
Stasher Bags and other less expensive equivalents provide a sustainable alternative. I personally love the reusable “baggies” from Grove and use them for lunches and snacks for my kids.
We buy all of the personal and household products that we do use from Grove, from vitamins to toilet paper to soap. You can use this link to sign up and get a free Mrs. Meyers Gift Set.
6. Diapers
Though we use a disposable overnight, cloth diapers have seriously saved me thousands of dollars. They’re also adorable, eco-conscious, and comfortable for your baby.
We use GroVia cloth diapers, and are so happy with them. Use this link to save up to 10% with GroVia Cloth Diaper Bundles!
7. Anything in Bulk
With a small apartment, bulk takes up space, and clutter gives me anxiety. I also find that it’s often a way to entice someone to buy more when it’s unnecessary. As a minimalist, I no longer buy more than what I will need until the next trip.
8. Beauty Products
Though I was never a beauty guru, I’ve found that my makeup bag has dwindled even more since becoming a mom. Now, I only keep what I use on a daily basis and streamline my morning routine.
If we have somewhere nice to go, I use the same products, maybe just a bit heavier, and have learned to be confident in what I naturally look like. That’s a real benefit of minimalism, right there!
9. Clothing
Obviously I own clothing, but I don’t own clothing I don’t love, absolutely need, or wear frequently. Everything goes with everything, fits the way I want it to, and brings confidence.
For the record, capsule wardrobes help make picking out your clothes each morning a breeze.
10. Large/Extra Furniture
Furniture is probably the number one way to either make your space feel small and closed in or open and spacious. Less furniture means more room to run around, play together, and make family memories.
Appropriately sized and minimal furniture also helps me just not feel cluttered and closed in when at home.
11. Electronics
Avoiding purchasing every new gadget on the market saves a lot of money and space. We don’t even have a second TV, much less many household or personal devices, like an Alexa, multiple video gaming systems, speakers, robot vacuums, and smart watches.
My children do have Amazon Fire Tablets for Kids. One point I really want to make is that minimalism isn’t one size fits all. You can prefer wooden, open ended toys, not own a lot of stuff, and still let your children have tablets.
12. Decorations
Typically, I spruce up or decorate a room with simple art (I love prints from Desenio) and plants, along with my books and a few photos of my kids. I no longer buy shelf clutter, knick-knacks, and collectibles as a minimalist, and let what I have and love serve as a focal point.
13. Music, Movies, and Books
Through libraries and the internet, it’s more than easy to rent music, movies, and books. Before purchasing anything, see if you can borrow it and avoid the clutter.
Though I do obviously decorate my living room bookshelves with books that I absolutely love and re-read, we also utilize our library and digital book downloads to avoid excess.
14. Souvenirs
One way we avoid decor clutter is by not buying souvenirs when we travel. We buy one Christmas ornament from each major trip, instead of something that simply sits on a shelf. Decorating the tree becomes a special way to relive travel memories and I don’t get tired of seeing something that’s sitting out collecting dust.
15. Holiday Decor
Holiday decorations often take up a lot of storage space. They’re also…tacky. Plus, the holidays are about people and time, not things. Unless you’re Dorinda Medley, stop buying all the holiday things.
16. Toys
Have you heard the old adage? Give a kid a gift and he’ll just play with the box? It’s true, and for that reason we seriously limit toys. And toy clutter.
Our kids have books, puzzles, blocks, trains, dinosaurs, art, and other open-ended, imaginative toys. We don’t have zero toys, but we have much less than a typical family.
As a minimalist household, I invest in easy storage and organization tools! We love these foldable canvas bins because they match my son’s room and make cleanup simple. You can find our children’s bookcase here.
We also practice toy rotation, so the boys don’t get bored with what’s in front of them. The bins make rotating a breeze!
17. Something to Get Something
Purchasing a certain quantity of something to get something small for free is a marketing gimmick. You’ll end up with “extra” stuff you don’t need, and this is particularly true of children’s apparel, toys, etc.
18, Something Just Because It’s on Sale
Have you ever walked through Target and filled your cart with stuff because it’s on sale just to return home and immediately wonder why? Yeah, stop doing that!
No longer purchasing these things has made my life easier. I don’t stress about getting dressed, feeding my kids, or spending a ton of time cleaning.
Does the Minimalist Lifestyle Inspire You to No Longer Buy All the Things?
Do you practice minimalism or is it something you’re thinking about? If you’re household is minimal, what have you stopped buying to make your life clutter free? Let me know what you’d add (or take away) from this list. If you’re not quite ready for minimalism, maybe start with a few of these suggestions. Let us know how it goes!
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I love that you mentioned not buying souvenirs and that you instead buy one ornament for your tree to revisit the memories at Christmas time. I also do this! I will make an ornament for the big things that happened during the year (a birth, new home, special family trip, a big milestone like turning 5, are some of the things). It makes the holiday tradition of decorating the tree extra meaningful—not just for the sake of doing what everyone else does by decorating a tree. It reminds us of all our many blessings from God throughout the years and of the reason we celebrate Christmas—the birth of God’s Son, our Savior!
Over the years we’ve kept things more simple than most typical families, but have still accumulated a lot. With our upcoming move I’m looking forward to resetting so we can get and stay aligned with our financial goals, family values, and meaningful traditions (like our kids blowing out the flame on their birthday candle that was used to burn their umbilical cord, rather than big and expensive birthday parties every year). I’m really looking forward to the spacious, comfortable, and inviting atmosphere we’re going to create in our new home!
Reusable water bottles are my nemesis, each year my son brings home bottles gifted by his sports team, husband has half a dozen that he takes on game days for anyone who’s forgotten theirs, the blood bank gives them out as prizes for repeat donations, free ones from events and, can’t forget the cute ones my daughter and I just had to have. Have stopped buying and, the culling will commence once I work out which I favour the most.