Hey you guys, good to see you again and if
you’re new here then welcome to Simple Happy
Zen, I’m Vera.
So, 15 things I don’t buy anymore since
adopting a simple, minimalist lifestyle.
Let’s go!
This has been a huge one for me because I
used to love to go out shopping without needing
anything specific and then just buy on impulse.
And a lot of the times, I would spend a more
money than I had planned to beforehand, and
also just buy stuff that looked really great
in the store, but I hardly ever used afterwards.
Or something that was on sale and I kind of
let that persuade me into buying it because
it was cheaper.
And sure, some of these impulse buys I would
really use a lot afterwards and they’re
great, but a lot of the times it just turns
out that I don’t really use it a lot, or
it looks less good than it did in the store.
So now when I go out shopping I have some
things I specifically want or need, and whenever
I see something else I really like I just
take a picture and think about it for a few
days, instead of buying it then and there.
Second one is, magazine subscriptions.
I read some magazines now and then about topics
that interest me, like yoga or psychology.
But I like to just buy them
occasionally, whenever I feel like I want
to flip through a magazine somewhere.
And whenever you do that, you are immediately
bombarded with all kinds of adds to become
a subscriber and receiving them regularly.
And I just don’t want to have to pay for
a subscription year after year and have another
one of those financial commitments in my life.
So I just say no to the magazine subscriptions.
Number three, excessive amounts of clothes.
Now I like clothes actually, I like to own
beautiful things, and feel feminine and confident
and all that.
So of course I go out shopping for clothes
occasionally.
But, I keep a list
of items that I feel like I want or need in
my wardrobe, and I get kind of strict with
myself when I make that list.
Because I now know that owning way more than
enough clothing isn’t adding value to my
life in any way.
In fact, it just makes it more cluttered and
complicated.
And another benefit is that because I buy
less items, I can spend a little more money
on each piece of clothing, so I can buy nice
things, of good quality, that will last me
a long time.
I now love every piece of clothing that’s
in my closet.
In case items.
Things that you get into your home in case
you might need them some day for something
specific.
Get a full dining set in case you want to
through a really big dinner party some day.
I always say, if and when that day comes,
I will just see if I can borrow it from someone
and if not, I can always buy it then if it’s
important.
But there’s no room in my home for things
I hardly ever use, if at all.
Number 5, exercising.
I actually exercise at home now, for 95% of
the time.
You can get a really good workout using just
your own bodyweight and you can find tons
and tons of free videos on youtube to help
you out.
I also do my yoga at home.
I just love to exercise at home because it’s
so convenient, you don’t have to go anywhere
to work out, you can just hop in the shower
afterwards and continue on with your day.
I do sometimes play tennis when it’s nice
and sunny, so that’s kind of difficult at home.
But otherwise, I don’t spend any money on
exercising.
Number 6, I only replace something when it
needs replacing.
And I usually take good care of my stuff,
so that’s not very often.
When I get bored with something, I just try
and place it somewhere else, or change some
things around, so I can see it in a new light.
Instead of just buying something new to replace
it with.
This goes for furniture, clothing, home accessories,
etc.
This saves me a lot of money.
I used to go out shopping for souvenirs like
crazy when I was on vacation.
And now I have things in my home from
Iceland, Japan, all kinds of cool places.
But I feel like enough is enough, and so
I’ve decided to stop buying all those souvenirs.
It also saves me lots of money in the vacation
budget.
The only souvenirs I still buy, are refrigerator
magnets.
They’re small, cheap and fun and they remind
me of the great times I had, I especially
love those really tacky ones.
I don’t know about you, but I love cooking
and I used to have all these vegetarian cookbooks.
But now of course, you can find everything
you need online.
And whenever I see a recipe that I’m interested
in in a magazine or something, I just take
a picture and save it that way.
How convenient
Number 9, not having a car is a big moneysaver
for me.
Of course the costs of the car itself, and
then gas, parking, insurance, repairs, I don’t
have to worry about any of that.
I just use public transportation, which is
a lot cheaper obviously, or I ride my bike
and I also like to walk everywhere if possible.
Not having a car is also a lot simpler, because
you don’t have yet another thing you have
to take care of and maintain.
Of course this is not for everybody, but for
me it just feels really good.
DVDs, Blurays, CDs, I’m a big fan of music
and movies also, and I used to have these
big boxes that held all my movies and music.
I remember moving to this apartment 5 years
ago and carrying these heavy boxes with me.
And now of course, with netflix, and spotify, I’m very happy that I don’t
need to keep them around anymore.
So I gave a lot of them away to family and friends, and I sold the rest of them.
And I never buy any new ones, with one exception
and that are these!
These blurays are Studio Ghibly movies that
you can’t find on netflix for example.
I am a really big studio ghibli fan, and I’ve
watched these movies over and over again,
so I like to have that option still and I
keep them around.
Number eleven, loans and payment plans.
I like to save up money before buying something
and then just paying the entire amount straight
away, instead of getting a loan or a payment
plan.
I have to wait a little bit longer, but then
it’s just so much simpler and cheaper to
buy it all at once.
You don’t have to pay any interest, and
again it saves me another financial complication
in my life.
Whenever I have to buy a new phone, I always
get the model that’s the second or third
to the latest model, because they are a lot
cheaper and nowadays they also have great
cameras still, and they just fulfill my needs
just as well.
And this saves a lot of money.
And after two years, if the
phone is still working properly, instead of
buying a new one, I usually get a simonly
that’s really really cheap and also very
flexible.
I don’t want to spend 50-60 euros each month
just so I can have the latest phone.
I love accessories, as much as any other woman
I guess. But I’m always mindful of the
costs because I feel that after a certain
price, the quality doesn’t correspond with
the costs anymore, you’re just paying for
the brand.
And I would rather save that money to spend
on something else, than on a really expensive
necklace or purse or whatever.
You ever notice that whenever there’s a
new popular gadget, people around you just
start buying them one after another?
In the office I used to work at it was the
same with fitbits, everyone just had to have them.
Even the people that weren’t so much into
exercise at all.
With these things, I always ask myself would
I also buy it if it wasn’t popular right
now, if I wasn't seeing them on everyone I knew
and every corner.
and if the answer is no then I don't join the hype and I don't buy them.
Number 15, last but not least, anniversary
gifts.
My boyfriend and I have been together a long
time so we’ve had a lot of anniversaries
already.
And instead of buying each other stuff, or
a gift, we usually just spend the day together,
and go do something fun to commemorate this day.
And we just enjoy that so much more than getting
expensive jewelry or expensive presents or whatever.
Last year we took a trip to the beach, went
to see a musical, it was really great.
We just had so much fun and it's just so much better than getting stuff.
What do you no longer buy?
Share it with me and everyone in the comments
section.
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I hope to see you again next time, have a
great rest of your day. Byebye.
