11 Things I Don't Buy as a Minimalist & Why

1. Fast fashion

Number one is fast fashion. Fast fashion is any trendy, inexpensive,

and usually, low-quality clothing that you can find in stores like Forever 21.

The older I get, the more I value higher quality clothes that sometimes cost a bit more but tend to be a good investment because those clothes last longer. Many of my forever 21 dresses ended up shrinking after one wash and were honestly out of style after one season.

2. Sale items

The next thing on my list is sale items. To clarify, I'm not saying I only buy full-price items. However, I no longer buy things just because they are on sale. I know it's easy for us to think it's only $5, $10, or $20. It's not a big deal; I will buy it. However, all that money adds up, and if you don't need that stuff, then it's not that good of a deal.

3. Fancy sleepwear

Number three on my list is fancy sleepwear. I know that some of us love wearing cute pajamas, but for most of my life, I've been sleeping in T-shirts and my regular underwear and was still able to find a husband. So you don't need $100 PJs, trust me.

4. Shaving cream

Number four is shaving cream. I use shower gel or sometimes

I use soap. Anything to make your razor run smoothly should work.

5. Brand names

Number five is brand names, especially fancy handbags. If you hang out in a social circle that makes you feel like you need to wear designer or fancy clothes to feel included, you're hanging out with the wrong crowd. So many of us spend too much money or get in debt trying to buy stuff we don't need to impress people we don't like. I know you don't need designer things to feel good about yourself.

6. Cable tv

The next item on my list is cable tv. I don't remember when it was the last time that we had cable. We use streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max. If you are currently a student or have an.edu email, you can sign up for Spotify Student Premium, and they'll also give you access to Hulu and Showtime, all for $4.99 a month. There are a lot of different hacks that you can use to get those subscriptions for either very cheap or free.

7. Gym membership

Number seven is gym memberships. 2020 taught us many things, one of which was that you could work out from home and stay healthy and in shape. I do a lot of free workouts on YouTube. I'm saving a ton of money and time I used to spend on going to the gym.

8. Trendy phone cases

Number eight is any trendy phone case. A lot of those designer phone cases don't protect your phone. I would much rather buy an inexpensive basic case that protects my phone because it saves me a lot of money long-term when I don't have to pay to fix my screen.

9. Sparkling water

Number nine is sparkling water. We love sparkling water and can go through a whole pack of cans in 4 hours.

We decided to invest in a soda stream that now allows us to make sparkling water anytime we want. Even though it requires a lot of money on the front end, it saves you quite a bit of money long term because you can make your sparkling water. It also helps you to produce less waste, which is also really important.

10. Broker's fees

Number ten is broker's fees. Here in New York City, it's very common for us to pay a broker's fee. A broker's fee is when you pay your real estate agent when they find an apartment for you and you sign a lease. Most of the time, you end up finding the apartment on your own online, and then you call them, they show you the apartment, and if you sign the lease, you owe them a broker's fee, which most commonly is equivalent to about one month. Now I ask the landlord to give me the keys, and I'll walk up and look at them myself.

11. Gel manicure and lashes

The very last item on my list is gel manicures and lashes. I think a lot of it is because we now work from home, so nobody ever really sees my hands anymore, and then I don't think anybody cares about what my eyes look like. It was just a manageable expense to cut out that saved a lot of money because I used to spend about $100 on my lashes every two to three weeks.

Things I don't buy as a minimalist

That's the list of things I don't buy anymore that helped me save, become more minimalist, be more sustainable, and produce less waste. See what works for you and add to the list of things not to buy anymore. You won't miss them and will be much better off financially when you're not wasting money.