35 Things I Don't Buy as a Minimalist

The Minimal Mom pledged not to let any more scatter rugs or area rugs in. This makes it easier to sweep and clean the floors.

Also in terms of home decor, she doesn’t buy end tables, which just end up becoming clutter magnets. The Minimal Mom isn’t buying more home decor, just going with classic pieces that don’t need to be changed seasonally.

She prefers real plants and flowers and isn’t buying fake plants. It’s nice to have living things in the home, and tending to plants is relaxing.

The Minimal Mom’s pristine kitchen benefits from her pledge not to buy any new kitchen gadgets or cleaning products.

Cleaning consistently is better than any fancy cleaning product, and minimalism frees up her time to do so. She also won’t buy microfiber cloths anymore, because they are terrible for the environment.

Before buying the following products, the Minimal Mom wants to use up what she already has: Tea, makeup, hair products, shampoo, conditioner, skin care products, lotion, and perfume.

Rather than seeking the “miracle product,” consistently using one product produces better results.

Also, she has versatile jewelry pieces that she likes already. No need to buy more.

She isn’t buying more kids’ crafting materials. Kids can be creative with simple materials like cardboard, painter's tape, and markers. If you are constantly organizing your kids’ craft supplies because they can’t do it on their own, you probably have too much.

The Minimal Mom also isn’t buying craft or home DIY supplies for herself, although she enjoys crafting.

Currently, she doesn’t have enough time to justify having craft supplies around unused, and she expresses her creativity in other ways. She likes reading, but uses a Kindle for fiction and isn’t buying new books.

She also isn’t buying cheap clearance clothing. The rule is, if you aren’t willing to pay full price for it, it’s not worthwhile to buy it on sale. No more cheap shoes either. Instead of buying new clothing or baby gear, she prefers to shop for used ones.

Kids' toys can get overwhelming, but it turns out that kids learn to play independently and creatively better when they have toys that aren’t single-use or don’t make noise.

She isn’t shelling out for expensive Montessori toys though. Just the old-fashioned, open-ended toys, like Lego, dolls, trucks, and magnet tiles. No more big toys like playhouses and basketball hoops. Half the time, kids don’t end up using these toys and they just sit around wasting space. 

The Minimal Mom explains that she isn’t buying new exercise equipment or workout clothing. Buying something isn’t going to be the thing that motivates you to become healthier. Stuff is rarely a solution.

Simplifying your house actually gives you more space for health, reading, DIY, and other important things.

What are some ways you can simplify your life? Let us know in the comments.

35 things I don't buy as a minimalist

For more minimalist content, check out this post on 13 Easy Ways to Save Money, Live Frugally & Embrace Minimalism as well as The Best Way to Handle Decluttering Sentimental Items.

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