25 Things We Do Not Buy Anymore in 2022

As we have minimized the house, there are at least 25 things we don’t buy anymore in 2022. This helps us from re-accumulating things again, and having tons of stuff in our home after we have already decluttered. It is so easy to just get more stuff to replace the items you have decluttered, but it is important to buy less items if you want to keep it minimal. These are the items we do not buy anymore. You have to decide what items you will not buy anymore to keep excess from coming into your home. Each families needs will be different from another, but I hope our example can serve as a helpful guide.

1. Stuff We Cannot Afford (Things bought with credit)

The Bible specifically tells us to not buy things we cannot afford (Romans 13:8). This means we should not go into debt to buy things that we can’t immediately buy with the money we have at this moment. Dave Ramsey talks about this a lot on his YouTube channel as well. If you cannot save up for it, you do not need to buy it. This is why emergency funds are super important. This is easier to do as you get rid of debt, and have less payment obligations. If you have less payments to make you have room in your budget for things that are emergencies.

2. Decor Pillows

We have realized how frustrating decor pillows can be, because you often throw them off the bed or couch to sit down. It also can be hard to find places to store these pillows if they are seasonal. We live in a small space, and so items we can eliminate that are unnecessary a definitely something we try to do.

3. Dryer Sheets

We no longer buy dryer sheets, because we have wool dryer balls that can be reused. It allows less waste, and dryer sheets are filled with toxic chemicals. So it is a win win. I enjoy using dryer balls instead as well.

4. Large Toys

Not buying large toys is something we started doing after decluttering the kids rooms. There is simply no room to store them, and often times they do not play with these items very long. The peace that comes from not having these large things is more important than having them.

5. Nail Polish

Nail Polish is an item I recently decided to try not buy anymore. I have read how toxic it is, and that is something I am trying to eliminate. Also, it is another way to simplify your home when you have less things you buy.

6. Souvenirs

I realized over time that most of the souvenirs that we had bought got donated eventually. They were not meant to last, and were not good quality. We realized that souvenirs are just another marketing strategy for a lot of places. It is so nice saving a lot of money when we travel not buying them, and we take photos instead to remember our trip. It also saves a lot of time looking for souvenirs, and just enjoying the area you are visiting.

7. Character Bed Sheets

Character bed sheets are something that we don’t buy, because kids often out-grow favorite characters pretty quickly. Then the sheets become unusable. We would rather invest in sheets that are able to grow with them over time, that they can have for years. Often time, these character sheets are not good quality, as well as super busy in pattern. We try to keep things less busy in appearance, because it is less stimulating. If you read the book Simplicity Parenting, he talks about this.

8. Fake Plants

We currently have a fake tree that we bought prior to deciding all of this, but the main reason we are deciding not to buy fake plants anymore is that they are wasteful. They are made of plastic and do not degrade. They get super dusty, and over time they do not look as good. We also prefer to get a real Christmas tree instead of fake, because you do not have to store it throughout the year and buying less plastic is better for the environment.

9. New iPhones Every Year

We decided to not upgrade our technology in general until it breaks, or has some kind of problem. There is no need to do this all of the time. Not to mention you save a lot of money just keeping the ones you currently have.

10. Scented Things

We no longer buy things that have scent in them. Scented things are generally toxic to your body. We use natural essential oils to scent things, if we want to scent them. After going without scented things for awhile, you can actually tell when you smell scented things. Scented laundry detergent now makes me sick when I smell it.

11. Seasonal Decor

Seasonal Decor is something I did not really buy a lot of before, but we only decorate for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We already have everything we need for those holidays, so we no longer have to buy it. It also makes your home less cluttered if you pair it down, and only decorate one room.

12. Cheap Items

We no longer buy items that are cheap, that will break in a short amount of time. This includes clothing. I find it really frustrating when we have to replace things super often. You end up spending more money in the long run. It is nice buying a good quality item once, instead of buying cheap things many times. Even if the dollar amount is higher up front, you tend to save over time.

13. Single Use Kitchen Items

We have a very small kitchen, and we only keep items that we use daily or for holidays. It is nice to have a small kitchen actually, because it forces you to evaluate all of the time if you can fit it in the kitchen. There are a lot of gadgets we simply do not buy, because we do not have room to store them. If there is a knife or other object that can do many jobs, there is no need to buy the single use object.

14. Decor That Is Not Useful

We have been really specific with our daily decor in the house, and only buy decor that is useful. We have plants that clean the air, we have nice cutting boards that look nice in the kitchen, we have mason jars that also look nice. In the bathroom we only keep the things that are necessary. So this means the items we use all the time, or daily.

15. Plastic Dishes

Slowly over time we have replaced our plastic dishes with glass or ceramic. This is something I wanted to do for health reasons, as well as for longevity. Plastic Tupperware often breaks down over time, and it is generally unhealthy for you. We consume a massive amount of plastic each week using these items.

16. Clothes That Will Not Last

My husband and I especially buy clothes that will last many years. We might pay a few hundred for a pair of leather shoes, but they last 5 years at least. This saves so much money. Rather than going to target, and getting a cheap pair of shoes you have to replace every single year. Not only is this more money spent over time, it is also terrible for the environment having to replace shoes so often.

17. Fabric Softener

We stopped buying fabric softener years ago, because of the chemicals in it that cause all kinds of issues. We use vinegar now for a fabric softener, and the benefit to this is we are also getting rid of smells from the dirty clothing at the same time.

18. Jewelry That Does Not Go With Everything

I paired my jewelry down to only gold or silver pieces. Most of these pieces were given to me as gifts from my husband or close family members. I would much rather have jewelry that can go with everything, so that I can keep a very small curated collection. The benefit of getting quality jewelry is that you can keep it forever. It is not constantly breaking, and it stays nice looking.

19. Gym Memberships

We live in a very small rural community, so access to gyms is very limited. My husband often works out, but he does it at home with weights he owns. He also does a lot of body weight exercise that does not even require weights. It is such a freeing thing to not have to go somewhere to work out. It also saves a lot of time.

20. Subscription Boxes

We no longer do subscription boxes. These cause a lot of waste, because you often throw away most of it, and the packaging adds up a lot over time. I found I never used a lot of the products inside. This has saved us a lot of money.

21. DVDS

We use Netflix and Disney + for movies, and we also own a decent amount of DVDS for our van DVD player. So we have no need to buy anymore. Our society is slowly moving away from DVDS over time.

22. Magazines

This is something we never bought, but I know some people like to buy them. We never found the need to have any magazines. These also are just wasteful in general, because you often throw them out after you read them. They also create a lot of paper clutter around the house if you end up keeping them.

23. Seasonal Clothing

These are Christmas only shirts, 4th of July Shirts, or other items of clothing that are specifically for one holiday. This can be extremely wasteful, especially if you are buying these things for children who will out grow these things each year. It is better to wear a green or red shirt on Christmas that you can then wear the rest of the season as well.

24. Special Event Clothing

There are no events that we would need special clothes for this year. I plan to use RENT THE RUNWAY if I want to have a dress for a fancy occasion. There has been no occasions for me to have these things in the last few years, so I anticipate not needing them this year.

25. Coffee Tables

We got rid of our coffee tables to save space in our house a long time ago. That is one thing that makes a huge difference. Often times coffee tables clutter up your house as well, and serve as a flat service to pile stuff on. Also, when we have young children coffee tables are often dangers for toddlers. They are the perfect height for the heads to bang into.