Over the past years I have been surprised by how many things we as people buy. Especially things we do not need, at all. Today I am sharing 5 of those things, 5 things I don’t buy myself. Marketing is extremely powerful and can make us think we need all sorts of things. I would actually say it takes time, strength and knowledge to recognize this, but also to resist it. But it is time we start doing that, because collectively we buy a lot of things we don’t need.
Here are 5 things I don’t buy:
1 Cotton Pads
Before I started a zero waste lifestyle I bought cotton pads every once I while, because I used those pads to clean my face and to remove my make-up. When I started moving towards a zero waste lifestyle this was actually one of the first things I stopped buying. Instead, I bought reusable cotton pads, which I still use today. Whenever I do wear make-up (speaking of things we don’t need …) I use those reusable pads to clean my face and afterwards I wash them. I bought them about 7/8 years ago so I can’t imagine how many resources this has saved us.
2 candles
The second items are candles, and it took me a while to stop buying those. That’s because candles can be so cozy. For a romantic date night for example, or for a Sunday evening chill. You can even buy vegan candles and candles which can serve as decoration at the same time (some are really pretty). But what made me stop buying them was the realization of how bad they are for my health. Burning something, anything, is always bad for your health. Whether that’s wood, leaves, or candles. When you burn something, particulate matter is created. Especially inside your home, this is harmful. You breathe in particulate matter and a lot of candles have chemicals in them too.
3 lip balm
Next up: lip balm. A lot of people use that on a daily basis, without having the need. It’s just standard procedure for them. For me, I only used lip balm when my lips were really dry, mostly in winter. A few years ago I discovered that you don’t need special lip balm to do something about dry lips. It turns out you can use any oil from your kitchen cabinet. However, it is not easy to put liquid oil on your lips. Therefore I use coconut oil. Something which is already in my kitchen cabinet (I also use it for making DIY make-up remover) and it is firm. This way I can use something I already have as lip balm and I don’t need to buy it anymore.
4 body lotion
Something else I never buy: body lotion. The smell of body lotion on your body is nice, but I personally don’t ever need it. I don’t have dry skin, ever. Sometimes, mostly in winter, my feet are a little dry, but that’s all. Body lotion therefore is just nice for the smell, but it is not necessary at all. I never buy it and if I do need something to put on my feet, I use oil I have in my kitchen cabinet already: coconut oil. Yes, coconut oil can have many purposes.
5 all purpose cleaner
Two years ago I found out that it’s really simple to make an all purpose cleaner yourself. Only two ingredients and extremely easy to make. I even wrote a post about it, to share the recipe. I was a little skeptical at first, but I have never gone back to store-bought all purpose cleaner. The DIY version is cheap, simple, easy to make, non-toxic and it does the trick. I think I have saved a lot of money already the past two years. I use the DIY all purpose cleaner for my toilet, the sinks, the floor, the kitchen, it’s magical. And I really think it’s healthier for me.
Twice before
That’s it for today! Those were 5 things I don’t buy. This is actually the third post in this series. Read more about those other posts here and here. This means that so far, I’ve listed 15 items that I don’t buy at all or no longer buy. I think the list will get longer the coming years. Minimalism has brought me a lot so far. I have so much space in my head for other things and I have saved many euros too.
We need very little
And that brings me to my next point. Over the years I have really thought about minimalism long and hard. And if you really want to, you can minimalize much more. But the question is always whether I want to. I mean, if you think about it, make-up is something which I don’t need. Yet, I still have it. That’s because it makes me happy and feel good once in a while. So that’s why I keep evaluating everything I buy. Body lotion does not make me happy and so I never buy it. But make-up does and so I keep that. Next time I hope to share 5 more things I don’t buy.
Yours sincerely,
Romee
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