10 Things I Don’t Buy To Make Room In My Life, My House, & My Budget
He popped the question. I gave a tearful and enthusiastic “yes!” We were engaged! Surprising no one, I started a variety of wedding planning spreadsheets, tracking budgets, invitees, decor and details to create a memorable experience for myself and my guests. I scoured Pinterest for all the wedding things. My mom went wedding dress shopping with me, and after trying on a dozen ho-hum dresses, we found THE dress.
It had feathers. It had tule. It was ME. And it was $2,000 over budget. Right there, in that dress boutique, in what would be MY dress, I sat down and started mentally axing items from my “must have'' lists. Save-the-dates we’re out - anyone important would already know the date. Boutonnieres? My fiance didn’t care, so why should I? Favors for the guests? Sorry, nope. After reevaluating my priorities, I was able to work the dress into the budget. Unknowingly at the time, I was also making room in my to-do list to focus on the really important elements that stuck with me and the guests.
Forgoing one item to comfortably afford another is not a unique concept. However this is about so much more than spending habits. Every item you own takes up precious space in your home. It requires storage, cleaning, and some degree of maintenance. When it’s usefulness is complete, will you throw it away? Recycle it? Or does the end game require more planning on your part? Our stuff costs us so much more than just money. Can you afford it?
One of my hard and fast organizing rules is “Know thyself.” No solution is a one-size-fits-all, and only you know what will work best for your family. A lot of “how to be minimalist” blogs will tell you to use an old peanut butter jar as a drinking glass and to make your own mittens out of your cat’s fur. Let’s not go that far. I like to have the right glass for the cocktail I’m crafting, I love to decorate for the holidays, and I have what my husband would call an “unhealthy addiction” to throw pillows. My philosophy is about quality over quantity and being mindful of what you allow into your home. If making your own laundry detergent yogurt is something you enjoy doing and gets you good results, keep doing it! But I am also about efficiency, practicality, and finding time for moments that matter. These are 10 REALISTIC ways you can whittle your spending and excess clutter, without dramatically altering your families habits.
Here are 10 things I don’t buy to make room in my life, my house, and my budget:
Kitchen appliances or gadgets that do one thing: (ex: rice maker, apple slicer, pineapple corer, novelty molds) Unless it is part of our daily routine (I’m looking at you, coffee maker!) kitchen tools need to pass a rigorous usefulness test before entering our house. Not only do I ask “how and where will I store this?” and “How often will I use this?” but also “Can I accomplish this task with what I already have?”. I rarely require a blender and when I do, my food processor gets the job done. The Instant Pot makes a perfect rice cooker, and I have no issues slicing fruit with a knife.
2. Things we already have: With the exception of toilet paper, and certain medications, I would guess there are very few items in your home that being without for a day or two would cause serious hardship. How often have you bought a bottle of your favorite shampoo, only to find you already had a back up? We live in a world where things are easy and relatively inexpensive to acquire. Don’t restock until you’re out. I keep a list in my phone and add items to it as they run out.
3. Self care products that only do one thing: In the same vein as my kitchen appliance rule, I want my beauty products to really work for me. I also want to save as much time in my morning routine as possible. I look for products that multi-task. For example, I buy tinted moisturizer; I use conditioner as shaving cream; and scented petroleum jelly acts as a chapstick and hand cream for dry skin.
4. Clothing that doesn’t bridge seasons and/or occasions: Essentially, I try to adhere to a capsule wardrobe. I look for articles that I can dress up or down, layer on colder days, and adhere to a cohesive color palette. It takes some planning, but keeps me mindful of what I let into my closet. And on that note…
5. Clothing I don’t LOVE: After having my second child and seeing my body change so dramatically yet again, I vowed only to buy clothing that made me feel good to wear. If it just looks ‘ok’ I don’t bring it home. Your standards about what makes you beautiful shouldn’t relax because the outfit is on sale!
6. Toys: I like to say we “curate” the toys our children have. We do not buy them toys outside of birthdays and holidays, and we’re careful to set boundaries on gifts they receive. We look for toys that encourage their creativity and will grow with them. I could (and probably will!) write an entire blog post on the benefits of fewer toys (my kiddos have been completely engaged with a cardboard furniture box for three days and counting…) but for now, I digress.
7. Specialty foods: While I don’t mind cooking, meal planning is not my favorite thing to do. As such, we tend to stick to our staple ingredients. If I am trying a new recipe that calls for something I don’t normally stock, I buy only enough for that recipe, or I immediately look for another use for the rest of the ingredient, so it doesn’t get wasted and tossed, or simply take up shelf space indefinitely.
8. Specialized cleaning products: Nothing speaks to my soul like a clean house! But the cleaning aisle at most big box stores is enough to give you a serious case of decision fatigue. As a pretty meticulous cleaner, I find warm water and dish soap take care of most messes. I round out my cleaning cabinet with baking soda, vinegar, glass cleaner, and a few others, but products like single use toilet brushes, oven cleaner, and air fresheners do little more than take up cabinet space.
9. Gifts for my husband: Birthdays, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, anniversary… It’s a lot! Somewhere in the 10+ years we’ve been together, we shifted from trying to find the perfect “thing” for each of these events to exchanging meaningful cards and deciding, together, on a way to celebrate. Sometimes it’s a fancy date night or experience, and sometimes it’s something we both benefit from for the house, like a piece of furniture. For his birthday this summer, he asked me to clean his grill (that is not a euphemism! And by the way, it looked brand, spanking, new when I was done). It took something he didin’t want to do off his plate, and didn’t add to the house clutter.
10. Decor that doesn’t invoke memories or joy: Am I a sucker for Home Goods? Yes I am. We’re all a work in progress. But I want my home to be a place that inspires and refreshes me. To do that, decor should be reminiscent of my life and experiences, and that doesn’t happen in one decorating sprint through Target. The most beautiful homes I go into are those that are decorated with a million stories from the inhabitants' past. My favorite pieces of decor are those that remind me of a special time or place. If that means leaving a few walls bare until I find just the right thing, that’s ok!
P.S. All but eight of our 135 invited wedding guests attended (even without save-the-dates) and literally no one commented that there were no boutonnieres or favors 😉