10 Things I Won’t Buy This Year

Today I’ll be listing 10 things I won’t buy this year as a step forward to minimize my cluttered stash/life and in the process, manage my expenses.

You might have seen me talking about how much I want to reduce the size of my collection as it gives me anxiety. While I am mostly talking about beauty products, but recently I made a list of all the things (beauty & non-beauty) I don’t need to buy any more this year. The idea came while I was watching a few Youtube videos on minimalism. While I truly believe that minimalism is a luxury but since I can afford that luxury, I might as well give it a try.

Before you start painting a picture of me like one of those millionaire Youtubers, let me tell you it’s not that much. But I could definitely tone it down and have a smaller collection.

Let’s start with my list of things I won’t be buying this year and get to know why I included them here.

1. Diary/Journals

I LOVE writing things down especially when it comes to blog planning. I get attracted to fancy stationery a lot which I think is just a wastage of money (for me). No matter how pretty it looks, I can never justify the price tag. Also, taking a notebook everywhere becomes a task so I have been trying to switch completely to technology. I have also noticed that I get carried away while writing and end up over-planning aka wasting my time.

While Evernote and Trello are fancy apps/sites to use, nothing beats Google! I use spreadsheets to plan and schedule my content and I can access it anywhere.

This would save me quite some money and paper! An eco-friendly approach wouldn’t hurt anyone 🙂

2. Shower Gels

One thing that I’ve never repeated is a shower gel. I love trying out new flavours/variants and stocking them. Recently, I finished one bottle and have 3 more to go (one of them is HUGE) before I run out of them. So I believe I have enough for the year.

Also, I’m thinking of switching back to soaps as the empty plastic bottles of shower gels are a waste. Generally, soaps are cheaper but I’ll be trying out some exotic handmade ones so I don’t think I’ll have any savings because of this switch.

3. Clothes

This one’s tricky! I won’t go out on random visits to malls just to see what’s in there. And I won’t end up buying something I don’t really NEED whilst those visits. I remember how I used to declutter my wardrobe every 3-4 months and end up clearing half of it. 

The loophole is that if and when I have a trip/vacation or some family event/ festival coming up, I’ll definitely buy some.

4. Handbags

I don’t have those expensive designer bags and most of them are from Miniso. Right now, I have 3 sling bags/ crossbody bags, 3 cute wallets and 1 backpack. The backpack is for office and that’s what I use every day with one of the wallets inside.

I have more than enough and won’t buy any handbags this year.

5. Footwear

Whether it’s my love for them or the fact that my dad is in this business, I have always had more than an acceptable amount of shoes/sandals with me. But do I need ALL of them? Blah.

Currently, I have 4 flip flops, 2 bellies/mojris, 1 pair of trainers and a pair of high heels. I am fine with this number and don’t wish to expand it. My collection is cute and works with everything so I wouldn’t be buying any footwear this year.

6. Any Beauty/Makeup Product That’s Not Cruelty-Free

A part of my 2019 Beauty Goals is to have a 100% cruelty-free beauty stash by the end of this year. For that to happen, I need to use up my existing non-cruelty-free products first. Buying something that comes in the same category would just drag me down, instead of getting me a step closer to my cruelty-free goal.

7. Eyeshadow Palettes & Lipsticks

Eyeshadow palette is one of the things I won’t buy this year! Right now, I have 4 eyeshadow palettes and 2 singles which are all drugstore and I like them. However, eyeshadows aren’t something I wear even on a weekly basis. So I won’t be buying any more this year.

I have promised to treat myself with a high-end eyeshadow palette next year if I’m able to hit pan on 5 existing shadows by the end of 2019.

BTW, another beauty goal of this year is to not buy any makeup for 6-months and till now I’m going strong. While it is not for the entire year but I’ll still try to limit the makeup I buy for the rest of the year.

8. Nailpaints

For me, one beauty product that ALWAYS goes waste has to be nail paints. I have never finished one up and throw them because they’ve dried or I don’t enjoy the shade anymore. Currently, I have 5 and I’m not planning to buy any more this year.

9. Sheet Masks

While sheet masks are in trend, I’ve no shame in accepting that I’ve used them just once in my life. And I have no plans of investing in them in near future. These are just too expensive for something that hydrates or brightens.

I’d rather invest in a good moisturizer or some molecules such as Niacinamide or Alpha Arbutin or Hyaluronic acid. And for masking, I prefer wash-off masks as they’re cheaper and help me detoxify. 

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Related: My Current Favourite Detoxifying Wash-Off Mask

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10. Plastic/ Paper Bags

This is completely off the beauty/fashion topic but I’ve made a point to not pay for plastic or paper bags and carry one myself. While some stores do provide paper bags for free, some charge up to INR 10. (Yes, a very small amount!) But I have so many paper bags now, that it’s better I carry one while going out for shopping.

Coming to plastic bags, gosh I have A LOT. They’re very harmful to the environment so I have made a point to carry a plastic bag in my backpack every day because I go for grocery shopping after work. That way I will use the ones I have before sadly disposing it off in the environment.