40 Things We Stopped Buying To Be More Frugal & Save Money!

Believe it or not, if we wanted to save money we had to stop buying so much. Here is my huge list of 40 things we stopped buying to be more frugal!

We are a family of 5 who up until recently lived on one income. While I have always been into saving money I knew there were more things I could cut out of our monthly spending.

40 Things We Stopped Buying to Be More Frugal and Save Money

After looking closely at what we were spending each month it was easy to cut out these things.

Not everything on this list is something we bought monthly, but it was something that we had bought in the last year or so. This is not financial advice, but it’s working for us.

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Save Money On Home Decor

Decor with No Purpose

I used to go to garage sales looking for home decor that I could add to our shelves. At one point I had a ceramic fish that was on a stand on one of my shelves.

This was a fish I found at a garage sale, and I thought it would make my home feel beachy.

WHY?

While shopping at garage sales is a great way to save money when you need something, it actually wastes money when I don’t really need the items.

Trendy Home Decor

Our home is decorated and it looks fine. I don’t need to go out and spend money every time the trends change.

Holiday Decor

As a minimalist, I don’t decorate for every holiday anymore. Yes, we decorate for Christmas, but we don’t decorate for Valentine’s Day and all the other small days.

This saves a lot of money! Holiday decor adds up to a lot of money each year. Especially if you are changing out the theme every time!

Kitchen Stuff We Don’t Buy to Save Money

Plastic Water Bottles

I can’t believe we went so long buying one-use plastic water bottles! The first thing we stopped using was plastic water bottles. When I did the math this ended up saving us over $1000. every year!

We bought a few reusable bottles and have been using them every day since. This saves us money and the environment.

Here is a link to my favorite reusable water bottle for my kids.

Here is a link to my favorite reusable water cup with a straw (this is what I prefer to use every day).

One Use Gadgets

Most kitchens are filled with one-use gadgets. Apple slicer, garlic press, ice cream scooper, rice maker, and the list goes on and on.

I decluttered all of these one-use gadgets and only kept the few that we use every week. It is easy to see a normal spoon can scoop ice cream and we can make rice on the stove.

Plastic Grocery Bags

We no longer buy plastic grocery bags when we buy our food. I always bring my reusable bags with me and use them.

One tip I have in case you forget your bags in the car. Just put your groceries back into the cart and then bag them in the car yourself.

Sometimes this is actually easier!

Air Freshener

Most air fresheners are full of chemicals and you are paying for a spray!

As soon as I realized this I stopped buying all air fresheners and my house still smells great.

Plugin Smelly Stuff

I don’t buy smelly plugins. Not for my car or my house.

Most of the smells make my stomach turn and what is wrong with smelling nothing?

Whenever I do smell these perfumy smells now I want to run away.

This also applies to trendy seasonal candles. I don’t have a problem buying affordable candles, but I stay away from the super expensive candles that smell like the current trend.

Paper Napkins

We switched to cloth napkins. I thought this was going to be a huge hassle, but it really isn’t.

I bought two sets of cloth napkins and I wash them with all our towels. They work perfectly!

Cling Wrap

If you want to save money and the environment then ditch the cling wrap.

Instead of cling wrap, you can use beeswax wraps or I like to use glass containers to store food.

Here is a simple tutorial on how to make your own beeswax wraps.

Plastic Sandwich Baggies

First, buy some reusable sandwich bags, and then you can ditch the one-use plastic bags.

Here are the reusable sandwich bags I really like.

All Things Wardrobe We Don’t Buy

Seasonal Themed Clothes

Yes, I buy clothes for different seasons, but I don’t buy seasonal-themed clothes.

What I mean is I don’t buy a special 4th of July shirt just for that one day. I no longer buy my kids all the seasonal “special day” shirts.

Over time I realized these shirts were never worn and by the time the holiday came around again no one wore the “old themed shirt.”

More Than One Type of Shoe

I am trying to only keep one type of each shoe. One pair of tennis shoes, one pair of heels, and one pair of flip-flops.

It is great to have variety, but I only wear my favorites anyway so why have more?

Latest Trends

Just because a new trend comes out does not mean we all need to go for it. Recently I heard skinny jeans are out and some kind of balloon pants are in.

Well, I don’t fall for the latest trends unless they suit my style and body type.

The latest trends are something I don’t buy anymore.

Dryer Sheets

After we bought some dryer balls I realized I didn’t need to buy dryer sheets.

This is so much better for the environment! Once we were used to not smelling that artificial smell our clothes actually lasted longer and smelled better.

Here is a link to the Dryer Balls I really like.

Scent Boosters

I don’t buy scent boosters for the laundry. This is a newish product that we have all lived without forever.

I tried them once before realizing we don’t need extra scent on anything.

Jewelry

I no longer buy jewelry. It was never something I was into, but I realized I don’t really like wearing jewelry.

This was something I did for fashion and now I don’t see the point. I do wear my wedding ring and I have one set of earrings but I no longer buy costume jewelry.

Kid Stuff I Don’t Buy

Toys Bought Under Pressure

I think we have all been here as a parent. We are at the store and our children start screaming they want something.

In the past, I would just buy it to stop the screaming, but not anymore.

Now I explain that I will not be buying any toys we don’t need before we hit the store.

Seasonal Theme Sheets

I don’t buy Christmas sheets or any other type of sheet that is only used for a portion of the year.

Latest Toys

We don’t buy the latest toys. There is always something new coming out.

This would be a never-ending cycle.

Expensive Toys

Pricy is not always better. I have realized expensive toys break just as quickly as cheap toys.

When I want to get my kids something I try to aim for quality. I am sure to read the reviews and I always try to get recommendations.

Too Many Clothes

I have noticed if I buy too many clothes for my kids half of them never get worn. We adopted a capsule wardrobe for my kids and we only have what we need for about 10 days of outfits.

This saves us a lot of money! When they finally grow out of something I know it’s been well worn and we got our money out of it.

Things I Don’t Buy for the Bathroom

Nail Polish

I don’t buy nail polish anymore. Every time I would paint my nails they would get brittle and break.

Plus all the time spent painting my nails only to have them chip and have to redo them a week later.

After simplifying my life I didn’t see the point in having nail polish. It was not how I wanted to spend my time.

If you get your nails done, doing them yourself will save you a ton of money!

Back up Towels

After a lot of decluttering, I stopped buying backup towels. Each of us has 2 towels and I replace them when needed.

Hair Gadgets

I have the standard blow dryer and curling iron, but I don’t buy any more hair gadgets.

Face Routines

I no longer buy face creams and face routines that promise perfect skin.

There are a few products that I have used for a long time and I rarely buy “new to the market” usually expensive products anymore.

Anti-aging Stuff

I don’t buy any anti-aging face products besides sunscreen and a hat. Show me, one person, who does not look old after using them.

Everyone gets old and will look old eventually, no cream is going to stop that.

Expensive Hair Products

Expensive hair products can be the same as inexpensive hair products.

Especially shampoo and conditioner, I have tried inexpensive and expensive and realized just because something costs more doesn’t mean it’s better.

It is more about the quality of the product and what works for your hair.

All The Lotions and Potions

There are so many creams and lotions and oils being sold as something we need. When the dermatologist told me the less I put on my face the better!

With that information, I decided not to fall for all the “snake oil” being sold as a wrinkle reducer in a bottle.

Things We No Longer Buy:

Streaming Services

It’s shocking how expensive it can get with all the different monthly services out there. Most of the streaming services are about $15 to $30 a month. You can imagine how this can add up really quickly if you subscribe to a few of them.

We got rid of all our monthly expenses that weren’t necessary.

Expensive Name Brands

Buying expensive name brands just for the name is a complete waste of money. When trying to save money I take all the value off of things I now see them for what they are.

The product itself is what matters and if it solves the need you have. Take a purse, for instance, you can have a super well-made purse for a reasonable price. Slap a name brand on it and now it doubles in price. We have to ask, why we would fall for this.

Souvenirs

I used to get a magnet from every location I went to. Soon my refrigerator was filled with magnets.

Then I decided I didn’t like the cluttered look of the magnets on my fridge. Which is when I asked myself if I really needed to keep buying all these magnets.

The simple answer was no LOL.

Sale Items

I have found that sale items are only a good deal if you actually need the item. Whenever I get a coupon or catalog it goes straight into the recycle bin.

Perfume

Going with the theme of avoiding chemicals and mysterious fragrances, I have decided to stop buying perfume.

New Phone Every Year

With every new year, there is the opportunity to upgrade your phone. I now see this as a never-ending cycle.

Now I use my phone until it doesn’t work anymore.

Cheap Products

There is a difference between a product being inexpensive and cheap. In the past, I have bought cheap products to save money.

Most of the time they break pretty quickly and I find myself having to buy the well made slightly more expensive version anyway.

Monthly Music Subscriptions

Magazines

Most magazines are full of ads that make me want the newest trend. This was so easy to give up.

Subscription Boxes

I tried an essential oil subscription box for a month and decided it wasn’t for me. Initially, I thought it would be great because I could use the oils for all sorts of things.

But I quickly realized I only liked a few oils in the box and all the other things became extra clutter.

Now I don’t buy any subscriptions of any kind.

Gaming Devices / Games

This is a personal choice to not have any gaming devices in my home. I feel we are in front of a screen enough between computers, tablets, and phones.

Things We Don’t Buy to Save Money Conclusion

So what changed after we don’t buy these things anymore? Well, one big thing is we have a lot less clutter!

We save a lot of money! Read this post on how we save thousands every month. Everything we buy equals time spent earning that money. Also, each purchase takes time to research and go out and buy. So now we have extra time too!

Here is a great post on 10 Minimalist Practices That Changed My Life.

Looking to Declutter?

Check out my decluttering Ebook where I lay out the exact method I used to declutter everything extra in our home.

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