Since discovering minimalism and decluttering my overall life over the last few years, I have stopped buying many things that previously cost me a significant amount of money. Saving money is a great side effect of minimalism, as you don’t consume as much as you used to. I know I don’t. I am very mindful about how and where I spend my money. This wasn’t just a spending shift. It was a midlife shift. Because at this stage of life, it’s rarely about the thing itself. It’s about what the thing represents: comfort, identity, control, a quick hit of relief. Low-buy helped me see what I was reaching for and gently ask, what do I actually need right now. Less buying became more self-trust.

“Minimalism helps me live more intentionally with my time and money on what’s truly important to me, it is the constant art of editing your life.”

This year, I have three goals:

1. Spend less
2. Waste less
3. Have less

SIMPLE!

Why spend less?

• It allows you to establish an emergency fund, set aside cash for a downpayment on a house or carve out a chunk of your income for retirement, just to name a few. Overall, spending less and saving more helps you achieve financial freedom, enabling you to enjoy the kind of life that you dream about.

Why waste less?

• Reducing our waste helps the environment and saves us money. By wasting less and reducing our impact on the environment, we can improve our own (and others’) health and happiness.

Why have less?

• Because less is more! Intentionally owning less is a better way to live. It brings freedom, clarity, and opportunity.

Now… I question a lot of the things I buy. I try to find less wasteful and multi-purpose alternatives that fit better into my lifestyle. I only buy things I need, use and love.

So here are things that I no longer buy:

1. Plastic water bottles – I invested in a Brita Water Filter Jug a year and a half ago.
2. Plastic bags for shopping – I always bring my own tote bags
3. Plastic toothbrushes – I recently started using Bamboo Toothbrushes as they’re biodegradable
4. Shaving Cream – I use my hair conditioner
5. Fast fashion clothing – I’ve spent the last year curating capsule wardrobes for each season, investing in quality over quantity + I always opt for buying second-hand
6. Extra make-up products – I own and use a tinted moisturiser, mascara, blusher, bronzer, a couple of lipsticks, an eyeshadow palette and an eyeliner – that’s it. I’ve only kept what I actually use.
7. Extra skincare products – same as above, I only have products I actually use: a day cream, a night cream, serum, face wash, face scrub and a lip balm.
8. Diaries, journals and planners – after buying loads of different diaries, journals and planners to find the perfect one, I ended up going back to my beloved Filofax – one planner for my to-dos, personal and business
9. Entertainment Subscriptions – No Netflix, Amazon Prime, Cable TV, Disney or any of that sort. I use YouTube for everything
10. Multiple Gadgets – You won’t believe what I am about to say: between Khushi and me, we had a desktop, a laptop, 2 netbooks, 2 tablets, 3 phones and a Kindle!?!?!?! I mean, seriously! When I put all the gadgets in front of me, I realised how bad it was and sold more than half of them – now we only have what we actually use.
11. Handwash in plastic bottles – I’ve gone old-school and only use soap bars.
12. Jewellery – I curated a capsule collection last year, and I’ve only kept a handful of pieces (the ones I love and use)
13. Handbags – I had quite a few, but sold most of them as I didn’t use them. I only kept 4: a large handbag, a crossbody, a clutch bag (for events) and a weekend bag (for when I travel)
14. Animal products – I went Vegetarian (partly vegan) 2 years ago, so I stopped buying animal products.
15. Cookbooks – I used to have a rather large collection of cookbooks a couple of years ago, but now I use YouTube. I have a few favourite channels (Pick Up Limes, Avant Garde Vegan & Rachel Ama) I really enjoy, so I watch them while I meal plan, meal prep and batch cook.
16. Plastic food containers – I invested in Amazon Basics Glass Locking Food Storage Containers and never looked back
17. Single-Use Items – I don’t buy single-use items like disposable utensils, coffee cups, or plastic straws for convenience purposes. I got a bamboo lunch box and cutlery, a travel mug, metal straws and a water bottle.

I always audit my household items and search for ways to reuse or repurpose them, and I can confirm that I don’t miss any of the products or items from this list. Having essential items and focusing on less spending, wasting less and having less has left me with a lot of joy and gratitude.

“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.”

If we can all make just a few changes and save a few more pounds each day, we will improve our financial situation. If you can save even £30-£40 a month on a few different things like your mobile phone contract, you can put that money aside for something that matters.