9 things I stopped buying on my journey to minimalism

Something is a fact: I wish I had stopped buying these things sooner.

As someone that grew up in a Latin American home, with parents and grandparents obsessed with having big furniture, lots of clothes, and thousands of accessories, I thought that minimalism was a crazy and nonsense thing.

Then I found a post on Pinterest that talked about how minimalism helped that person with her anxiety. And that post opened my eyes: The more I had, the more I wanted.

I used to compare myself with my classmates, who had these fancy outfits and makeup, or with my cousins, who lived in another country and could buy as much as they wanted. I wanted to be like them and I got a job just to be able to get all those things.

An old English teacher got me a job at an institute, the payment was low, the hours were killing me, but, that made me happy because at least I could buy plenty of shoes, pants, dresses, and makeup, even though I don’t like makeup nor dresses.

I just wanted to be like them and even lost myself trying to be like someone else. My anxiety and depression were worse than ever. I just couldn’t handle it anymore!

So I took a bag and cleaned my closet. I got rid of all the things I never used or that I didn’t like. I sold or gave them all away. God, there are no words to explain how good it felt.

Of course, I’m still on the way through. I still live with my parents and just thinking about all the furniture they have, triggers my anxiety. However, that is something I cannot change since my mom loves all the things she owns.

So here we go with the 9 things I stopped buying on my way to minimalism!

Fast food

I stopped buying fast food once I got into a diet. While being on that diet I understood there are plenty of foods that my body doesn’t need and they only make my stomach upset.

When I stopped eating at MCD, BK, or KFC I could feel the difference in both my stomach and my pocket. I saved hundreds of Dominican pesos doing this! Do you know much can we spend eating out almost every day? Let me tell you: A lot!

Now, I meal prep and take my food everywhere I go. I save money, my stomach is happy and I’ve lost weight. Amazing, isn’t it?

Accessories

As a teenager, I was obsessed with accessories. I had all types of necklaces in different colors. There was a necklace for every occasion and every outfit. And I loved combining them with my shoes or my purse, or even both! Crazy, right?

Now I only own a couple of them. They are cute, simple, and go with any outfit. So I don’t get stressed anymore trying to combine.

Makeup

I already said that I don’t like makeup. However, when I started university it was hard for me not to buy it.

There were so many girls using makeup, going there with these cute outfits and getting all the boys’ attention, that I just wanted to be that way. And then this Korean Skin Care Routine came up, with cute and simple makeup ideas. It was temptation everywhere I looked!

So I went through another journey: Loving myself.

I understood that if I didn’t love myself I would never stop comparing every single detail of me with other girls and I’d want to buy and have everything they had.

Coffee

I talked about not buying coffee anymore in my zero waste tips blog post.

I’m picky when it comes to coffee. I drink it without sugar and If it has milk, it has to be almond milk cause I don’t drink cow milk and they just don’t sell it that way here!

Every time I bought coffee, it had like a pound of sugar and more milk than coffee, cause that’s the way Dominicans drink coffee. So I just decided to stop buying it. That way I reduced waste and feel more comfortable taking my coffee with me.

Frozen fruits

Smoothies are my life. And I used to buy a bag of frozen fruits every time I went to the supermarket. I consumed 2-3 bags each month. That’s a lot of plastic! And do you know how expensive they are just because they’re frozen? It’s insane!

That’s why I decided to go to the market and buy them naturally. The best way to eat healthier and to save money.

Perfume

You may think I’m crazy because I don’t buy perfume anymore. But, the products I use for my hair smell good enough for me to stop using perfume.

I used to have both the products and perfume, yet I felt that the perfume was a waste of money. So I just stopped buying it.

Clothes I don’t need

My mom calls me crazy cause I buy pants only when all of mine are broken. There was a time when I only bought a couple of pants because I was left with none.

The thing is that jeans are too expensive and if I have a couple that I can use on any occasion, why do I need more?

I don’t by dresses either. Whenever there is a special event, I prefer renting one or using one of the two dresses I own. Life is too short to worry about clothes, isn’t it?

Technology

I’m an iPhone lover. But, even though I love the iPhone 11, my 7 still working perfectly. Then why should I change it?

I learned from my father that running after the technology is a vicious cycle. I get one, and three months later there’s another better than mine. It only gives me anxiety having to worry about the new phone that this or that brand just threw out.

So I decided to be with technology like I am with clothes. I just get a new one when mine isn’t working anymore.

And that’s it! These were the 9 things I stopped buying on my journey to minimalism. Are there any things you've stopped buying?