As I’ve gotten older my tastes have changed drastically, so much so that there are certain items I no longer buy that in my teenage years I felt I just HAD to have. I’m definitely not a minimalist by any standard however, I have stopped buying items that no longer serve me or the lifestyle I have – “a practicalist”!
Also be sure to SHARE this post with your family and friends if you found ONE item you could relate to! Here are 17 things I no longer buy or spend money on:
1. Makeup brushes
As a makeup artist and former makeup fanatic, this is a category I know all too well. I remember when I purchased my first 20-piece brush set with a matching brush belt from @BHcosmetics almost 10 years ago (all of which I still own till this very day). I followed this with a Morphe Brushes monthly subscription for about 3 years along while still buying individual brushes here and there. Although it helped me launch a successful makeup career, I also accumulated brushes in many places, many of which are still in their original packaging or go unwashed until I have the use for them again.
2. Makeup (duplicates & trends)
Similar to makeup brushes, my makeup collection has grown throughout my MUA career. Within the past two years, I have found that I enjoy going bare-faced daily and barely have time to sit down to beat my face unless there’s a special occasion, taking blog and IG photos, travelling, date night etc.
For the makeup I do own and wear, I stay away from buying duplicates of the same product (e.g. foundations from 5 different brands). As I have gotten older I have decreased interest in experimenting with makeup and no longer buy the newest released eye shadow palettes or try out the latest on-trend makeup style/technique/hack.
3. Purses
I can feel the side eyes with this one because we all know my shoe-fanatic self will never pass up a HOT pair of heels – sometimes you have to pick your battles. Realistically speaking, a majority of the purses I own never see daylight more than once a year if at all and were mostly impulse buys. As a student I am mostly seen with my trusted Herschel backpack or a basic large black tote bag which is more than enough to hold what I need.
4. Trinkets/Small decor pieces
Besides items of great sentimental value (and they truly have to be great), I strongly dislike little trinket-y items. Not only do they create clutter but over time they take up space, decrease the aesthetic appeal of a home and add up in cost. Holding back from purchasing these items has definitely created more room in my physical environment which is more visually appealing!
For more tips on how to improve your home aesthetic be sure to check out my previous post.
5. Cute stationary
Once upon a time all I desired at the beginning of every school year was a fresh set of pens, pencils, pencil crayons, and a backpack with a matching pencil case and lunch bag. Although back then I thought it was cool to pull up on the first day of school with matching stationary, I have little need for any of that now. Thanks to note-taking devices, many of my notes are electronic and I maintain the odd handful of pens and pencils in case I need them. The exception in this case would be birthday cards, basic office supplies (stapler, printer, hole puncher) and my physical planner.
6. Nail polish
Nail polish is another item that I have not purchased in a very long time. Not only am I not your average nail technician, but I find the look of chipped nail polish can ruin a well put-together look much easily than bare nails. Depending on the occasion, I may opt for a set of gel nails done by a professional technician but otherwise my nails are always plain.
7. Books
To be honest I have had very little time to sit down for a non-school related in the past six years – essentially my entire post secondary career. Despite this, I found myself making unpractical purchases such as self-help books simply because it was on trend at the time. To save shelf space and money I now look to online blogs, podcasts, trusted news outlets, and apps like Medium for self-help articles and short essays on diverse topics.
8. Phone Cases
It has never made sense to me to own multiple phone cases a time. My main priority is the durability and protection the phone case provides. Once I find a good one that looks decent I don’t purchase another until the first one no longer fulfills its purpose.
9. Excessive Afro Hair Products
This is one that I truly believe the marketing/business world has won when it comes to black women. Why in this life will you need 4 types of conditioner, 3 deep conditioners, 5 pomades/jams and edge controls, and numerous brushes and applicators? For hair? – nah, miss me with that.
I completely understand and can relate with the struggles black women have endured in the process of reclaiming their natural hair as part of their identity. However, there is no need to accumulate products, stylers, tamers, and a completely new set of products for your wash and go (which is never actually a “wash” and “go” process). They end up cluttering your counter tops, doing nothing more spectacular than the last hair care product you bought, and draining your bank account because they are harder to find in some parts of the world and target a specialized audience.
My hair care kit is very standard – besides a hair dryer with comb attachment, a straightener and curling tool, I opt for grocery store shampoo and conditioner, mousse for curly wigs, basic strong hold hairspray, a good moisturizer from an afro hair store, one tub of eco styler gel, and one edge control pomade. Yikes…that already seems like a lot …..
10. Excessive skin care products
Skin care products, like afro hair products, can easily get out of hand. You’ve probably seen a handful of “skin care routine” videos in your lifetime showing both morning and night time products for “younger-looking skin”. Regardless of whether or not you were persuaded to buy the products, ask yourself how much time and energy you can realistically dedicate to maintaining both a morning and night routine? Personally I have a collection of 3-4 products I use for my face intermittently, but I have stopped the constant search for the latest product that in my mind could make my skin “that much better”. This has not only cut down my visits to Sephora and the time I spend worrying over my skin in the morning and at night, but it has made me love my natural skin even more.
Here are two of my current go-to skin care products under $10!
11. Subscriptions
Subscriptions are another marketing tactic that don’t make me feel like I am spending a lot of money in the moment. But $9.99 can seriously add up when your subscriptions include movies, music streaming, website hosting, legal coverage, gym membership, yoga membership, Shopify e-commerce and app fees, Amazon Prime, that one editing mobile editing app, Adobe photography subscription, Adobe Acrobat subscription, not to mention phone bills, banking fees – and then you convert from USD to CAD??….sis….
Needless to say, there’s more money coming out of your pocket than you can remember most times. Asides from my business-related subscriptions I have consolidated my movie subscriptions to just Amazon prime video (included in Amazon prime subscription) and ended my music subscriptions during this quarantine period as I can access free playlists using wifi. I also no longer have a gym membership, instead I use the gym at school/work which is mandatory in my fees or FREE LIVE workouts online.
12. Souvenirs & Swag
When I visit different places I no longer fight the urge to bring back keepsakes that end up gathering dust in a corner of my home. If I do bring things back I go for perishable foods or alcohol that is unique to the place I visited for friends and family.
As much as I dislike buying souvenirs I am equally not keen on receiving souvenirs or swag items. Take a look at your closet or cupboard- how many school or company branded shirts, pens, mugs, sweaters, sweatpants etc can you count? They were probably exciting to receive but in the long-term you may not use them as often as you’d think.
13. Samples/testers
This isn’t necessarily an item I pay for – which I think is worse as it leads to taking more than I truly need or would ever use. Samples are great for products you are highly inclined to buy in full-size. If you are taking them only because they are free then they are less likely to serve you in a positive way. I still have product samples today that I collected from a natural hair show about 3 years ago. I clearly have little interest in exquisite natural hair products as I never remember to use them and could have done better by declining the swag bag with the testers. Let me not start on Sephora makeup and fragrance testers, sis if you are not interested in the full-size item, DON’T ASK FOR TESTERS!
14. Candles
If you’re thinking of the Bath and Body Works candle sale then you and I are alike! Candles are great for their scents and setting the mood but many of their scents can be uncontrollably overwhelming causing respiratory congestion and generate a lot of glass and wax waste. For the two candles I still own, I try to burn them once in a while and use them as part of my room decor – moving forward I will not be buying any more candles.
15. Pads/Tampons
As a personal choice and environmentally friendly alternative I switched to using a Diva Cup as opposed to pads and tampons. Now these take ALOT of practice and getting used to but over time they are financially conservative and make travelling and physical activity much more comfortable.
16. Gym clothing
I originally went from buying trendy gym clothing as motivation to workout to buying them as a reward to myself for consistently working out. Although I am happy to have maintained the gains, gym clothes are not at all cheap (looking at the Lululemons, Gym sharks, and Alo yogas of the world). As another option I often turn to the aforementioned school-branded swag t-shirts and sweatpants for gym wear.
17. Hair styles
Last on this list is hairstyling – once again the market wins when it comes to black afro hair. If you’ve lived outside Nigeria or any African country, you’ve likely spent 20x the amount of money you’d spend in Africa to get your hair washed, braided, styled etc. I won’t continue to rant but this year I decided not to spend a single penny on hair stylists and braiding and achieve all hairstyles myself!
4 months into the year and I am still rocking my protective styles (mostly wigs) but looking to try something nifty from a YouTube tutorial in the near future.
If you’ve stuck with me this far, I want to know ONE item you no longer purchase and why? Do share – we all tryna save that coin!
Thanks for stopping by, I’ll catch you in the next one!
-ANTHONIAxo
