As a review of the last time I wrote about what I’ve eliminated that I no longer miss a year ago posted in April 2009, here is my new, updated list:
The original list of what I cut out:
- Spa Beauty Treatments — Misleading, I am not really into pedicures, manicures or facials
- Wash, cut and blow dry; now just a dry cut
- Paper towels
- Fabric softener
- Ready-to-defrost-or-eat meals
- Magazines
- CD’s — I buy the tunes I want on iTunes
- DVD’s — BF is more into this than me
- Buying lunch — 99% of the time when I work
- Fizzy pop
- Credit card interest — Misleading. I’ve never paid any.
- Newspapers
- Gift wrap
- Bottled water
- Cleaning items — I use baking soda and vinegar
- Handbags (Another big fat no for me. I love bags, shoes and jewellery. What can I say?)
April 2009 Additions:
- Student Loan interest debt — WOO HOO! I am debt free!!
- Shampoo Long hair in the summer takes too long to wash without shampoo. Am using green brands now.
- Conditioner Surprisingly, my hair gets very dry without conditioner. Switched back.
- Hair styling products in general
- Feminine products — Using the Diva Cup now
- Cable TV — I watch it online
- Books — I got some books for review, but now I read e-books
- Any kind of fruit juice or sugary drink as a regular grocery item
- Paper Statement — Saves me $1.00 each cycle, as per my corporation’s bank
- Accountant fees — I do my own taxes with UFile — dead easy, and QuickBooks for my corporation
- Gym Fees — I cycle and walk
- Dishwashing detergent
- Laundry detergent
- Starbucks — Got violent motion sickness last time & now associate that taste with nausea
- Cupcakes — Ditto. Belly hurt after overdosing on cupcakes.
- Paying for fees to check in bags when I fly—I never check anything in. 2 carryons, max
- Tissue Paper as Napkins — Bought cloth napkins
- Car insurance & leases—$300/year in full, bought car outright in cash
- Organic foods that have thick, inedible skins — What’s the point?
- Pens/Paper/Pencils — I have enough stock to start my own elementary school
April 2010 Additions:
- Plastic Bags — I use reusable ones now
- Paper Towels (Conquered!)
- All Tissue Paper! (I use handkerchiefs now)
- Fancy flavoured chemical creamers (Stuck vanilla bean seed pods into brown sugar for scent. Good enough!)
- Batteries — I try to get rechargeable lithium ion items, and I use these USB-powered Double AA batteries
- Paying for GPS and Car Rental Damage & Waiver Fees — Got a Visa to cover those fees if I pay with the card
- Giving and Receiving Christmas Cards and Gifts — I’d rather go out to have coffee
- Commercially-made Pita Bread, Cookies and Biscuits — I bake it myself, and avoid the preservatives
- Body Lotion & Hair conditioner that is not more basic — I now use shea butter, olive oil and coconut oil
I think I am near the end!
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
New videogame: I buy them used online.
I don't buy magazines – I read them at the gym, at the supermarket..etc.
I very rarely buy coffee anymore (yay). The coffee at work is decent enough.
I don't use fabric softerner or those dryer sheets anymore. The laundry detergent I buy is generic and really cheap.
I got a giant giant container of clearning solution from my neighbor when she moved. I haven't bought cleaning supplies in many months.
I've cut out expensive birth control for a generic version. Does that count? $25 usd savings.
🙂
Your link for using shea butter, olive oil and coconut oil. Can you post the direct link? Would love to read it.
I'm impressed by all the things you eliminate! I guess I'm trying to eliminate plastic bags and stockpiling too much of one item which I do not need.
Some of the things I've eliminated and do not miss:
Shopping as entertainment – I almost never go to the mall now. I only go if I absolutely have to accompany someone else.
All meat (gone vegetarian)
All alcohol except for Sardinian red wine
Large closets (I traded down from a new custom house with huge walk in closets to a 1970s era house with much smaller closets. Now I don't feel compelled to fill up spaces with stuff.)
Electric central A/C (we use fans only)
Gas central furnace (alarmingly expensive)
clothes dryer (I have line dried for the past 2 and a half years)
cable TV (IMO too many commercials, too many reruns and too much general garbage) but having said that …..
Some of the things I've eliminated but still fixate on:
Shopping (lol)
Eating in restaurants
Cold Stone ice cream
Travel, Discovery, A&E, TLC, History and the court TV channels
A good steak
Thank you for the list!
I forgot to add alcohol on there. I don’t drink.. I tried to, to be a good sport, but I just hate the taste, and it makes me feel sleepy.
I’ll put that on my 2011 list 😉
I have eliminated bathroom tissue (use family cloths), facial tissue (handkerchiefs), paper towels (cloth), napkins (more cloth), fancy cleaners (fels naptha, octagon, ammonia, baking soda, vinegar), dishwashing liquid (octagon soap), shampoo (baking soda), disposable pads (use cloth–how do you like the diva cup?) and a lot of eating out.
I am still not at the point of bathroom tissue elimination. But ironically, I’d totally cloth diaper my future kids 😛
The diva cup is INCREDIBLE! I highly recommend it. With tampons or pads from before, I used to leak all the time (very embarrassing and hard to get the stains out).
With the diva cup, it doesn’t leak, it doesn’t hurt, it might be a bit unwieldy to get it in and out but I adore it.
Review here: http://fabbroke.wpengine.com/2009/04/review-diva-cup/
I switched to the Diva cup as well.
We use baby face clothes (the thin ones) instead of napkins at meal time.
For laundry, I switched to a homemade laundry soap made of grated cold processed soap, borax, baking soda, washing soda, citric acid and essential oil for scent.
I try to cut our grocery spending in the summer by growing what I can in my own garden (herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, etc.). Nothing beats the feeling of knowing you're eating something fresh that YOU grew. Who knew I could grow cantaloupes and watermelons in my backyard? They were delicious!
We're also trying to cut back on eating out. We use to go out once a week for our "family dinner". Last year, we started going every other week and now we're switching to every third week. For us, dining out is a write off since DH is a consultant, but nevertheless, we can definitely save by cutting down the frequency.
I cut back on getting my hair highlighted. I use to get a cut and colour every 3 months. Now, I alternate between a cut and a cut and colour every 3 months. So, I have to live with a few months of the "grown out" look, but it's a savings of $140 each year, so it's worth it.
We got a Tassimo with our airmiles awhile back and cut out our coffee and special drink spending. We barely ever buy a coffee outside of the home now.
Thanks for such an incredible list!
I hope one day I can have my own garden as well.
It’s a good thing your DH is a consultant — it makes those dinners out a bit easier on the budget, but I do agree that even with BF & I as consultants with our own companies, we don’t eat out more than once every 2 months.
Is there a reason why my comments aren't being approved?
They should be!
I don’t know WTH is up with IntenseDebate. I set it to automatically approve ANYONE who has approved 2-3 comments, so that I don’t have to keep moderating.
It works with some and not with others. I always get counted as spam on other blogs, no matter how much I try.
I’m sorry!
I'm curious to know what you do for shampoo and dishwasher detergent. I really enjoy your blog, by the way. 🙂
I wash with water, baking soda & apple cider 🙂
And we don’t have a dishwasher any longer *haha* — hence no “detergent”. But we use Castile Soap by Dr. Bronner.
Buying books…the library is my favorite bookstore!
Cable…I read more and get out more
Fancy gyms…i dont need the pool, sauna, or classes. I go to a basic gym and run outside
Hmm if I only had your strong will. I can't ever get rid of "wash, cut and dry" because I love the wash part. 🙂
This week I eliminated going out for food for lunch. Instead I do groceries on Monday for enough food for the rest of the week. It saved me about $20. I will definitely keep doing it until I grow lazy.
Oh wow, you've eliminated a whole lot. Mine is quite short but I'm trying:
CDs- replaced by iTunes
Netflix- although I really miss it
Professional hair color – I color my own hair now
Alterations – I alter hems of my new pants and skirts
Dry Clean – I just use dryel
Congrats on getting rid of your student loan and credit card interest. =)
Thank you 🙂
Well, A LOT of the same things as you! My husband and I have definitely been working at avoiding disposable stuff over the past few years and still getting better at it. I still need to get some handkerchiefs, as well as see if I can devote some rags to kitty messes. Those are the main things we use paper towel for here still (the rest being occasional work messes involving chemicals that really should be landfilled and not washed down the drain).
The big thing for us over the last few months has, as you know, been getting rid of animal products since we've gone vegan. I really did think it would be hard. I loooooved cheese and my husband was a real steak & burgers kind of guy. I thought he was joking when he said he wanted to try going vegan, and then I thought he'd cave after a few days, but he really surprised me — and I really surprised myself. We gave ourselves a month or so to "experiment" with not eating animal products and then it just never seemed worth it to go back to our old ways, especially after watching Earthlings. We had too many other great, tasty foods to eat and try that didn't exploit animals — plus we've been feeling great physically and mentally, so that definitely helps.
Another thing I've eliminated has been a couple unhealthy relationships in my life. I can't say that I don't miss the people at all, but I definitely don't miss the relationships that I had with them. Those have been probably the toughest things to eliminate, but I realize looking back that they were not healthy for any of us and that I spent far too much time and energy trying to make things work in vain.
Cleaning products once they are gone will use Dr. Bronner's soap, baking soda and lemon, VHS movies (yup still old school), feminine products (use the keeper and reusable/washable pads), kleenex instead use a handkerchief, some of my books from my book collection, laundry detergent use soap nuts instead. Going to the mall instead I shop local or online when necessary.
That so far is my list.
Thank you for stopping by my blog as well :). I love all the topics you blog about. They are very inspiring and thought-provoking. Definitely very enjoyable to read. Your blogs are inspiring me to learn to become a minimalist myself! 🙂
http://petitegorgeous.blogspot.com/
Sugar. Or as much as possible. It's amazing how this saves me money.
Ditto on shampoo, paper towels, and fabric softener.
I don't miss:
1. Cable TV–I also watch online
2. Magazines–read at library now
3. Clutter—I am minimizing everything
4. Laundry detergent–I found the recipe online and also make my own now
I will try the baking soda and vinegar for cleaning supplies
"All Tissue Paper! (I use handkerchiefs now)"
You use a handkerchief to wipe your butt? That sounds nasty and unsanitary.
LOL!!!
I call that “toilet paper”, not tissue paper.
And I still have toilet paper, but I know some families who use “family cloths”… I am just not at that point yet.
I am well impressed – I've not yet given up blow drys when I get my hair cut, and I've only cut back on shampoo and laundry detergent. Can't say I miss buying new clothes, which is a rare event if not completely gone. I still do Christmas cards to a select few, but send an e-card of my own design to most; I still do gifts as well, but most are homemade. Amazing how mindlessly I used to spend money and how differently I live now — and it's far better, though most people find that hard to believe!
I am starting to notice that buying new clothes is kind of redundant for me.
I already have everything I need for every event. It’s just variety from hereon. But even if I own 50 tank tops in 50 colours, I can only wear one at a time…. that’s the mental point I’m at right now.