Lately or in the last few years we can often come across vlogs and blogs titled »things I’ve stopped buying« or something in that style. Having a minimalistic lifestyle has become somewhat trendy, which is, in its core, good for the environment. But how about never starting with all the consumerism in the first place?

This whole post could easily be put in two senteces:

Stop all this consumerism. Don’t buy things you don’t need.

But this would work for no one. The situation is, of course, more complex.

We all have different lifestyles, live in different parts of the world and need different things apart from the basics. And it’s always easier telling everyone else how to live their lives than to tell the same thing to ourselves. It’s good to set and have some good examples to see what works and what doesn’t. We’re built in such a way that we need proof even though it makes perfect sense on its own.

Here’s powerful step that helps me every time I go shopping. There just one, but you can add more (and you’re welcome to share what works for you):

Imagine every item you put in your shopping cart or basket as a piece of trash (which it will inevitably become at some point in time). Can you see it dissolve? Would it belong somewhere on a grassfield or in a forest? If no, do you still need it? Do you still want it?

Most of the things, unless they are made entirely of wood, metal or are organic food, do not belong anywhere in nature. Even the named ones don’t belong just anywhere either.

Since we’re talking about what not to buy and needing examples, I should probably present you with one.

Here’s one of our lifestyle (meaning myself and my closest family). First, to be clear, I like pretty material things, but I stay realistic. Do I like some of that vegan make up and clothes of the latest style? Oh, yes. But do I need it? No.

When it comes to clothes, starting this moment we (by »we« meaning the lucky ones with healthy families, safe home and a steady income) all have enough clothes to last us our lifetimes. Did you ever think about that?

Let’s move to the actual list of things I never bought and never will:

• bottled water, drink tap water, it’s better
• juices of any kind, for the previously named reason
• straws, plastic or any other
• decorative items (don’t serve any other purpose than to catch dust and be trash, goes for any decorative item)
• kitchen appliances which only serve one purpose and can be replaced by regular appliances (toaster, water heater, coffee maker, microwave oven)
• shampoo, I use a clay soap which made conditioner go away immediately, sometimes I also use baking soda
• conditioner, for the just named reason
• shower gel, use a simple solid soap, it is just as cleansing, lasts much longer and has very little or no packaging
• body lotion, use a natural oil, I use coconut. It smells and feels amazing, it also is hydrating as well as protective
• laundry detergent, use baking soda. It’s doesn’t add any annoying synthetic scents to the laundry, it’s perfectly effective and affects the environment much, much less
• shoes I don’t need
• clothes I don’t need, in other words – instant fashion. In my case I have my own basic sports style and I stick to it. All the other – casual clothes I get by exchanging with family members, friends and acquaintances or I occasionally pay a visit to a good second hand shop
• bags I don’t need (own 3; 2 bags and 1 backpack, only the backpack will be replaced once it has to be)
• stationery I don’t need (this is my weak spot, I’m like a child in a toy store when it comes to this, so I have to be very careful here and make a list of the items I actually need and stick to it rock solid when buying office supplies)
• processed food, it serves no other purpose but to make our bodies unhealthy and pollute the nature with packaging
• organisers (if you don’t own junk, you don’t ever come to a point of needing these, but if you ever do, make your own – DIY’s are awesome)
• jewellery (except for gifts to my pretty friends who happen to like it, in those cases I buy local hand made pieces), aslo
• cheap jewellery (meaning it’s made of or it includes plastic)
• perfumes, again, they serve no purpose at all except for annoying the people that have to be near us
• anything with too much packaging, even if I need the item, I pass and find a more appropriate one
• gadgets (I own a phone, a computer and an e-reader, with computers and phones I buy good quality second hand ones)
• medicine (have a healthy lifestyle and you won’t need to buy a single piece of medicine in your life)
• plastic bags (if it so happens that you find yourself in an unexpected situatuon in a store needing a bag, buy the environmentally friendly recycled ones, they will last you close to for ever)

Oh, let me also state that we – my husband and I – live in a one bedroom apartmant of 33 m². We share one closet which also has to hold our seasonal outerwear because there isn’t enough space in the entrance room (where we normally keep outerwear). We don’t really lack any space. In this amount of space you have to live by the »one in – one out« rule. Which goes for everything: kitchen gear, clothing, gadgets, appliances, even skin care, etc. So it becomes as simple as you just don’t buy something unless you really need it. But this is only one way of living simple.

To be clear, I am in no way claiming I’m very good at the no consumerism, I’m not zero waste, but trying to get there. I’m only trying to constantly improve, to be informed about what causes problems and trying to help prevent those as best as I can. When we all do that, we’re on a good path to making nature our healthy happy home again.