Things I don’t buy

• We don’t go out to eat.
• I buy most of the ingredients for our meals at a discount and plan around them.
• I make almost everything from scratch.
• I don’t order takeout, no matter how tired I am.
• I don’t buy ready made freezer food.
• I don’t buy premade snacks.
• I don’t buy premade desserts or bakery items. The exception is sliced bread and pitas for school lunches, and sometimes Shabbos challah.
• I don’t serve desserts during the week.
• Takeout coffee or tea – I don’t drink coffee but I keep some in the house for visitors. I don’t buy creamers or flavored syrups.
• Soft drinks, soda, lemonade, sweetened tea – we drink water and buy seltzer for Shabbos. I make and preserve our own juice.
• Salad dressings – I make our own.
• Condiments or spice blends – I make them.
• Bottled water – when at home drink tap water. I have a filter but where I’m living, we have decent quality water. We fill water bottles to take with us when we go out,
• Disposable dishes – I primarily use them twice a year when I have lots of guests for Sukkos and Pesach, but very little during the rest of the year.
• Paper towels – I use rags and wash them.
• Hair cuts – I give haircuts for the entire family
• Hair products like hair oils, serums, styling gels, hairspray – I buy shampoo and conditioner.
• Hair dyes
• Scented bath products – epsom salts and some essential oils are all we use.
• Skincare products: toners, cleansers, serums, exfoliators, face masks, sunscreens – I don’t use any of them.
• Hand and body creams – I use shea butter and castor oil to make my own salves.
• Cosmetics – I don’t use more than lipstick on a regular basis; my sister gifted me with high quality makeup before our second child’s wedding and now I have a lifetime supply.
• Makeup wipes – soap and a washcloth does the job.
• Nail polish – I don’t use it other than to label pans.
• Beauty treatments – facials, botox, fillers – nope.
• Manicures/pedicures – you can learn to do these for yourself if you care about them, but I don’t.
• Scented candles, room fresheners – I don’t like artificial smells; we have an essential oil diffuser which is really nice but even that I rarely use.
• Cleaning products – I stick with the basics: dish soap, laundry detergent, oxygen spray for clothing, and toilet cleaner. Once a year for Pesach I use a heavy duty oven cleaner. I made my own citrus cleanser/degreaser, but generally baking soda (bought in bulk), vinegar (bought in bulk) and elbow grease do the trick for just about all cleaning.
• Floor wipes – I didn’t even know this was a thing until I took my mom shopping and she wanted them. I use a squeeze/sponja stick and washable rag to clean the floor.
• I rarely use the dryer – I hang clothes outside to dry, and pay attention to the weather in the rainy season to take advantage of sunny days and do lots of laundry then.
• Dryer sheets
• Gym membership
• Workout equipment
• New or leased vehicles – we buy used cars that we pay for in cash.
• Full service car wash – I don’t wash the car myself because our parking space is too far from my house for our hose to reach. Once a year I get a full cleaning done at the car wash. There are self-clean paid options for in between washes.
• Scented sprays for the car
• Vacations – we see our home as a place to enjoy being together. We don’t fly to destinations; we don’t stay in hotels. In the US we did yearly camping trips but since moving here have only done that once. (We’re talking about reinstating those.) We do paid day trips; for example, the older boys to a water park; the younger kids to an indoor amusement park. We have many hikes, picnics, and trips to the beach.
• Cleaning help – I’ve never had paid cleaning help; we clean our own house.
• Renovations – We’ve framed walls, replaced kitchens, put in a new bathroom, put up fencing, built decks, patios and pergolas, and tiled walls and floors. We do the work ourselves, so the costs are in time and materials. Still a big outlay though nothing compared to what it would cost to hire the work out. The exception that we pay for is plumbing and electricity.
• Catering – I’ve self-catered every family gathering, bar mitzva, l’chaim, engagement party and sheva brachos meal for over three decades.
• Impulse spending – when I go into a store, I get what I came for and don’t get distracted by things that look interesting.
• Shopping as a hobby or therapy – I don’t go shopping to make myself feel better or because I’m bored.
• I don’t shop to get an ingredient that I’ve run out of – I try to plan ahead but if I run short, I adjust my plans and use what I have.
• We don’t smoke, drink or gamble, so no expenses on any of those things.
• Jewelery – I have a minimum amount of real jewelery, and don’t have a desire to add to it. I occasionally buy some inexpensive costume jewelery to add some pizazz.
• Purses, handbags – I only use one at a time, and replace it every couple of years. I buy new because I look for something specific, but it’s not expensive.
• Magazines – I don’t buy them. A friend occasionally passes a pile of hers to me when she’s finished.
• Very limited afterschool activities – once the kids are home, I don’t want them to go out for more activities.
• Kids clothing – I buy as much as I can used, though not infrequently the ‘used’ clothing is new with tags from second hand sales.
• Kids toys – I buy toys infrequently; when I buy, I get good quality that will stand up to a lot of use and last for years, and can be used in different ways to maximize the play value.
• Kids books – I usually get from library sales or from community book exchanges. Occasionally I buy new books when it’s something I want to have; I bind or cover them with contact paper to keep them in good condition.
• Home decor – I stay away from the ongoing purchase of whimsical, seasonal items.
• New furniture – I buy good quality used items and maintain them.

I try not to look at what others have, and not compare myself to anyone.