Comments on: Don’t Buy Stuff

By: Crystal

Crystal — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:15:10 +0000

I have to add my 2 cents (pitiful pun intended! ;O) here. I say do NOT splurge on any toilet paper. You actually don’t need it at all! Think about cloth diapers and take that one step further… cloth TP. I use cloth diapers and wipes on my little ones and the big kids and the adults use cloth TP, we call them “washies”. They are fantastic! They can be used dry or wet. They can be made from just about anything that doesn’t repel moisture! Old receiving blankets, stained/outgrown/ruined clothing, old towels/blankets, scraps of fabric from you sewing stash, old tee-shirts, just about anything can be made into a “washie.” My personal favorite is an old tee shirt cut up into squares or rectangles. That’s it. The knit doesn’t fray so there’s nothing else to do. However, these can be made into very fancy and comfortable wipes too. Think minky or silks… oh, the luxury! If you use a fabric that will fray just surge (if you are blessed with one of those wonderful machines that is definitely not stuff!) the outside edges or zigzag stitch or put two layers together (get creative) and sew them together.

If the laudering part of this bothers you (or more likely, your husband) do a good rinse cycle first with nothing else in the washing machine. Then there will be “nothing” to wash out for the regular load. You can add your regular load of laundry to the washer at this point because a load of washies sure isn’t very big. If you’re not sure about the “sanitary-ness” of this then wash something that can tolerate high heat and wash your washies :O) in hot water. It is no different whatsoever than cloth diapering. It is so simple and saves us a FORTUNE by not buying TP. We do buy the really, really cheap stuff to have on hand for skeptical guests who are NOT okay with reusable TP.

As for soap… I make my own laundry soap, dish soap, cleaners, shampoo, conditioner, and hand soap (I use soap to make my hand soap. I don’t do it the old fashioned way with lye and stuff. I just take a bar of Ivory or similar soap and grate it and melt it with water to make a liquid hand soap for the dispensers or I use a castille [Dr. Bronner's] soap and dilute it.)

Buy *real* food and do not buy stuff; I AGREE 100,000% on those two tips! :O) This was a simple, fun post and I enjoyed it!

By: Loric

Loric — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:42:06 +0000

Novel idea… :) too bad we don’t do it huh?
Thanks for sharing.

By: Jami @ An Oregon Cottage

Jami @ An Oregon Cottage — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:54:33 +0000

Thanks for the reminder!
Now if I can just keep that in my head when I’m at Target…

By: It Feels Like Chaos

It Feels Like Chaos — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:54:56 +0000

True great advice! And you’ll have more time to enjoy your family because you won’t be running errands all the time!

By: Kellene

Kellene — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:45:26 +0000

And if you don’t buy stuff, then you don’t have to waste 3 weeks of your life getting ready for a garage sale!
I love your simple, straightforward advice!

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:03:23 +0000

Good advice! Like Stephanie said, it’s when I’m out and about and seeing cool things that I want to buy stuff. But when I stay home, I want to declutter and get rid of the unnecessary items so that I don’t have to keep moving and cleaning around them. :-)

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:54:13 +0000

That’s definitely the most effective way to save money!

By: "Lydia Cate"

"Lydia Cate" — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:44:14 +0000

Best advice I’ve heard recently!
Love it! It’s really easy to not buy stuff when your husband doesn’t have a job :) But we don’t need the stuff!
Have a great day and keep the good advice coming!

By: Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:01:05 +0000

I see that someone else has already linked to that old SNL skit. That’s exactly what I thought of when I read your post! It really is true- just don’t buy stuff! And if you don’t have the money, then don’t buy it! Gosh, that’s so simple, isn’t it? :)

Though I confess, I have my occasional times when I want to buy stuff and need to learn to resist. It’s when I actually go out to stores or to a mall. When I stay away from stores, I’m not all that tempted. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:25:31 +0000

Amen! I just moved and am amazed at the “Stuff” that we actually have! The Salvation Army thrift store is going to make a fortune selling what I’ve already paid for! I don’t need anymore stuff! Now if I could just get my husband on board… :)