10 Things You Will NOT Find In My Home
Heyyy Bold Babes!
I can’t believe how many years I have practiced minimalism and have yet to write any blog posts about it… oops. But let’s be honest my blog is sort of a passive part of my business and personal life so I guess that’s my excuse! With that though, I have been wanting to write this post for some time and today is finally the day! As you read through this list of 10 items you will not find in my home, keep in mind that I am not trying to shame anyone or say that my way is the right way! It’s an option and one that has personally brought me happiness and simplicity so if it does the same for you then great! And if not, that’s okay too!
Okay here we go with
10 THINGS YOU WILL NOT FIND IN MY HOME AND WHY.
Paper Towels
I think it’s been well over a year since I last bought paper towels. The reason? I think they’re wasteful. Sure they aren’t plastic and they biodegrade fairly well but still, why buy something that is just honestly not a necessity? Any little spills throughout the day can be easily cleaned with a dish rag or towel. I almost always have a designated towel on the kitchen counter for that exact reason. For floor messes, we just pull out the mop real quick or again, there’s usually towel on the floor that can be used. I actually don’t even go through that many rags/towels. Maybe 2 a day? As for meal napkins, again-we just use a dish towel or honestly the napkins that come from drive thrus haha (since they love to put a minimum of 50 napkins in your bag. wtf?) We keep them in a kitchen drawer and also use them for soaking up grease from cooking bacon and sausage. And finally, a lot of people use paper towels to put a little snack on for the microwave… yeah we just use a little plate and can usually just do a 5 second rinse/clean of it when we’re done so there’s not a ton of extra dishes. Wow that was a lot.. moving on!
2. Water Bottles
Man… this is one I feel VERY passionate about. Haha I just truly believe there is no good reason that we should be buying plastic single use water bottles. They are literally suffocating our planet and wildlife and it’s all for the sake of convenience. Reusable stainless steel (or similar) water bottles are seriously the best! You can get so many cool designs, they keep your water cold, they tend to be leak proof, hold more.. ect. If it’s a taste issue, there are so many affordable and simple water filtration options out there that it’s really not an excuse anymore. So here’s my plea… STOP BUYING WATER BOTTLES! Thank you :)
3. Q-Tips
Maybe this one grosses you out but honestly a quick Google search will tell you that our ears naturally clean themselves and we don't need to use QTips. Even if they are inexpensive, they are yet another single use product that are not necessary and take up space. Look up some better and safe alternatives to keeping your ears clean :)
4. Onions
Hate them. Okay so this has nothing to do with minimalism but you really will never find an onion in my home! Don't eat them, don't cook with them! Everyone has that one food they just depise right?!
5. Makeup remover wipes.
The first reason for this is again, the waste issue. I don't like things that are single use and toss especially if there are plenty of other options out there. Instead, I remove my makeup with a wet microfiber cloth followed by using a cleanser. And the second reason was I felt like using a wipe was adding unnecessary irritation and ingredients to my skin. Plus microfiber cloths are so much softer and come in a variety of sizes, designs, and last “forever!”
6. Junk closet/room.
The biggest part of minimalism that I take seriously is not having a bunch of “stuff” or excess junk. Sure we have some storage in our basement for camping things and holiday decor but everything in the little storage we have is largely things we do use or need. We don't have a room or closets just full of things. And it's really not just about being good at organizing and decluttering, it's about not gathering the stuff in the first place and not placing so much value on “stuff” in general.
7. Ziploc bags.
Again, single use plastics are a big no in our house if we can help it! We love our reusable bags we got from Amazon. There's tons of different styles and sizes and they are easy to clean and sturdy! On that note, we also use reusable grocery totes becuase plastic grocery sacks are also the world's arch nemesis and I see little reason why were still using them!
8. Dryer sheets.
Yep you called it, don't use these because they're single use! Also I've read plenty of articles about how they aren't that great for your clothes. I use dryer balls which last hundreds of washes and make your clothes softer and static free. I also like that I can drop some essential oils onto them to add a little boost of natural fragrance to my clothes!
9. Laundry detergent jug.
This is probably one of my favorite switches to a more minimal/eco- friendly home and it wasn't a drastic change! I swapped out my huge plastic jug for a small cardboard box of pods from Dropps. The cost was only a couple dollars more and it's a convenient subscription so I don't even have to think about it. I also love the simple fragrance free ingredients. I've been using them for almost 2 years and have loved it!
10. Tampons.
Weren't expecting that one? Okay maybe I have a few stragglers for who knows why.. maybe guests? Hahaha. There are endless reasons for ditching tampons. Wasteful, bad for the environment, bad for your vagina, annoying to change every few hours, can't tell how much you're bleeding/what it looks like (which is an important thing to know) expensive… ect. I now use a cup and MY LIFE IS CHANGED. It was a one time buy (I got mine from Bloody Buddy Cup) and I can wear it for 12 hours so um… ALL DAY. I can see exactly what my cycle is doing and I'm not throwing away and re-buying products constantly. If you're new to the cup game, I know it seems scary or weird but I promise it's not! I will never go back to tampons again!
And that's it for now! Obviously there are plenty of other things I have swapped out or do without in our minimalist lifestyle that I'll share more on in later posts! However I think these 10 were a good list to start with because they are ones that are so easy to implement/switch for anyone wanting to get into a more minimalist lifestyle but feel overwhelmed on where/how to start! What are some things I wouldn't find in your home? Comment below! Thanks for being here :)
