13 Things To Stop Buying in 2024

Whether you’re looking to save money, exploring minimalism, or just pursuing less in your life – these are 13 things to stop buying right now.

I’ve been actively practicing a more intentional, minimalistic approach to life for a few years now – but this year was the first year I applied it to my finances. Last December, I created a list of 10 things to stop buying and shared it on YouTube. To date, it’s my most popular video (linked below is “10 Things I’m Not Buying in 2023”).

Turns out that a lot of us are exploring financial minimalism. So this year, I’m sharing a new, updated list of 13 things to stop buying in 2024 – for me and you. Each item on this list of things to stop buying is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way, either from dealing with clutter or financial stress. This includes things to stop buying to save money, things to stop buying and start making, things to buy secondhand, and weak spots that I know are more common than just me.

You can scroll down to find the list of things to stop buying – or keep reading to hear more of my why and how simple living and financial minimalism have impacted my life.

Simple Living, Minimalism & Why I Buy Less

I love shopping. I’ve always loved shopping. I blame this largely on my small-town upbringing – I rarely got the chance to find things I actually loved, so now that I can find it all online (and have access to good malls), I never want to stop.

But I’ve also spent the majority of my life in a constant state of stress. When I started taking this seriously, and actively working to reduce my mental load, do you know what I discovered the #1 biggest contributor was?

Clutter.

Stuff.

Things I didn’t need, use, or have time to enjoy were stuffed in drawers, taking up real estate on shelves, and slowly overwhelming me.

Since implementing a more minimalist approach, not only do I have less clutter, but I have so much more time. Simple living hasn’t stripped me of the things I enjoy. It’s made me appreciate them so much more. Life feels richer, more vibrant, and so much more fun now that I’m able to be present in it.

These things to stop buying may be exactly your list, or maybe yours looks different. The point of this is ultimately not about the things, but about prioritizing where your money, energy, and time go. You can’t have it all, do it all, or be it all. So invest in what matters, and save the rest just for that.

13 Things to Stop Buying in 2024

New Clothes

Hear me out on this, and take note that this first category is new clothes, not no clothes. This was on my list last year too – but between moving to a totally different climate and my body changing, I needed some different pieces.

Instead of buying new, however, I challenged myself to get everything secondhand. And I’m so glad I did. This year, I’ve found some of my favourite clothing pieces ever at thrift stores. Much of them are higher-quality than I could afford new, and there’s been almost nothing that I haven’t been able to find.

Thrifting has actually become a fun hobby for me – and it’s so satisfying to get exactly what you were looking for. The icing on the cake is that you can pay fast-fashion prices without contributing to the ethical and environmental burden that it bears on the world.

Now, in the spirit of transparency and full disclosure: I did buy a few new things this year. I’m not rigid with this list. An all-or-nothing mindset has always worked against me. I’m currently in the process of building a capsule wardrobe, and my goal is to make it at least 70% secondhand.

Fast Food & Snacks Out

On average, Americans spend $100 monthly on fast food. Not only is this a drain on your finances, but it negatively impacts your health,. We know this. The only thing fast food offers is convenience. And trust me, I get it. This was a huge weak spot for me this year, and something I’m challenging myself to avoid entirely in 2024.

Financial minimalism means spending money where it counts and on the things that you value. And for me at least, fast food runs directly in contradiction to what my values and priorities are. Connection, health, holistic living.

My weak spot for fast food is, without a doubt, the last minute “I’m running errands and I’m starving.” It hits out of nowhere, you forgot to grab lunch or a snack. I’m challenging myself to make snacks at home that I can grab on my way out the door.

Alcohol

Alcohol is expensive. And in my experience, more often than not, it takes away from my life more than it ever adds. Last year, I cut way back on drinking. The decision was one I made for my health, but one of the unintended consequences was saving money. I didn’t realize how much we spent until we stopped.

But cutting back/out alcohol doesn’t mean you’re stuck with water. Mocktails and booze-free mixed drinks are just as enjoyable, much more affordable, and leave you feeling great the next day.

New Home Decor & Home Products

When it comes to home items, it’s really easy to spend a lot of money you don’t have. The environment you’re in has a huge impact on you and creating spaces you love is a worthy pursuit. But doing it from a place of mindfulness and minimalism can help you achieve the feel without spending a ton.

Secondhand shopping, DIY projects, and sleeping on purchases can all help reduce both the clutter and money drain that home shopping can be.

This year, I’ve felt particularly convicted about spending a lot of money to decorate rentals. I still want it to feel like home. But I want to be intentional about how I invest in a temporary space.

New Books

There’s sometimes no better feeling than browsing a bookstore with a coffee in hand. That is, until you get to the till find out you’re $100 back for three books. Reading is an important and healthy habit, but not at the cost of your stability. If you’re a fast reader, this is particularly poignant.

Libraries and thrift stores are great alternatives, but I can’t recommend a Kindle enough. I put off getting an e-reader for a very long time, but this year it’s not only saved me money, I’ve read more than I have in a decade. Kindle Unlimited is a subscription option with tons of reads included, and there are a lot of books on Amazon that range from $1-5. Frequent book sales & Amazon gift card compatibility make it an extremely useful tool.

Plus, if you live in the US, you can connect with digital libraries & borrow books for free!

Hobby Supplies

If you’re a dreamer, odds are that somewhere in your house, there is a drawer/bin/box of “projects.” Hobbies that made it a day or week only to be abandoned. If you’re anything like me, you probably also have a pile of Michael’s receipts just to document how good you are at starting.

There are a lot of benefits to both crafting and hobbies in general, but the money isn’t one of them. Especially if the hobby itself is really just trying new things.

Instead of investing in a string of projects this year, try asking around. What friends do you have that already own a Cricut? Know how to knit? What can you borrow that will help avoid buying?

Toxic Household Products

Raise your hand if you’ve believed that healthy or non-toxic household products were too expensive or hard to find. (Same.)

For years, I didn’t know how many toxic items. I was bringing into our home. After that, I still didn’t realize that there were better options accessible – and that would actually save me money.

I have a separate post up on The Best Non-Toxic Cleaning Products on a Budget, so I’ll let you read more there – but whatever your reason for spending less this year, do not skip the opportunity to protect your health, both now and in the future. 

Multiples of Personal Care Products

Generations before ours would never have dreamed of purchasing a new version of something before the old ran out. And yet we do this all the time. Many of us have more personal care products than we could possibly use before they expire, and still hop on every recommendation or TikTok video showing the best new one.

There was a YouTube trend a few years ago – “project pan.” The idea was that you wouldn’t buy a new version of something until you ran out (or “hit pan”) on a makeup product. Not only does this save a ton of money, but bathroom storage gets a LOT easier, and it eliminates the need to make decisions.

Date Nights

Quality time with your partner is essential. But what if it didn’t have to cost you $100 every time you want a night to yourselves?

Finding free or low-cost ways to spend time together is SO helpful. Board games, going for walks, baking/cooking together, or just existing in each other’s presence can feel like a date in and of itself. You can kickstart your time together with a conversation deck like this one from Wilde House Paper designed to help you actually get deep and get to know your partner better.

Something I’ve really enjoyed about cheap/free date nights is that it’s allowed us to save up for bigger experiences we can share together. Spa days, trips, things we couldn’t afford to do weekly, but that give us a sense of resetting and connection to come back to. 

Of course this changes based on life season, and with kids it can be more complicated. I’d love to hear from you on how you and your partner find ways to make time for each other without breaking the bank!

Anything That Doesn’t Follow the 3-Day Rule

Impulse buys are the bane of a financial minimalist’s existence. The last-minute splurge on something you haven’t thought about feels good in the moment, but it doesn’t pay off. Pun intended.

With the exception of emergency, give yourself a set amount of time – mine is 3 days – in which you’re going to go home, research the item, read reviews, and think about what value it would actually bring to your life. If you forget about it, you have your answer.

Gifts That You Don’t Know They’ll Love

There’s almost no better feeling than giving a loved one a personal gift that you know they’ll enjoy. But when you don’t have any ideas, what do you do?

For many of us, it’s browse the mall until we find something mediocre, or google what someone in their age and stage of life might want. A couple of years ago, while panic-hunting for a gift, I asked myself, “What would I want someone to do for me in this situation?”

The thing is, if I don’t find value in clutter or random crap, odds are, the person I’m buying for won’t. Gifting experiences or gift cards allowing them to shop for themselves means you’re not adding to their plate. When we’ve been in our brokest of years, gift cards were so special, because it was the only time I got to pick something out for myself. 

Expensive Items That You Don’t Need or Love

Every year, there are a few bigger things we end up needing to buy. Tires for our car, a mattress, a new garbage can. (Have you seen how expensive those things are?!)

One lesson learned the hard way was to stop investing in mediocre versions of necessary items. It seemed obvious to me for years that if we couldn’t get the version we actually wanted, we should go for the best one that we could. And while for tires or safety items, this is probably true, when it comes to anything else, I will never do it again.

By buying or borrowing the cheapest version of what we needed, we’ve been able to make do in the meantime while saving to invest in what we actually want. We furnished our entire apartment for $150, excluding our mattress, through Facebook Marketplace. This way, when we move in somewhere we plan to stay, we’ll have the funds to buy the things we really love without overextending our budget.