Things I Am Not Purchasing In 2024

Overwhelmed by the constant noise of materialism? You’re in good company.

Here are some of the things I am kicking to the curb this year— and what i’m intentionally purchasing instead!

For the last couple of years, I find myself taking another step back from social media, and another, and another… because honestly it’s overwhelming. I feel like there is constantly another “it” product, some magical supplements, or health gadget that someone is telling me i need to have. It’s simultaneously too much and never enough.

And when you get caught in that cycle, it is never ending. the hydroflask is replaced with the stanley, and that is replaced with the pink stanley, and now apparantly the owala is the “it” water bottle? I truly cannot keep up.

Do you feel that way too? Overwhelmed by materialism and wanting to feel deeply satisfied knowing you have enough with what you already have? I feel that is what I am craving so deeply this year.. so keep reading if you want to know what I am saying no thank you to in 2024 (followed by the few things we have chosen to prioritize and intentionally invest in).

The Problem With Over Consumption for our Health

BUT FIRST.. what does it even matter? Why is excessive materialism and over-consumption something we should try to avoid (specifically in regards to our health and wellness).

In a study by the American Physcological Association there was a correlation between people who described themselves as “materialistic” and those with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and mental health struggles. While this isn’t necessarily causative, it does make you think about how much the two often go hand in hand.

There was a really interesting article that discussed this link and how social media also plays a role. It talked about “ the 3 core attributes of materialism- Acquisition Centrality, Acquisition as the Pursuit of Happiness, and Possession-defined Success”. I really appreciated this nuanced breakdown of the different components, as well as the role comparison plays. The more you are on the hamster wheel of materialism, the more you begin to compare yourself to others, which makes you want the newest and latest and greatest. It really never ends.

Not to mention the financial aspect of materialism. I think for many wellness accounts and “influencers”, financial wellness is over-looked. But it is a huge component to the rest of your health. If you are constantly stressed about finances and over-spending, you will be back stepping on making true lasting progress on your health and wellness.

Tangible Ways to Combat Over Consumption

Here are some lil tips and tricks I use to make sure I am not falling into materialism and also enjoying the things i intentionally bring into our home.

• Take care of what you already have

  just last week I was telling my husband we “need new cutting boards”. Ours are all dinged up and worn out looking. But turns out— I just need to take better care of them. So I looked up on youtube how to refinish bamboo cutting boards.. and now they look nearly brand new, I saved time and money in buying new ones, and I also saved time in getting rid of the old ones. Not to mention it reducing waste and being better for our planet.

  the same can be said for clothes, furniture, your homes, vehicles.. literally everything you own. be a good steward of what you have.

• Buy quality, not quantity

  when there is something you actually need to buy, try looking at it as an intentional investment. For example, you need a new jacket. Rather than just buying the most affordable option, or something you dont absolutely love just because it is on sale (something i did for a long time), take some time to research and find a jacket you love. Maybe it is a little bit more expensive upfront, but i promise you will get so much more use out of it, you’ll take better care of it, and because you purchased it intentionally, you will probably enjoy it a lot more.

• Unfollow, quiet, and mute

  Do you follow someone on social media that is always sharing the newest clothes, and home decorations, and things? It can be so easy to fall into this idea of needing something new when its all you see, all day, every day. I started unfollowing accounts that weren’t adding substance to my day and instead just advertising. I found myself becoming more aware of the constant ads I was seeing and how much consumerism is out there.

• Keep a “to buy” note

  Something I started doing last year was making a “to buy” list on my phone in the Notes app. Anything that I felt i needed or wanted I would add into the list. Then I would be aware of that list when I was out and about and prioritize those items vs just casually shopping to “see what I find”. This was something that really helped when thifting..

  I love thrifting. I think it is so much fun finding treasures and unique items. I also love that it helps to lower waste and is overall a more affordable option. But to be honest, I found myself buying a lot of things that I really did not need. Now, I can thrift and have a little more focus an intention, avoid spur of the moment buys, and still enjoy “finding treasures” (as my 3 year old calls it).

Some Things I am Not Purchasing In 2024

• new clothes

  I am in a fun time where a lot of my old clothes are beginning to fit again (after about 6 months postpartum), so it’s like getting a whole new wardrobe already! I am in a time where I am really wanting to discover my own style a bit more, so I want to spend this year curating a better vision of what that is. I want to really intentionally purchase clothes moving forward that compliment my own style and body shape.

  I decided to spend the rest of 2024 avoiding purchasing new clothes because 1. i dont have that vision of what i want that style to totally be quite yet 2. my body is still transitioning from pregnancy and that took about a full year after my daughter, and 3. i already have so many clothes

• any kitchen stuff

  in our current home, we don’t have a ton of kitchen space. I don’t need any more mixing bowls or utensils or cups. (these were all things i purchased last year and am hoping they last for a looooong time!)

• a Stanley

  i’m sorry but I just can’t wrap my head around why this is such a thing???

• Books

  if you have been around for a bit, you know i love love love reading. Not only for education and learning, but for enjoyment. My ideal night is laying in bed with hot tea or a warm drink and reading for a while. It truly is the most relaxing thing to me.

  And before, I used to spend so much money on books. The last few years I have taken advantage of my local library and apps like Libby for audiobooks.

• Amazon Prime membership

  for the last 3 or 4 years, my husband and I have had an amazon prime account. I just find it makes purchases “too easy” and convenient and we end up buying things we do not actually need.

• toys

  We recently just moved some rooms around in my house and i purged soooo many toys. We have a lovevery toy subscription that we got with my first, and we are now reusing with our second. And honestly? everything else we are tossing minus some open-ended toys my daughter uses. Not only do I hate hate hate clutter. But my daughter plays so much more intentionally when I use a toy-rotation method and keep her toys very minimal.

• crappy pillows

  A few months ago, we decided to invest in higher quality pillows and LET ME TELL YOU. game changer! We had been using the same pillows for years. They were flat and lumpy and our necks hurt. I’ll share a post here soon about which ones we chose to invest in and why, but cheap pillows that don’t offer neck support are a thing of the past in this house 😅

• bottled water or snacks on the go

  I am trying to be a lot more intentional about packing water and snacks for me and the kids when we leave the house. Usually im really good about this, but lately have been slacking and boyyy, do i notice a difference!! There are so many more tantrums (myself included haha!) when we don’t have snacks and get hungry. This helps us to have a much more enjoyable outing and not picking up something random (that’s probably not as supportive to our health goals) and save some money too!

• drive through coffee

  In a similar arena— i’m cutting out most drive through coffee stops. Now youll realize I didn’t say all coffee- because the main part I like about going out and getting coffee is meeting up with a friend and getting to visit. That’s really not the case when I am just going through a drive through.

A handful of things we are intentionally purchasing

• nourishing, whole foods

  this is an area where I am always content spending more money on because I have seen the tangible benefits of nourishing my family through the foods we eat.

• a gym membership I actually use

  Since my daughter was born we had a gym membership that was seldom used because i didn’t love their childcare setup. A couple months ago we chose a new gym with phenomenal childcare and our whole family loves it so much.

• shoes that support my whole body

  i’ve been tiptoeing into the whole barefoot shoe trend for the last couple of years.. This is the year I want to intentionally invest in some tennis shoes that support my foot health and will last a really long time!

• outdoor gear

  we have a goal of doing a lot more outdoor adventures this summer! Having two young babes, that also means there is some gear and equipment that we are looking into intentionally purchasing. Probably secondhand because that stuff can get priceyyy!

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There you have it! A quick list of things I am prioritizing this year, and what we are choosing to kick to the curb. Hoping you are not feeling the pressure of excess materialism and instead are intentionally buying the things that support your goals.

Kaelyn

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