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Don’t Buy Stuff

May 5, 2009 by Laura 31 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

That’s it. My title is my post. Don’t buy stuff…that’s all I have to say.

 When asked what my favorite frugal tip is…Don’t Buy Stuff is the best thing I can come up with.

When you buy stuff, you have to pay for it with money. And then you have to find a place to put it once you bring it home. And it won’t stay where you put it because someone will get it out and not put it away. And then it will get lost. Or broken. Or forgotten.

Buy food. You need to eat.

Splurge on toilet paper. It’s very useful.

Invest in soap…using soap is good.

But don’t buy stuff.

You’ll save a lot of money.

And…if you didn’t really need it in the first place, you won’t even miss it. ;)

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Filed Under: Frugal Fridays, Works for Me Wednesday

Comments

  1. Em. says

    May 5, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    Perfectly wonderful tip! Seriously, more people should say it more often.

    Reply
  2. Alison @ Hospitality Haven says

    May 5, 2009 at 9:39 pm

    I’m glad you wrote that. I went to Wal-Mart tonight and wanted to buy some “stuff”…thank God for a wonderful husband who told me I didn’t need it!! :) We left with only what was necessary. Amen to not buying stuff!!!

    Reply
  3. Cheri says

    May 5, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    I almost posted a very similar post. So true . . . . so true!!!

    Reply
  4. lisa says

    May 5, 2009 at 10:55 pm

    Great post. Definitely true, although it’s something I struggle with.

    Reply
  5. rae says

    May 6, 2009 at 12:15 am

    The honesty and ‘duh’ factor here (that I really needed), made me laugh. I will remember this mantra everytime I walk past the knee socks aisle at Target (a weakness of mine). “Don’t buy stuff. Don’t buy Stuff.”

    Reply
  6. Laura says

    May 6, 2009 at 1:28 am

    This post reminds me of a SNL skit from a couple years ago… It was mocking a Dave Ramsey infomercial, of some sort, but it’s still funny – and so relevant. :)

    http://www.hulu.com/watch/1389/saturday-night-live-dont-buy-stuff

    Reply
  7. Jill Roper says

    May 6, 2009 at 4:21 am

    Great advice Laura. Just a quick question though, I really want a wheat grinder. Is a grinder “stuff” :)

    Reply
  8. Snow White says

    May 6, 2009 at 5:17 am

    Amen! I see Laura posted a link to the classic SNL skit– don’t by stuff you can’t afford. Simple, and by golly, it works!

    Reply
  9. Brianna @ Heart(h) Management says

    May 6, 2009 at 5:23 am

    I literally laughed out loud, Laura! I needed a good laugh this morning. So. Very. True.

    And to LaughingLaura above, I LOVE that skit!

    Reply
  10. niki says

    May 6, 2009 at 6:00 am

    Classic! Hands-down the best tip around.

    :)

    Reply
  11. Kelli Miller says

    May 6, 2009 at 6:48 am

    excellent point!

    Reply
  12. Cassandra Stafford says

    May 6, 2009 at 8:19 am

    amen!!

    Reply
  13. Kirsty says

    May 6, 2009 at 8:28 am

    LOL, love it!

    Reply
  14. Buffie says

    May 6, 2009 at 9:03 am

    So simple and so true. It’s amazing how much we spend on “stuff” every year.

    Reply
  15. Courtney says

    May 6, 2009 at 9:30 am

    haha that is great but very true!

    Reply
  16. Amy says

    May 6, 2009 at 10:32 am

    Ooo, I like this, so true, so true.

    Reply
  17. Nicky says

    May 6, 2009 at 10:47 am

    Thank you for making me laugh so hard with this great advise! I needed as I was jsut about to pack the kids in the car to ” go buy stuff” . lol!

    Reply
  18. Taryn says

    May 6, 2009 at 10:58 am

    haha- ok- got it. Thanks.

    Reply
  19. Joy Rodriguez says

    May 6, 2009 at 11:03 am

    Love It – this simple rule would save many from heartache! Can I use this as a guest post on my blog? Thanks for the smile!

    Reply
  20. Sarah @ The Homemaking Housewife says

    May 6, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    Excellent post! I especially love the idea of splurging on TP. Just think, if I didn’t buy STUFF then I could buy the TP that ISN’T the cheapest!

    Reply
  21. Steph says

    May 6, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    It took me a while to finally get to that point, and now, even when something is offered to me for free, I’ll still think, do I really need that, am I going to use it, or could someone else use it more than me. Thanks for the great post.

    Reply
  22. Jen says

    May 6, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    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… :)

    Reply
  23. Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home says

    May 7, 2009 at 11:01 am

    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?

    Reply
  24. "Lydia Cate" says

    May 7, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    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!

    Reply
  25. Melissa says

    May 8, 2009 at 6:54 am

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

    Reply
  26. Mary Ann says

    May 8, 2009 at 7:03 pm

    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. :-)

    Reply
  27. Kellene says

    May 29, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    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!

    Reply
  28. It Feels Like Chaos says

    April 6, 2010 at 9:54 pm

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

    Reply
  29. Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says

    April 7, 2010 at 2:54 pm

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

    Reply
  30. Loric says

    April 8, 2010 at 3:42 pm

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

    Reply
  31. Crystal says

    March 17, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    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!

    Reply

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