This year, my mantra is LESS IS MORE.
Sometimes, more is more... for example, when it comes to self-care, knowledge, and music. But in terms of physical belongings, I'm going to be more ethical, eco-conscious and minimalistic. Keep reading to find out which 5 Things I won't buy in 2020!
5 Things I Won't Buy in 2020
Unethical Clothing... (well, pretty much all clothing)
I cut down my clothes spending in 2019, and plan to cut down even further in 2020. I like to shop second-hand and vintage, and whenever I purchase anything new, it'll only be ethically-made and sustainable.
My wardrobe has far too many clothes for one human to wear every 365 days, so I've slowly been donating things I don't wear any more. I'd like to be in a position where my entire wardrobe is solely ethical pieces that I adore, but at the moment I'm just planning on wearing what I like and donating the rest. Unless I get married (LOL), I won't be buying any new clothes this year.
Non-Recycled Tights
Continuing from the previous point, tights are excluded from my clothing ban this year. I have to purchase relatively frequently because I wear them every day for work, and I'm clumsy. I ladder tights, get holes in them, fall over and rip them... It's a problem. Nylon is one of the worst synthetic materials, so I'm making sure that any tights I purchase are made from recycled nylon. At the moment I'm using H&M's conscious range, but if you have any alternatives from a more ethical brand, hit me up!
If you want more info on which synthetic materials to avoid, check out Amy @ Northern Blood's detailed blog post!
Sanitary Products
OK this may sound mad, but hear me out. I don't mean that I'm planning on bleeding all over my clothes each month, but I have stopped purchasing tampons and sanitary pads. I've been testing out some eco-friendly, washable sanitary towels for a few months, and spoiler alert: they're great. Goodbye tampons!
If you're interested, the ones I've been using are here on Amazon*.
Tea
I have far too much tea. It's a problem. This year I'm going to make an effort to try out all of the teas I own, and finish them off. This will certainly come in handy when moving house, who needs a whole cupboard of tea?! Answer: me. Until now.
I'm also planning to make sure I remember to take tea and coffee bags to work, because I need to stop buying chai lattes! My goal is to not buy any 'takeaway' coffees or teas, and only purchase from a coffee shop if I'm actually spending time there to catch up with a friend.
Books! (... before I finish my to-be-read shelf)
I've decided to set myself a Goodreads challenge this year, consisting of 48 books. That's 4 books per month, and as I've already finished 4 this month, I'm hoping to smash it!
I tend to buy more books before reading what I have, and I want to curb that habit. I was lucky enough to receive several books for my birthday and for Christmas, so I'm not in short supply!
My goal is to read everything on my bookshelf, before I buy anything else! This doesn't include my Kindle Unlimited* reads, because they don't cost me any extra money, and I tend to alternate between reading on my Kindle and physical books.
I also got into audiobooks this year, thanks to Audible*. You can read all about my favourite audiobooks of 2019 here.
Makeup
In 2019, I cut down on wearing makeup drastically. My health hasn't been great, and I haven't really had the time or energy to put on makeup in the mornings. I also think it's been better for my mental health to get used to my face without makeup, and it has definitely improved my skin.
For me, 2020 is going to be more about skincare and vitamins, and less about makeup. At the moment, my routine in the morning is: wash, tone, moisturise, then I wear a bit of Bareminerals Powder on my forehead and nose (where I get a bit oily, especially at work), and fill in my eyebrows with a brown eyeshadow. It takes me about 5 minutes!
Quitting mascara was one of the best things I did last year - my eyes are much less irritated and dry, plus it's a lot easier when washing my face! My eyelashes look better too, I'd always end up accidentally pulling some out when taking off mascara.
I have plenty of fun eyeshadows, lipsticks, nail polishes and sparkly highlighters, to be more creative for special occasions. So this year, I won't be buying any makeup, and I'll clear out my makeup collection.
To be honest, there are probably more than 5 things I won't buy in 2020, but I thought this would make a good start!
Are you cutting down on spending or becoming more ethical in 2020? I'd love to know.
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All the best,
