“I’m going to use this lockdown period to save!” Who else thought the same at the start of the pandemic, only to be proven wrong a couple of months in?
Without a doubt, online shopping has become all the rage. Since we found ourselves stuck at home for longer periods of time, we’ve turned towards this to ease our discomfort. But the bad news is, many of us have gone overboard.
Thankfully, we can all start afresh. And, the New Year is a great excuse to check in on our habits and change whatever isn’t doing us well. As for those of us who want a healthier and more balanced financial life this 2021, we’re ready to bid goodbye to these following impulse splurges.
Also read: I’m No Longer Waiting for Monthly Online Sales — Here’s Why
8 Things we’re no longer buying in 2021
1. Decorative items with no specific purpose
Because maximalism started becoming quite a trend, many of us enjoyed filling our homes with every cute knickknack we found online. But the thing with knickknacks is, after a while, they lose their appeal.
This 2021, we’re no longer buying trinkets just for the sake of decoration. We learned that ornamental pieces are more timeless when they are purposeful or sentimental — not just picked up on a whim.
2. Clothes that can be worn only once
Before COVID-19, many of us had the habit of buying clothes just for certain occasions: Say, a trip to Siargao, or a colour-specific wedding. But when all our 2020 plans were cancelled, we found these clothes useless.
Since we’re likely to spend more time at home, we’re deciding to invest in clothes that can serve us well — from regular Zoom meetings to rare social distanced trips! We’re learning to be more creative with our fashion sense, as we’ve found loungewear that can be dressed up and formal wear that can be dressed down.
3. Household appliances we can’t afford
The list of desirable household appliances is endless. We just can’t afford to be buying toaster after toaster! And while it’s so tempting to upgrade the kitchen experience with a few cool gadgets, if we don’t necessarily need it, we ain’t buying it! At least, not yet!
Also read: 21 Money Saving Tips to Help Build Your Savings in 2021
4. Makeup that isn’t virtual-call friendly
We’re all for looking good for ourselves; but if we’re investing in makeup this year, we want each item to be one that can be maximised. That means, if it doesn’t have any impact on our webcams, it’s not going in our drawers.
If anything, we’re investing in makeup with skincare benefits. After all, now is the best time to let our skin breathe!
Also read: 10 Local Beauty Brands to Add to Your Christmas Wish List
5. Overpriced products with questionable branding
It’s a joy to see most of us advocating for things beyond ourselves. Sadly, many brands are taking advantage of this by claiming to be allies then putting a hefty price tag on their items that are “for a cause.”
This time, we’re watching out for companies that brand themselves falsely. It’s 2021 and we’re no longer buying products from greenwashers (companies that pretend to be sustainable but are not consistent with their eco-friendly practices), pink taxers (companies that put extra fees on items that stereotypically appeal more to women), and other sham companies that don’t actually care about social injustices.
6. Books we won’t be reading immediately
Okay, we admit — we’re guilty of tsundoku. We buy books imagining that we’ll get to read them all; but deep in our hearts, we know it’ll take us months (or years!) to get through all of them. Sometimes, we even buy books to add to our to-be-read pile, and they simply lie there until we’re “in the mood” to read them.
This year, we’re committed to reading at least a third of our to-be-read piles before adding more books to them! Or, if we really really want a new book, we’ll be reading them immediately after buying them. Sound like a plan?
7. Cheap items that won’t last long
Egg moulds and toothpaste dispensers are just some of the many items we never even thought we needed until we found out that they just cost around ₱20 online! But right off the bat, they stopped functioning just as quickly as we imagined they would.
With the convenience of online shopping, it’s so tempting to window shop then immediately splurge on cheap items. But, if we’re not willing to invest in something, that’s a good sign we don’t really need that thing. So, unless it’s super urgent and we have no other choice, we’re no longer buying cheap items this 2021.
8. Non-essential items we already have enough of
Plants of the same kind. Notebooks upon notebooks. The identical cute mug in every colour… Why did we think we needed all of these in 2020?
We’re no longer buying two of the same thing just because we can afford it. To be honest, this might just be the hardest commitment we’re making, but we know how much we’ll be saving when we follow through. If we don’t need more than one of something, we’re staying content with what we already have.
Also read: The Difficult Choice: Save for the Future or Travel and Live Life?
We hope we can be wiser with our finances this 2021. Here’s to saving up for things, people, and experiences that truly matter to us!
