5 Things I Won’t Buy in 2020 To Live More Ethically

This year, my mantra is LESS IS MORE.

5 Things I Won’t Buy in 2020

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!

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. I won’t be buying any new clothes this year.

I’m hoping to build myself a capsule wardrobe, they sound like a great way to get more use from your clothes and be more minimal with purchases!

Non-Recycled Tights

Continuing from the previous point, tights are excluded from my clothing ban this year.

I have to purchase tights 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!

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.

Tea

I have far too much tea. It’s a problem. This year I’m going to make an effort to finish all of the teas I own. This will certainly come in handy when moving house because who needs a whole cupboard of tea?! Yes, I literally had a cupboard full of tea.

I’m also planning to make sure I remember to take my tea bags to work because I need to stop buying chai lattes from Costa!

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!

I’ve decided to set myself a Goodreads challenge this year, with the goal of reading 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. I wrote a blog post featuring my favourite Audible books if you’re interested.

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. It has definitely improved my skin too!

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 and moisturise, then I wear a bit of Bareminerals Powder on my forehead and nose (where I get a bit oily, especially at work). Finally, I 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 because 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!

I’ve also been learning about Herbs & Natural Remedies to cut down my expenses, and become more eco-friendly.

I even started my own witch garden for herbs I use in cooking and for witchcraft.

Are you cutting down on spending or becoming more ethical with your purchases this year? I’d love to know!

All the best,