I love to travel and agree with you about souvenirs, most of the time they are just dust collectors or end up in the back of a closet somewhere. Instead, the last several destinations I've visited, I took pictures of monuments and unique architecture and framed it for my apartment. It allows me to reflect back on my adventures and is a "souvenir" that has meaning.
When I went on study abroad, plenty of people asked for souvineers. I didn't want to invest the time and space to bring home gifts so I replied, "you'll get a postcard!" I actually ended up sending so many postcards (30+) that I took the last batch with me in my backpack with me and mailed them from my home state because postage was getting expensive ($1 per postcard). The best part -- I've seen so many of my friends and family display their postcards from me in their homes - showing me how much they really cherished it!
My absolute favorite souvenir to buy is just re usable grocery bags from other counties. I try to get about 90% of my food when traveling at grocery stores (only go to restaurants I REALLY want to try) and I know I will always use the reusable bags whenever I go grocery shopping. I know it’s weird/random why but I love them so much. And they are usually 1 euro or less!
Thrifting really saved me money, because I found brand name pieces that are really nice for an interview or a date night. I also DO NOT support fast fashion/slavery. I quit the cigarette and vaping habit and saved myself a whopping 2,600 dollars a year. I also cut the going out to eat/coffee (daily) and saved almost 3000 a year. I also only buy ONE magnet on my vacations because I LOVE magnets. I collect them on my fridge. Currently they're on my mini fridge and it's almost fully covered. Woah. Hahaha. Though, they do make me very happy. I know it seems selfish, but souvenirs are quite pricey and I usually will not buy any for anyone. I have Facebook, your souvenir is the hundreds of pictures I posted.
I love this! So many things end up being money pits if it's not a high priority for you. You just gotta figure out what your priorities are and cut out the rest which it looks like you've done. And big ups on the magnet collection! My boyfriend and I do this for his mom who lives in a small little town in southern Italy. She has magnets from all over the world!
@@TessAbroad Definitely! It took me a really long time. I started to realize that I was spending more than I earned, and rolling things on credit cards. I took a step back, started to budget, started to see a counselor, started to watch a bunch of UA-cam videos / go on pinterest, and I learned more about money/zero waste and minimalism. I seriously can't believe it took me this long. But, nonetheless, that's adorable! I have a bunch from all over too! I've been to 31 USA states and didn't think about it back in the day, otherwise I'd have many more magnets at the moment.
New subbie. You are so wise for your age. I'm in my mid 30s and love the tip on shopless months. Just love that. I think I will implement it this last quarter of this year when spending is at all time high. I will just budget Christmas items for my kids. I don't spend money each season on decor (ex fall decor). I use the same and reuse the next year . That stuff adds up. I also I use to buy bed linens bed curtains each season. Now I stick to 2 sets of neutral color linens. Rewash and reuse. Boring but cost effective
Stacy B love those ideas! Seasonal and holiday decor is a BIG budget bust! Thanks for the compliment too and so happy you're here to stay! Lots of good content to come!
Yeeessssssss!!!! Finally! Someone who agrees with me! Especially for number 9! Very selective with when, where, and who I hang out with. Stay away from parties MOST times. Weddings, birthdays, baby showers, etc. it’s all a financial decision now with a bit of “how much does this person mean to me and I to them”
I only shop in December/January now where most of the clothes I want are on sale. Who cares if they are last year's collection. I dont even give gifts for weddings anymore unless they are my close friends. I gift them my presence hehehehe. I like this list. Im already doing most of them already so yeah, thesr are definitely things that you picked up along the way of becoming more minimalistic.
So relatable! My first backpacking trip I had about 30L of my backpack just filled with souvenirs because I thought we needed to buy a lot to remember the trip. I've learned better and now know collecting stuff doesn't mean you had a better experience, and I have my memories regardless.
I needed to buy Jeans to replace the ones I had over worn. I threw away 2 but bought 3 because the jeans I love were 50% off!!! One pair of jeans are stashed away for future use and the other 2 ( 1 dark wash one blue denim) I currently use. I wear jeans on average 5-6 days a week.
I also stopped buying expensive gifts for people. Because the thing that is way more fun than buying people expensive gifts is actually making gifts yourself! In that way you can be more personal and also take control of the cost of that gift! :)
Wander Wealthy by Tess Wicks I want to stop buying and receiving Christmas gifts for/from my family. Unfortunately they're not fully on board with this, although my sister has agreed to a £5 limit and my dad prefers consumable presents, so it's a start. My OH usually likes tickets or an experience which I'm ok with buying for him, he usually buys me tickets too, which I really appreciate, so much better than more useless tat that ends up going to the charity shop in January!
I love this! You're changing the "status quo" on how people do Christmas or other holiday gifts. It can be hard when you want something and others aren't sure about the decision, BUT looks like you've made some good progress on that goal. Agreeing to a spending limit is one thing I have my clients do when they are feeling pressured to spend entirely too much (In my opinion) on significant others or siblings. Also, experiences are always a fun way to combine gifts and self love/date nights and have it be something you can both benefit from in more ways than one. Thanks for sharing Sarah!
I was wondering on the condo do you pay condo fees? For up keep on condo and if so how much do you pay monthly? Do you find that it is worth it instead of investing in a house and renting out a room there?
lucy decoronado Good questions! I do it for fees but the rent I get covers them. There are many circumstances where investing provides better returns, but for where I live, my current situation of traveling 50%, and the quality of my home it would be difficult (almost impossible) to find a place to rent with the same monetary returns. I’ll be doing a video on it soon so hopefully it will address more of your questions!
I am curious: do you just not use the Kindle to read or don't you read books at all? I guess I am asking if it's the gadget aspect of it you are not using or the basic function, if this makes sense.
Susanne Mandl I don’t use the kindle to read. I find physical books much more intriguing :) but when I bought the kindle I thought I was going to use it to read tons of books and don’t think I could ever get through even one on the gadget. On the contrary, my mom has used her kindle ever day for the past 6 years so... to each their own on these things! Just about making more conscious purchasing decisions and for me, tech is not a good one for me.
Thank you for your reply! My sister is exactly the same - she only reads real books. I am the total opposite: I don't want to read books where I can't choose the fontsize anymore :)
I love to travel and agree with you about souvenirs, most of the time they are just dust collectors or end up in the back of a closet somewhere. Instead, the last several destinations I've visited, I took pictures of monuments and unique architecture and framed it for my apartment.
It allows me to reflect back on my adventures and is a "souvenir" that has meaning.
When I went on study abroad, plenty of people asked for souvineers. I didn't want to invest the time and space to bring home gifts so I replied, "you'll get a postcard!"
I actually ended up sending so many postcards (30+) that I took the last batch with me in my backpack with me and mailed them from my home state because postage was getting expensive ($1 per postcard).
The best part -- I've seen so many of my friends and family display their postcards from me in their homes - showing me how much they really cherished it!
the second sunrise I love that!
My absolute favorite souvenir to buy is just re usable grocery bags from other counties. I try to get about 90% of my food when traveling at grocery stores (only go to restaurants I REALLY want to try) and I know I will always use the reusable bags whenever I go grocery shopping. I know it’s weird/random why but I love them so much. And they are usually 1 euro or less!
Love this idea!!
Thrifting really saved me money, because I found brand name pieces that are really nice for an interview or a date night. I also DO NOT support fast fashion/slavery.
I quit the cigarette and vaping habit and saved myself a whopping 2,600 dollars a year. I also cut the going out to eat/coffee (daily) and saved almost 3000 a year.
I also only buy ONE magnet on my vacations because I LOVE magnets. I collect them on my fridge. Currently they're on my mini fridge and it's almost fully covered. Woah. Hahaha. Though, they do make me very happy. I know it seems selfish, but souvenirs are quite pricey and I usually will not buy any for anyone. I have Facebook, your souvenir is the hundreds of pictures I posted.
I love this! So many things end up being money pits if it's not a high priority for you. You just gotta figure out what your priorities are and cut out the rest which it looks like you've done. And big ups on the magnet collection! My boyfriend and I do this for his mom who lives in a small little town in southern Italy. She has magnets from all over the world!
@@TessAbroad Definitely! It took me a really long time. I started to realize that I was spending more than I earned, and rolling things on credit cards. I took a step back, started to budget, started to see a counselor, started to watch a bunch of UA-cam videos / go on pinterest, and I learned more about money/zero waste and minimalism. I seriously can't believe it took me this long. But, nonetheless, that's adorable! I have a bunch from all over too! I've been to 31 USA states and didn't think about it back in the day, otherwise I'd have many more magnets at the moment.
@@MinimalistBosnian I love that you found so much inspiration from UA-cam and Pinterest! Makes me feel like I'm doing the right job :)
New subbie. You are so wise for your age. I'm in my mid 30s and love the tip on shopless months. Just love that. I think I will implement it this last quarter of this year when spending is at all time high. I will just budget Christmas items for my kids.
I don't spend money each season on decor (ex fall decor). I use the same and reuse the next year . That stuff adds up. I also I use to buy bed linens bed curtains each season. Now I stick to 2 sets of neutral color linens. Rewash and reuse. Boring but cost effective
Stacy B love those ideas! Seasonal and holiday decor is a BIG budget bust! Thanks for the compliment too and so happy you're here to stay! Lots of good content to come!
Yeeessssssss!!!! Finally! Someone who agrees with me! Especially for number 9! Very selective with when, where, and who I hang out with. Stay away from parties MOST times. Weddings, birthdays, baby showers, etc. it’s all a financial decision now with a bit of “how much does this person mean to me and I to them”
Yep yep!!
Had to rewatch because love hearing from you.
I only shop in December/January now where most of the clothes I want are on sale. Who cares if they are last year's collection. I dont even give gifts for weddings anymore unless they are my close friends. I gift them my presence hehehehe. I like this list. Im already doing most of them already so yeah, thesr are definitely things that you picked up along the way of becoming more minimalistic.
That's great! I'm glad you agree.
So relatable! My first backpacking trip I had about 30L of my backpack just filled with souvenirs because I thought we needed to buy a lot to remember the trip. I've learned better and now know collecting stuff doesn't mean you had a better experience, and I have my memories regardless.
Jaclyn McCosker yes! I only buy things if I LOVE them (usually art to hang in my home) not because I feel like I have to!
I needed to buy Jeans to replace the ones I had over worn. I threw away 2 but bought 3 because the jeans I love were 50% off!!! One pair of jeans are stashed away for future use and the other 2 ( 1 dark wash one blue denim) I currently use. I wear jeans on average 5-6 days a week.
I also stopped buying expensive gifts for people. Because the thing that is way more fun than buying people expensive gifts is actually making gifts yourself! In that way you can be more personal and also take control of the cost of that gift! :)
I still can't believe I spent more being a bridesmaid than my own wedding.
You're right. Just say No..I can't attend your ....... Whatever
Absolutely! It can be difficult to say no but it does payoff at times
Hey guys! Thanks for watching - let me know what you don't buy that others may find taboo or be totally shocked by. I want to hear! :)
Wander Wealthy by Tess Wicks I want to stop buying and receiving Christmas gifts for/from my family. Unfortunately they're not fully on board with this, although my sister has agreed to a £5 limit and my dad prefers consumable presents, so it's a start. My OH usually likes tickets or an experience which I'm ok with buying for him, he usually buys me tickets too, which I really appreciate, so much better than more useless tat that ends up going to the charity shop in January!
I love this! You're changing the "status quo" on how people do Christmas or other holiday gifts. It can be hard when you want something and others aren't sure about the decision, BUT looks like you've made some good progress on that goal. Agreeing to a spending limit is one thing I have my clients do when they are feeling pressured to spend entirely too much (In my opinion) on significant others or siblings. Also, experiences are always a fun way to combine gifts and self love/date nights and have it be something you can both benefit from in more ways than one. Thanks for sharing Sarah!
I was wondering on the condo do you pay condo fees? For up keep on condo and if so how much do you pay monthly? Do you find that it is worth it instead of investing in a house and renting out a room there?
lucy decoronado Good questions! I do it for fees but the rent I get covers them. There are many circumstances where investing provides better returns, but for where I live, my current situation of traveling 50%, and the quality of my home it would be difficult (almost impossible) to find a place to rent with the same monetary returns. I’ll be doing a video on it soon so hopefully it will address more of your questions!
I have direct TV 2 years for $25 a month
Get the roku.. free Internet tv
tom ee I’ve heard good things about the Roku if you have specific channels you love. Like watching live sports, for instance!
I am curious: do you just not use the Kindle to read or don't you read books at all? I guess I am asking if it's the gadget aspect of it you are not using or the basic function, if this makes sense.
Susanne Mandl I don’t use the kindle to read. I find physical books much more intriguing :) but when I bought the kindle I thought I was going to use it to read tons of books and don’t think I could ever get through even one on the gadget. On the contrary, my mom has used her kindle ever day for the past 6 years so... to each their own on these things! Just about making more conscious purchasing decisions and for me, tech is not a good one for me.
Thank you for your reply! My sister is exactly the same - she only reads real books. I am the total opposite: I don't want to read books where I can't choose the fontsize anymore :)
Susanne Mandl That’s what I do.
No parties?
Chicagoan!!!
Woot woot!
i think its sad you dont read! and a collection of somethug,china,etc,can really decorate your home
Wait, I do read! Where did I say I don't read?? I love reading!