7 Purchases I Thought Would Make Me Happy, But DIDN'T
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- Опубліковано 24 вер 2024
- Have you ever bought something because you hoped it would change your life or make you happier, but it 100% DID NOT? Been there, done that! As we all know, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming up, and as responsible minimalists and people who practice mindful spending, I thought it would be fun to talk about 7 things I regret buying. If my sharing any of these money mistakes helps someone else avoid making a buyer's regret-inducing mistake, then I'm happy! Here are a few of the worst purchases that I've ever made. :)
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► 👕 SECONDHAND CLOTHING ITEMS:
» Denim pinafore dress: ebay.us/rsLPM9
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» H&M linen paper bag waist skirt: ebay.us/UVwzrn
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» Boho linen maxi dress (white & beige stripes, vertical; size "XS"): shrsl.com/3kqfl
» Ruffle linen wrap skirt (ashes of rose pink; size "XS"): shrsl.com/3kqfm
» Sketchers sandals: amzn.to/3T7b9y4
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👕 Velvet hangers - amzn.to/2SWvxEH
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ABOUT A TO ZEN LIFE
Along my journey to let go of 30 years of clutter, I accidentally became a minimalist and it was life-changing.
Before, I was an emotional hoarder with nothing but the clutter from lost loved ones - and $25,000 of debt - to my name. Now I have a beautiful home in Europe, a happy family, live debt-free, and - best of all - wake up to a life that I’m EXCITED to live every day.
My mission is to help you conquer your clutter and simplify YOUR way to a happier and better life. HERE'S OUR STORY: atozenlife.com...
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NOTE: This description may contain affiliate links; these links allow you to find the items mentioned in this video at no additional cost to yourself. While this channel may earn a small amount when the viewer uses the links, the viewer is in NO WAY obligated to use these links.
Please like this video and share a story of YOUR own? Find all 20 of the most common "worst purchases" here: atozenlife.com/regret-buying/
I was a new book addict … but now for my kids ( yayyy to library ) and until it’s workbook I don’t buy new
About the rug: What really helps is painting some old eggboxes white and just put it on the ceiling, it also gives an interesting texture to the ceiling. :) We had that done in my old Highschool.
If I had all the toys and Disney crap that I bought for my kids I'd be a millionaire
College students do not buy books anymore. I have 2 college students
I regret everything I bought for my fantasy self. She is classy, loves downtown coffee breaks and has corporate career. So I regret blazers, daytime heels, lashes, purses etc. Once I realized the real me is an active engineer, loves to cook, and spend time at home, I've been able to use my money on things that make me happy. For example on quality activewear, house plants and nice ingredients 🎿🪴🍒
I like blazers- I feel they save me from buying more clothing since they can make jeans look good or a dressier outfit
Me, too. My fantasy self is really hard to shake! I, too, wanted the life of a city executive. Never happened. I also wanted to be a fabulous hostess, having dinner parties and Christmas parties and... you get the idea. Never happened. My forays into hostessing are the stuff of stand-up comedy acts. Sigh.
Lol I love the way you put this ☺️
Omg yes!! This is a thinggg I relate to this so much!
Wow. Love this - it’s so the wake up call I need. Didn’t realise I was wasting so much money and energy trying to live a lie - my fantasy self - Thank you, Your words really resonated with me. Time to live the real me!!
I gave my fancy breast feeding pillow to my cat. He loved it. I could never make that dumb thing work but the cat figured it out right away.
"These are going to pay for your college." 🤣🤣🤣 My mom had a large Barbie collection and when she passed away, none of my siblings wanted them. So I decided to sell them on Ebay. What a joke! I got a fraction of the price she had paid for them. I used to work in a frame shop/art gallery and we sold limited edition prints. We'd get people asking us which ones we thought were good investment pieces. Our response was "buy it because you enjoy it, not because you think you might make money on it, you could be horribly disappointed."
My mom’s house was FULL of stuff that would supposedly “make us rich!” Bless our parents! They really thought those things were investment pieces.
OH MY GOD. My mom did that to me too. But all the boxes broke, and they sit in a dusty garage. I never had a savings account for college. She kept buying Barbies up until I was 15. I fear for her retirement.
i think Sindy is more colletable, rarer.
What great advice. My mother and even my partner collect things all the time because they think the value would increase. You can't predict these things and it only creates clutter in your home.
So many Christmases of Barbies I couldn't open and anger if I caved as a girl and opened the box to actually hold my doll.
Money cannot buy happiness, but it can buy comfort and it can be a buffer for stress, meaning it is less stressful if you can afford to pay your bills and buy groceries
Truth
🙌🏻
Pay the rent and medical bills
Yes, you can buy comfort! Comfort makes our lives easier! I buy books second Hand, if Not possible then I Shop them!
This is so me! I am so much more relaxed when I can pay my bills, which basically means that I am living within my income with a good margin. I don't mind living down. I'd much rather do that than not be able to pay bills!
I always thought craft supplies would make me happy and they really didn’t! I have decluttered a lot and feel less guilt about unfinished projects.
A very common fantasy self item!
I have a lot of unfinished craft projects and unused craft supplies. I am about to give myself some time limits to either get them done or get rid of them. With 5 kids, a full-time job, a 40-minute commute, and after-school activities 4 days a week, I don't have time to craft.
Same here, so much guilt 😒
This has been a big one for me also! With practice I'm learning to tell the difference between "This is really a project I would love to do as I declutter my life, even if it takes me awhile to get there," and "I'm just keeping this because I feel guilty."
@@lindseygiddens6717 I had/have the same problem and would just feel guilty about all of the projects I wasn't getting done. I let go of a lot of supplies and have found that I have been getting a lot more crafts done! I think I was so overwhelmed by all of the projects and supplies that when I did have a little free time, I couldn't make up my mind and so would do nothing. I gave away a lot and promised myself that I would not buy anything new at the craft store and just have one project at a time "on deck". It was hard at first to let go of things because it made me feel wasteful, unproductive, etc. but by only keeping the things I truly wanted to do and letting go of all of the things I "should" do, I can completely enjoy the little snippets of craft time and by only having one thing going at a time, I don't waste as much time setting up and taking down or even deciding what to do. Letting go of the excess has also made every day a little easier with less in the house to deal with, gaining me a little more craft time each week! Win-win. ;) Hope you find a way to get a little more craft time!
I usually regretted everything I bought with the intention of using it to force *change*. Kitchen stuff to make me cook more (never happened), too-tight pants to lose weight (happened, but not enough), make-up to make me make myself "prettier" and "more feminine". All those things were mistakes.
I have to catch myself every time I look at a new nail varnish in the shop believing it'll make my hands look nicer because then I look at my nails and notice I'm not wearing ANY of the 6 colours I already own, what on earth makes me think I'll wear the new one??
You have summed it up well. Those purchase were made from a place of discontent. I have been so guilty of this too but that is why minimalism appeals to me. It helps us learn about and live out our true selves.
My parents were married for 75 years. My dad died in December at 95, my mom died April at 94. THey collected things for 75 years. Journals, Native American rugs, furniture and collectibles, sheet music, canned foods, music to listen to. On and on. When the family got together, none of us wanted the things they collected. We rented a U-haul loaded it up 5 times and took the big pieces to Goodwill and the oddball stuff went into a 40 yard dumpster. After all the stuff I threw and gave away, it changed my outlook on what I kept in my house.
Boy, can I relate! My dad, a packrat/hoarder/Depression baby, and widower, died at 93 and left my brother and me throwing away 11-1/2 tons of stuff in the dumpsters, regular trash by the barrel, bringing papers/checks/etc to a shredding company, after burning out three shredders, an estate sale, and therapy for me, I was so angry. This is (one reason) why I’m a minimalist.
Oh, I'm so sorry. It must be hard enough losing a parent but then having to painstakingly filter through literally every piece of paper and handle every emotion-filled item can only be agonising. My sister and I have all this to come and we have tried so many times to encourage them to start to go through it and, over the years, I've just gone ahead and cleared out drawers and cupboards (to the utter fury of my mother) only for them to be refilled the next time I look with at least 50% worthless rubbish. I daren't even put my head up into the loft for fear of how jam-packed I know it will be. I've asked friends advice over the years and they've said that if my parents flat-out refuse to clear it out themselves, just tell them we're going to hire a skip and dump the whole lot - precious old photos, and rare stamp and coin collections included. And mean it. (Easier said than done, I'm certain.)
@@lisabeaumont are your parents Depression era babies? My dad was. He was somewhere between a packrat and a hoarder. Drove my mom nuts! I tried throwing things out while tidying up during the thirteen years I took care of him, and also got the treatment you did from your mom. After my dad died, my brother and I filled 13.5 tons of dumpster, many trash barrels, had an estate sale, shredded god knows how many cancelled checks and documents that weren’t important, etc etc etc. I even had to go to therapy, I was so angry.
So, don’t waste your breath and energy now. When the time comes, take what you know you want, make a quick search for anything of value (coins, jewelry, artwork…) and just get rid of everything else.
@@HeronCoyote1234 I think a lot of it is that they don't understand today's technology. My parents didn't understand that they didn't need a paper copy of their bank statements, of their telephone bills, and what not. My people were Mormon, so they had SOOOOOO many journals from multiple relatives. It was bananas.
@@sidneybales9062 makes sense.
As a college age person who watches A to Zen Life, I can recommend that you don’t even need to buy or rent new or used textbooks. Most of the time a free or cheap version is online.
Woohoo, this is great to know (and so glad to have you here 😁)
I would use the library’s copy on campus. sometimes it was a version behind but even those versions were like 95 percent the same .
I used to be an academic librarian, and many universities have the accessibility standard that assigned readings must be available in the library for students. If yours aren’t, nicely ask your professor to request the library purchase them.
I wish I had found minimalism in college already. Your life will be so much better because of finding this information so young! Great job and good luck with the studies
Living in a tiny dorm room, I have come to appreciate minimalism. Also, not buying clothing (my vice!) allows me to save my money for spending time with friends which I find infinitely more valuable. Thank you, Suzanne! 🥰
I grew up super poor immigrant from a third world country in an upper middle class neighborhood in New York when I was in high school. When I got my first job I tried to keep up with the other girls in school and got my nails done every two weeks $50, tanning beds, hair professionally highlighted $200. I spent all my money on makeup, clothes and hair products because I thought that’s how other people lived and that my parents just didn’t use those things because they were poor or “didn’t know better”. Boy was I wrong. I spent $300 dollars on a pair of full leather coach riding boots that I seriously regret as well because I couldn’t even wear them in the cold the soles were made of thin leather and didn’t keep my feet warm at all. I don’t regret the ugg boots though, I was 16 when they were super popular and trendy and it truly helped me socially at school since the wealthy popular kids didn’t know how poor I was and accepted me as one of them. I wore those boots for years too and I would fold them down and wear them up alternating for a different look. Some of my classmates thought I had multiple pairs of Uggs.
Now however I am a sahm with no income and I learned how to do my own nails for dirt cheap to look professional ant highlight my own hair for like $10 and it looks good. Most of my clothing is thrifted now and beauty products from the dollar store. I fit in with the wealthy moms and no one has any idea how much I spend anyway.
You just inspired me to get rid of outdated textbooks. Now my baby girl has the bottom shelf all to herself. Making room for what matters
Woohoo, great job Agnethe! 👏 Hope baby girl enjoys the new space!
My minimalist journey started at a pawn shop trying to get a cheap MacBook Pro. I ended up with a brick I couldn’t even boot up that cost me $200. That’s the moment I knew I had a spending problem, and when I looked around at all the computers I already owned, I knew I had a hoarding problem. I came across your videos almost the next day. Things have been very different for me since that bad purchase.
This may be very controversial, but essential oils. Was told they would have healing benefits. They did heal me, but of something very different - vulnerability 😂 I ended up with good old Dr. Bronner's and Renew lotion. For years now.
Eyeshadow palettes! Extremely guilty of having overbought those but now after YEARS I finally learned my lesson! 😱
Me too! Nobody needs that much crazy colors for everyday! Sure they look gorgeous in the pan, but who is gonna put that neon on the face for everyday 😂 They don't go with most clothes also.
Oh man, preach! Yep, for a little while there, make up/eyeshadow purchases helped me to waste quite a chunk of money until I figured out what actually worked for me (which was very little) 😂😅
I now buy customisable palettes with at most 3 colours that I know I will use up.
Hahaha I love this because I never wore it anyway!
I haven’t ever bought shadow palettes in my life because people just give them away cus they get tired of them and keep buying new ones.
I loved getting used books especially when it was highlighted. I felt like the previous owner helped me study better by pointing out things they though were important.
Same!!
From pre med through med I put notes and highlights of my work into my books before selling them back to the store after each semester. Intentionally to help,out whoever got the book next.
All because my first year I snagged a well used textbook and the persons notes were sooooo helpful
I loved that too! I STILL love getting books second hand with notes in!
I stopped coloring my hair at 65 years old, after I had breast cancer. No more dye for me! Now I have beautiful natural silver shoulder length hair. Sort of a Diane Keaton vibe.
Lovely 🥰
Financial security can bring you happiness. I think that’s what a lot of young people actually mean.
Can I just say, your red hair looked beautiful! Not horrific in the least.
Oh thank you for the kindness! I felt so pasty and they also over plucked my eyebrows 😅
I also really liked it!😀
Finding your authentic beauty self is so key. There is so much to be said for a classic cut and style that stays with you over the years. It’s predictable, easy to maintain, has an expected cost, and becomes part of your public personality in a way. The beauty industry intentionally keeps us off balance and always trying new things to pad their own profits.
We bought a humongous couch when we moved into our new home 5 years ago. Thought we'd sit there wit all kids and friends, have movie nights, read books and spend time together in our new living room 🙈 well, our couch is our main laundry space now and we sit on this couch together about 3 or 4 times a year. Next time: tiny but comfy couch and maybe a chair 😆
Do you guys floor sit a lot? I know we do in our family. ☺️
Girl- you have a beautiful home. Don’t listen to any meanies telling you your home is too “echo-y” - your videos have excellent quality and sound! ❤ thank you for your honesty and transparency. You are so brave to share your life online. I appreciate you!
Love this video!
Probably my biggest purchase regrets have been high heel shoes. I am a very tall woman and already feel awkward, and I really can't walk in heels. But I believed the myth that they would make me more beautiful (meanwhile sore feet, awkward walk and also safety issue not being able to move freely).
During the pandemic I decided that I want to enjoy my life more and I donated all but two pairs of low heels (for very special occaisions!).
Really expensive skin repair face cream, and super expensive shampoo. Granted, I still love the shampoo but I also love my lesser expensive shampoo. So why do I need the super expensive stuff? And the face cream: got through about a quarter of the jar, and realized I might be sensitive to it.
I bought a used dining room table with chairs that looked great in the seller's house, but when I got it home it looked awful in mine. I'd spent a good chunk of cash, but I thought I don't want to look at this mistake for even a day. So I immediately loaded it back on my truck and took it over to a yard sale being held to raise $ for a good cause and gave it to them. They were thrilled to have such a valuable item donated tot he sale and I've never regretted getting rid of it. Though I did miss the cash I'd dropped on it.
Very generous of you!
I read somewhere that money can't buy happiness, but it can buy time. If you use that extra time on pursuits that bring you happiness, money can indirectly buy happiness. I hire someone to clean my home, which not only frees up time but also allows me to enjoy free time without thinking I should be cleaning something.
I wasted a lot of money on "stuff: collectibles, fast fashion, random home decor, etc. I wish now I had used that cash for more frequent vacations. I regret not traveling much in my 30s and 40s.
Thank you for saying the Ruggable truth out loud. I almost bought one based on seeing it everywhere with influencers but then I checked the reviews, and they were honestly much poorer than the influencer reviews would suggest.
Glad you appreciate the honesty ❤️
if you google around, the washable rugs are everywhere for much less money than Ruggables. I have pets so washable rugs are practical for me and since they are cheap, I can afford to replace them when I get sick of looking at them.
Dang i just bought one, havent opened it yet, waiting til we finish tileing baby’s room. I was surprised at the shipping too but then i saw on the website the rugs are made to order… anyways fingers crossed lol 😅
I ALWAYS start with the 1-2 star reviews, and check several different review sites. And check the seller’s return policy.
@@anastasia10017 You are right about the price, but I liked the designs at ruggable the most.
My worst purchase is a Peloton. Ugh! Now it's just sitting in my house taking up space and no one else wants it!
Oh no! Have you tried selling it? They seem so popular. 😢
Great info! The peloton ads are enticing, but there is something very nice about getting out of the house to work out.
I want one but I don’t want the clutter. I have been running for 10 years and I would to try cycling.
I grew up in poverty and well off now. Money doesn’t buy happiness. Money makes achieving happiness a lot easier. Money can also buy the illusion of happiness and sometimes that’s just fine.
I LOVE my ruggable. As a quasi-minimalist, I wash that thing every two weeks and it cleans up incredibly well. That said, it is VERY thin, as you said- VERY. Love your videos!
I had a very positive experience with our ruggable. I love it. Everyone has a difference experience.
I think ruggables are good for certain places in the home. We have one under the dining table and i like it so much more than the old "normal" rug we used to have - it is easy to clean, you can't see the little bubbles with the pattern we chose, and yes you can chuck it in the washing machine! The other one is in the kids TV area, again perfect for mess. The cat doesn't scratch it either.
Any trend beauty item. I've made 2 mistakes; the skincare fridge and the gel nail lamp kit.
I regret wasting money on hair and cleaning products that didn’t work miracles!
Seems like they never do 🥲
Totally feel you on hair. My sister has incredible outrageous curls. I have stock straight hair. When our stylist got my hair to curl and stay at my sisters wedding, we called it black magic. So ridiculous all the hair crap that is marketed to us. When my mom was a small child, her mother would wrap her hair around rags and she'd have banana curls the next day. For free. Boo on expensive useless cheaply made hair appliances.
Cute shoes or purses that weren't comfortable to wear or too heavy.
I love how the rug looks in that space! It's a pity the quality isn't very good, but having a rug has a lot of advantages in my opinion, maybe in the future try some other brand which will be thicker
Money wouldn't buy me happiness. However, it would relieve a TON of stress which would help me become happier. 🙂
Kondo is very gentle and joyful. I got that book for free. Thanks for the tip on avoiding the *other* one. LOVE the garage cartoon!
I’ve always had curly hair and hated it… now I’ve just embraced it and try to just make the most of it instead of dreaming of having hair like yours!! Lol❤
🤣 I’m sure it’s lovely!
Same!
Same
I have straight hair and was always trying to make it curly. Much happier and simpler to let your hair be what it is. 😊
Check out manes by mel. I disliked my hair growing up because it wouldn't lay straight like my mom's. I finally realized it's curly and started learning how to take care of it during highschool. I started getting so many compliments about it. Whatever your hair texture is, if you take care of it and have a good cut it will look great!
I bought an almost 300 dollar Vera bradley bag. I saved for months and paid cash which is better than debt. But I have rarely carried it and it’s not my favorite. It hurts my soul lol but I think I’m going to sell it.
Good luck 🍀 with selling!
For the textbooks: The school library often has a copy of the textbook for every class. You usually won't be able to borrow it, but for classes that don't use it much you can probably get by just scanning pages as you need them
When I was pregnant, my husband and I had a huge fight in Target about a wipes warmer. He thought it was unnecessary and I was so offended that he didn't want my baby to be comfy during night changes (I think I even cried lol). I ended up buying one and never used it because I ended up using washcloths that I would run under the tap with warm water and soap or just wash baby's butt. My husband was right 😂
My husband and I have these occasional disagreements too 😂 It’s a learning curve
When I was a teenager I bought a drawing tablet. I was into digital drawing at that time. But for a less expensive product I checked some reviews and bought a tablet that had good reviews from an unknown company. But turns out it messed up the color and it kind of killed my interest for digital drawing. I haven’t used it in years. My boyfriend keeps it as a third monitor.
Your hair exerience mirrors mine. I was 15 and it was my first perm. I felt the stinging but convinced myself this was part of the process. A small clump of hair fell out but I paid the hairdresser and said nothing!! My mother never went back to complain either ... a different era.
I think most of the regrets for me have been clothes that I've barely worn or not worn at all. I also went through a phase where I bought WAY too much makeup. I also dyed my hair blonde once and didn't love it (didn't regret it too much though, bc at least I tried it).
Yes universidade the clothes when I moved because my clothes were stored at another house during 2020 so I stupidly replaced them and bought too many more. Part of it was going and losing 10 pounds so I basically have big ones and small ones. I also hoarded sheets/blankets and still have a bunch to get rid of but at least I have the desire under control.
A LV purse I bought used from a friend because all the moms in our neighborhood had designer purses. I bought it to fit in with people that I never see anymore, and it is so ugly that I never use it.
Buying books about declutering is the same as when my sister wanted to buy books about potty training.
There is 0 need to be over academic in these subjects.
Books about decluttering - that makes me laugh! :D
It's like leaflets on saving paper, haha!
Hi Marissa. I love the minimalist look of your home. I've been decluttering for a few years now and have regrets about buying a lot of jewellery at one time. I'm still taking good stuff to my local charity shop and have grown much more intentional about what I buy these days. I also bought new textbooks for my Masters degree I did as a very mature student! I sold them for a fraction of the cost. I rarely sell stuff at all and take it to the charity shop.
Your video has given me lots to reflect on and thank you for that.
I love love your transparency. It’s so refreshing to hear your honesty and openness. It helps so much and gives me a ton of hope. Thanks!
Thanks so much and happy to have you here! ☺️
First of all I watch your videos all the time and I adore you and second, that boy has your exact smile! 😂 So precious ❤
Your hair color suits you! I think it look lovely. I used to dye my brown hair the. Same. Brown. At 16 and beyond when i found one grey hair. I stopped after a few years. Bring on the grey! I think wrinkles and grey hair are adorable. Its mine! I earned them. I not fighting aging. I AM aging! What a gift! So many do not get to see another day. I am content that this is what i look like and im not spending money on hair dye or fillers for wrinkles or lips. These are my gmas lips. Shes been gone 30 years. My chin is my dads. He committed suicide when i was one. My nose is my mothers. She drank herself to death when i was 26. So i want to be thankful for my life just the way it is
Collectables for sure. Little tiny nick knacks that clutter wall shelves and buffet cabinets. At one point I had almost 300 'jiggers' from the turn of the century. Sadly I still have a few that I love, but I have no use for. They will get sold soon. I have a collection of glass vintage individual salt containers on a specific shelf that I truly enjoy. I won't add to that collection probably because the small shelf has no more room. When I think of all the money I've spent on these things, it just makes me sad and a little mad at myself. Plus collecting jiggers was something I did with my husband - we are divorced and they don't bring me happy memories.
Hi Marissa! College-aged person from the Netherlands here (we do watch your videos!), your textbook mistake is very relatable 😅 I love your videos, your tips are great for people in all walks of life. Keep it up!
Minimalism and Frugality has been my life from birth to my 20s, but i called it back then as poverty and insufficiency.
In my 30s, I earned more than I expected then my purchases got a bit out of control. At first it felt so good being able to buy whatever I need and want.
However one day, those piles of wanted stuffs in my home became "burden stuffs". As stupid and hard as it is, I have to let them go because I want my minimal life back!
- the simplicity and the creativity of having less
- the clarity and orderliness of space
- the joy of being myself without the need to associate with stuffs to portray a better image.
- the time and money saved
- the better impact to the environment
one of my worst purchases: LV bag.
I was told the exact same thing about collectibles when I was growing up! For every birthday or Christmas, I was given Precious Moments. We also had quite a bit of other Enesco items from Hallmark. These things show up at Goodwill for $1 to maybe $4 a piece. The executives at Enesco laughed all the way to the bank!
I never was able to sell any of them. Not a single one!
🥲 I sold a lot online, but at 50-75% less than original price in the 80-90s! I remember specifically my grandma gave me the whole set of the Gone with the Wind Barbies and just raved about how someday they would be so much money. I sold the entire set of five for less than the full price of a single doll purchased years prior 😔
The one thing I successfully got rid of was my size 5x tops and bottoms. I lost enough weight to get into 3x, and because I was able to give the clothing away, it didn't hurt, I was glad someone could use it. I sorted out anything worn or stained and took the rest to the collection box. The two things that enabled me to do it was 1) I really couldn't fool myself into thinking I could still use it. Everything else I've hoarded I believe I can use, but clothing two sizes too big, I couldn't fool myself anymore and 2) someone else really could use it. As long as it would be used, I could give it away.
I agree with many of these! My regrets are too many plants, too many magnets, jeans and boots on other people that don't suit my body type or taste. I've gotten to know my body type and taste better and vow not to buy too many of any one thing.
Money can’t buy happiness maybe but it buys choices and that makes an enormous difference. That phrase has always rubbed me the wrong way.
The rug is nice looking from afar but up close I can see why it’s not ideal 😉
I was never a collection person but I inherited a few pieces of vintage Pyrex from my grandma and found myself wanting to add more to it. I am really selective about it though and I’ve only added a couple of things in 6-7 years.
Great video as always ❤️
Yes! So true about money giving freedom of options. The Pyrex collection sounds amazing 😉
Hi Marissa I just want to say that for me you have the BEST minimalist house, high ceiling, few significant and useful furniture, plenty of empty space plus that lifestyle. Thank you for sharing some part of your life.
I’m one of those people who actually liked the Swedish death cleaning book. However, I downloaded the free digital version from the public library, and was able to listen to somebody else read it to me. They interjected a lot of humor, that might have been missed if you were just reading the word on a page. Love your channel!
I think that would be Juliet Stevenson, on the Swedish Death Cleaning audiobook. She is a brilliant actor.
I loved it 😁
100% money can solve a lot of worries, need medicine, you can get it, car breaks down, you can get it fixed, health issues cause you to miss work, you can pay your rent, need car insurance, you can pay by the year and not get charged extra for a payment plan, accident and have to go to the hospital, you can stay as long as you need rather than being fast tracked and sent home...ect.
I love how your hair goals are always the opposite of someone else’s. My hair is curly but thin so it’s going that it’s curly.. looks like a lot but I wanted straight hair as a young girl. Now I appreciate the curls. And you wanted curly voluminous hair 🤭 oh boy as any woman every satisfied?!
Considered a ruggable rug whn they first came out, but they looked too thin. Glad u mentioned its like having a towel on the floor. I def wont be buying it after ur honest opinion.
My inexperienced first generation student self-didn’t know I didn’t HAVE to buy new books- until my sophomore season! I LOVE the smell of new book…
For us older women over 50 I find companies exploit the fact that most women’s hair thins - I have a an entire deep drawer full of products and a shower full of different shampoos. I realize I can spend horrendous amount of money on that. I realize none of it will bring back my hair but yes some hair mask can prevent my hair from braking. I also just got one of those red light bands that help. I’ve cut down but am sure I’ve spend thousand on these things.
The only two skin care products for us older gals that I’ve found actually work are Aveeno hand lotion; and Boots No.7 Renew and Restore Face and Neck Cream, which I use on my crows feet and neck creases. It really does work!
If you want to try a diy solution, an olive oil leave-in a few hours before washing your hair seem to make the hair healthier. If you massage in well you also get more blood flow, which is useful. The other thing that is useful for volume is linseed gel (homemade too) used as a gel, though it's messier than the olive oil to make and use.
Thanks for the honest review of the rug! I’d been daydreaming of when I could get one and now it’s off my list!
That first point you made is so important! We are different and value different things ❤
I know you get it! Nice to see a familiar face ☺️
All the Target decor I bought for each season and am now in the process of decluttering.
After a friend told me she had a dream that I lost weight by Rollerblading, I rushed out and bought in-line skates, a helmet and padding. When I tried rollerblading outside my apartment building neighbours said it was too noisy. It was troublesome to take the skates somewhere that I could practice without bothering anyone, never mind putting on all the protective gear. After using the things only two or three times I sold them for a LOT less than what I paid.
I regret all the curling products I got too, or non-heat ones, because I can’t be bothered to use them, I much prefer just paying for a perm if I’m in the mood for curly hair.
I bought an Instant Pot and hated it 😑
Been there, done that! 😂
Me too ✋️
I knew I was going to hate it so I didn't buy it because I barely use my crockpot as is. 😅
I love mine but I was fortunate that I was able to borrow one and try it out for a couple weeks before I bought my own.
Yes! WAY too much maintenance!
I can remember when I finally gave up and got rid of my paralegal books - that I had been holding on to for years. It felt great and I’ve never regretted it! (I didn’t end up on that career also)
So cathartic, right? 🙌
I also got rid of a lot of veterinary books when I moved. I just kept very few ones that are always good, but most scientific books get outdated anyway
I never got my hair done before until right before my wedding. I got a baylage and it was life changing for me lol I felt like a whole new person! It was extremely expensive but I learned a lesson there and found a lesser expensive place to get my hair done and also very happy with the result. I don’t do a lot of things for myself, never get my nails done, don’t buy or wear much make up, don’t buy expensive clothes or purses or shoes SO I figure this is a nice trade off, and I’ll never go back :)
I just colored a single strand of my hair for this same purpose. Full color is annoying to me and I wouldn't keep up with it, but having that "secret" strand colored is an impressive mood boost.
Haha, yes I did the text book thing too! And I kept them so long they were completely worthless as they were out of date.
Yes! Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.
This channel made me realize this I graduated in 2015 opened them never since then. I finally got rid of them last month. 7 years of moving them around with me .
I am guilty of buying supplies whenever a whim strikes my fancy. I now own yarn, tie dye stuff, quilting everything (including a sewing machine I haven’t used in 5 years), and all kinds of paint medium, brush, and paper.
Same… add to your list: supplies to dye yarn, jewelry making supplies and supplies to make my own journals.
@@raynacurtis i forgot to mention jewelry making thing and mixed media supplies, too. I have a lot of dyes I have never touched and I just bought a box of Inktense blocks for fabric and lace dyeing :(.
I saved up for a few months and bought the Louis Vuitton Speedy 20 Bandolier in enprente bag. My first high end bag. It's beautiful but I hardly wear it unless it's for special occasion as I don't want it to get dirty. I'm so protective over it and it mainly just hangs on my purseholder I bought for it as display. I still love it but when I really think about, that bag cost one month's mortgage payment. I'm trying to use it more often now though to feel better about the splurge. But I also don't go out too much anymore. I still love it and use it as motivation to work harder and not give up on my dreams/goals. But going forward, I do not think I can ever purchase another bag like this lol.
For the first time I'm commenting and I'm one of the first ones. Yay! I've been following your channel for ages now and I've found your videos so helpful in my minimalism journey. You're so relatable and great company while I do chores. Don't feel bad if you ever need breaks from posting. I was happy to wait and I'm glad you had such a great time on holiday. 🙂❤ I'm a writer living in the USA (who also happens to be married to a Chinese man) and I need breaks from work too or I burn out. Anyway, thank you so much for your videos.
Oh, as for something that I've bought that I regret? So many things... 😅 But to name a few: a treadmill (I love hiking in the forest nearby instead, even in winter), high-heeled shoes (why? just why do women torture themselves like this?), diets (workout DVDs, personal trainers, etc.), a bread making machine, fancy plates with silver rims that make them not suitable for microwave, etc.
Thanks so much for your kind words and sharing your thoughts…I feel you on a lot of these, ESPECIALLY the heels 👠
Haha I also bought bread making machine and gifted it. Too much trouble, it's easier for me to just buy the bread I like!
Money would definitely make me happier, but because I could travel much more and buy a home without a mortgage, not to buy random stuff 😅
That’s a great mindset ☺️
My hair is totally opposite of yours. I'm an Asian but I have curly hair that no straightening ever worked for me. So I live with my hair which looks best on me. 😃 I agree with all your lists! I bought too many baby stuff that I never end up using, crip which my son used for a couple of months, so many collectibles including precious moments, my biggest mistake is buying so much clothing for myself. I grew up poor and I always wished that I had pretty clothes and pretty shoes so when I start making money I went crazy buying shoes and clothing. This created 20 years of closet clutter and clothing everywhere in the house. I started to let go watching your videos! I have made comments before but I have a husband who has addiction so I work 12 hours, take care of my son and try to take care of the house and chores is not easy so slowly but surely its happening. Thank you for your videos all the time. Watching your videos helps and heals my stressful days.
I think your hair looks beautiful in that color. It really pops in a very good way.
I am currently in law school (non-traditional student, I'm 31) and the one thing I like about buying new textbooks is that they often have a code to access the online version so I end up just using that. I have just bought the online version (even though it's about the same cost as a new hard copy) when possible because it reduces clutter and I don't have to lug around a heavy casebook!
You know how money makes me happy? By not having debt.
This was such a timely video as I prepare for a few Black Friday purchases, and save up to travel for the first time. I think one of my biggest takeaways is not to look to those things to find happiness. Owning 100% merino wool leggings isn't going to make me happy - but I'm working on building a habit of exercise and I love the way wool feels and will (hopefully!) keep me warmer when getting outdoors in the winter. Traveling won't make me happy, but I can enjoy seeing sights, increasing my confidence, and building relationships with long-distance friends. ☺
Actually budgeting for those "reward items" instead of following the rule of "spend as little as possible" is helping me to be more mindful of purchases and finances, while allowing me to look forward to things I love - and to choose the best things, not just anything that catches my eye. 🥰
Edit - oops! Forgot to say regrettable purchases. I'd have to say one of them is buying so much yarn because it was "on sale" or other craft supplies, even bundles at estate sales. Some of it I have used - for instance, an olive light canvas-type fabric that made a lovely cloak. Much of it I have passed on. I will say though that I don't dwell on the regret. For me it is more a matter of "Ok, I have all this. Now should I keep it, or pass it on to someone else who will love it? And how will that affect my future purchases?" It is harder for me to declutter when it is something no one else would want and might have to be thrown away.
Pack'n'play is definitely one of the best crib substitutes!! We went straight from playyard to toddler bed and will do so again!
I used to buy a lot of lipsticks. I would have like a purplish red, a deep dark burgundy, a bright fire engine red, different glosses, lipliner, a hot pink... lol. and I wouldn't even wear them. they would dry my lips out and make me get cold sores. Now I moisturize my lips with Vaseline and then I use the cheapest lipstick I had in bright red, then simply tone it down by wiping most of it away to leave a lightly red stained effect. After 38 years and countless expensive lipsticks, that is where I'm at... and I'm ok with that. At least I learned. Makeup overall and different hair and skin products that I think actually do more harm than good on my delicate skin. Also 20$ face soaps. I am now using a $4 face soap and my skin is much healthier because I don't wear an itchy irritated mask of makeup all day. I simply grew out of makeup and used the tiniest amount of concealer, eye shadow, mascara, and the lipstick technique described above, and a fine powder... I just feel like a different woman.
I bought a crazy expensive Angel Juicer, like 1400€… I thought green juicing would be the key to health for me.
But it was such a hassle. I sold the juicer today for a huge discount.
Ugh, I’m glad you were able to sell it at least! ❤️
@@AtoZenLife yeah, but what was I thinking?? I blame the lockdowns. But I did learn to first do the behavior and get in the habit and only then to invest. Like now I started a new gym membership but I will only buy new workout clothes when I’ve been going regularly for 3 months. Till then it’s old T-shirts and washing the one pair of workout pants I have.
Hi!
You talk about "Swedish death cleaning" The BOOK... the most stupid thing about that book is...
We do have something here in Sweden that we refer to as "Death cleaning" tho it´s not! like the autor of the book discribes it.
It´s a very thoughtful process and kind of a spring cleaning, cleansing and new beginning for body ones home, life and soul. I don´t know if Margareta Magnusson have misunderstood what it really is or if she just stole the name and put it on her own home made method.
The ONLY book on purging/minimalism/decluttering aso (I have read most of them) that I really liked Is Karen Kingsons "Clear your clutter with Feng Shui " tho skip the chapter about colon clensing and consentrate on the decluttering and the why. Every time I have re-read it, it gives me a new declutter boost.
I find most other "declutter" books to be way to much fuzz, to pampering , to materialistic aso. My painting clothes don´t need to "spark joy", they need to be fitting, comfy, practical and warm/cold enough.
My favorite decluttering book ever. A timeless classic. It changed my views on stuff. It was life changing for me.
@@Pubslife Nice and yes, it gives alot of "Aha! moments".
Definitely regret the amount of money I’ve spent on expensive sneakers it’s my one real vice and now I barely wear any of them
Am I the only one who thought she looked cute with the strawberry blond hair? She looks great natural too.
I bought a roomba and wanted to love it. Nope. Noisy, got stuck, chased me around and under my feet like a pet. Took 30 min to do one room i can do in 3. And the cleaning the canister and little parts that got dirty was tedious. My dyson v15 for hardwood and rugs with small brush attachment and dyson up13 is excellent for carpet and both have hepa filters to keep dust from blowing around
I fell for new textbooks as well - didn't know any better at the time. Used books and older editions are significantly cheaper. I also bought new and dragged them around for years until they were monetarily worthless. I wish the professors had looked out for us and instructed us to find an earlier edition, but often they wrote the book and it benefits them financially to make us buy it. If I could go back..
I had my Ugg boots for 20 years and loved them! I wore the soles out and finally had to part with them. 😩 great purchase!
Wow! Great effort! You can get them resoled next time if you want to keep them longer.
I dyed my medium blonde hair auburn and it turned out cool aid red. This was years before cool aid red was popular. I had to take my son to the Doctor the next morning and shocked people everywhere I went that day. Lesson learned.
Longaberger baskets: Loved them, couldn't afford them new, moved, started finding them for a buck or two in the thrift store before the thrift store recognized them and jacked up the prices. Now I can find just about any Longaberger I want on the thrift store website. I have a nice little assortment, and each one is used. I also love collecting handmade baskets by the Cherokee people and other more rustic type handmade baskets. I take those to the stores instead of the forgettable grocery bags. Always get compliments on my grocery baskets. Whenever I need another one, I know I'll find just the right thing at the thrift store.
As a former college librarian, there’s a huge push for free textbooks! They are called open educational resources (OER).
I think we had similar childhoods. I also had all the collections that would one day be worth a lot. I also kept all of my brand new textbooks and then never once looked at them. Thanks for the inspiration to keep letting go. I am trying so hard to be more minimal 😁
The sound quality on your videos is perfect! And the wet rag hair trick is tried and true - my mum used to have her hair done that way in the 40s when she was a little girl :)
My Nintendo Switch OLED. UGH. I only have one game I love to play on it but sometimes when I look at, I'm like "that money could have bought organization things I needed more."
I had to think really hard about this because I've been decluttering so long and not beating myself up for not knowing what I couldn't have known. It's hard to remember things I've let go of long ago. Most of my regrets aren't purchases, but gifts or family heirlooms.
I have an uncomfortable rocking chair that's had one track badly chewed by foster dogs my parents looked after. I will likely return it to my parents after I recover from an upcoming birth, because at least it's easier to get out of than my comfy chair.
I hung on to a Crockpot gift for a long time before realizing that the only recipes I had tried had not worked and I wouldn't use it enough to justify the space it took up. It was a thoughtful gift, but didn't work out.
I accepted an ancient sewing machine WITH GUSTO because I was so honoured to have been thought of in someone's will and I genuinely wanted to learn to sew by machine. But I couldn't figure out how to thread it and was too intimidated by the many knobs and attachments. It is with my mother and might end up with my sister-in-law, who also sews. If I one day want to try again, I will buy the SIMPLEST learning machine.
I hate every single large toy we own. I would probably not hate owning just one. But my child plays with most of them. I didn't buy a single one. They were gifts from grandparents. The only one I asked for was from our buy nothing group and it was an adorable toddler marble run. Given free reign, I would keep that and an ice cream cart. But the large toys have now moved to my child's room and it doesn't feel too cluttered, so as long as they are sometimes used... But in fact, one of them upset me a lot at the time we received it because I had told my parents that I was getting my child a car track and they got him a car toy that felt similar to meet. They had told me they would make a doll bed. Then they did both. I wish I could have told them how inconsiderate it felt.
Another gift was a breadmaker. I wanted a breadmaker. But I eat gluten-free and this breadmaker didn't have settings for gluten-free bread. 😢
The one regret I can think of that was a PURCHASE was a new wardrobe for returning to work after my first child. It's a situation where I could NEVER have guessed that we would go into a pandemic two weeks later. All of the clothing were purchased secondhand and very thoughtfully. It would have been a great purchase. We can't predict everything. But now I'm having my second and have no idea whether the clothes will fit again. So I got rid of about half and will see how many of the remaining pieces fit in 2 years. 🤣
Ah! I thought of another. Although my husband ended up footing the bill, but just because it was practical at the time. It was a big, heavy desk. Turns out the dark colour was too much for the small room and it didn't match anything else. Whoops. But how can you learn if you don't try?
Re the desk, have you tried either painting it, or putting a tablecloth over it (stapling it if need be), or putting cloth that is the same size as the top and putting glass over it to hold it down, or covering it with wallpaper or stick-on tile, just to lighten the colour?
Clothes. So many clothes.
As a family we regret the above-ground current pool. The cover is so heavy that it's really not usable without help.
An instant film camera. A lot of people I know had them and I thought it was so cool and that I would use it so often. I did not. The film was so expensive where I live and I ended up dreading using the camera. I was too scared to practice using it to get good shots because of the cost of the film. I tried to sell it but no one seemed interested and I ended up giving it as a gift to a relative.
Omg I was gifted this and I hate it , I don’t know if you had a good one, but mine is terrible quality , everything looks blurry. I wanna get rid of it
That salon did you dirty! They are supposed to make a sensitivity test before bleaching / coloring hair, and to make a test strand to see the color too.