Seventy-six Things I Do Not Need to Buy

This is actually a list, not exactly a story. It is a list I compiled of things I do not need to buy. I also explain why I feel I do not need these items.

The following are things I do not think I need to buy.  I am going to share these things, and why I do not need to buy them:

1.  Cotton Swabs.  I do not need to buy them, because whenever I buy them, when I get home to put them in the cabinet, there is an almost full package of them.  Plus, I do not insert them in my ears.  I use safer things like paper clips to clean my ears.

2. Dinner Napkins.  Why would I need to buy something that comes free with my dinner at fast food restaurants?

3.  Toilet bowl cleaner.  Mouthwash works better to disinfect toilets, and it smells better than those harsh cleaners.

4. Socks.  I already have hundreds.  Probably none match exactly, but most are white and I put those together.  I put the black ones together too.

5. Bottles of water.  I already pay very little for the water that comes out of my faucets.  If I need water without chlorine, I can just let it sit for 24 hours.

6.  Notepads.  I already have things that would serve the same purpose.  Today, I found a calendar from 2007-2008 that has nothing written on the pages.

7.  Dog treats.  My dog will not eat them.

8.  Cat treats.  This is mostly because I do not have a cat.

9.  Makeup.  It’s just too expensive, and I am not a clown.

10.  Another vehicle.  I have enough, believe me.

11.  Envelopes.  I have a ton.

12.  Clothing of any type.  We are good. My whole family is clothed just fine.

13.  Life insurance.  It seems like spending money on nothing.  I used to have life insurance on my kids, but then I cashed in two policies and got some money from them to pay bills.  The policies from another company had not even made money.  That shows their worth to me.

14.   Plastic Easter Grass.  Well, first of all, I do not celebrate Easter.  Secondly, it just seems unnatural.

15.  Carpet cleaner.  Whenever the carpet gets really dirty, I just remove it.  

16.  Ice Melt.  The snow will melt eventually.

17.  Ice.  The ice will form eventually.

18.  Alcohol.  I do not drink it anymore.

19.  Cigarettes.  I do not smoke.

20.  Vitamins.  They are overpriced, and I can get them free in the food and drinks I consume.

21.  Premade juice.  I own a juicer.

22.  Recorded music.  I can listen to the radio.

23.  Recorded movies.  I can watch them at the theater, on television, streaming, or on the internet.  However, I buy movies anyway and resell them after watching.

24.  Dryer sheets.  Supposedly, these hurt the sensors.

25.  Dog toys.  My dog plays with anything he finds.  It does not have to be manufactured for him.

26.  Cat toys.  Well, I still do not have a cat.

27.  A new computer.  I can still get my old one to work.

28.  A tablet.  I have my computer.

29.  A smart phone.  I like my stupid one.

30.  Pens.  I get them free from my bank.  They give them away.

31.  Those little plastic tripod tables that come on pizzas.    I already get them free on pizzas if I suddenly did need them.

32.  Plasticware.  I just do not need it.  I have silverware.

33.  Furniture sliders.  An old slippery undershirt will work just as well.

34.  Coffee filters.  I have a reuseable one.

35.  Those expesive coffee and tea packet things that go in expensive coffee machines.  My coffee maker was $15 years ago.  It still makes wonderful coffee.

36.  A coffee press.  I do not even know what is the purpose of one.

37.  A coffee grinder.  I buy ground coffee.  It is delicious.  

38.  A garlic press.  I just use a knife and my hands.

39.  An apple slicer.  I just use a knife.  

40.  An electric can opener.  I just use the manual ones.

41.  Backpacks.  I already have a bunch.

42.  Paper bags.  They come free with fast food.

43.  Aspirin.  For some reason, we have a lot in the house.  It’s not even expired.  

44.  An umbrella.  I have one, and I rarely think to use it.

45.  A new lawn mower if my current one breaks.  My lawn does not grow that long.  I concentrate more on my vegetables and other plants.

46.  Gasoline for a lawn mower.  The lawn mower I have is electric. 

47.  Grass fertilizer.  

48.  Weed killer.  I can eat the dandelions, and the sunflowers are decorative.  The tumbleweeds blow away.

49.  Aerosol or plug-in  air fresheners.  We use candles, because some of my relatives are allergic to the other kind.

50.  Christmas lights.  We do not celebrate or decorate for Christmas.

51.  Holiday cards.  I do not send them.

52.  Nail polish.

53.  Motor oil.  I take it somewhere to get changed.  I only get a car’s oil changed every 6,000 miles.

54.  Hair color.  I do not color my hair.

55.  Copy paper.  I bought a huge box a long time ago.  It must have copied itself.

56.  Film.  My camera is digital. 

57.  Insect killer.  Insects do not bug us.

58.  Magazines.  I can read them free in waiting rooms and the library.

59.  Virtual currency.  There are plenty of ways to earn it without paying real money for it.

60.  Checks.  I still have a ton from the last time I ordered them.  I use deposit slips more.

61.  Cassette tapes.  We do not need audio or video tapes.

62.  Moth balls.  No big moth problem around here.

63.  Eye drops.  There’s not a dry eye in the house.

64.  Bubble bath.  We only have one bathtub, and I do not use it.

65.  Medicine that claims to be for constipation and diarrhea.  I do not like to take unnecessary medicine, and I figure something that is supposed to do both must do nothing.

66.  A calculator.  There is one on my computer.  I do not need a fancy one in my life.

67.  Dust bunnies and lint.  There are plenty of those around here.

68.  Hose or leotards.  These are just uncomfortable.  I always wear socks or nothing.

69.  Slips (as in women’s lingerie).  I do not wear dresses or skirts.  So, definitely slips are not needed.

70.  Baking powder.  I do not do enough baking to justify this purchase.  Baking soda is something I could use for other things.

71.   Flannel sheets.  I hate the feel of them.  I like my sheets cold when I first get in them.

72.   Any kind of shower gel applicator.  I can apply shower gel by myself.  I have some kind of bath “poof” that I got a long time ago.  I cannot see any changes to it.  This is probably because I forget to use it.

73.  A coffee scoop.  I got a couple of really nice metal ones in hot chocolate gift boxes.  Two and a half scoops of coffee makes 12 cups of excellent coffee.  

74.  Metal mixing bowls.  The reason for this is there would be a higher risk of metal-on-metal sound which tortures a close relative of mine.

75.  Anything with a skull on it.  I do not even need a skull shotglass or a skull t-shirt.  

76. Tissues.  I do not sneeze a lot unless I have a cold, then I can just use toilet paper.  

Author's Note

I wrote this list to submit to place where I write to make money. However, I ended up turning in the article I wrote about writing this list.