5 more things I've stopped buying

In no particular order, here are a few more things I've cut back my spending on:

1)  Dry cleaning

Ages ago, I splashed out on an expensive pair of work trousers which were dry-clean only.  I liked how they looked, so I wore them a lot.  When I realised I'd spent just as much money on the dry-cleaning as the trousers cost in the first place, that was that.  No more.  Now I only choose machine or hand washable clothes, and even then, the hand washable stuff goes in the machine too.  (For the record, I've had very few, if any mishaps, with the hand-wash items.)

2) Fabric conditioner

My mum never used fabric conditioner when I was growing up, and so it has just never occurred to me that it's necessary.  It's also pretty bad for towels, making their fibres less absorbent, as my partner's Dad has found out through years of dedicated fabric conditioning.  I quite like a rough towel - saves money on exfoliators!

3) Micro-fibre cloths

One of the hardest things about trying to live a more planet-friendly life is finding out that a product you've switched to in good faith is actually harmful to the environment.  Micro-fibre cloths are firmly in the frame here.  They are marketed as being eco-friendly because they lessen the need for cleaning products.  Which is fine as far as it goes, but it turns out that synthetic fibres are a serious environmental problem.  I've therefore purchased my last micro-fibre cloth, and will stop using the ones I already have.

4) Regular subscription boxes

I used to get both the lifestyle and the beauty subscription boxes from The Vegan Kind, but I've cancelled both of them.  Not because I didn't love receiving them - I did - but I ended up with more products than I could get through before the next box arrived.  The beauty products, that is - the snacks disappeared pretty quickly. 

I also tried out a couple of subscription meal boxes from the Mindful Chef, but decided it was something I could live without.  The meals were delicious, and the ingredients were fresh and great quality.  But the packaging...

It was too much.  Just look at this lot!  At the front of the pic is a teaspoon of paprika in a plastic tub, and a glass jar of mustard.  As a keen cook, I already have full-sized jars of paprika and mustard, so I just didn't need these.  I've kept the recipe cards they sent, but I'll be buying the ingredients myself, at a fraction of the cost. 

5)  Magazine subscriptions

I haven't kicked the magazine habit altogether, but I don't get subscriptions anymore.  Not least as they all come in clear plastic bags.  If there was an option to have magazines delivered in paper envelopes, I'd probably go for that.  But until then...no thanks!

What are you saving on?