Hi Lovelies,

Welcome back! And welcome if You are new here xo

How are all of You, I hope You are well? Today let’s talk about things we can live without, shall we? Whether we are minimalists or not, there are definitely some things or entire categories of them we can live without, right? I’ve already done this type of post when it comes to beauty products, but let’s go further, shall we? Today’s post was inspired by Christine Kobzeff’s video, which got me thinking. Let’s see what I can live without, let’s talk, exchange ideas and inspire each other?

In no particular order here are the things or entire categories I can live without. Please note that I am not here to toot my own horn and preach of how goody two shoes I am – I am here to start conversation, inspire thinking and questioning of the things we accept without doing any research on them. I am here to tell You we don’t need half of the things that media is trying to push down our throats.

Kindle and tablet

Let’s start with Kindle or book reading electronic devices. While I understand the concept, it is not for me. I like physical books and I cannot lie 🙂 I do have some books in my Google Drive but I don’t like reading them from it or any electronic device. Tablets. I never owned one apart from winning the smallest and the most laggiest one from some online competition a decade ago. It was so bad that no one wanted it, not even my 1yr old at the time – because it was stopping every three seconds. Again, I understand a concept of it, but I own a laptop and a smart phone, so I don’t think I need it.

Robot hoover

While they are all the rage right now, I do have a couple of issues with it from what I have heard and researched them. The cheaper ones & the ones that are not programmable tend to go back and forth and not clean every nook and cranny You want them to clean. The smart ones that You need to program, but for that You need yet another app, which I don’t want. I also don’t want to enter the perimetre and square footage of my house onto the internet, who knows where this data is going and how it is used. I feel it takes a lot of time and work to do that before You even get it to work? They also seem to hoover for ten minutes at the time and go charge for three hours. Do I need yet another electrical thing that is constantly charging at the house? No I don’t. My kid and the dog are both scared of them and they are notorious for either getting stuck under furniture and/or spreading pet s**t everywhere. Don’t believe me? Go look it up on Youtube, I am not kidding You. I also heard that the bagless ones are hard(er) to find. Having said all of that, I do think that regular hoover is so much less work.

Please feel free to leave Your feedback and convince me otherwise if You do own one and are super happy with it?

air pods/ wireless pods

They microwave Your brain. No one is looking at the data on how they work, but everyone should.

APPLE WATCH/ FIT BIT

Again, why would I want a wearable tech with so much of my personal data in the cloud? Where is this data going and how it is going to be used? I am not hearing great feedback from the people who own them either. Why would I want to be constantly entering my data tracking my every move and food intake daily? I feel it would take so much more time and energy that could be used so much better. Again, it is yet another device to be charged and monitored daily. Do I want that? No. It ain’t help me lose pounds either, it is still up to me to eat healthy and go for a run, no?

subscription anything

These days You can get subscriptions for anything from beauty boxes to underwear to be delivered to Your house on the regular basis. As convenient as it is, do we really need that much extra stuff monthly? Costs of them add up very quickly too, we need to think about our budgets too. It is so easy to lose track of what’s draining Your bank account if You do sign up for a lot of these, no?

The only delivery box (not subscription) I decided to keep getting is organic veg box. That’s my choice, You do You boo.

food delivery apps

This is huge now. I can say so many things on this topic. From people being conditioned to live where everything is delivered to the door. Convenience, fast pace of life they say. While I am not against odd take away treat or two, I didn’t have good experience with any of these apps. Just Eat was the worst, they ruined two kids birthday parties and one New Year party where I ordered food instead of making it. What was the experience each time? No food 1.5hrs later, hungry guests and frazzled nerves on my side. After giving them chance after chance I was forever let down and I heard so many similar stories where people paid and didn’t get food but it was marked delivered. The cherry on the top was where I rang them to chase my New Years order (again, after more than an hour’s wait) and instead of making it happen, they send me an email of cancelation – as if I cancelled the order, not them or the restaurant! Imagine the situation – 10pm on New Year’s Eve, You have a house full of (hungry) guests looking at You and You get “cancelation” email from Just Eat. Perfect scenario, no?

fast fashion

If You know me, You know I don’t do fast fashion. Fashion industry is the fourth biggest polluter, so they have a lot to answer for. I wish people would think a bit further where that “one party” dress ends up after You throw it away. Donating it to the charity shops does not solve the problem either. Besides, man made materials like polyester do not let Your body breathe, they never sit right on look good. Convince me otherwise. In fact, when I started paying attention to what are our clothes made of and seeking natural garments, shopping suddenly lost 80% of it’s appeal to me. You either won’t find anything from natural materials on the high street or it will suddenly be into three digits category. I talk about it in my Slow Fashion posts I did a while ago. For the whole year I tracked what I spent money on and what garments I got. I gave myself 600eu budget for the year because up to that point I didn’t even know what I spend on fashion each year. Did I stick to it? Yes and no. Did I buy fast fashion? No. But I possibly bought some things from man made materials – mostly from charity shops. It is called balance baby 🙂

man made materials

Umm, see above. I just explained a whole lot. I also try to avoid man made materials in our household too. The things that pretend to be natural irk me the most – there were many times when I made my way towards something that looked like sea grass basket or wooden side table or a frame, only to discover that they are made of plastic. It is impossible to avoid them in modern lives, I get it. But If I have a choice of something made from natural materials vs man made, I will always go for natural option. I might pay more, but to me it is well worth it. Most of the time it ends up being better for us and the environment too.

sodas

As “nice” and addicting they are, they are not good for us. Aside so much plastic for packaging, I wish people paid attention to what they are made of and what effects do they have for human bodies. If You don’t want to deep dive into that, just google ph of sodas. I rest my case.

junk snacks

Fun and tasty, yes. But also full of the ingredients You don’t want. Even if it sounds like it is the heathiest thing on the planet, packaged snacks are still full of added ingredients to make them last years on the shelf. I am not against them, I do eat chips/ crisps or pack occasional Naked bar for travels, but I do advise You to look at the ingredients and choose the healthiest option possible. The less ingredients, the better. Organic, even more so!

cleaning products

I will sound like a broken record here, but I wish people would pay the attention to the ingredients and what are those synthetic products are doing to our bodies. There is a reason cleaning aisles are dubbed “infertility aisles”. I can’t even go into those sections in the shops without getting a skin rash and wheezing. Our clothes and bodies aren’t supposed to be smelling of synthetic lavender/ other from five metres away. Mentioned rashes and breathing problems were one of the first pieces of puzzle I started to solve more than a decade ago. You can make Your own cleaning products for pennies and they work just as good. Look them up on Youtube or Tik Tok. You will be glad You did. I clean my house with vinegar, baking soda and castile soap for years now. Add essential oils if desired.

Ps. Let me know if You would like me to post about my DIY natural cleaning products?

anything with synthetic fragrance

I am sure most of us know that the term “fragrance” hides up to 200 chemicals that aren’t even listed on the label. If You get headaches, rashes, itching skin or breathing problems from being around/ using products with “fragrance” in them, pay attention.

Microwave

Personal choice, do not go after me on this, but I urge You to do the research on how the micro waves change molecular structure of the food and why they are prohibited in certain parts of the world. Do You know how how microwaves were invented? Micro waves were used in war(s) & they soon noticed the birds were dropping dead if they flew over micro waves wires. Pregnant women are not advised to use it or if they do, they are advised to stand 2 metres away from it. Do we stope to think about why? Airfryer will heat the food just as quickly, but without the soggy bits. Or hot spots in the food. Just make sure to choose model without teflon coated basket, that’s it.

Teflon pots/ pans

Again, why choose to use something that is proven to be harmful to us and the environment? I clearly remember my mom ditching her trusty old fashioned stainless steel pan for trendy teflon pan when Lithuania got all this influx of trendy Western products after we got independence. I was around 10 at the time. Oh how I wish she kept that pan! She, myself and millions of other women needed to replace teflon pans every year or so – they never last long, even pricy cheffy ones, do they? Teflon is off gassing harmful chemicals if scratched – and we are eating it. Swap for cast iron or stainless steel for pans and look up non toxic cookware, pretty please?

seasonal decor

I don’t have the patience, energy or storage to change every thing around the house every season. The one exception I make is Christmas. If You are one of those trendy moms who change every pillow/ candle/ throw/ doormat/ wreath/picture/ bedding/ mantel piece decor/ kitchen cups/ jars/ drink station/ etc/ etc every time the season or holiday changes, more power to You. But where do You store all this stuff? Do You have an outhouse? How do You make sure the extra “stuff” does not get dusty or moldy? Do You need to buy dozens of storage boxes to house all that extra stuff that You didn’t need in the first place? Are You doing it all by yourself? I feel very few husbands share this passion and are keen to help?

garden decorations

Not for me either. I love plants and I dream of owning a back garden oasis one day, but I doubt I will add any decor to it. There is a very fine line of all these gnomes/ butterflies/ etc looking tacky and kitchy.

house decor

Continuing with the decor theme, I am also not buying any more decor for the house either. I know what I like, I collected enough stuff over the decades and I don’t need any more, thanking You.

alcohol

Without any grand announcements I quit alcohol about three years ago. There were any reasons from witnessing destructing powers of alcohol(ics) from early childhood till now to quickly realizing booze is doing more harm than good. Why suffer lost days and hangovers from hell for a few hours of supposed fun? Blacking out terrified me, so I never drank to that point anyway and after noticing that hangovers last for about three days in 30s and beyond, I quickly made my mind up. I am going to need those brain cells to stay intact.

gluten containing products (personally)

I developed severe gluten and dairy allergies mid 30s where my skin errupted in dermatitis rashes overnight. Up until that point I naively thought that You can’t develop allergies, You are either born with them or not. Few years and many hours research later, I came to understanding that we are all born with different tolerance limit to the constant onslaught of toxins our bodies tolerate. My “toxin bucket” overfilled mid 30s, my daughter’s in early childhood and someone else might live their whole life drinking, smoking etc and not getting any allergies or illnesses. Genetic lottery, I guess? My dermatitis/ coeliac journey isn’t over, I can’t pronounce myself healed, because if I healed myself, I could eat and drink anything that I please. Not quite so. Every time I tried to eat gluten or even accidentally glutened myself, I break out in horrific rashes on my face and body. It is called dermatitis herpetiformis, a rare form of coeliac disease where it affects the skin. As much as I hate to admit it to myself, I think my body will react to gluten as to poison for the rest of my life.

pre-cut packaged fruit and veg

As convenient as it is, cut packaged salad are doused with 25x stronger chemicals than swimming pool water. Yum.

Produce with APEEL on it

This is such a modern horror -supposedly made from natural materials but in reality toxin to be applied on our fruit and veg in the stores. It is said to replace shrink plastic from the veg, but I would rather have that than apeel. It can’t be washed off, carries a ton of hazard statements including but not limited to H318 (serious eye damage) H317 (allergic skin reactions), H412 – harmful to aquatic life with long lasting results. Do I need to go on? None of us public were consulted with, no long term safety studies and even their own website says don’t use if You are worried. Well, I am worried – why it is entering our food chain without our knowledge? To keep us in the dark they are also changing labelling of produce, apparently it only needs to be labelled on the delivery box.

starbucks/ coffee to go

Those 5eu take away coffees drain our wallets pretty fast. Supposedly You are in the habit of getting one each morning before work or every time You are out and about. How much money are You spending there each month? What about per year? I would rather drink my coffee at home and keep my money in my wallet. Besides, Starbucks uses a lot of GMOs and hides it. Not my cup of tea to support.

dental care products with flouride

Flouride is a toxin to our brain. Lots of reports are coming out on this. Why are we putting it in our mouths daily? Please do Yourself a favour and research how fluoride was added to the water and products. Nothing to do with health benefits, mind You.

cookbooks

As much as I love a good cookbook with pretty pictures and glossy paper, I am one of those statistics where I cook just four recipes from it. I have a whole row in my shelfie (find it on my IG) – and those were the “good ones” that I decided to keep when moving 100km. Do I need to get more? No, it is bursting at the seams. Besides, Youtube shorts and IG posts are where it is at for me. I always go there first and not to my own cookbook shelf for a recipe. Go figure.

fiction books

As much as I love reading, I find myself phasing out fiction. Partly because of the lack of time, us moms never have that to spare to begin with, especially with dog added to the mix, I have it even less. So I much rather read something from health and wellness or personal development section. Maybe it is just a phase, I don’t know. But no more fiction books for now.

video games & apps

I don’t have time or energy for video games. Apps are also something I would rather not pay any money for. Everything can be sourced for free. Convince me otherwise.

DOORBELL CAMERA/ DOOR APPS

Umm, You know what I am going to say here. I just don’t want to buy and install yet another electric device that needs yet another app and monthly fee to use. Doorbell is not even new invention, I remember seeing it on Jaimie Oliver’s first TV show years and years ago – decades even. No smart phones or apps existed back then, so why the added apps and monthly fees now? Money grab, that is. Besides, most of us don’t live in the mansions, I feel it is not too much bother to walk to the window to see who is at the door. And if You live in the apartment, I don’t think management will allow You to install it anyway.

Door apps – my friends who own a cleaning company told me that some of their clients have door apps to track who is coming into their houses and for how long. These are not video apps, but they will send notifications and the data to the house owners. Again, You know what I am going to say – why would I possibly want to put such private data out there into the virtual cloud? Why let anyone know how much time the house is empty for and in what specific times? Imagine if it was hacked? Perfect scenario for robbers.  I pass.

ANYTHING THAT DIDN’T NEED AN APP TO WORK BEFORE

I see this trend and I know You have noticed it too. Things that didn’t require internet connection and apps before, suddenly do. Suppose Your old printer broke and You had to buy a new one – simply because no one repairs these things or it costs more than buying new one. You choose a good one, bring it home and only then discover that it requires internet connection AND an app to use it. Not only that, but the location has to be ON the whole time it prints. What?? What does location has to do with anything printing wise? Yup, true story, happened to us. Of course sales man will not tell You those things before You buy it. And You can’t go return it or exchange it because it is opened and not faulty.

My husband also tells me that builders tools like drills also require apps for them to work – they remove buttons and replace it with apps. Imagine that? Not only a builder suddenly needs a smartphone and internet for his drill to work, but someone knows how much he uses it and when. What if the maker’s company decides that the app is now X amount per month and not free anymore? You either pay or can’t use the drill that cost You hundreds and hundreds of euros. Think about it.

any service that I can do myself

No cleaning lady/ dog walker/ chef/ gardener/ seamstress/ psychologist/ first aid worker/ laundry lady/ repair person in my house. You get the drift.

any beauty products back ups

Natural products do not last as much as the “conventional” ones, so I learned very quickly not to have back ups. You don’t want to open a product that spoils by the time You get round to opening it six months later.

eye shaddow

As much as I love eye make up, shadows are the thing I find myself using the least. Somehow I amassed enough of them to last a lifetime. Do I need to get more? Absolutely not.

any beauty products I deem unnecessary

To be honest with You this is not the first time I am doing this type “I can live without this” type of post, a few years back I followed the trend “5 beauty products I can live without” and I took it up a notch. Ended up with 40+. You can read it up here.

40+ Things I Can Live Without – Beauty – Green Life In Dublin

Umm, You will need to excuse me for this, but I am going to stop writing explanations why I don’t use this or that – we are at over 3ooo words, so I don’t want to lose You guys because of too much of essays on each point. Besides, the list from now on is pretty much self explanatory 🙂

*Brownie points if You are still here with me 🙂

fake tan

anything that I can DIY

hair extensions & lash extensions

Hair styling products

botox/ cosmetic tweakments

designer anything

Any clothing from the internet*

anything to fix the mood in the moment

Anything for my fantasy self

Art & craft materials

Puzzles

anything with a tv ad

no magazine subscriptions*

No bulky kitchen gadgets

anything disposable if I can help it

flavoured water/ favourings for water

cut flowers & fake flowers

Alexa

Anything smart for the home

cigarettes and e-cigarettes

Phew, that was a list and a half, wasn’t it? I would love to hear Your thoughts on it? Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

*Rock star points if You made it to the end of this post 🙂

Sending LOVE & LIGHT,

Renata.